Help, stuck in Rhodes...

[OutofTyme]

Hi everyone, I need some advice. We were supposed to fly home on Tuesday night from our holiday but my daughter got an ear infection on Monday and the doctor said she's not fit to fly for 4 days. She's been taking augmentin since. We've now booked another flight for Saturday and we're staying in another hotel. I have to get the doctor out again tomorrow to get another fit for fly certificate but my daughter is still complaining of her ears hurting. I'm scared he's going to say she's not better enough to fly. We need to get home.

Any advice?

Er, who do you think you are exactly? How exactly have I not prioritised my daughters health? She's better. I knew she was better and if she wasn't I wouldn't have risked anything.

It's amazing how many rude people there are on MN who say nasty things to people they wouldn't dream of saying in real life. It's ok when you're hiding behind a screen isn't it?

If she was better and you knew she was better WTF ask MN if she was better?

Glad she is home and well

We could not fly during the volcano in Iceland several years ago & drove home! It took 4 days, our son had been in hospital too, it was endlessly stressful & expensive (£1000+).

I asked about it on Thursday. By yesterday she was better. She's had many ear infections in the past and I know when she's ill and when she's not. Which is why I took her straight to the doctor on Monday when I could see she was ill.

We were stuck in Greece in a very small town and even though we were staying in a 5 star hotel, she, I and a number of other guests all came down with a bacterial infection at the same time which may have been to do with fly landing on food in the buffet hall. I felt that the longer we stayed there the more problems we might have had. And there was only one tiny pharmacy nearby.

A doctor on this thread apparently knowingly took her ill child on a flight with an ear infection but that's ok because she's now telling me what to do(!) My daughter had no fever, no signs of illness and was telling me she no longer needed Nurofen so I felt it was safe to go ahead with the flight (which the rep at the hotel agreed to book) . And for that I'm called an unfit parent?!

People on MN just like to put the boot in these days. Never used to be like this.

I'm sorry to hear that FlicketyFlack - sounds a nightmare.

I think if I had been with my mum or dp I would have been less anxious about the whole thing. But it was just me and my two daughters. As an autistic person I don't think I will go by myself with them again even though we all did have lovely quality time together.

You did the right thing, op. Ignore the goady fucker. Glad you are home safe and sound.

To be fair, in your op you were asking how you could take your daughter home whilst she was saying she was still in pain so I think it’s understandable that people were concerned that’s what you might do.

Anyway glad she’s better and it’s all sorted.

'To be fair, in your op you were asking how you could take your daughter home whilst she was saying she was still in pain so I think it’s understandable that people were concerned that’s what you might do. '

Yes but if you read the thread you'll see that at some point I asked her what the pain level was and she said '2' which everyone then ignored. Threads progress, they don't automatically stay the same as the OP.

Thanks AF

Sometimes it's as though people just want to find something wrong!

Op I didn't see this post until today, but as a Mum with a depressing amount of experience with ear infections, glue ear etc, I would have said your dd would be fine to fly by Saturday, having read your op. You did just fine.

Thank you Mrs BD. I'm going to stop posting threads on MN about this sort of thing because I find that in general these days mumsnet is no longer a supportive community but one where people look to find any reason possible to post nasty, rude judgmental responses.

It really really wasn't like this in 2004 when I joined. I suppose it has become too big which is a shame.

I suffered a raptured eardrum which has left me with 60% of hearing loss, it is always a concern when flying as to whether it may flare up another ear infection.

You were right OP to do what you did in delaying coming home

Some folk would have just dosed the kid up on paracetamol and flown home on their original date (looking at you, DH...not our dc, himself the daft sod)

Op, you took medical advice. Rescheduled your flight probably at great inconvenience and dc was fine. The End

glad it all worked out - although your insurers should have paid for the doctor.

Yes we have the documentation to claim back. Thanks.

Firstly, I’m glad your DD is home safe and well.
But there is no need to be rude to people who tried to help you by offering advice based on the information you provided.

