Flu/Virus Going Around?

Hi,
My 22 month-old daughter was presecribed Amoxicylin recently, but it was for an ear infection, not a virus. My daughter also had a high fever, was very fussy, and had a lot of congestion. She was also pulling on her ears a lot, which is a major tell-tale sign of ear infection in babies. Her doctor said that the congestion/fluid was "caught" in the ear canal, which was the main cause of the infection and the uncomfortable feeling. It sounds like you are doing everything right, so keep it up, even though it is very rough...esp. since he can't tell you exactly what is wrong.

I would suggest for the stuffy nose...go to the store and get a product called Sudacare Advance. This plugs into the outlet and fills the room with vapors that helps with the stuffy nose. I worked with my kid. Good luck.

She gave you an antibiotic for a VIRUS?!!!!! That's crazy!

Personally, I would go to your local health food store & try some herbs (ie: Hyland's Cold Tablets) first.
I've also used an herbal oil, which has a lot of menthyl type vapors in it (I just put it on my 15 mo. old's pj's or sheets) to help him breath.

Also, I know this sounds crazy, but I SWEAR by chiropractic adjustments!!!! My son has, thankfully, only had 3 colds so far, but I took him in for adjustments for the last two times & he got better SO much faster! I don't know if you live anywhere close to him, but I go to see Dr. Robert Smith in Forks Twp & he is fantastic!

I hope he feels better soon!

Yes, it is going around!

One suggestion, they have unflavored pedialyte (it is clear)in CVS. Mix his sippy of apple juice 1/2 pedia 1/2 juice...he will never know the difference. Also, our pediatrician even said Gatorade is ok...is he throwing up?

Suprised your doctor gave him amoxy...102 is not even that high for his age and usually they just tell you rest and keep them hydrated. Seems amoxy is way over prescribed.

Unfortunately, tis the season!

If he hasnt had one already you may want to get him a flu shot as soon as this passes.

Hang in there..it will all be behind you soon!

Sometimes the dole fruits in syrup are easy to tolerate when they are sick. My kids like to sip the juice :-) It breaks your heart each time they are sick...hope he gets well soon.

Will he let you put a cool washcloth on his forehead?

Welcome to parenting. This is one of the hardest parts, when you child is sick, and you are doing all you can, and you feel SO helpless.

Even if your son has a virus, the amoxycillin will help with the symptoms, because for some reason, antibiotics do that. And he should show signs of improvement about 24 hours after starting the medication. (Sometimes docs prescribe the drug for a viral thing, as a precaution, as well, to prevent a bacterial infecton getting started while the immune system is overloaded by fighting of the viral infection.)

How often are you giving him motrin ? the drug should work for 4 to 6 hours, so he should be getting at least 2 hours of slightly better times out of every 4 or 6. And make the most of those times to push fluids and whatever foods he wants.

Generally, when my kids were sick, I fed them just about whatever they wanted. If they thought it sounded good to eat, I figured it meant they felt good enough to eat it. And if they are asking to eat, why make an issue out of what goes in ?

If you are concerned about dehydration, and he is hungry, you can offer juice (a small amount -- like a shotglass size) and tell him if he drinks that juice, then he can have what he asked for. That way he gets more fluid in, and he gets what he wanted, too. Water is okay, too, remember.

He'll probably be improving by the time you get done reading all the posts you get back -- but if he doesn't show improvement after 48 hours on the antibiotic, you might want to call the doctor back. Or, if he gets listless, hot and dry, (dehydration), DEFINATELY call, and expect a trip to the ER so they can run saline in thru an IV. That latter one is kind of a worst case scenario, so don't get overly worried about it, just know that if he gets too dehydrated, there is a solution, and there is a support system in the medical community to protect him. (You can also watch his urine output to check on hydration -- the clearer his urine is, the more fluid he has in his sytem. the darker it is, the more dense, and he needs more fluid.)

Hang in, Mom ! You'r doing everything you can. And see if you can get a little rest while Dad is home, (Maybe the two of them can watch football together today !) that way you get a nap, and you don't get sick once he is better !! :-)

My daughter has had it for over two weeks and spread it to the rest of us, and I've had it for almost two weeks UGH!! I feel your pain. I give her as little medicine as possible, just because even though it alleviates symptoms, it doesn't cure anything and it isn't good for young children, even though they feel better. I've been washing out her nose with baby Saline spray, and when she's VERY uncomfortable or unable to sleep, a half dose of bay Tylenol cold stuff for fever, maybe like two or three times total so far. Several people we know have it too, it's a brutal long one, but it will pass-I hope your little boy has a milder case-hang in there!!! Less is more for kids with the meds. They are troopers. Even though my daughter hates the spray while it's happening, she feels much better for hours afterwards, and it's all natural. They have it as CVS or Wal Mart.

