How lengthy do you consider an average cold? Do you go to the doctor?

[Ginevra]

I don’t mean what does Google say is the average duration of a cold; I mean, when you think you or your kid is developing a cold, how long do you expect sympthoms will last? When, if ever, do you begin to think they need a doctor visit?

 

This is a perenial argument in my household. One adult here is more inclined to seek a doctor than the other and it creates arguments.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If there is fever, I call if it goes longer than 3 days or is particularly high for an extended amount of time.  

Sinus symptoms, a week

Cough- can drag on a month, I hate coughs.  

 

I don't call the doc unless there is ear pain that doesn't go away with pain meds.  That's pretty rare, but it did happen to us last week and in fact my dd's ear drum perforated.  Ugh.  

 

My DH wants me to call the doc for EVERYTHING.  If I called the doc for everything, we'd literally see the doc twice a week.  Now I love our pediatrician, but not quite that much!

[marbel]

I find that colds can vary a lot. 

 

I'm still not over a cold that started on November 24.  I remember it well because my daughter had been sick for a couple of days before Thanksgiving, but we went on our scheduled trip at her insistence. But she and I came home a day early because she was feeling so badly.  I started feeling sick during the drive.  She was better by Sunday, but I had a terrible cold for at least a week, then the coughing started.  I missed church 3 Sundays because of the uncontrollable coughing.  That's finally slowing down now.

 

When my kids were younger I was quicker to call the doctor.  It seemed that almost invariably the doc would say something like, "yeah, this is going around, and it's lasting x days" and we'd be on x-2 days, and sure enough on day x, the kid would be better. So I'd feel like I wasted that time and $ for nothing.  Now, unless there's fever or other symptoms hanging around (other than the lingering cough), I don't bother.

 

My husband will see his ENT fairly quickly if he has sinus symptoms along with a cold, because he tends to sinus infections and other badness.  But other than that he doesn't go to the doctor for anything.  

[Pawz4me]

I'm not concerned unless the symptoms last longer than a week (other than a cough, which can take longer to clear) or seem to worsen rather than slowly improve, or if a fever is higher than 101 or so for more than a few days.

[catz]

I don’t take anyone to the doctor for a cold unless they develop a fever. Or if there is a worsening cough preventing sleep. That has usually been accompanied by a fever when that happens anyway. I don’t think it’s unusual to have cold symptoms last 2weeks or maybe even slightly more.

Edited December 27, 2017 by WoolySocks

[fralala]

Colds can really linger. And at this time of year, sometimes I even find it hard to figure out where one cold ends and another begins. Runny noses, the coughs of kids who have been swallowing their mucus all night long but haven't quite mastered the fine art of expectoration...these things can drag on for weeks and weeks. Some kids are also just more fever prone than others. Generally, I think sick children need to rest, not to be dragged out to the doctor.

 

I have observed that the family members I have who are quickest to visit the pediatrician are also the ones who tend to complain to me the most about their doctors' reluctance to immediately prescribe antibiotics. I am sympathetic to a mother's intuition, and the need to do something when one's child is ill, but I am inclined toward elderberry syrup and humidifiers myself.

[Guest]

Colds can really linger. And at this time of year, sometimes I even find it hard to figure out where one cold ends and another begins. Runny noses, the coughs of kids who have been swallowing their mucus all night long but haven't quite mastered the fine art of expectoration...these things can drag on for weeks and weeks. Some kids are also just more fever prone than others. Generally, I think sick children need to rest, not to be dragged out to the doctor.

 

I have observed that the family members I have who are quickest to visit the pediatrician are also the ones who tend to complain to me the most about their doctors' reluctance to immediately prescribe antibiotics. I am sympathetic to a mother's intuition, and the need to do something when one's child is ill, but I am inclined toward elderberry syrup and humidifiers myself.

Yeah...same here.

[JFSinIL]

My dad would run to the doctor for a cold and get a shot of penicillin. Waste of time and medicine, but this was eons ago. Doctors (usually) know better than to give antibiotics for a cold now!

 

Dad also recommended a stiff shot of Scotch for colds - now that I can get behind ;-) (for adults, in the evening). I am partial to a warm toddy at bedtime when I am plugged up (but then I skip the decongestant, etc.)

[Guest]

I'm not concerned unless the symptoms last longer than a week (other than a cough, which can take longer to clear) or seem to worsen rather than slowly improve, or if a fever is higher than 101 or so for more than a few days.

