Jump to content

Menu

I hate playing the "Should I go to the doctor or wait it out game."


Terabith
 Share

Recommended Posts

My husband and daughter have had what we've been assuming are pretty bad colds this week.  Started Tuesday or so.  Snotty, bad headaches, sore throats, fever, tired, felt lousy and wanted to sleep.  Coughing.  My 13 year old has asthma, and she is still coughing a lot and sounding kinda wheezy.  She's used the rescue inhaler, but it doesn't seem to make much difference.  She doesn't feel awful.  And she is getting better.  But I kinda think maybe we should take her in.  She missed school Thursday and Friday, and we really need to try to get there when it opens again.  

I also woke up yesterday morning with the pounding head, sore throat, low grade fever, achy joints thing.  I'm assuming it's their cold, but I do NOT have time to be sick.  Wondering if it's worth a trip to urgent care to make sure it's not flu or strep or something that could be improved with meds.  If I wasn't in the middle of student teaching, I'd lay low and drink tea, but I really have to be at school every day unless I'm dying, so.....I don't know.  

Hate the "should I stay or should I go" game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm almost always a wait-and-give-your-body-time-to-do-its-thing-with-basic-illnesses kind of person, but --

I'd take your DD in for a check. I wouldn't want to take chances with asthma.

If you absolutely, positively feel the need to show up for student teaching then I'd get a flu test. Achy joints sounds much more like flu than cold to me. It's not nice to expose others to a nasty cold, but it's a whole 'nother level of not nice to expose people to the flu. I hate jobs that don't allow for sick time!

I hope you all feel better quickly.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do  you have an asthma plan for your child? My son had asthma--our ped treated it in a half-@ssed way, with just an inhaler. It took a long time to get the diagnosis, too. He had coughing instead of wheezing. We ended up switching to someone with more experience treating it. What a difference a pediatric Dr who KNEW about asthma made.  Ds kept track of his breathing by taking a daily peak flow. When the peak flow dipped below a certain point, he would use a mask and nebulizer (later, a rescue inhaler with a spacer). He would do a clear-out (2 treatments in a row) and then track peak flow during the day. He'd use the albuterol every several hours for 3 days, tapering as ordered. It was great because he really got control of his asthma. Everyone's protocol is different, but in my opinion, if your child has asthma, you should be tracking and using a peak flow meter, and then have a procedure to follow. Just throwing albute at it when you hear wheezing is NOT best practice, and your dr should know that; by the time wheezing starts, it is late in the game. ❤️ 

Ok, off my soapbox now. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if a breathing/nebulizer treatment would greatly help your daughter at this point?  Do you have one at home?

I am also playing the should I go in game here, although I honestly should have taken him in last night, but by the time I really thought about it, I had taken benadryl and he had a friend over.  I am worried he may have pneumonia.  I am taking him to UC today for an X-ray and hopefully meds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don’t have an asthma action plan or a peak flow meter.  I think she needs to go in.  Sigh.  

And I really can’t miss student teaching.  Already missed a few days earlier.  I think I need to get swabbed.  I have a history of atypical strep.  If I wasn’t teaching, I would definitely wait and see.  

But I would like someone to listen to Cat’s lungs.  

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m back.  Negative for flu and strep. Probably just the really bad cold with fever the rest of the family had.  Said rest and fluids.  

Cat is still asleep.  But her cough is a lot better.  She said mostly she just still feels tired.  I guess we will wait and see.  She was discharged from pulmonologist for doing well, but insurance made her change prescriptions, and chest colds take a lot longer for her to get over.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

I’m back.  Negative for flu and strep. Probably just the really bad cold with fever the rest of the family had.  Said rest and fluids.  

Cat is still asleep.  But her cough is a lot better.  She said mostly she just still feels tired.  I guess we will wait and see.  She was discharged from pulmonologist for doing well, but insurance made her change prescriptions, and chest colds take a lot longer for her to get over.  

❤️Hope she's well soon, and hope you can take the day and rest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Terabith said:

I’m back.  Negative for flu and strep. Probably just the really bad cold with fever the rest of the family had.  Said rest and fluids.  

Cat is still asleep.  But her cough is a lot better.  She said mostly she just still feels tired.  I guess we will wait and see.  She was discharged from pulmonologist for doing well, but insurance made her change prescriptions, and chest colds take a lot longer for her to get over.  

You likely need to go back or get with your primary doctor for an asthma action plan.  In ours, my dd starts with her inhalers as the FIRST sign of a cold, even before any wheezing, etc. hits.  We keep that up and add nebulizer at first sign of cough/wheezing, etc.  Colds used to take her forever to get over but we treat hard and fast now and she gets better much faster and most of the time now without the need for steroids.  We monitor peak flows as well.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...