How soon or late do you go to the doctor? - Page 2

[meemee]

i vaguely remember a thread you posted about missing school but i dont remember the answer.

are you sure your school with throw a big fit? i am asking because we just got a letter in teh mail with dd's over the limit sick days and tardies. i went to talk to the principal and even before i could explain she asked me to ignore the letter saying she has to send it due to district policy. the school does not care (i vaguely remember your school cares) and she was open to helping in any way possible. 

have you looked online for probiotics. its so huge that i cant imagine you not finding anything. 

here's my story. dd started dc at 2. from 2 to almost 5 she was sick, sick, sick every single winter. from october to march she had a constant runny nose. she never really fell sick sick except the flu one year but she had a constant nagging cold cough the whole winter. 

once she started K she never fell sick again. maybe a cold twice. maybe fever from too much activity. yes allergy stuff. but no colds. that is so weird. two colds started - very minor and boom they were gone. 

[One_Girl]

If she is contracting strep a lot I suggest asking about having her tonsils removed. My dd's pediatrician said they recommend that if your child gets it five times in a year. A very strong antibiotic might also work to kill anything lingering.

I don't typically bring my dd in unless the fever is high. I do bring her in for a swab if she is a little sick, has a slight sore throat, and has a headache though because that has always been strep.

[Neera]

Originally Posted by meemee 

i vaguely remember a thread you posted about missing school but i dont remember the answer.

are you sure your school with throw a big fit? i am asking because we just got a letter in teh mail with dd's over the limit sick days and tardies. i went to talk to the principal and even before i could explain she asked me to ignore the letter saying she has to send it due to district policy. the school does not care (i vaguely remember your school cares) and she was open to helping in any way possible. 

have you looked online for probiotics. its so huge that i cant imagine you not finding anything. 

here's my story. dd started dc at 2. from 2 to almost 5 she was sick, sick, sick every single winter. from october to march she had a constant runny nose. she never really fell sick sick except the flu one year but she had a constant nagging cold cough the whole winter. 

once she started K she never fell sick again. maybe a cold twice. maybe fever from too much activity. yes allergy stuff. but no colds. that is so weird. two colds started - very minor and boom they were gone. 

Thanks for that info., meemee. Actually, it was one of your older posts I had read that mentioned about the limit on sick days. I didn't know that but since I read that thread it has been stressful because dd gets sick a lot. I feel a little relieved after reading your post and hope our district is understanding about it. I have called the school to schedule an appt. to ask about their policy about attendance. It's just not fair putting one round after another of antibiotic into dd.

[Neera]

Originally Posted by meemee 

in the meantime i'd up her natural antibiotics in her diet and see if that makes a difference. things like garlic http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Natural_Antibiotics___Foods_that_Work_as_Antibiotics_a979.html

i'd cut out all dairy and see if that affects her colds. try it for 3 weeks at least (it usually takes i've been told 3 weeks to take anything completely out of your system).

and for sure - i'd make sure she is getting enough water - not liquids - but plain water. 

Thanks, will take a look at the link. The reason she has such a bad immune is because she's a real bad eater. She drinks a lot on her own.

[Neera]

So, if I have a choice to not run to the doctor but the fever is staying high, like over 103, should I give her fever reducer for more than 24 hours. She asks for it.

[One_Girl]

If it is most likely strep I'd take her in. Ime strep becomes pneumonia very quickly and the fever staying high is a big red flag.

[Neera]

Update

So, as this thread was on, dd fell sick again. It was around evening when she said she wasn't feeling well. The next two days she had high fever. We didn't take her to the doctor but tried to get her to rest a lot, drink a lot of water etc. On day 3 it was down to a mild temperature. On day 3 she took a v. long nap. When she woke up the fever was gone. To my complete surprise, on day 4 late afternoon the fever returned. It turned out to be flu.

We left messages for the school that we'd like to make an appointment to come discuss her attendance. No reply from the school.  ??

[meemee]

see if dd was not in school for 3 days straight then she would need a doctor's note. 

are there any time when its easy to run into the principal? 

i just got a letter from school because dd has so many absenses. spoke to principal casually (we have easy access to the principal in our school as she is always out watching over the child drop off area a few minutes before school) starts and she said just ignore letter. district policy sends out the letter. however important point to note here, the school is well off and gets it needs met so losing out money on dd is not a big deal. 

[Neera]

Originally Posted by meemee 

see if dd was not in school for 3 days straight then she would need a doctor's note. 

are there any time when its easy to run into the principal? 

i just got a letter from school because dd has so many absenses. spoke to principal casually (we have easy access to the principal in our school as she is always out watching over the child drop off area a few minutes before school) starts and she said just ignore letter. district policy sends out the letter. however important point to note here, the school is well off and gets it needs met so losing out money on dd is not a big deal. 

Thanks.