Yeah, this is pretty much how my measure goes.

 

Edited because cyberspace ate half my post and I am too lazy to reconstruct it now.

Edited December 27, 2017 by Quill

[Alice]

I tell people to call or be seen if....

-fever more than 4-5 days

-cough lasting more than 2 weeks or cough/congestion in the second week that is getting worse instead of just hanging on

-any localizing symptoms...ear pain, eye drainage or swelling, sinus pain, etc

 

Or obviously anytime where symptoms are more severe (trouble breathing, severe headaches, high fever, not drinking, etc) but I don’t think that is what you are talking about.

Edited December 27, 2017 by Alice

[Guest]

I tell people to call or be seen if....

-fever more than 4-5 days

-cough lasting more than 2 weeks or cough/congestion in the second week that is getting worse instead of just hanging on

-any localizing symptoms...ear pain, eye drainage or swelling, sinus pain, etc

 

Or obviously anytime where symptoms are more severe (trouble breathing, severe headaches, high fever, not drinking, etc) but I don’t think that is what you are talking about.

My child has back pain, but I do not think it is related to the cold. It is concentrated in the right trap muscle. It does not appear related to lung function. Would this back pain motivate you to seek medical help?

 

Child does not have a fever. Primary complaints are cough and nasal symptoms.

 

DH thinks child has the Flu, but I don’t even agree with that. He thinks the muscle pain equals flu, but child is not *that* sick.

[JIN MOUSA]

This is a perenial argument in my household. One adult here is more inclined to seek a doctor than the other and it creates arguments.

Umm, I haven't seen you around my house, but this describes us to a T...

[scholastica]

My child has back pain, but I do not think it is related to the cold. It is concentrated in the right trap muscle. It does not appear related to lung function. Would this back pain motivate you to seek medical help?

 

Child does not have a fever. Primary complaints are cough and nasal symptoms.

 

DH thinks child has the Flu, but I don’t even agree with that. He thinks the muscle pain equals flu, but child is not *that* sick.

That pain wouldn’t make me bat an eye. I would suggest pain medication, heat, etc for that and try to treat the cold symptoms. Is this the child who’s been lifting weights? It could be related to that. I would try to ascertain whether the pain was felt in the muscle, or in deeper.

 

As far as how long for a cold, I give 10-12 days. If the symptoms improve and then get worse again, I seek medical attention. If it’s still improving, I let it go longer. If a cold isn’t cleared in 2-3 weeks, I seek medical attention to see if there’s a low level secondary bacterial something going on. I do have a kid who gets ear infections with no pain, so if that one is still draining significantly at 12 days, we see the ped. 99% of the time if she’s gone that long, she has an infection.

[Rachel]

I’ve never taken my kids when I thought they just had a cold (runny nose, annoying but not barky cough, maybe some sneezing).

 

I have taken one when breathing became labored, that turned out to be viral but a breathing treatment and inhaler helped. I’ll also take them in for a sore throat with swollen tonsils, especially if they also have a fever. So I guess it’s more if they have symptoms of strep that we go to the doctor.

 

It’s my experience that colds last just over a week. When I’ve decided I can’t stand it for my kids anymore and I’ll take them the next day, the symptoms start clearing up.

[EMS83]

A week at least. If something gets us, it usually takes us about 10 days to be 100% again. I'm the "see the doctor as little as possible person" when it comes to me and the kids.

 

I'll add some tips I got at the walk-in clinic, when I get on my computer.

[Guest]

That pain wouldn’t make me bat an eye. I would suggest pain medication, heat, etc for that and try to treat the cold symptoms. Is this the child who’s been lifting weights? It could be related to that. I would try to ascertain whether the pain was felt in the muscle, or in deeper.

 

As far as how long for a cold, I give 10-12 days. If the symptoms improve and then get worse again, I seek medical attention. If it’s still improving, I let it go longer. If a cold isn’t cleared in 2-3 weeks, I seek medical attention to see if there’s a low level secondary bacterial something going on. I do have a kid who gets ear infections with no pain, so if that one is still draining significantly at 12 days, we see the ped. 99% of the time if she’s gone that long, she has an infection.

Yes. It is the athletic child. He also has a job that is physical; he is a building facility assistant at school. I think he strained the muscle at work. Son also thinks the muscle pain is unrelated. It does not hurt more with a deep breath (although a deep breath induces coughing) and it seems directly concentrated in that muscle group; it is not generalized over his back.

