My 6 year old daughter has been running a very high fever since Thursday. On Thursday, I brought her into the doctor and she said that she most probably has a virus that will run its course. She has been running a high fever (anywhere between 101 and 103.9) all weekend since then. She woke up this morning with a fever of 102 so I brought her back to the doctor. The doctor said that she sees no sign of an infection, however, just in case she is wrong, to start her on antibiotics tomorrow morning if she still has a fever. I picked up the antibiotics from the pharmacy just in case to have them in the house. Tonight she still had a very high fever (103.5) so I just gave her the antibotics tonight. I could not wait till the morning, especially seeing my daughter suffer through a fever and a bad cough. I immediately regretted my decision, thinking that I should have just listened to the doctor and waited till morning. I just got so nervous that if it is an infection, why should she have to wait. I just dont know if I did the right thing by administering the antibiotics tonight and not waiting till morning.
you did good ...if it something bacterial, the sooner the better-er....
just wondering, tho....did he test her for the flu (that icky swab up the nose)? It's the only thing in my mommy experience that I know that gives you a high fever for about 4 to 5 days instead of the standard 3-ish
hope she feels better soon
Of course you did the right thing, as others have said. The illness is not fully identified - usually when a virus doesn't clear up, doctors say, "Well, maybe it's bacterial after all" and give out antibiotics. If it's a virus, the antibiotics won't help. But if it's a bacterial infection, getting started sooner is best. While the antibiotics won't work in a short period of time, at least they'll get started! So why wait? The doctor had no way of knowing that your daughter would take such a quick turn for the worse. And if you had called her, she would have told you to start the antibiotics sooner, just as you did.
FYI it's important to finish the entire antibiotic treatment, even if she feels better in a day or two. Otherwise she'll just get sick again. My mother was virulently anti-medication, and never ever let her kids finish the whole treatment. As a result, we were sick A LOT, never well for more than 3 weeks over a 2 year period. I don't believe in unnecessary medication, not at all, but I absolutely believe in finishing the whole course of antibiotics.
Hope she's on the mend soon.
I would have done the same thing. Make sure she's getting lots of cool liquids!!! Is she taking some Tylenol/Motrin to reduce the fever? Ask a pharmacist about the correct dosage if you're unsure.
You did fine and I would have done the same exact thing. I think everything else has mentioned what I would have, which is using fever reducers (you can use both together, by the way, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, just confirm dosages), push liquids and do your best to keep her comfortable.
Not something to get yourself worried or hung up about. :) That was a common sense move.
It's just a matter of hours - I wouldn't worry about it. The doctor prescribed the medication and your daughter hadn't improved. Our doctor always says "Trust your judgement" which means, if they're no better and getting worse, start the medication. We've also been told 3 days for a fever, and then take action in a child that age. So you waited 3 days.
We've had same situation with ear infections. They leave it to us to decide when to give it - but send us home with the meds. Generally when my kid can't sleep, I give them some with the pain relief medication. Gives them overnight to let it start working. I personally would not worry. I hope she feels better soon :)
I would have done the same thing. Don't feel bad.
I would have started them right away as well. You did great! Four days of high fever is worrisome to us moms.
If it is viral like everyone else said the antibiotics won't work and you are no worse off. If it is bacterial the antibiotics will have her feeling better pretty quick.
My two cents is to pick up a probiotic from the pharmacy. Florastor is the brand my pediatrician recommends (it is pricey) but it will help keep her good bacteria that live in her stomach from being killed off by the antibiotic. Which keeps the antibiotic from upsetting their stomach. You can mix it in applesauce or yogurt (which is good to give them once the fever breaks to help keep their stomachs healthy while on an antibiotic).
Good job mama!! Big hugs!!
Please. Don't discount your gut feelings where your daughter is concerned. You gave her antibiotics 8 hours early because she is getting worse, not better. What is to regret 8 hours? Heavens, the doctor wouldn't have given you the medicine if it would hurt your daughter to give it to her the night before.
if it's a virus, the antibiotics won't do anything at all. i'm guessing you were so highstrung that the doctor just shelled 'em out to you to get you off his back.
giving her antibiotics unnecessarily probably won't have any actual ill effects, but it's a boner move because it can potentially reduce their ability to fight for her when she DOES need them. don't contribute to your kids' resistance to antibiotics by giving them unnecessarily.
there are plenty of ways to treat a fever without them. they mostly involve cool baths or just cool wash cloths and keeping her comfortable.
it usually does take a few days for a virus to run its course.
and yes, do follow doctors' instructions. in this case i don't think she'll suffer any ill effects from you starting the antibiotics earlier than instructed, simply because i doubt they're going to have any effect at all.
khairete
S.
I would have done the same thing. In this case, a few hours can make a world of difference and can do more good than harm. I bet your doctor would have no problem with what you did.
You did the right thing by by listening too your mom's gut and intuition. Continue to do so. Your doctor wasn't there and sometimes you just need to make a decision without your doctor's advise. Your daughter's fever was not coming down so starting the antibiotics a few hours rely (and that is all is was, really) was the right choice to make.
You might want to call your doctor in the morning just to giver him/her a beads up, and ask if there is anything else you should do to make your daughter more comfortable.
Hope your daughter feels better soon! My heart goes out to you both.
Good idea and give Tylenol for fever, especially at bedtime, so she can get a good night's sleep.
What possible harm can come to her by giving her an antibiotic? It's not such a huge deal unless she's allergic or something. I would have expected him to have you start them when you picked them up.
I would've done the same. No worries.
No harm done, that is a long time for a fever. Just want to through it out there that it could be a UTI (with the exception of the cough). They have tests at target if you want to test for it yourself. It is a good idea to know, because it seems that if they get them at this age, it will happen more than once. A week of high fevers was my daughters only symptom for her first one before they figured it out.
No harm done. It's best to avoid antibiotics since they do impede your immune system if used too often, but they are valuable in rare instances, and this was a rare sickness. If you were planning to give them the next day, then it doesn't matter if you started earlier. I might have opted for more of a symptom stifler since antibiotics don't immediately improve how you feel. I'm anti-meds too and only give things if people are really suffering. But again, no harm done, you're not overdoing it.
