What would you do, baby is sick and getting worse on meds

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:37 pm

My 1 year old had fever M.shabbos and Sunday. Took him to the doctor on Sunday and he said it's an ear infection. We started him on meds right away. He had fever despite giving him ibuprofen and motrin but he was still acting fine. Today he's acting much worse, burning up even with all the fever reducing meds I've been giving him. The outside of his ear also looks red. He's alternating between crying and lethargic. I called the doctor and he just said "don't worry mommy, it takes 2 days to get better". But I just don't feel right about it. He shouldn't be getting worse while on meds. The tylenol should be helping and it's not.

What would you do in my case?

blessedjmom

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:40 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Take him back to the dr. Did they do a cbc/bloodwork ?

chmom

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:40 pm

Take him to the ER.
Fever which won’t come down in combination with a lethargic child need to be seen ASAP
Might be mastoiditis

Last edited by chmom on Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

ectomorph

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:41 pm

Also could be a resistant infection or sepsis. Your instincts are good - trust them. 8

Is this a real doctor or an urgent care place. If a real doctor, say "I'm very concerned. He is not acting normally. You need to take this seriously. What do you suggest we do"

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:44 pm

blessedjmom wrote:

Take him back to the dr. Did they do a cbc/bloodwork ?

I made an appointment to go back to the doctor despite the doctor telling me not to. He did not do any bloodwork. I don't think the fever is crazy high (he won't let me take his temp but the digital is getting a reading of around 100 so I'm assuming it's not crazy high).

amother

Coral

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:49 pm

I’ve had this and had to switch antibiotics since apparently the original one was not working on my child.
It’s either a virus which needs nothing just Tylenol
Or your child needs another antibiotic
But hey, it’s only Monday! Didn’t you just get the antibiotic yesterday?? It could take 2-3 days to see improvement.

amother

Coral

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:49 pm

MiracleMama wrote:

ER immediately. Could just be virus running it’s course but always better to extra cautious.

ER for 100 fever??

dankbar

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:51 pm

if fever is going on more than 4 days then you need more tests like chest xray for pneumonia, spinal tab for menigititis etc

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 3:55 pm

amother [ Coral ] wrote:

tylenol is not doing a thing. He's still burning up. I don't know for sure what his temp is because he's not letting me take it.

I'm okay with not getting better for 2-3 days but not okay with him getting worse.

ectomorph

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:01 pm

The lethargy is very very concerning. The last time I had a situation like this it was double pneumonia.

The fever alone I wouldn't worry so much. Fever plus lethargy must be checked out just in case it's something serious. Could be meningitis, pneumonia, resistant antibiotic... Either way it has to be gotten under control.

groovy1224

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:05 pm

Are you sure you're giving him the correct dosage? Do you have his current weight?

Also in your OP you mentioned giving him ibuprofen and motrin- those 2 are the same thing. Was that just a typo or did you by accident double up on that med? You should alternate tylenol/acetaminophen and motrin/ibuprofen every 3 hours.

I would insist on getting an accurate temperature. Have someone hold him down and take his temp rectally. It's important to know what kind of fever we're talking about here.

But, in the end, if your gut is telling you it's not normal, listen to it and take him for a second opinion.

ectomorph

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:07 pm

groovy1224 wrote:

Agree !

amother

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:07 pm

groovy1224 wrote:

My head is not on straight. I'm alternating tylenol and ibuprofen.

MiracleMama

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:14 pm

amother [ Coral ] wrote:

ER for 100 fever??

No ER for baby getting Tylenol and Motrin and still miserable and getting worse. Unless I misunderstood.
But I still with a baby would be over cautious. Taking a calm wait-and-see approach with one of our daughters when she was an infant almost cost her her life.

amother

Crimson

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:16 pm

Is there another doctor in the practice you can see? It's concerning that symptoms are getting worse, that alternating medication is not keeping fever down at all, and that he's lethargic.

amother

Turquoise

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:17 pm

It can take time for medication to work. Some kids don't respond to certain meds and need to have their meds changed. I would definitely demand the doctor to at least do a finger prick.

amother

Navy

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:18 pm

If they're not taking you seriously, go to the ER. Especially if lethargy is not improving or getting worse.

Laiya

Mon, Aug 05 2019, 4:26 pm

A white cell count would also indicate if it's bacterial and if so, whether oral antibiotics are enough or something more is needed. I agree with trusting your instinct. If your pedi isn't responsive go to the ER.