[Guest]

Umm, I haven't seen you around my house, but this describes us to a T...

We’ve been parents for 20.5 years...it’s getting really old now...

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I don’t take anyone to the doctor for a cold unless they develop a fever. Or if there is a worsening cough preventing sleep. That has usually been accompanied by a fever when that happens anyway. I don’t think it’s unusual to have cold symptoms last 2weeks or maybe even slightly more.

 

This pretty much sums up my feelings. I'm slightly more vigilant about one kid's cough because she has had a tendency to start needing nebulizer treatments and can end up with pneumonia, even if it seems like all she has is a cough. That has pretty much stopped since she started using Flovent at the first sign of a cold though. 

 

There's nothing a doctor can do about an actual cold, so unless it looks like it's starting to morph into a sinus infection or bronchitis or penumonia, I tend to treat the symptoms, keep the afflicted person home, and push fluids and rest. That's it.

[Ravin]

We go for a doctor when it looks like it's evolving into a sinus infection. I get those. DH has had a cold turn into pneumonia before. The kids not so much. I expect a cough to linger, but sinus congestion should start getting better in a week at the most, otherwise a trip to the doctor may be in order. I find I can avoid that by hitting it consistently with pseudophederine.

[school17777]

If we have to keep the kid home from school more than two days, we have to go to the dr for a school note, so even if I don’t think they need to see the dr, we still have to take them. Although, all the times that has happened, they needed to go to the dr by that point anyway.

[kitten18]

I took my kids to the Dr one time (our only sick child visit) when they were sick. They both had a bad cough and extreme congestion. Their lungs were clear, DS got antibiotics for an ear infection and dd got better on her own.

 

 

When my dd was a baby I read a Dr Sears article about the duration of the typical cold virus. He said it was very common for the cough to linger for 3 weeks. I can't count how many times they had a cold and in week two dh would say, "I don't like that cough, maybe you should take them to the Dr." I would resist, and every time around week three, the cough would slowly go away.

[Guest]

I took my kids to the Dr one time (our only sick child visit) when they were sick. They both had a bad cough and extreme congestion. Their lungs were clear, DS got antibiotics for an ear infection and dd got better on her own.

 

 

When my dd was a baby I read a Dr Sears article about the duration of the typical cold virus. He said it was very common for the cough to linger for 3 weeks. I can't count how many times they had a cold and in week two dh would say, "I don't like that cough, maybe you should take them to the Dr." I would resist, and every time around week three, the cough would slowly go away.

Sounds familiar, except here, those concerns start cropping up on Day 3, however DH always uses...ummm...alternative math. 3=7days.

 

What happens here is I finally capitulate because I get so sick of hearing DH say child needs to go to the doctor, and then they prescribe something like a nasal spray or a cough medicine and we go home.

 

It drives me batty.

[EmseB]

Why does he want them to go to the doctor for colds? Can he take them so that he can state his concerns for the doctor?

 

My concern, if there's a disagreement about this and I don't want to take sick kiddo, is usually articulated in the form of, "I think the risk of being exposed to strep/flu/pneumonia/etc is much greater in the waiting room at the doctor's office and that risk is for very little benefit because I can give cough medicine and tylenol here at home. If I hear wheezing or a fever or worse cough develops we will go in."

[SparklyUnicorn]

The absolute worst of it probably 3-4 days.  It can linger for a long time though.  I never go to the docs for a cold.  A bad sore throat that lasts longer than 3-4 days I'd go.

 

 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

If he grew up like I did, my mother took us to the doctor's for everything.  I felt like I lived there.  There was never anything seriously wrong, but I was constantly there. Now I rarely go.  So much so the pediatrician asks why I never go (other than for physicals).  I said because besides colds occasionally my kids are never sick and I know there is nothing you can do for a cold.  He agreed.

 

 

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

3 days of feeling bad. Up to3 more days of clearing the snot out and random coughing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Sounds familiar, except here, those concerns start cropping up on Day 3, however DH always uses...ummm...alternative math. 3=7days.

 

What happens here is I finally capitulate because I get so sick of hearing DH say child needs to go to the doctor, and then they prescribe something like a nasal spray or a cough medicine and we go home.

 

It drives me batty.

 

Well, to be fair, that's the way my brain calculates time whenever anyone in this house is sick :lol: 

 

But seriously, if he felt that strongly about it, he should be interrupting HIS day to take the kid to the doctor, or else I would tell him not to speak to me about it again. 

