The Common Cold

It is very frustrating when your baby is down and out with a cold. A cold is a virus which has to run its course...antibiotics are going to do nothing! Colds usually hang around for 21 days at best. If you do not notice a gradual decrease in the symptoms, then I would be concerned. An upper respiratory infection is just a fancy way of calling it a cold. Some colds pack more of a punch than others. Keep a little bottle of antibacterial gel for quick hand washing when out in public areas with your son, since he is at the age were he is always putting hands in his mouth. I DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

Hello,
I would question why the dr gave him antibiotics for a viral infection. They do absolutely nothing to touch it. They are for bacterial infections. That is why so many infections are becoming resistant to antibiotics.
I have personally known of 2 people who had MSRA with is very hard to get rid of. It's a stap infection and is resistant to drugs. One person spent months in the hospital and has complications so bad he cannot work. The other person died. She had other problems and nearly died twice and then only to be sent home from the hostital to die of MRSA 2 weeks later.
I am not saying your child will or has this but I would wonder why he's taking something which is not really helping him. I would at this stage ask to see a specialist. It seems too long for a cold of any kind.
Do research on line too. It can be very helpful. I use the net all the time for my husband's care.

The runny nose - could it possibly be attributed to teething?

My DD was also an Augues '06 baby :) Anyhow she had a really bad case of Croup. We got one treatment of steriods. The cough got much better but still lingered over the next few wks. She also had the runny/stuffy nose. If you want to over the counter go to http://www.askdrsears.com/ then go to the section under 'medicine cabinet. My ped was all for over the counter to help w/ the drainage.
When I did finally take her back he said our babies should not have a cough longer than 2 wks. w/out being seen. (ya, I felt like the 'bad mom' for letting it go 3 wks!)
It ended up that she had a suspected sinus infection and he did finally dose her with antibiotics. That was late November. Her nose has started up again. I would say it's just going to be like that over the winter for us.
Good luck, colds are so hard to deal with because you really can't treat them and they make our wee ones so miserable.

M.

i agree with kathy. how dumb of your doctor to prescribe antibiotics for a "viral" problem! i guess it couldn't hurt, just make sure your son finishes ALL of it, since he started it. there is a big problem with antibiotic resistance due to overuse and not finishing the entire prescription.
as far as his runny nose goes, i would just keep some vaseline under his nose so it doesn't get sore and make sure he gets plenty of water to keep the mucus thin. i'm sure it bugs you worse than it bugs him! -L.

hi aleisha,

i have had 5 kids ages almost 28 to 8 yrs. i also babysat for 27 yrs to countless kids. with my 2nd one who is now 23 he started getting what i thought were colds when he was about 8 months old. it occassionally would go down into his chest and they would call it bronchialitis. this "cold" situation ws all the time. come to find out he has alot of allergies. we never had him tested, we just did our "own" figuring it out. he still has sinus probs. his main thing is animals. it also could be something such as mold(do you have the old "cellar" type basement?) or maybe somewhere else in the house. do some research on this. you might be surprised. look up "mold health hazzards" or somethings like that. also, he might be teething. i know of alot of kids who had a terrible time with constant runny noses, ect while the entire process of teething occured.

hope this helps you out a little. if ya ever want to talk, email me directly at ____@____.com care, and good luck!

C.

Aleisha,
Not to put too much pint on it....but if your son just had a viral infection his doctor had NO business putting him on antibiotics! They do NOTHING for viral infections, the very essence of the word says what they are for......bacterial infections! I know it must be very upsetting to watch your son go through this for so long. You may wish to see the dr again and try to discover the true reason he/she put your son on antibiotics in the first place. Some doctors do it to appease worried parents. The sad reality is it does more harm than good.......it can cause allergies, and them to be ineffective when your son may truely need them!
I'm not trying to worry you, I would just like for you to be armed with the truth about antibiotics and their true uses and benefits, and the cons of using them when they aren't warranted.

(I am currently in school to be an R.N. and just finished a microbiology course)

When my son was little we constantly battled colds and respiratory infections. It was not uncommon for the doctor to prescribe antibiotics for any secodnary infections that may be occuring (with the immune system fighting a virus other bugs bacteria or otherwise can move right on in which lengthens the time to get better). Definitely talk with your doctor and ask A LOT of questions.

Another thing to think about is what is going on in your kiddos enviornment. A lot of time humidity, pollutants, seasonal changes can affect our wee ones. I noticed it in my kids around seasonal changes and when we moved to a bigger city (Houston). After weeks and weeks of them not getting rid of what seems like cold symptoms I took them to the doc and she prescribed a short course of allergy meds. Cleared them right up.

Most important is to talk with the doctor. Most doctors I have encountered welcome questions and concerns. If they don't MOVE ON and get another doc.