I am in need of fact based answers. In this world of money it seems so difficult to get to the bottom of whats truly best for my children. And now i have to have answers. My dd has been sick with a fever of 102 for 2 days and a horrible gasping cough, and we took her into the urgent care tonight. They did a chest xray (but there was no tech to read it but i could clearly see stuff in her lungs) drew some blood, gave us a lab slip to take tomorrow to have her tested for pertussis, gave her some motrin & a prescription for zithromax and sent us home with 2 possibilities: pneumonia or pertussis.

She is 2 years old and was diagnosed with something a year ago: acute febrile nuetrophilic dermatosis (aka sweet's syndrome). She has asthma and basically a horrible immune system. She was vaccinated until she was 10 months old so has had 3 of the vacc's to prevent pertussis. I dont expect solutions, i just do not know what to do. I hate antibiotics and do not want to use them. And now im evenmore leary having briefly read thru the thread about the effects of it. Though it is midnight and my brain is having a hard time making sense out of the thread.

My other concern should this be pertussis is that i havea 6 week old infant. I do not want her to catch it. She is not vaccinated (nor will she ever be). What can i do to help her not catch this if she hasnt already? I just read an article about the effects of pertussis in children under year one and im TERRIFIED for my girls' safety. I was a trusting consumer and allowed my eldest to be vaccinated til her diagnoses last year (which was caused by an outbreak from a reaction toa vax). Now i dont know who to trust, where to get info. I am tired, worried and fearful of making the wrong decisions should it harm my daughter's. Any info from people who have studied and researched this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :o

My brains a bit scrambled but I'll try to make sense...

Firstly, if your baby is going to get it, she's already got it. Pertussis is most infectious before you know that its there.

Having been there with lots of people in this situation, the first thing I have to say is this. Right now, it's a hard issue with your daughter. Is she coughing up green stuff? If so, then she might have a superimposed infection on her lungs. And if you give her the antibiotics then it might help, but it might not.

If you read the thread about antibiotics making whooping cough worse, that is because of the liver having to cope with die-off. What you could do if you want to use the antibiotics is what I would do if stuck between this rock and a hard place.

I would go and buy some sodium ascorbate powder and load her in whatever she will drink that will disguise the saltiness. That will help some with the die off if it happens BUT according to Archie Kalokerinos, vitamin C increases the "power" of antibiotics by a third, so the full dose will be too much. He normally prescribes 2/3rds a dose when using vitamin C.

She will probably take more than four grams before she gets loose bowels unless she's sensitive to it. Pertussis chews up vitamin C hand over fist so don't be scared with it.

I'd give her two pinches in juice every hour or two hours, depending on what she will take, and then after 8 doses of vitamin C, I'd give her the antibiotics if that was what I was intending.

AT the same time, I'd use probiotics which come in capsules. You could break one open and mix it with a bit of something fluid or smooth if she will take it. If she won't well you'll have a struggle. You might struggle to get her to take the vitamin C too, but its too important not to work out a way around that...

Also, cod liver oil, or halibut oil. Crack a capsule open with your teeth and squeeze it into the side of her cheek.

For yourself, you need to cool it :hugs Okay? You need to calm down and pace your day, because kids pick up the tension and they tense up, and it makes the cough worse.

You also need to put yourself onto high levels of vitamin C, minerals, Vitamin B, A and E, so that you can get the maximum amount through to your baby. AT the moment the stress will be pulling it out of you, so your baby won't get as much as normal, becuase your body is using everything to cope with you. But if you do that, your baby will have a better chance.

Make sure you are getting lots of essential fatty acids, coz that will be important for the baby. Evening primrose oil, or borage/flaxseed oil. A teaspoon for you in the morning and one at night. Chase it down with some citrus to clean out the oil from your mouth, or whatever you fancy that will do it.

I've helped lots of mums with wee babies, and if you do it right, even if they do get it, you should be able to stay out of hospital.




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Here's a post I put up for Muse in Health and Healing... it was in my drafts so easy to find. I type stuff up on e-mails coz I can't trust the frame not to freeze on me...

