Hello all,
A little over a week ago my 2 year old was diagosed with pneumonia. They put her on an antibiotic and we were on our way....Long story short, over a week later and her symptoms have gotten worse. I called her doctor who informed me that she is out of town until the 23rd and that I should take my daughter to the ER...So I did last night and we were basically blown off. This doctor said that they made a mistake last week and that my daughter never had pneumonia (great news, but frusterating at the same time.) We were then told that she must just have a cold and that she should be better by 2 weeks. These symptoms have been off and on for a few months now and she is coughing so much she throws up, she isn't eating very well, and her cough sounds horible. I am worried about asthma because her cough and wheezing is so bad and I have spent all day on the phone with the doctor's office trying to get some answers...The doctor was supposed to call me by 4:30, but here it is 6:30 and no call yet...
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Originally I did take her to urgent care, that is who diagnosed her with pneumonia. I was told by them to call her doctor for a follow up which is what I did and she is the one that told me to take her to the ER for a follow up. I understand the ER is for emergencies, but I work hours that make it almost impossible to make it to urgent care before they close. When you live in a small town with only two peds who are both on vacation it makes it hard. I only took her to the ER because that is what her doctor suggest I do and because I was concerned with my child's breathing.
Thanks to everyone that offered advice. I have been in touch with the appropriate people are will be getting her checked for possible asthma. Today she has shown some improvement and it is not taking as much effort on her part to breath.
If she is coughing so much she throws up it could also be whooping cough. Listen to whooping cough on youtube if you don't know what it sounds like. The doctor took a swab inside my daughter's nose. 2 days later they called us back with the diagnosis. My daughter was vaccinated too.
I would find another regular doctor asap. The ER can't be the "Plan B" that your doctor prescribes when he/she is on vacation - that is ridiculous on her part. There should be another doctor in the practice or another practice that handle her non-ER stuff in a helpful way. Anyhow, tomorrow I would call other peds in the area and schedule a first visit with another doctor's office (hopefully you can get some good recommendations, and preferably with an office that has several PEDs who can cover for one another when one is on vacation). Meanwhile, take her back to the ER and try for another DR who can sort this out. Sometimes, it takes a few tries to get one who can put all the past pieces they weren't involved in together into an accurate diagnosis and treatment regimen. A 2 yr old child who is vomiting and not eating is not something to be blown off. Good luck and please keep us posted.
Do you have a children's hospital anywhere within driving distance? I'm concerned that your child has whooping cough. SO many smaller ER docs have never seen whooping cough, but children's hospitals are acquainted with it.
Please look into this.
Go to a pediatric pulmonologist. Chances are she has coughing asthma or a cold induced asthma. Does not mean she will have it forever. Might be a one episode kind of thing. It needs the right meds to make her better.
Go to the nearest children's hospital.
Go NOW!
To help with the cough. Honey- we do this for my daughter all the time.
My brother used to have bronchitis all the time and the honey helps to quiet the cough.
I would go to a different ER if the doc has not called you back.
Whooping cough, RSV ... if not Pneumonia, what is causing that. My Dr. rule is if she is having trouble breathing they do something about the cough.
If the doc is not getting back to you, call another one, or go to a different ER.. you need to demand answers.
Praying for her quick recovery from whatever this is.
I would try a pulmonologist and an allergist. It could be a mix of allergies and asthma.
If you have a Children's Hospital near you - go there. ER's are for live-saving treatment. Your daughter was not sick enough for them to really do anything. You should have taken her to an urgent care clinic.
If you don't have a Children's Hospital nearby, then go to your nearest urgent care center.
My boss just got over pneumonia. He started out with one antibiotic that wasn't working. Once the doc switch the antibiotics, it cleared right up. Maybe a different antibiotic would work. If your daughter has taken antibiotics a lot, the body builds up an immunity to the particular kind and a different antibiotic needs to be prescribed.
Does her cough sound like a seal barking? If so, she could have croup.
I am so sorry you are going through this. My heart goes out to you and your little one as I know this is a scary time for you. When my son was a baby I had him in daycare. He was always wheezing, coughing, full of mucus. He was diagnosed with asthma and sent home with a nebulizer.
I couldn't cope. I didn't want my baby to live on meds, so I left my job to take care of him. Miraculously he was better as soon as I stopped taking him to daycare.
I know it's unreasonable for every mom to quite her job and stay home. This may not even be your situation. However, you may want to look at your little one's environment to identify a possible cause. Could it be something in the air? Allergens? Products or chemicals used in his surroundings? Food or pet allergies?
If it's on going it sounds like it could be an environmental reaction and, yes, possible asthma. I am not a physician and I am not in any way making a diagnosis. I am just speaking from experience.
Wishing you the best and hoping your baby feels better soon.
It's unfortunate that doctors are not spending adequate time with patience to properly diagnose.
