dd in hospital for pneumonia, ? about treatment

[pear-shaped]

My dd (3) is in hospital for treatment of viral pneumonia, inpatient treatment is standard here, though I've read that it's not in other countries. She is doing better after three days of treatment and we're hoping she'll be coming home very soon.

I'm confused about her medicines though, and thought maybe someone here with some experience with the illness might be able to answer a question I have. (I don't feel comfortable asking the doctors, as the medical culture here is a bit peculiar to me- there is an expectation that patients and patients' caregivers don't ask questions or question anything, and doctors will often say anything just to quiet someone...so I don't bother asking or insisting about something unless I think it is worth a battle.) Anyway, dd is on a couple of steroids (oral and inhaled) which in my experience are typical for treating respiratory problems, but they also have her on an antibiotic and I'm wondering why, because I didn't think antibiotics had any effect on viral pneumonia? She is in a room with three other children, all with pneumonia, I know in one case it is bacterial...is it possible that they are giving it to her as a preventive?

Okay, I might not respond to this thread for a while...I have to prepare dinner to take to the hospital and then I'll be spending the night (dh is with her now) so I won't be able to check back until tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

[velcromom]

I'm not sure where you are, but here in the States, my experience has been that since I was a child, every single time I've had pneumonia they have given me antibiotics. No, they won't do a thing for a virus. I know they do still use the excuse "just in case" to prescribe them. Our pediatrician prescribed them for ds when he was having a bad spell with his asthma, he even told me he did not think there was anything bacterial going on, but he did it anyway.

It sounds like in your situation, it's not worth starting a battle with the doctors - but if I were in that situation, I'd consider probiotics to give her, and make bone broth to help soothe and heal her gut lining - both would be a good idea during treatment and for several weeks after to help restore her gut microflora. I would simply do it without asking "permission" as you cannot harm her with either one of those remedies.

[pear-shaped]

Thank you, that is reassuring. The antibiotic she's on is a pretty strong one, that's why it troubled me. It's also the reason that her care has to be inpatient, because it has to be injected. So frustrating, she doesn't even need it! The good news is that she's even better this morning, they said that her lung sounds clear now. She gets her last shot this afternoon and we are hoping they'll let her out tomorrow. I asked and they told me tomorrow or the day after, fingers crossed...

I will definitely give her some probiotics, thank you for that advice. She's going to need them, she's had a rough time there.

[mattemma04]

My ds is 8 and  I took him to the ER Sunday for breathing difficulty and they dxed pnuemonia.They gave me a script for an oral antibio he is to take for 4 days. I asked the nurse," So how could you tell he has bacterial and not viral pneumonia?" And she said they just dx the P seeing fluid in the lungs,and gave the antibios just in case it WAS bacterial.

In many cases of viral infections kids get through the viral,but are in a weakened state.Often it is secondary bacterial infections that take hold and injure/kill following an illness. My ds had the flu the week before,and now he developed the pnuemonia.

So maybe they just want to wipe everything out for your child.Get some kefir or some other probiotics into the little one.

Speedy healings!

[pear-shaped]

That's interesting. In dd's case they did a blood test, which showed that she didn't have an infection.

That's a good point about secondary infections. I guess it does make sense, especially in a hospital, where there are many sick children in such close quarters. I know I caught something, it could be just a bad head cold, but who knows what was going around in there! They released her yesterday and I was so relieved because I had become very worried about her catching something. The environment there was so unhealthy, the heat was blasting and there was so little air circulation. The bathroom (just one with three stalls for the whole floor!) was usually filthy and there was diarrhea going around too. It was very worrying. I am so glad that she'd home now and can start healing. I'm trying to get some probiotics into her but it's difficult, she has become so wary of anything anyone tries to give her because of her experience with all the meds while in hospital and she doesn't have much appetite yet either.

Speedy healing to your ds as well!