[Miss Peregrine]

But seriously, if he felt that strongly about it, he should be interrupting HIS day to take the kid to the doctor, or else I would tell him not to speak to me about it again.

Exactly. If I don't feel the need to take them then I don't. I remind him of the hours of the urgent care so he can take the child after work or on his weekend.

[Guest]

Why does he want them to go to the doctor for colds? Can he take them so that he can state his concerns for the doctor?

 

My concern, if there's a disagreement about this and I don't want to take sick kiddo, is usually articulated in the form of, "I think the risk of being exposed to strep/flu/pneumonia/etc is much greater in the waiting room at the doctor's office and that risk is for very little benefit because I can give cough medicine and tylenol here at home. If I hear wheezing or a fever or worse cough develops we will go in."

He always seems to fear something more sinister is afoot. He also has an overblown idea of how much the doctor and/or medicine will help. So I guess he just wants the child to be better/stop coughing/whatever and he thinks going to the doctor will make that happen.

 

He also interprets the child as sicker than I interpret them to be. IOW, he thinks they are “worse†if they are merely not much better. “Worse†to me looks different. “Worse†to me is something like fever keeps spiking despite tylanol, or child is listless or the cough is interfering with breathing. So we also argue about how bad the problem actually is. I don’t know how to help that. You would think it would be less of a problem at the ages of my children; they are old enough to assess their own level of illness (at least two of them are), but DH just has a hard time doing nothing while a kid is sick, I guess.

 

Despite the many times I have explained it, he is also one of those people who don’t seem to get the distinction of viral vs. bacterial illness. He just thinks that going to the doctor = medicine to get better.

 

The sick child is awake now and I still don’t know whether to take him in or not. If DH were out of the country or something right now, I would not even be entertaining going to the doctor. IMO, it is a cold. It needs rest and fluids and steam. But I cannot stand one more evening of DH saying take him to the doctor. He got home last night at 11:00 and I was in bed, but that still did not stop him from nagging me about DS.

 

Sorry I’m snippy; this bugs me every time it comes up and it has come up at least once a winter every year since our kids were toddlers.

[Guest]

Exactly. If I don't feel the need to take them then I don't. I remind him of the hours of the urgent care so he can take the child after work or on his weekend.

This is what I always want to say. I can’t even explain the animosity that comes out in both of us whenever this comes up, though.

 

At this point, the kid could actually even drive himself to urgent care were it necessary.

 

It is more that I don’t want to waste $ on it than it is not wanting to waste time, although many times, it IS time; it just isn’t right now because it is post-Christmas lazy days.

[ktgrok]

I'm not concerned unless the symptoms last longer than a week (other than a cough, which can take longer to clear) or seem to worsen rather than slowly improve, or if a fever is higher than 101 or so for more than a few days.

 

Yup, exactly this.

[Wheres Toto]

We don't go at all as long as it appears to be just a cold.  We watch for higher fever, sore ears, sore throats, headaches/sinus aches, and/or wheezing.  Without signs that there is more than just a cold going on, we just wait it out.

 

I've had a "cold" since before Thanksgiving.  But I also have bad allergies to live evergreen, molds, mildews, and a million other things around this time of year.  And I have allergy-induced asthma.  So I've basically been treating mine as a cold with some allergies and treating with my usual medications.

 

Dh had the cold and felt like he was having trouble breathing (he doesn't have asthma or anything like that), went to the doctor and he has asthmatic bronchitis.  Still no antibiotics since they won't help, but they gave him an inhaler.  He also found out he has Lyme so he's on doxy anyway.

 

Half the time by the time I decide to take the kids to the doctor, I call in the morning when they are miserable and by the time we get there in the afternoon, they are acting completely normal and feeling fine.   :glare:

[Jean in Newcastle]

For one child we never go. She has colds that are minor and don’t have complications.

 

For the other child I will take him in after about four days because he has asthma and that’s about the time that things start to get worse and he can’t breathe.

 

For myself, I fortunately haven’t had to go in a couple of years. But before taking meds for my immune system, a simple cold progressed rather quickly into infection.

