Hi all, I was hoping someone could help calm me down? My son who is only 5 often gets viral respiratory infections which last for ages - and often get worse rather than better quickly. He also suffers with hayfever from April to July and this year it was particularly bad for him. It was the first year he needed a prescribed steroid spray as well as antihistamines, as well as all the other techniques (air purifiers etc). His dad is similar and always seems to be sniffing and coughing stuff up ever since I've known him.
He was doing really well having had no hayfever or symptoms to speak of in August and most of September, but then he went back to school and 12 days ago he started with what was obviously a viral cold - runny nose and sneezing etc. lots of children in his class got the same. However instead of the cold getting progressively better in a matter of days like everyone else, he started to get much thicker, more yellow nasal discharge. At night and in the mornings he was / is sniffing outwards very hard (I tell him not so blow hard as it'll inflame things more, but he's 5 and doesn't understand ), and he's also staring to say now and then that the front of his head hurts. No fevers at all throughout these 12 days. I've been giving him ibuprofen for pain and took him to see a doctor on Saturday morning in urgent care due to the worry.
The doctor checked him over and said all seemed ok apart from when he looked up his nose he said it was very congested and "very angry up there" with redness etc. He prescribed oral antibiotics, told us to restart his steroid nasal spray, and also his antihistamines. He said it seems as if he has sinusitis/ sinus infection, and that these are most often viral, but was prescribing the antibiotics "just in case".
He's on day 4 of the antibiotics and steroid nasal spray and he's not much better, although I have noticed at night he's not sitting up as much and sniffing hard with discomfort and congestion etc. Yesterday he complained twice of head pain at the front of his head and I keep freaking out and telling myself he will get meningitis or something very bad from this next.
I've tried everything, (steam, Vicks, humidifier etc) but it's day 12 since the cold symptoms started, and I'm at a loss on how else to help him. He's mostly well in himself- playing ok (perhaps slightly less energy).
I'm worried it's taking so long for him to get well again and ithat its going to get much worse. He's only 5 and I feel so sorry for him. Will his nose ever get less blocked / inflamed ? It was very much the same during hayfever season this year, but obviously I'm so worried that this time he's started with a cold and that it got worse and now we're still batting it so it's infection related. He's had so many days off school already because I'm so worried and it's all really starting to get me down now.