fevers and children...

[meeks]

my little girl has developed a fever about 3 or 4 days ago - about 38.5 celsius. the 2nd day we took her to the hospital because the children's tylenol wasn't really working (children's advil was) and we were alternating between the 2 every 3-4 hours. At the hospital they just gave her a dose of Tylenol about 30mg stronger than what we were giving with the over the counter stuff and it worked.

the doctor in ER said 'ignore her fever' and that we should be more concerned about the source of the fever which is a viral lung infection (brought on from a cold) that they can do nothing for. he said to continue giving fever medicine, but if it hits 40 celsius (for example) not to do anything for it - no damp cloths or cooling baths to bring her temperature down. Even said that if she has a seizure from it, it's fine, these seizures do no damage whatsoever. I am also assuming he's not a pediatrician in the ER room and that also makes a HUGE difference when dealing with infants/toddlers vs adults.

I'm taking her to a clinic as soon as she wakes up, but does this sound a bit like ignorant bullshit?

[Bill]

I find it hard to believe that having a seizure is in no way damaging. Especially for a child.

[Michael]

I'm with Bill. I've always heard that the fever was dangerous when it gets really hot for a period of time. Even if it's just a symptom, it needs to be treated.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

see a pediatrician and get a second opinion asap

[Brady]

Not a doctor opinion but it may help in the interim: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/febr ... izures.htm
It seems that infant febrile seizures are pretty common and usually only damaging if something secondary happens (ie-choking).

What should be done for a child having a febrile seizure?

Parents and caregivers should stay calm and carefully observe the child. To prevent accidental injury, the child should be placed on a protected surface such as the floor or ground. The child should not be held or restrained during a convulsion. To prevent choking, the child should be placed on his or her side or stomach. When possible, the parent should gently remove all objects in the child's mouth. The parent should never place anything in the child's mouth during a convulsion. Objects placed in the mouth can be broken and obstruct the child's airway. If the seizure lasts longer than 10 minutes, the child should be taken immediately to the nearest medical facility. Once the seizure has ended, the child should be taken to his or her doctor to check for the source of the fever. This is especially urgent if the child shows symptoms of stiff neck, extreme lethargy, or abundant vomiting.

I wish your daughter a quick recovery and you peace of mind Meeks.

[GrahamB]

Not a doctor opinion but it may help in the interim: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/febr ... izures.htm
It seems that infant febrile seizures are pretty common and usually only damaging if something secondary happens (ie-choking).

+1

It sounds weird, but it's true.

I wish your daughter a quick recovery and you peace of mind Meeks.

+1 as well

[nianfong]

Take her to see a chinese doc man... a good one. a good one will treat that lung infection well. should be some good ones in vancouver... ask around...

[alexsuffolk]

Agreed with the Chinese doctor suggestion, they can do good things with childrens health that western docs will go pharma-crazy for. The less drugs you have to put into her the better. I have seen too many cases of western docs getting it seriously wrong with children, although of course they can be life savers at times.

And my best wishes with your daughter and family Meeks for speedy recovery!

Alex

[chud]

Get to a pediatrician. There are a lot of these late night pediatric clinics opening up everywhere, they're really useful if you can't get to a pediatrician's office during business hours.

[meeks]

ok - so I went to the clinic first thing this morning. they swabbed her throat for a bacterial culture and gave me different opinions about fevers, and that I SHOULD deal with the fever - completely different. they also asked me why the ER doc didn't do an X-ray for pneumonia - I thought he was a bit of a douchebag actually (the first doctor when I went earlier that day was much better).

So I left the clinic and drove to the children's hospital across town. long story short, based on the 'history' I'd provided of her cold over the last 2 weeks that prompted them to do an Xray just to be sure. Sure enough, she has bacterial pneumonia in her upper right lung. So we've found out what it is, and I have a prescription for her to take 2x a day for 10 days to deal with it...if it were viral there'd be nothing we could do other than wait.

so I just got back home and she's sleeping.

by the way, this whole ordeal - 2 trips to ER at the local hospital (2 doses of tylenol and a urine test for bladder infection), 1 trip to the walk in family clinic (test for strep throat) and a trip to ER at the children's hospital (chest Xrays) - each visit got me in front of a doctor as fast as 10 minutes and as late as 15 minutes, was FREE. Just in case some of you guys still believe the Republican lies that government health care is a death warrant....

[fuga]

hoping she feels better and good on you for being aggressive in pursuing the proper care

-pete

[nianfong]

rock on meeks. glad they figured out the pneumonia. I would still take her to see a chinese doc mang. western docs really aren't as useful for this type of stuff.

[bailewen]

I dunno man. It's kind of weird dealing with this stuff in China. They don't seem to draw much distinction between western and eastern.

I'm still in recovery from a week long flu where I was running 38.5 - 39 degrees for the first 4 days. At the local clinic I refused anti-biotics the first day (3rd day of being sick-first day seeing a doctor) but the next morning I went in for a blood test which came back saying I had some sort of bacterial infection so...iv drip with the anti-biotics. Got two bottles. The first was sugar(glucose?), vitamins, anti-biotics and astragalus extract. The second was saline. I was gonna pass on the IV and just take the meds they gave me back in the comfort of my own home but then I passed out in the lobby on my way out.

By the 4th or 5th day of being sick the inlaws tried to drag me in for an x-ray too but by that time the fever was already going down and it seemed kind of a moot point. I've been "better" for about 2 or 3 days now but damn...weak as fuck. Started training taiji again today but only in short little 10 minute stints. This is the sickest I have ever been in my adult life.

[AllanF]

Our daughter had pneumonia this year also (a month before her 3rd birthday) i had given it to her!!! Wasn't in the good book with my wife for that one i can tell you!

For the first couple of days we just tried to keep her cool by day 3 we took her to the hospital and they gave we some anti-biotics, we didn't bother with a drip as she would probably just rip it out anyway so instead we just gave her lots of water, honey water let her sleep a lot etc. a week or so later no problems. Re seizures, as was mentioned it usually is ok...just very distressing for the parents. As long as they don't choke or hit their heads etc.

RE TCM...i would stick to the western meds for children as TCM has too much of an unknown factor about it (and how much of it is placebo effect etc). And i am married to a TCM Dr!!!

Hope your daughter has a speedy recovery.

[Michael]

Meeks, glad to hear you've got a diagnosis and some meds. After her pneumonia has cleared up, I'd suggest some "good"-bacteria replacement OTC. A nutritionist or other naturopath can give you the OTC prescription. I have used acidophilus, but there are several and for kids it's good to be safe and get the most appropriate one. FYI, the anti-biotics are good for helping you deal with pneumonia, but they also kill lots of necessary bacteria in the gut, which it's best to replace.

Omar, WTF, man? Are you okay? Day-um. PM's.