 

So for me the test is: is there asthma and its attendant problems or infection? Then I go. (I am married to a health professional. We’re pretty good at diagnosing what is going on before going to the doctor to get it confirmed).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 27, 2017 by Jean in Newcastle

[KungFuPanda]

The Death Cold has made its rounds in my area. This thing is lasting two weeks. There’s a few days with no voice and residual chest congestion lingering until the end. I broke down and used mucinex for the first time just to clear it out.

 

The only one we took to the doctor was my college girl because hers settled in her ear and she got her first ear infection since toddlerhood. DS never caught it. We would’ve been more cautious with him. Dh and I suffered for over a week before it let up and DH cancelled a business trip. I might’ve been more worried if I didn’t know this particular cold was going around and what to expect.

Edited December 27, 2017 by KungFuPanda

[Ali in OR]

We don't go to the doctor for colds, and I think of my own colds as lasting 2-3 weeks to be completely symptom-free. The first week is far more intense--sore throat stage to congestion stage to beginning of drainage stage. Second week is mostly a lot of nose-blowing while feeling pretty normal otherwise, but I still consider that to be in the state of a cold, hence my 2-3 week duration.

 

Fevers I watch a lot more closely--both youngest and I had illnesses turn into pneumonia 3 years ago, and recurring fever was the main clue to go to the doctor. And I'm learning that with this child, she always gets a sore neck with such illnesses, so I always worry about meningitis (which pops up in our college town), even though the rational part of my brain knows she's not sick enough for it to be meningitis. Still, I do watch carefully.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I expect a day or two of lead-up that I can tell they (or I) are getting sick but we can still function same as always. Then anywhere from ~2-5 days of being miserable. I expect the cough and some lingering symptoms that don't interfere with going about our days to last for a couple more weeks. 

 

DH is inclined to take the kids to the doctor as soon as he knows they're sick. Every time I tell him that we'll be told "rest and fluids". Every time he agrees and we don't take them in. That day. We have the same discussion every day. 

 

I DO take them in if: It sounds like it's gone into their chest, croup that I'm having a hard time keeping under control (when they were younger, thankfully airways can handle croup now though youngest still gets it), or if we have some reason to want to be sure or speed up healing if possible (for example recently DD5 got sick and it went to croup 4 days before a trip to Disneyland.) 

 

I don't medicate a fever under 103, but I will medicate under that if the child is miserable and wants the help. Over 103 I do medicate for the fever. For DD9, I would take her in if her fever hit 103 because experience says that she does not get fevers that high unless something is really wrong. She has only gone that high 3 times in her life, twice involved a long ER stay and once 3 days in the hospital. For DD5 103 wouldn't worry me. 

[goldberry]

I'm not concerned unless the symptoms last longer than a week (other than a cough, which can take longer to clear) or seem to worsen rather than slowly improve, or if a fever is higher than 101 or so for more than a few days.

 

:iagree:  These are my criteria as well.  Although occasionally I know there is a certain virus going around that takes longer.  One was going around here that was taking two weeks. So I don't worry then.

[sbgrace]

Fever that forms after the illness already started and things were looking better is my determiner--even if it comes and goes. In my experience, that meant secondary infection like pneumonia here. 

 

I'll add that coughing attacks that just won't stop, often worse at night, can be viral asthma in some here. If I didn't have albuterol, that would be a doctor visit too. 

 

Cold symptoms can go on for two weeks or more. Absent other symptoms, length of time wouldn't be a factor in seeing the doctor for me. 

[EmseB]

He always seems to fear something more sinister is afoot. He also has an overblown idea of how much the doctor and/or medicine will help. So I guess he just wants the child to be better/stop coughing/whatever and he thinks going to the doctor will make that happen.

 

He also interprets the child as sicker than I interpret them to be. IOW, he thinks they are “worse†if they are merely not much better. “Worse†to me looks different. “Worse†to me is something like fever keeps spiking despite tylanol, or child is listless or the cough is interfering with breathing. So we also argue about how bad the problem actually is. I don’t know how to help that. You would think it would be less of a problem at the ages of my children; they are old enough to assess their own level of illness (at least two of them are), but DH just has a hard time doing nothing while a kid is sick, I guess.

 

Despite the many times I have explained it, he is also one of those people who don’t seem to get the distinction of viral vs. bacterial illness. He just thinks that going to the doctor = medicine to get better.

 

The sick child is awake now and I still don’t know whether to take him in or not. If DH were out of the country or something right now, I would not even be entertaining going to the doctor. IMO, it is a cold. It needs rest and fluids and steam. But I cannot stand one more evening of DH saying take him to the doctor. He got home last night at 11:00 and I was in bed, but that still did not stop him from nagging me about DS.

