Sick child question, please help?

[Still_Learning]

So I'm very inexperienced when it comes to DS being siick. He rarely gets sick.

DS is sick right now, came down with it Sunday. Started with mucousy coughing at night. Yesterday his fever got as high as 103.5. Today it's 102.0 right now.


I know these temps don't warrant treatment as his fever is fighting off the infection. I did give him Motrin at bedtime last night so he could get some sleep (he was miserable).

1-So if there some sort of database of childhood bugs that you can look at symptoms and figure out what's going on?
2-At what point do you see the doctor?
3-What kinds of things should I keep on hand for when DS does get sick?

(btw- we are supposed to go to Disney thursday for a week, my inlaws paid for the trip...ugh....I don't what's going to happen with that. 4--> Should I take DS to the doctor because of the upcoming trip? I wouldn't take him at this point if we didn't have that trip to think about. Although, if he's still in the shape he's in right now, we just won't go.)

[Strong Mama]

My ds is like yours, rarely sick.Last time he got sick it was with a mucousy cough/temp over 102 for a few days. I took him to the dr on day two because we had to fly and I really didnt care, i needed him better! Turns out he had bronchitis! So thankfully, with antibiotics and TLC he was sick for about 5 days on our holiday, with light coughing on the plane, but no temp. I was crapping myself too. He was pretty sick, he rarely ate and didnt play much though. I kinda go by what he looks like and how he acts before I take him in to the dr.

[loriforeman]

last time raegan was like that...well, she started running a fever on christmas day, was coughing by the next day...i took her to the doctor the day after that...and she had pneumonia in both lungs.

we were home for the next two weeks.

[Still_Learning]

Hmmm....so maybe I should go ahead and take him in??

[lucyem]

Because of your trip I would take him in just to be safe. If there is an ear infection or anything else more serious its better to find out now. But IME anytime I drag my sick child to the doctors the fever is gone by the time we get there

[Still_Learning]

Maybe I should schedule an appt for tomorrow and if he's better by then cancel it? That way the doc can tell us if we should skip the trip on thursday....

[CarrieMF]

I'd make the appt for tomorrow. It could be as simple as a virus & the fever gone before then.

[Still_Learning]

Ok, made an appointment for tomorrow morning. I just will feel better having his doctor look at him before we go out of town and are so far from home.

If he gets better in the meantime I can always cancel.

[Alyantavid]

I usually let a fever run for a few days. Unless of course he's feeling really bad. My 16 month old had a 101ish fever for 4 days but acted fine. Then in the middle of the night, he was up screaming and 103. I took him in that day and he had pneumonia. The doc couldn't believe he wasn't acting "sicker"

I think it depends on your kid. My oldest has been sick alot so at this point I can usually tell when I need to take him in. If they haven't been sick much, its harder to tell.

[loriforeman]

Originally Posted by Still_Learning

Hmmm....so maybe I should go ahead and take him in??

i'm sorry...i wasn't trying to be scary.

trust your instincts. if they say that there is something more going on...take him in. if you don't...then wait a bit.

i've done both, but i can't afford to wait even one day if her lungs are involved.

[Datura]

I'd check it out at the docs and take the diagnosis with a grain of salt. Bear gets nasty ear infections. We confirm that they are indeed *infected*, not just fluid filled, then he gets antibiotics which clear them pretty quickly. If they just have fluid a low sugar diet and massage helps a lot.

But if you're on a timetable, better to get it looked at in case it is something bacterial.

[LynnS6]

Our doc usually wants to see our kids if they've had a fever for more than 3 days. And every time but one, they've had an infection. So, I think it's good that you've got an appointment.

If you're prone to worrying, I'd not recommend doing an on-line search for diseases. The last time I did that, I had diagnosed ds with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever before I realized how absurd that was!

[mattemma04]

I take the kids in if there is no improvement after 3 days.Hope your little one is feeling better!

[apmama2myboo]

yep take them in, or at VERY least call and talk to the doc and see what they say, they often will tell you what to give them, how much they can have, certain tricks or tips that you may not know or think of. one thing i did when dd was about 11 months, i didn't want to put vaporub on her chest, so i put it on my back since she was nursing, and it was helpful. A trick i learned that actually does work for my dd is to put vaporub on her bare feet liberally, then cover with socks. seems to do a good job of helping with congestion, and i think maybe because of when they move around or the blankets get moved, they get a fresh whiff of vapor. lol. and vaporizers really do help a lot too, especially this time of year. hope you're both feeling at rest and better soon.

[carfreemama]

How is your little one? Are you going to be able to go on your trip?