QUOTE=muse]The dr hasn't confirmed it yet (took a swab) but everything leads me to believe both my kids have WC. The thing is it's all been going on so long that I've lost track of when the coughs started, so I'm having trouble working out whether they are still contagious. I don't know if DS (4 yrs) should be at preschool or not, or whether we're going to have to cancel his b.day party next week? : ( [/quote]Well, it depends on the test. If its just a culture one, that has such a low accuracy that its not worth doing really, unless the child is right at the lab, and its put to culture straight away. If its the PCR, that is a far more reliable test.

I'm also not sure whether there is a point at which DD (8 months) should take antibiotics, since she is little. I'm assuming not unless there are signs of secondary infection?
thread on antibiotics in general with whooping cough:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=3784778#post3784778

Here is another post on Zithromax, which is one they prescribe:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showpost.php?p=2650761&postcount=18

DS is doing relatively okay. Mostly he just has these coughing fits every hour or so, but it's hard for him to get the mucus up each time even with my help. His cold symptoms mostly ended about a week ago. He needs to go onto vitamin C to bowel tolerance, and a good liquid mineral supplement. Also cod liver oil.

DD has been miserable for what seems like forever; I think 3 weeks now. She has an incredibly stuffy/runny nose, and has these coughing fits which sound like classic WC where she turns purple, and then a glob of mucus comes up. She is finally sleeping better at night though, after a couple of sleepless weeks.She's over the hill of it then, but again, I would have put her on vitamin C from the start which stops the turning purple.

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/193x/otani-t-klin_wchnschr-1936-v15-n51-p1884-eng.htm

This thread might help

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=370087&highlight=whooping+cough+treatment



So, anyone with experience, are these guys still contagious? How much longer is this all likely to go on?Your one whose cold only finished last week will be contagious for at least another fortnight...

I am doing the vitamin C stuff as of yesterday, but couldn't find sodium ascorbate; is there a big difference?

Post specifically to answer your question here:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showpost.php?p=2625826&postcount=12

A thread came up on a search as a vitamin C 101: Actually its a tome. Tells you everything you need to know.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=353318&highlight=Calcium+ascorbate

And....final question...how do I deal with my FIL who is a pediatrician who is going to be very upset with us when he hears this and knows we didn't vaccinate?......mayube that's a question for the vaccs forum.

TIA, mamas!Tell him that most of the cases he will ever see will be in fully vaccinated children. Better yet, don't tell him. Leave it until he sees they are in one bit, and you can nonchalantly say "Well, I don't know what you are talking about. If you know what you are doing its a synch.

We sailed through no problem. And sniff, as if it was nothing. Assuming that's how you feel about it. but most people who treat it this was, its nuisance value only.

The only test that is any use is the PCR test. Don't let them do anything else.

PCR = Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Thank you for the info. The docs refused to do the PCR test some excuse about how expensive it is, go figure. But her chest xray came back clear and im honestly thinking they jumped to conclusions! Im willing to bet its bronchiolitis and we know we can cure that free of any antibiotics! Thank you so much for the info. I have archived it in case they insist on the antibiotics! They prescribed her zithromax which i refuse to give her anyways. But she's been taking the vit c and the primodophilis. Do you have any research on aconite and whooping cough? Just curious. Thanks

If I was given a useless perscription for antibiotics for my son, I would
1) :D
2) :nod
3):mischief and fill it even though I have no intention of using it :W .
Let them think you are going to use it so that they don't sound off any alarms to the friendly neighborhood social workers. Just a thought to consider if you decide you don't need them. Good luck!!

What comes to mind is...
If you're not sick with whatever your 2 year old has, and you're breastfeeding the 6 week old, your 6 week old is covered.
So that is one issue you can lay to rest.
In fact, if you're not sick with it, the 6 week old has essentially now been immunized against whatever is making the 2 year old sick.

Are you breastfeeding the 2 year old?

No Im not breastfeeding the 2 yo, she self weaned after i got pregnant. But i am sneaking a few ounces here and there into her sippy cups of milk in hopes of her getting my immunities! My newborn is sick with a cold, but im not sure if it will turn into anything else!

Definitely sneak her as much as possible. You have whatever she has. Only you're immune system is doing the trick.
Your milk will work a hundred times better than antibiotics ever could. :)