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General health

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Original poster

Is this normal? (A bit long!)

25 replies

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 15:55

If I start from the beginning...

About 3 weeks ago on a Tuesday, dd had a high temp and diaroeah. It passed that night and she was up and down the rest of the week and then the following Saturday we took her to the emerg Dr as she had lost her balance.

The Dr said she had Pharengitus (sp) and conjuntivitus/cellulitus in her right eye. They gave me some antibiotics which should have lasted for a week but were finished in 4 days. It turned out they had given her a higher dose than what she should have had but it would'nt have harmed her.

All this aside, when dd was born her right eye was very swollen, I was told it could be bruising from being born. It lasted until she was 1 month and wasn't treated. Since then she has had 5 infections in the same eye, 6 if you include this one. The emerg Dr we saw said I should mention being refered to the eye clinic by my GP.

Saw my gp last week and she said if it flares up again we will refer you.

Suprise suprise this week it has come up again and along with that she has developed a bad chesty cough and she has a runny nose which has stuck around for 3 weeks.
I took her to the gp this morning and they said the cough was normal and they're not treating it, they have refered her to the eye clinic but what I'm more worried about at the moment is that all she has done is sleep since we have got back, her temp is 38.1 and when she does open her eyes it's like she's not with us iykwim.

Is that normal? Should I ring the Dr? Help!

OP posts:

Twiglett · 04/02/2005 16:00

HOw old is she

I think you know when your child is not right, if you think she's altered then I definitely WOULD call the doctor again

I am sure she is fine, she is probably just fighting the bug.. but the altered state when awake would concern me if she was a toddler

Lonelymum · 04/02/2005 16:01

Have you tried to bring her temperature down? Calpol or similar or just tried sponging her with lukewarm water?

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 16:04

She's nearly 16 months.

It's definatley not like her though.
I always feel really guilty for calling Dr's but on the other hand Dh has gone to work 70 miles away and won't be back till tomorrow tea time and I don't drive.

Would they say 38.1 is a high temp?

OP posts:

Twiglett · 04/02/2005 16:06

No that's definitely not a high temp or worth being too bothered about (its slightly higher than normal .. but not so much) .. its only worth bothering when its 40 or over .. babies spike really high temps

then again a constant slightly raised temperature over a week or so would concern me

Twiglett · 04/02/2005 16:07

her not being able to focus on you when awake would concern me though

and YOU know your child best .. if you are concerned call them

Lonelymum · 04/02/2005 16:07

Not excessively, but enough to warrant trying to bring it down. Have you tried anything? I ask, because if you have tried without success, that would be more worrying. If Calpol or whatever succeeds, you might find your dd becomes more human again.

Twiglett · 04/02/2005 16:07

Drs get paid for seeing you .. don't feel guilty .. that's their job

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 16:07

Shit, it has gone up to 39.5 and was still going up, she would'nt let me hold the thing under her arm.

OP posts:

Twiglett · 04/02/2005 16:08

again remember that babies spike high temps .. its their bodies dealing with infection

give her calpol (to stabilise) and nurofen (to bring it down), strip her off to vest and CALL THE DOCTOR

Lonelymum · 04/02/2005 16:08

Get her clothes off and sponge her with tepid water. Give her Calpol. Wait half and hour and see if that makes her better. Good luck.

Twiglett · 04/02/2005 16:10

do not give calpol and nurofen at the same time .. intersperse them so give nurofen then 3 hours later calpol then 3 hours nurofen etc

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 16:15

Given her calpol, she's screaming when I sponge her down though. Will check her temp in a bit and might call dh back home.

OP posts:

BubblesDeVere · 04/02/2005 16:18

Ring nhs direct on 08454647. What is her temperature now?

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 16:23

Bang on 39. I'll give it till 16:40 and then I'll ring the Dr. She's curled up on my knee and there's some heat coming off her!

OP posts:

Lonelymum · 04/02/2005 16:27

The Calpol can take some time to work. If she doewsn't like the sponging, would she tolerate a small hand held fan? (if you have one). Otherwise, just keep her in minimum clothing. Could also try a drink of something cool.

essbee · 04/02/2005 16:27

Message withdrawn

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 16:32

She's just got her nappy on, the not quite with it business isn't as bad now although she is quite lethargic. I've just noticed that her heart beat is quite fast but could that be because of her runny nose and chestyness?

OP posts:

mummylonglegs · 04/02/2005 16:39

nbg, I don't know anything really about the eye problems but I do know that when my dd has a fever her eye contact is also very strange. And she gets frighteningly lethargic. The chesty cough / runny nose things are so common at this age and vary from being relatively minor to downright scary. My dd (2.4) has one at the moment and isn't eating, wants to sleep all the time etc. The last one she had she was really unwell though. When she was 13 months she was admitted to hospital with a chest infection and her temperature was 41 even after calpol and neurofen. Very scary.

mummylonglegs · 04/02/2005 16:40

Sorry, meant to say that heartbeat rises with high temperature. Also the calpol will have a small effect on it.

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 16:41

Just checked temp and it's gone up a bit to 39.3. Waiting for duty Dr to ring back.

OP posts:

Lonelymum · 04/02/2005 19:48

How's she going NBG?

Frizbe · 04/02/2005 19:53

Oh hugs hope eveything is ok, we've had the trots/pharingitius thing as well, and three weeks on our dd too has a runny nose still and a cough too, so know what your going through, although we're lucky as no re lapse in temperature....we hit 39 at one point, had dd in bed in nappy only with the fan on her....(most worried we've both been) fingers x'd the calpol is doing the job for her and your all ok {{HUGS}}

Original poster

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/02/2005 22:13

Sorry just got back to this thread.
Too caught up in the Snob thread!

Dr rang and he may as well have said "Don't waste my time"!

Temp went down to 38 so the Calpol must have done something. She had some of my homemade veg soup for tea and some milk and she's been in bed since 7:30.

Thanks for the advice and thanks for coming back Lonelymum.

OP posts:

Lonelymum · 05/02/2005 08:57

Oh what an unpleasant GP! 16 months is still young and a temperature can be very worrying so I think you did the right thing to contact the doctor even if he wasn't very nice.
Hope dd is better today.

BubblesDeVere · 05/02/2005 09:20

NBG how is dd today? Hope she is feeling better.

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