Hi Christina -

I typcially use the warm air vaporizer and add some of the vicks liquid into the water so the room smells like vicks. Typically works well. I also do a shower at night with the baby (just turned 1) to help her get rid of all her congestion. The bathroom becomes nice and steamy and her mucous comes out. Then rub her chest with the children's vicks rub and then have the warm air humidifier running with the vicks liquid in it all night. This typically works really well for us.

Good luck.

Christine,
It's hard to see that first time they feel "crummy". You just want to cry. I know. :(
I would keep giving the Tylenol for a fever. I would also doubt the Amox...maybe call your ped to discuss....after all--they are not God and should be able to explain the reasoning to you in a way that you can either agree with or not.
Maybe a cool mist vaporizer running in his room at night if he is congested might help.
I would re-think the cool baths--I've heard not to do anymore. Not too cool anyway and don't over bundle him if he has a fever. Sorry, that's all I can think of.
As for the eating--when my son is sick I always just let him eat whatever and whenever he wants--lots of freezer pops, popsicles, sherbet whatever can get fluids into him too--also a little chicken soup or broth couldn't hurt!

This may sound funny or gross to an adult but it is a family remedy that does help with congestion and keeping hydrated... Take an onion and peel off the outer layer of skin; put it in a pot and fill with water; boil the onion and water until the onion is soft the whole way through; turn off and let cool to a lukewarm temperature or room temperature. Give your child the juice/broth in a bottle or sippy cup (depending on age and whether or not they are off the bottle). You can add a little bit of sugar to sweeten (but not to much since the onion is actually a little sweet itself). Kids usually like to drink it and the onion broth helps to thin the mucous so that it drains better.

Another thing that helps is elevating his crib on one end. You can either do this by putting phone books (or other thick books) under the legs of the crib or between the mattress and the crib frame. This, also, can help with drainage.

Chicken soup helps but usually because of the onions in the broth. This is why homemade seems to help more than store bought. If you need a quick recipe for chicken soup, feel free to email me. I, also, found a chicken vegetable soup recipe years ago in a parenting magazine submitted by a pediatrician. It was an old family recipe in his family that was used when people were ill. My kids enjoy that as well.

If the congestion is really bad, turning the shower on as hot as it will go and sitting with him in the bathroom with the door closed to hold in the steam can help. This also helps with croup. If he develops a croupy cough, the steam helps some but cold air helps more. So IF he develops a croup cough bundle him up and take him outside and walk with him in the cool air.

BUT the best advice I can give you is to listen to listen to your instincts and call the doctor back if it isn't clearing up or if your little one seems to be getting worse. Also, try to be patient with both your little one and yourself. It can be very trying both physically and emotionally dealing with a sick child. So if you can try to nap when he does. You will probably notice that he wants to be held more. I found that a baby carrier (I have a sling and a moby wrap) really come in handy to hold them while they aren't feeling well. It allows you to get some other things done while holding them. And if they fall asleep, you can sit back and relax knowing that if you doze off, they aren't going anywhere. They are secure in the carrier.

Anyhow, best of luck with your sick little guy. I hope my message helps and let me know if you need/want a recipe for either of the chicken soups we make.

It sounds like you are doing a good job with your son. It is hard to watch them feel so yucky. Here are a couple of things you might want to try:

- if you feel he needs to get more liquids in him maybe try feeding him fruits with a high liquid content like watermelon or grapes (grapes quartered)

- check with the pediatrician to see how much liquid is a good amount (at one point when my kids were about a year old our ped said something like a teaspoon of liquid every 15 minutes would keep them from getting dehydrated - don't quote me on that amount though)

- be careful with the bath - in recent years several nurses I've talked with have made a point of stressing a warm bath is fine for a child with a fever, a cool bath is not (alcohol rubs also aren't recommended)

- a humidifier in his room can provide relief for a stuffy nose

- nasal saline drops may also help his stuffy nose

Hope he feels better soon!

If you've made it to almost 2 without a bad cold, you've been lucky! It is really hard to see them sick. I'm a bit surprised with the amox, because it probably is viral, but it also isn't going to hurt anything this one time as long as you give it as perscribed. You've just got to get through it. One of the things that might help is to teach your son the sign for "hurts" which is pointing both index fingers at each other. He can show where it hurts ("where" is waving your pointer finger in the air, sorta like you are scolding) by making the "hurts" sign over wherever it hurts (in front of head for head, knee for knee, etc.).

Let him eat/watch what he wants and just give him extra love for a couple days. He'll bounce back, and let the ped know if the nose isn't cleared up by the end of the amox-- we always end up on a "bigger" antibiotic b/c the amox just doesn't do it. Good luck!

