Baby has flu

Nina wrote:
We had the works, even a spinal tap. They cant take the chance of having any
more kids die. I caught my daughters symptoms almost immediately so she
didnt have too much time to get sick. She still has a cough and is fussy,
but no secondary infectiins so far.

Hmmm...my DS is warm, sleepy and fussy, with clear nasal discharge and
not much appetite. He's coughing but I think it's post-nasal mucus and
nothing more sinister. I'm not about to haul him into the ER anytime
soon for this. How do you decide? I would have more concerns wrt
unnecessary antibiotics and exposure to the rest of the ER population,
and risks from a spinal tap than with his chances of being super ill
from what he's showing right now.....

I don't like the idea of agressive medical treatement based on "They
cant take the chance of having any more kids die." That sounds like a
poor reason to initiate things like spinal taps and IV fluids and a/b to
me, since it's not exactly sweeping thru the country like Black Death,
even with some small number of children dying.

OTOH, at what point DO I get concerned?

Dawn

"Dawn Lawson" wrote in message
news:aCwAb.585293$pl3.419157@pd7tw3no...


Nina wrote:
We had the works, even a spinal tap. They cant take the chance of having
any
more kids die. I caught my daughters symptoms almost immediately so she
didnt have too much time to get sick. She still has a cough and is
fussy,
but no secondary infectiins so far.

Hmmm...my DS is warm, sleepy and fussy, with clear nasal discharge and
not much appetite. He's coughing but I think it's post-nasal mucus and
nothing more sinister. I'm not about to haul him into the ER anytime
soon for this. How do you decide? I would have more concerns wrt
unnecessary antibiotics and exposure to the rest of the ER population,
and risks from a spinal tap than with his chances of being super ill
from what he's showing right now.....

I don't like the idea of agressive medical treatement based on "They
cant take the chance of having any more kids die." That sounds like a
poor reason to initiate things like spinal taps and IV fluids and a/b to
me, since it's not exactly sweeping thru the country like Black Death,
even with some small number of children dying.

OTOH, at what point DO I get concerned?

Dawn


Trust your instincts. That's what I always use. Only you know your child
best.

Shannon

"Shannon G" wrote in message
news:JGxAb.87173$yJ.64671@okepread02...

"Dawn Lawson" wrote in message
news:aCwAb.585293$pl3.419157@pd7tw3no...


Nina wrote:
We had the works, even a spinal tap. They cant take the chance of
having
any
more kids die. I caught my daughters symptoms almost immediately so
she
didnt have too much time to get sick. She still has a cough and is
fussy,
but no secondary infectiins so far.

Hmmm...my DS is warm, sleepy and fussy, with clear nasal discharge and
not much appetite. He's coughing but I think it's post-nasal mucus and
nothing more sinister. I'm not about to haul him into the ER anytime
soon for this. How do you decide? I would have more concerns wrt
unnecessary antibiotics and exposure to the rest of the ER population,
and risks from a spinal tap than with his chances of being super ill
from what he's showing right now.....

I don't like the idea of agressive medical treatement based on "They
cant take the chance of having any more kids die." That sounds like a
poor reason to initiate things like spinal taps and IV fluids and a/b to
me, since it's not exactly sweeping thru the country like Black Death,
even with some small number of children dying.

It is here.It was worth it to me. I'd rather have a few xrays and blood
tests than a child die.



OTOH, at what point DO I get concerned?

Dawn


Trust your instincts. That's what I always use. Only you know your child
best.

I agree. My baby wasnt acting sick, just a little sleepier than usual and a
TINY bit warmer than usual, I just decided to go ahead and take her temp,
and she did have a fever, And she did test positive for flu.

Nina wrote:
"Shannon G" wrote in message
news:JGxAb.87173$yJ.64671@okepread02...

"Dawn Lawson" wrote in message
news:aCwAb.585293$pl3.419157@pd7tw3no...


I don't like the idea of agressive medical treatement based on "They
cant take the chance of having any more kids die." That sounds like a
poor reason to initiate things like spinal taps and IV fluids and a/b to
me, since it's not exactly sweeping thru the country like Black Death,
even with some small number of children dying.


It is here.

I know it's worse than past years, but I'm not sure I subscribe to the
aura of paranoia that seems to pervade every year's flu season. (No,
maybe I am sure. I don't get a flu shot. Even working in a pharmacy
where sick people with remarkably crappy awareness of germ theory
would cough into their hand holding rx, then hand rx to me....oh
thenkyew... :-P ) I rarely get sick, nor does DS. This is pretty much
his first cold/flu.)

It was worth it to me. I'd rather have a few xrays and blood
tests than a child die.

WAS that ever the choice? Or are the drs just being hyper cautious? I
still don't think I would submit DS to a spinal tap et al for this.

That presentation of risk (do this or your kid dies) just strikes me as
SO unfair and wrong. Even if it's not said like that, obviously that is
what comes across in parents' minds...."I'd rather this than a child die"



OTOH, at what point DO I get concerned?

Dawn


Trust your instincts. That's what I always use. Only you know your child
best.


I agree. My baby wasnt acting sick, just a little sleepier than usual and a
TINY bit warmer than usual, I just decided to go ahead and take her temp,
and she did have a fever, And she did test positive for flu.


Well, still, all that for a slight fever and the flu?? I don't agree
with prophylactic a/b in this situation, nor do I think the ER is a safe
place to be. You said your DD was safer in hospital because the people
who she got flu from were at home, but how does that make sense? She
already HAS that virus....but not the ones in the ER.

I took DS to the ER this summer for what was probably an allergic
reaction to a wasp sting, and I was there only a few moments before I
realised I was MOre frightened by the chance of what he could get from
being in the ER than I had been at home wondering what was wrong.

Dawn, a little tired and cranky

Dawn Lawson wrote:

How do you decide?

I thought I'd revisit this, now that I have experience.
Caterpillar was fine (acting normally, not feverish) at 8pm,
and had an underarm temp of 100.6 at 9:30pm. She spent the
whole night whimpering and crying, barely moved, wouldn't
roll over to nurse (she'd turn her head a tiny bit, but I
had to move her body), and was at 100.3 in the morning. She
also had an explosive watery stool around 7am, which is a
viral infection indicator. Her nose started to run around
10am (right after the nasal swab).

I called our pediatrician's answering service to ask if I
should take her to the urgent care clinic or just wait until
Monday for an office visit. Ped called me back, said not to
go to urgent care, and called in an order for the rapid flu
culture; I took Caterpillar to the lab for a nasal swab.
Pediatrician called in prescriptions for antivirals for the
whole household, either as treatment or as prophylaxis. The
only wait was for 20 minutes to get the culture taken and
the results back, and we were the only people in the waiting
room. I called at 8am, and Caterpillar had her first dose
of antivirals when she got up from a nap at 12:30.

We're supposed to observe for fever unresponsive to Tylenol,
color change (pale or blue), skipping more than 2 nursings.

A woman at the pharmacy while I was picking up prescriptions
had just come from an urgent care center, and she said they
were *packed* with flu-y kids. So I'm delighted not to have
spent my morning surrounded by them.

Phoebe
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