[NH mom]

My 3 yr old was just diagnosed with bronchiolitis/ RSV on Mon. He started getting a fever and crabby/ sleepy on the previous Wed. The Dr. gave me a nebulizer for him and told me to keep his fever down. Sooo... here I am, more than a week after the initial onset and he doesn't seem better yet. The fevers come in the afternoon and evening, but they are by no means so high as they were over the weekend (103+). The nebulizer doesn't seem to help much at all and just irritates him. I'm tired of drugging him with Motrin to keep the fever down (seriously, it can't be good for him) and want to see him up and running around--and eating!--again. He has started coughing in the past two days and it's so bad at night that we are not getting any sleep.

Now my question... has anyone gone through this and can offer me hope? How long does this nasty thing last? What else can I do? All my web-searching has said, "It's a virus, wait it out..."

Help?

 

[Kailey's mom]

I get pretty freaky with chest colds.. but I'll give you my advice anyway.

I would get a second opinion, or at least make another appointment to see if he has developed bronchitis, or even pnemonia. Maybe ask about a chest xray. I hope everything turns out ok, and he is better very soon

 

[JessicaS]

There isn't a lot they can do

There are recommended home remedies

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bro...-home-remedies

Does your Dr know he is still sick? I would start harassing the Dr if he isn't getting better at all.

That can be pretty serious. If y'all cannot sleep due to the coughing then that would worry me.

My nephew was hospitalized with that and it can cause damage.

 

[crunchy_mama]

My 9 week old was in the hospital last week first diagnosed w/ bronchiolitis and then ended up in the hospital w/ pneumonia. If the coughing has been that bad for that long I would probably take them back in, to make sure they are keeping their oxygen level high enough and are staying well hydrated. They can test oxygen saturation pretty easily and a chest xray to test for pneumonia might be a good idea as well. My daughter had to have a bit of supplemental oxygen for a bit as her ox sat was a bit too low.

 

[justmama]

My middle child had pneumonia/RSV at 5 weeks old. She was hospitalized for a few days(she was apreemie and not at her due date yet and her sats were really scary low) and sent home. But LONG after she had clear chest x-rays, the cough lingered. I would say she coughed for a good 3 months afterwards.

Because he has a fever that is STILL ongoing, I would take him for a second opinion and get some chest x-rays to confirm that it has not blossomed into pneumonia. A fever usually(not always I know, but USUALLY) indicates infection.
Oh and I wouldn't wait any longer. I would take him in tomorrow. RSV can cause lung scarring and permanent breathing issues like asthma.

 

[Carhootel]

I just went through RSV with my 11month old and it really did last about a week or so of fever and cough and nastiness. The inhaler didn't seem to help us much but as the coughing got more productive ds managed to clear out his lungs and move past it. I was told that the cough could linger for up to 4 weeks too. I also agree with the PP mention of getting a second opinion - it never hurts.