sick kids commiseration thread

mel

Remind me again how it's okay not to medicate a fever?

One of my daughters has been coughing for about 2-3 weeks now. She saw a doctor 10 days ago and then again last weekend when she could not stop coughing for 40 minutes. This morning at 8, she started vomiting and she hasn't stopped all day. Her fever is 101.3 and rising. I tried to give ibuprofen earlier after she made it 2 hours without vomiting, and she immediately threw up. She's had two popsicles and some crackers, but eventually loses everything. She has kept down about 5 crackers for an hour and a half, so that's the longest she's held down any food/water all day.

She's miserable and I'm exhausted and so worried. Have any of you dealt with this nasty stomach virus lately?

Shanny

Oh so sorry Mel. Does she have the energy to sit in a lukewarm bath? That's the best way to bring down a fever without meds. If not how about just using wash clothes on her forehead , neck etc?

The key with the stomach bugs like this is to give nothing - absolutely nothing - until they have not vomited for 30 minutes. Then start with a teaspoon of water, wait as long as you can up to another 30 minutes before offering another teaspoon. We all make the mistake of offering too much too soon to prevent dehydration but by continuing to offer food or liquids before they can keep it down we actually increase those odds by depleting them of what little they have left in their bodies by continuing to vomit.

Hope she can get some rest and everyone else doesn't come down with it.

mysweetangel

I personally don't treat a fever until it hits 103 normally. My theory is that their body is trying to fight something and if you force the fever down their body can no longer fight.

As for the cough, I would be pushing for more answers. That much coughing would worry me.

I have found this site very helpful in comparing the different coughs, you may find it useful.

http://www.parents.com/health/cough/how-bad-is-that-cough-7-bad-coughs-to-worry-about/

K&H

Oh that sounds awful! We don't have a stomach bug over here, but we had a double ear infection that led to so much swelling and fluid build up that E can't hear. At the dr yesterday she tested as having moderate hearing loss, which is terrifying in and of itself. But she seriously cannot hear you unless you are looking right at her. One of her friends came up behind her today and tried to surprise her and she had no idea that her friend was even there. She reads lips to figure it out, but it takes a ton of extra effort for her. Also, because she can't hear us she thinks we can't hear her.. So she's LOUD! Oh, heavens is she loud.
We also have 40in of snow on the ground, are getting another 12-24 tonight, and she has another snow day tomorrow, the sixth in two weeks. It's been a long few weeks!

Also, what if you drip a little ibuprofen under her tongue every twenty minutes or so? Could she keep down a few drops? I wish they made an ibuprofen cream that you could spread on skin when tummies can't handle ingesting it.

Oh. And I meant to add.. I had a cough last year that sounds just like that. I would get started and I couldn't stop. The dr ended up giving me an inhaler to relax the muscles, there was some fancy name for what happened, but basically it was that I had a cold and the muscles overreacted. After four days using the inhaler when I had a coughing fit it was gone. I haven't needed it again and I have had a cough again that was a totally normal (for me) cough.

Zen

I find this one very hard. A fever is the body's immune system's natural response to fighting off an infection. That said, my first response to a fever is to medicate to lower the temperature. It's difficult to know what is best… in your shoes I would probably try to get some Tylenol into her.

mel

She does have a rescue inhaler and a steroid inhaler that we're using twice daily, and she just finished an antibiotic for a sinus infection. Nothing seems to be making much difference. I'm calling her pediatrician in the morning but just worrying tonight. She's asleep now and not coughing, but once she starts, she usually can't stop for a long time.

K&H, that hearing loss is terrifying! I hope she is better soon! We're having such a bizarre warm winter here in Utah (it was 65 degrees yesterday!) but I have so many friends stuck under feet of snow.

We're trying to minimize exposure (and allow S to get as much rest as possible) by having the other two sleep at their other mom's house tonight, but last night we had a sleepover here and had 6 kids all sleeping within a few feet of each other. Oops! She was fine last night!

aplusa

Ugh! I hope she's feeling better, Mel!

The boys have had croup for the last two weeks so we've spent a fair share of our time hanging out with some nebulizer treatments.

Poor kid. That just sounds awful.

mel

She is better! She wanted soup at 8:30 this morning, and ate more this afternoon! She also talked my ear off all day, I guess making up for lost time yesterday! I'm glad the virus only stuck around for a day because it was exhausting. I'm still catching up with laundry and chores but I'm so glad she is better.

horton

Just saw this! Glad she's getting better, but sorry she was so sick! I hope everyone else stays healthy and she kicks the cough soon!

blkbrd3

I'm glad to hear she's on the mend.

mel

...and now the other two have it.

EMG_REL

Nooooo! I'm sorry! H is sick and still wants to kiss and cuddle B, and I feel awful telling him he can't...but he can't! I hope your household resumes normalcy quickly.

Kari

Ugh, sounds like what Justin had Sunday into Monday. It was a short fever/puking period, but even four days later he's still exhausted.