Secondly, nowhere in my post did I say that I “knowingly took my ill child on a flight with an ear infection”
What I actually said, if you’d bothered to read my post accurately, was that I had experience flying with a child with an ear infection.
We flew 9 days post diagnosis after a 7 day course of antibiotics, when I was confident that his eustation tubes were completely clear.
Yes it was stressful and inconvenient but it was worth it for the sake of my child’s health.

Thirdly, nobody called you an unfit parent because you decided to take your DD home.
What MyDc said was that prioritising saving money over ensuring your child was definitely well enough to travel was a poor choice, which I agree with, I’m glad your DD was fine, but it’s not a risk most people would be willing to take.

Also kicking off and calling us all nasty an judgemental is just petty, if you want to be told reassuring bs instead of practical advice maybe MN isn’t the place for you.

WeAreEternal - you are out of order.

'Well I am glad your daughter is ok but €150 to gamble your daughter’s future hearing.
I suggest you never ever go abroad again until you can prioritise your daughter.'

Please do not gaslight me and tell me that the above post is not deliberately goady and nasty. It clearly fucking is. I did prioritise my daughter. She was better and she was desperate to go home. I found it very suspicious that the doctor told me she needed a 10 day course of antibiotics then only prescribed us with 6 days worth. So I now have to go to the GP here to get more because she hasn't finished the course. In a country like Greece where the economic situation is as bad as it is you have to wonder why a doctor would not give you enough in the first place and if there was an ulterior motive.

And don't tell me mn isn't the place for me. It isn't the place for posters who jump on OPs repeatedly for fun. It's supposed to be a supportive site.

No you are the one who is out of order! how dare you attack me when all I tried to do was give you advice and help your daughter.

We all offered you a lot of advice,
ivechanged even went to the effort of looking into alternative routes home for you.

Nobody was gloady or nasty to you but you have just proved our point quite well, you said that the doctor told you a 10 day course of antibiotics was needed, they gave you 6 days worth of medication and were presumably told come back in 4-5 days for her to be checked and to be given the rest of the course of antibiotics, this is common practice in Europe as they like to see how well the antibiotics are working and only prescribing half the course is a good way to ensure the patient returns.
So you knew when you rebooked the flight that your DD had only had half a course of antibiotics and you chose not to get her checked because you didnt want to pay for the appointment/medication, you just decided that she seemed well enough to fly so took the risk.... that is why myDc said you have your priorities wrong.

If you thought your DD was perfectly well why do you now need to take her to your GP for more antibiotics?
I’m guessing it’s because what I have just said is completely accurate.

I’m honestly very glad that your DD made the journey home safe, but it was a risk that could have caused a lot of pain or permanent damage to her hearing, a risk rhat was completely unnecessary.

You are absolutely right, MN is a supportive site where MNers offer each other advice and support, share stories and jokes.
Sometimes comments hit a nerve but it’s not an excuse to turn on those who offered advice and support.

How dare I attack you? Where exactly have I attacked you? You sound quite angry for someone with a reasonable point to make and I will not engage with you any further. And you are wrong - I asked the doctor if he had prescribed the amount for 10 days and he told me he had. So he hasn’t worked it out properly.

if anyone's coming across as angry it's you OP.

I would not say that I’m angry. Irritated, certainly when people deliberately choose not to read my posts properly. And then post supercilious sounding, smug posts about how ‘I made the wrong choice ‘ and ‘I do hope you never ever go abroad again’ after the fact.

Other people have suggested I did the sensible thing. Some people earlier on the thread gave suggestions on alternative ways to get home which was helpful. But in the end by Saturday my daughter had no signs of any problems with her ears any longer. I doubt that you would choose to stay in a foreign country and not fly home when your child is clearly perfectly well. Incidentally the GP here has said that she doesn’t need any more antibiotics and that it’s best not to give any more since the augmentin caused her to have diarrhoea.

Augmenting does that sometimes, OP. Might be worth getting her some probiotic yoghurts.