Hi Christina,
Unfortunately this flu and virus is going around all over the place. My son fortunately has not been running a fever, but he's had a cold for a couple weeks. I myself have been sick over 4 weeks now and I am on 3 different meds. When I went into the doctor, they said they were seeing a lot of this going around in all different ages. It sounds to me like you are doing everything right. Just keep at it. I had this little trick I used to play on my kids. I sometimes had trouble getting fluids into them too. I used to put them in one of mommy's favorite cups. This may sound crazy, but it worked. They thought it was so cool to drink out of mommy's coffee cup or mommy's juice glass. (Be prepared for a mess) It's worth trying anything to get the fluids in them. Try gingerale too. It's considered a clear liquid and is also recommended by childrens hospital. (Most kids love the bubbles in it) Of course popsicles are great as well because they are cold. My Dr. used to give them too my girls right in the doctors office during a visit when they were sick. Break a piece off and show him how much you like it too. Anything you try will be worth it. I wish you luck and hope your little boy gets well soon.
Kristin

My 14 mo old just had a cold w/fever for about 3 days. He then of course passed that on to me & my husband. It lasted longer in us than it did him. He was very tired those days & ate a lot less than normal. He mostly sat in my lap watching tv. I gave him tylenol to keep the fever in check. I don't normally give him juice, but he wasn't interested in his water, so I gave him juice in his sippy cup. He liked that. I also fed him lots of fruit; grapes, apple, plums, etc. We would sit in my recliner watching tv & I would bite off pieces to give to him. He didn't really want to sit at the table & this seemed to work well. Maybe a change of scenery or cuddling with mom while eating/drinking would help.
If you started the antibiotic you HAVE to finish it or some of the bacteria will survive it & become resistant to that antibiotic. Meaning in the future your son will have to go on stronger antibiotics to fight similar infections. If you haven't started it yet, then you can wait a day or two or talk to your ped to ease your concerns. Make sure whatever you do you are honest with you ped or he will not be able to properly treat your son in the future.
Finally, try to think of minor illnesses like this as a good thing. Every time you kid gets sick they are building up their immune system, making it stronger & preparing it for the next fight.
Good luck. It will be over soon.

Hi Christina:) My son 16mnths just started with something funky today, but unlike your little guy my two boys (the older 4yrs. old and in preschool) are sick ALOT. I am quite used to it by now but today I did kind of have a break down because they are sick, I'm not kidding, at least twice a month. It is really hard though and you do feel bad for them but he will be okay and you will all get through it..You are doing every thing right. I would like to think that your ped. would only give antibiotics if it was and infection, I know that that is the ONLY time my ped. has given antibiotics to my two. If it is an infection the antibiotics will work FAST by tomorrow he should be feeling a lot better. If it is viral in my experience it lasts longer about a week, sometimes even a bit longer.hang in there and just keep doing what you are doing. Take care:)

They say that lemon juice is a good natural decongestant & honey reduces cough. So, my son is 2.5 yrs old and likes the taste of honey, so I mix a hint of lemon juice with honey and heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so so that it is just warm & he loves it. I also put a pillow under 1/2 of his mattress when he is congested. I feel for you, my son had the flu (me too) when he was 23 months old & there is nothing we could do - I could barely function either. It was heart breaking to see him so tired and sad.

Yeah .......you are lucky. We had 8 ear infections between the age of 1 and 2. She was always precribed amoxicillin. I would try using a dropper to injest fluids more if he isnt taking enough and I gave chicken noodle soup alot. I also put vicks on her feet with socks and used the saline spray for her nose. Took her in the bathroom with the hot shower running.Gave a bath everynight to loosen up the mucus.
I would watch the fever closely. My daughter at 18 months had a seizure from a high fever at 105. They say its common at that age. But the medication should work within a few days and stay on it for 10 through the entire precription. Sometimes it would take the entire 10 days before she became better. Sounds like your doing what you can!

Hi, Christina.
You are so lucky that this is the first "real" illness you child had when he's already 20 months old. And I know how upsetting it can be when your child is sick. You wish that you can be sick for them and do everything you can. Sounds like you are doing everything you can and right, and let's just hope that your son will better soon!!
My mom just had something for couple days and I'm just getting over mine too.
He will get better soon and take care.

Soooooo....sorry. It is the worst when our little ones are sick. I honestly get depressed. I still remember when a close friend of mine's daughter had the flu last year and she was beside herself. She took her daugther to the doctor twice - she said she felt bad but was so worried. The plus of the whole thing was it left her duaghter as fast as it came on - literally one morning woke up and she was fine. Good luck...it is so hard