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Forum -> Children's Health
Should I give the medicine?



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amother


 

Post Sat, Jul 23 2011, 10:35 pm
Last Motzei Shabbos my son woke up with 103.6 fever. We got through the night with motrin/tylenol and on Sunday went to a local clinic that was open since the doc. wasnt. The PA there said he had an ear infection and prescribed medicine for it. To be honest, for some strange reason I questioned this to my husband - something about the way she diagnosed it made me wonder if she was sure about that, but ok, she said so she knows, and so we gave him medicine.
Monday night/Tues. he was still miserable, running a high fever, so on Tuesday we took him to the regular pediatrician. He checked my son and said that he did not have an ear infection. He took a strep test and the quick one came up negative. In the meantime, because of all his symptoms he gave me medicine to give in addition to the constant tylenol/motrin he was getting to keep his fever down. We saw that there was something with his throat, bec. it was very hard for him to swallow. The doc. told us that if by Thursday he still has a fever, we shoudl bring him in. In the meantime, we continued giving him this medicine - cefzil (cefprozil), in case he has some bacterial infection. Thursday he still had a fever, the doc. said if by Friday he's still not well, we should bring him in again.
Friday he was still running a fever, although it was less, like 99._. But the main thing was, aside from being miserable, he was in a lot of pain in his throat, he couldnt swallow - not just bottles or food, but even his saliva.
This time, the doc. did a blood test for mono and it showed up positive.
He explained that its a viral infection, so there's no medicine to give for it, but he wanted us to continue giving the cefzil and he gave me another medicine to give him too, orapred (prednisolone), although I dont remember why exactly - just that it was in case of something else. I think the cefzil was for in case he also has strep, which didnt come out on the lab test, bec. it might have been covered up by the mono and the new medicine was for his other symptoms.
I'm not one to question doctors usually. I mean, in general I trust them, there's a reason I go to them, they learned, they know the symptoms, they know what their saying, etc. But here I'm really in doubt. I mean, if he's suffering from mono (which also, B"H he's finally getting over - they say once the fever breaks, the worst is already over and its on the way down), so if there's no medicine to treat it, why am I giving a 22 month old two anti-biotics? I'm really not sure what to do, if its right to stop or I should give him these two meds just in case?
I need some advice from other, experienced moms! I am thinking of calling him to ask him, but he's not open till Monday and today I didnt give him...
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newlymarried




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 23 2011, 10:45 pm
If you have already started gviing him the antibiotics, then you must finish up the course.
Stopping antibiotics in the middle causes your body to build up a resistance to that antibiotic, and he will never be able to take that one again, he will have to use something stronger.
(I am not a doctor, so maybe I am not explaining this clearly, but that is what I was always told by my mother and doctors, when I wanted to stop taking antibiotcs after I felt better.)
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rowo




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 23 2011, 10:52 pm
It does sound a bit strange, two antibiotics for a virus...
I think if it doesn't feel right, ask again.
It makes sense that he has pain in his throat, mono is also called glandular fever - one gets very swollen glands and it hurts!
I don't know if I'd stop the antibiotics till speaking to the dr, but I'd definitely ask if it was necessary.

I had mono a few months ago, it was not much fun. But they say kids recover much much faster and they have it in a milder form than adults.

Good luck and refuah shelaimah!
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ElTam




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 23 2011, 10:56 pm
Orapred isn't an antibiotic, it's a steriod used to counteract the swelling. It seems like that would be really important given the baby's difficulty swallowing...

Refuah shleima. Please update us...
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obagys




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 23 2011, 11:02 pm
I would continue the antibiotics unless your doc says otherwise when you talk to him. I don't think giving one round of antibiotics will have any effect on your child's health.

BTW, when my DD was 3 months old, she had some mysterious symptoms and ended up hospitalized. Because they weren't sure what was wrong or how to treat her for over a week, she was given all sorts of different antibiotics that may *possibly* cure her. In the end, she wasn't even sick, she had a cyst that was causing the symptoms, so the antibiotics were essentially all for nothing! So if the top docs at Johns Hopkins hospital did this, I'm sure it will be ok now also.

Refuah Shelaima
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jul 23 2011, 11:24 pm
First, I think its important to have a ped you can call over the weekend with questions. Second, I think its important to have a ped you don't second guess (although I understand the PA situation).

To answer your question, I would continue with the antibiotics until you reach your ped to clarify. It seems the prednisone is to help him swallow, thus preventing dehydration and everything else unpleasant that comes with it. But you can ask about that too.

Next time, if you feel unclear about what the ped is saying, don't hesitate to ask lots of questions. And have him write things down if you're too overwhelmed with the baby to pay attention- btdt, and its a relief to go back and review the info when you can think straight, and call with questions as needed.

Refuah shelaima!
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drumjj




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 24 2011, 3:28 am
I agree and predinisolne however u spell it is a steroid and to use it for a couple of days I dont think will do much harm and might help his swallowing. I think if he has been on the medicine this long its not a good idea to stop the course now
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