 

Sorry I’m snippy; this bugs me every time it comes up and it has come up at least once a winter every year since our kids were toddlers.

 

I totally get it.  DH got a seemingly low-grade infection once that landed him in the ICU and it has changed his view on illness in general I think. Plus, I think reading stories that sometimes float across the news about where people thought someone had a cold but it turned out to be meningitis affect him differently now and he sees colds as potentially dangerous. The upside to this is that I never have to justify my instincts when I feel the kids do need to go to the doctor for something that might seem minor to someone else.

 

I also happen to come from a family where if you feel bad, you take a pill. Even if you have some old Norco from the dentist that one time and a yucky cold. Just take a pill and you'll feel better. Go to the doctor and you'll get better. And I feel like doctors sometimes work on customer satisfaction and just prescribe stuff to make people think they are doing something.  It creates a bad feedback loop.

 

You've probably already done it, but can you hash this out when no one is sick and just say, "Look, I don't think the doctor will help with the common cold that the kids sometimes get. We fight about this too much. I will medicate for X, Y, and Z symptoms. I am willing to take them to the doctor if they have A, B, or C. If you think they should go to the doctor for a cold and cough I don't mind you taking them, but I cannot take them just for a cough and cold. I understand that it's hard for you to just let an illness take its course, but I think that's usually best unless things get to A, B, or C. We won't fix this, so if you feel they need to go to the doctor, please take them without involving me."  Or something less contentious.  :P

[EKS]

Usually the maximum is two weeks for all symptoms but the cough which can go on for up to six weeks.

 

That said, a few years ago I had a "cold" that lasted for three months with a bad sore throat and extremely stuffy ear.  I did go to the doctor about that (twice, I think) and she was completely unimpressed by the duration.  The ear is still stuffed, by the way.

[OrganicJen]

2-3 days for us typically would be an average cold.

[Guest]

I totally get it. DH got a seemingly low-grade infection once that landed him in the ICU and it has changed his view on illness in general I think. Plus, I think reading stories that sometimes float across the news about where people thought someone had a cold but it turned out to be meningitis affect him differently now and he sees colds as potentially dangerous. The upside to this is that I never have to justify my instincts when I feel the kids do need to go to the doctor for something that might seem minor to someone else.

 

I also happen to come from a family where if you feel bad, you take a pill. Even if you have some old Norco from the dentist that one time and a yucky cold. Just take a pill and you'll feel better. Go to the doctor and you'll get better. And I feel like doctors sometimes work on customer satisfaction and just prescribe stuff to make people think they are doing something. It creates a bad feedback loop.

 

You've probably already done it, but can you hash this out when no one is sick and just say, "Look, I don't think the doctor will help with the common cold that the kids sometimes get. We fight about this too much. I will medicate for X, Y, and Z symptoms. I am willing to take them to the doctor if they have A, B, or C. If you think they should go to the doctor for a cold and cough I don't mind you taking them, but I cannot take them just for a cough and cold. I understand that it's hard for you to just let an illness take its course, but I think that's usually best unless things get to A, B, or C. We won't fix this, so if you feel they need to go to the doctor, please take them without involving me." Or something less contentious. :P

To the bolded: yes, and I think this is more extremely true with the urgent care center. They have no patient base, so they have to create satisfaction out of the one incident. They ALWAYS write prescriptions, IME. Sometimes I simply do not have them filled.

 

It would be wise to have a calm discussion while nobody is ill. That hasn’t happened yet.

 

Honestly, I think, just as you said your DH’s experience of getting very sick once affected his perceptions, I think the death of our baby colored my DH’s experience, because the outcome might have been different if we had had some inkling that all was not well those last couple weeks of pregnancy. My sister’s death, too, in 2008, was of a similar sort: nobody realized she was so sick she could die from it. She ended up with sepsis.

 

And yeah, you do hear about those horrible cases now and then where a child dies from the flu or some similar nobody-knew-it-was-so-serious case. I think we all are at least a little affected by those tragedies.

[Guest]

I do tell my sons to always pay attention if their head hurts and their neck is stiff. It has never happened, but I’ve warned them that menengitis hits fast and is deadly. They are vaccinated against it, so that helps.

 

Pneumonia can overwhelm the heart, or turn into sepsis, so compromised breathing should be treated.