We need a doctor's letter if it's more than 3 days. The 4th day was the weekend. Anyways, this does have me torn whether I should have just taken her to the doctor earlier and started her on the medication earlier rather than have waited and missed so many days. Well, it's only K so I am not worried about missing too much school work and she's way ahead of what's being taught in the class but as she gets older I might be running to the doctor to not let her miss too much.

I guess, the school's rich enough. They didn't even bother to call back. I will be going to the school in a few days and might ask personally.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by Neera 

 Well, it's only K so I am not worried about missing too much school work and she's way ahead of what's being taught in the class but as she gets older I might be running to the doctor to not let her miss too much.

if your dd is ahead of the class then i would not worry about that at all in future grades. dd is in 5th. the teachers have never worried about workload. she catches on fast enough even when seh is out a few days. of course dd would much rather be hsed so she is the teach yourself kinda learner. 

but missed school days has had no impact on her grades and she is in GATE. 

now middle school might be different just coz of the homework. 

i would not focus on missed work. i would focus on dd's health and whatever it takes to help her heal.

though to be very honest with you i cringe when you want to go to the doctor over the flu just so she can return to school early. the flu anyways takes a few days to recover from. dd has more missed days coz i keep her home when others might have sent her to school.  i have found with regards to dd keeping her home when she is slightly under the weather makes her recover quickly. her dad doesnt believe in that and sends her to school and sure enough he has to go pick her up coz she fell ill in school and needed to go home. her recovery then is much longer. 

[Neera]

Originally Posted by meemee 

though to be very honest with you i cringe when you want to go to the doctor over the flu just so she can return to school early. the flu anyways takes a few days to recover from. dd has more missed days coz i keep her home when others might have sent her to school.  i have found with regards to dd keeping her home when she is slightly under the weather makes her recover quickly. her dad doesnt believe in that and sends her to school and sure enough he has to go pick her up coz she fell ill in school and needed to go home. her recovery then is much longer. 

but i didn't take her to the doctor right away. it was on day 4 by when I needed a doctor's letter. could I have done it differently?

if she wasn't in school we never took her to a doctor. we looked weird to everyone. one time she had a stomach flu. she was v. little and it did go on for days but we didn't take her until she was distressed and really tired from throwing up.

thanks for all your encouragment and support anyways as i really was stressed out.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by Neera 

but i didn't take her to the doctor right away. it was on day 4 by when I needed a doctor's letter. could I have done it differently?

if she wasn't in school we never took her to a doctor. we looked weird to everyone. one time she had a stomach flu. she was v. little and it did go on for days but we didn't take her until she was distressed and really tired from throwing up.

thanks for all your encouragment and support anyways as i really was stressed out.

aaaaaaah i misunderstood. perhaps. were you taking her to the doctor to get a note. i have had to do that - but not to be seen. maybe a couple of times. or as dd has gotten older and i have spoken to the teacher and principal - they have not wanted the doctor's letter. 

i thought you meant you wished she had been seen earlier, so got medicines and went back to school earlier. 

i have never taken dd to the doctor. when seh was little and had the stomach flu and her exploding bowel was scaring her - lasted 5 days when she was maybe 1 1/2 or younger.  i stayed in touch with the advice nurse. when we both had the flu together we stayed home and rested. 

i am not saying you shouldnt go to the doctor. go when you feel YOU need to go - not when others tell you so. like going when she was stressed from throwing up.

in my dd's case i have found illnesses are stress related. she is easily stressed - has anxiety. dd just needs more downtime. not that she has a v. scheduled life. that's how she creates it for herself. 

[Neera]

Originally Posted by meemee 

aaaaaaah i misunderstood. perhaps. were you taking her to the doctor to get a note. i have had to do that - but not to be seen. maybe a couple of times. or as dd has gotten older and i have spoken to the teacher and principal - they have not wanted the doctor's letter. 

i thought you meant you wished she had been seen earlier, so got medicines and went back to school earlier. 

i have never taken dd to the doctor. when seh was little and had the stomach flu and her exploding bowel was scaring her - lasted 5 days when she was maybe 1 1/2 or younger.  i stayed in touch with the advice nurse. when we both had the flu together we stayed home and rested. 

i am not saying you shouldnt go to the doctor. go when you feel YOU need to go - not when others tell you so. like going when she was stressed from throwing up.

in my dd's case i have found illnesses are stress related. she is easily stressed - has anxiety. dd just needs more downtime. not that she has a v. scheduled life. that's how she creates it for herself. 

meemee, no. you didn't misunderstand. it's just that i wait and wait and 3-4 days of school are missed and anyways we end up at the doctor's and on antibiotics. and yet, i did wait again but the results were the same.

[mightymama1976]

Fever for few days does not worry me; normally (with the exception of fever caused by heat stroke or food poisoning) it causes no harm and is body's natural way of fighting off a disease. So I never panic over fever and never try to suppress it. I always listen to my instincts, however. So if my intuition tells me that something isn't right then I would take my kids to a doctor, even if there is no clear visible cause for alarm.