 

OP, perhaps you give off a “it’s no big deal†vibe, so your dh doesn’t feel confident that you’re paying close attention to a situation that could turn deadly under the right conditions.

I definitely give off a “no big deal†vibe because that is exactly what I think. It is no big deal. Kids get viruses all the time. They feel cruddy for a while and then it goes away. He interprets it as I don’t care and then that makes me angry.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Usually the maximum is two weeks for all symptoms but the cough which can go on for up to six weeks.

 

That said, a few years ago I had a "cold" that lasted for three months with a bad sore throat and extremely stuffy ear.  I did go to the doctor about that (twice, I think) and she was completely unimpressed by the duration.  The ear is still stuffed, by the way.

 

You need a new doctor.

[Free Indeed]

I'm one who rarely takes a child to the doctor. I can count the number of times each child has been in on one hand. That said- I have 1 who every sickness seems to settle in her throat. It's weird. I had to take her in today because her throats was too swollen and sore to swallow much more than liquids and even that is painful. She tested positive for Strep. Waiting on results to see if she has mono as well. Mono is viral and I wouldn't have gone in for just that, but there are several people we know who have had it in the last month.

[EKS]

You need a new doctor.

 

Yeah...I've been thinking the same thing.

[wintermom]

For a cold, I'd never bring a child to the dr especially in the winter. There's loads more germs in the waiting room than at home.  Rest, fluids and ice chips for a sore throat (or salt water gargle) are all the dr is going to recommend anyway. And at that weakened state of the immune system, you've just exposed them to more variety of lovely germs by sitting in the waiting room. 

 

Of course, if the typical "cold" symptoms changed, or if there was a medical history of something concerning, then I'd re-evaluate. But for runny nose, fatigue, slight sore throat over-the-counter meds will be fine, if needed. 

Edited December 27, 2017 by wintermom

[luuknam]

I don’t mean what does Google say is the average duration of a cold; I mean, when you think you or your kid is developing a cold, how long do you expect sympthoms will last? When, if ever, do you begin to think they need a doctor visit?

 

 

I expect it to last something along the lines of a week. How long it'd take me to go to the doctor would depend on how severe the symptoms are, but probably a couple of months. 

[EMS83]

Ok.  See a doctor if:

fever goes over 104.5

fever lasts for more than 5 days

symptoms do not clear up in 7-10 days (viral does, presumably bacterial doesn't)

a stiff neck has not improved after a week (UNLESS it is accompanied by fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy--then see a doctor immediately)

 

soothe cough and congestion with natural remedies; don't overdo the Ibuprofen and Tylenol

 

 

So that's what I follow now.  I hate, hate, hate spending the time and money when it's not necessary.  My DH is more inclined to say "go see a doctor" if I'm debating on whether I should.  It's not that he's overly worried; he would just rather the professionals dispense the advice.  However, I don't really like paying $$ to hear, "It's viral, here's a steroid Rx" or, "I don't know."  If they get sick we boost vitamins and supplements and have a movie marathon.  :)

[luuknam]

My child has back pain, but I do not think it is related to the cold. It is concentrated in the right trap muscle. It does not appear related to lung function. Would this back pain motivate you to seek medical help?

 

Child does not have a fever. Primary complaints are cough and nasal symptoms.

 

DH thinks child has the Flu, but I don’t even agree with that. He thinks the muscle pain equals flu, but child is not *that* sick.

 

 

Muscle pain in one spot would not make me think flu. Muscle pain all over... maybe - I think it matters if it's sudden onset or gradual - sudden onset of muscle pain all over, fever, etc, would make me think flu. We don't go to the doctor for the flu either, unless it just started  (like, that day) and we're willing to spend good money on the doctor's visit, a flu test, and Tamiflu to make it last one day shorter. I've done that once, because it was close to finals week, but it generally would not be worth the money, since it just doesn't make that much of a difference. 

 

So, for flu, I'd expect it to last 2 weeks, and my timeframe for seeing the doctor would still be a couple of months, but, again, contingent on how bad symptoms are. The worse the symptoms, the shorter my patience, lol. But I've never had a flu be full-on flu for 2 months... I've had it be full-on flu, and then linger more like a cold. If it was full-on flu the entire time, I'd probably go see the doctor after 2-3 weeks or so (full-on flu meaning basically being completely incapacitated, bedridden the entire time). 

Edited December 27, 2017 by luuknam