My son is 5 months old....and about two weeks ago we went to the doctor with runny nose and fever. They sent me home with an aspirator and told me it was a cold. This past friday night my son ran a fever again as high as 102....took him to the doctor. They test for RSV and did a blood cell count (white blood cells were high). Had to come back the next day, took blood again said everything looked better and that it was still a cold.
As of right now there is no fever, still bad runny nose and congestion...also a cough every now and then...(thought it might be drainage)
Do you know if when they took the 'snot' for the RSV test, if they tested him for whooping cough? How does that work?
THoughts?
No did not cough but suggested I get vaccinated...?
to echo what others have said, don't worry... If he had whooping cough you would know, and the doctors would be way more concerned. The sound of the cough will diagnose itself!
I've heard whooping cough is making a come back because parents dont want to have their children vaccinated. Very sad it is easily preventable. I'm not sure at what age they are vaccinated??
They would have to swab him for whooping cough. Unless something has changed, the swab they use for RSV and whooping cough are different types of swabs. Or in his case, they may have sucked the mucous from his nose and sent it off instead. You should be able to call them and ask the office what he was tested for. He should have had 2 of the 5 pertussis vaccines already, unless you chose to not have him vaccinated. Kids his age with WC are extrememly sick. The cough is very distinct and they tend to cough until they lose their breath and usually turn red/purple. The whooping sound is heard when they are trying to catch their breath. They tend to show cold symptoms for about 2 weeks before the cough shows up. It is treated with antibiotics and is pretty contagious.
Hope this helps. I hope your little guy feels better soon! God bless!!!
Whooping cough, is another name for "Pertussis."
WATCH him carefully...
You need to ASK them if they tested for Pertussis. Don't just guess or wonder about it. GET an answer.
Did they say he has Whooping Cough???/
He is so young... ALSO make sure he is not getting dehydrated... are you still nursing him on demand or giving him Formula if that is what you are using??? Babies can get dehydrated real quick... so you need to watch out.
If he is not feeding or not having adequate wet diapers... you need to tell your Doctor, ASAP.
Also look out for relapse... even if he seems to get better, if he gets worse again or new symptoms or fever returns... you NEED to tell the Doctor.
all the best,
Susan
Yeah, more than a cough every now and then, but it is a risk for the future if you don't vaccinate.
What does the cough sound like? My daughter had Whooping Cough when she was like 2. It sounded like a dog barking (literally). When we would take her out into the cool night air, it would get better. But as soon as she got back into the warm air of the house, the cough got worse. We took her to the ER and it was confirmed.
You need to watch him closely. If his fever keeps going up he will need to be seen by the doctor again. Make sure he is getting enough fluids! Make sure he has at least 1 wet diaper in an 8-10 hour period. If he is not eating very well. make sure they check his ears. If he has an ear infection it will hurt to swallow, so he won't want to eat.
You need to call the doctor and find out what tests they did. Let them know that he is not getting any better and you are concerned.
I hope he gets better soon!
Oh my, you and the dr. would recognize whooping cough right away. It's like the croupe. It's a very distinct sound. Here, this is a helpful website with recordings of how whooping cough sounds........
You might try adding about 5-10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to some almond oil (or another light oil) and rubbing it on his chest. It smells so good, and helps with congestion. My children love it, and it helps them sleep well.
Whooping cough has a very particular kind of sound and is usually diagnosed by that. I was vaccinated and it was completely uneventful. RSV and whooping cough affect kids much for severely. We can have RSV or whooping cough and to us it's just a bad cold but for a baby it is very serious.
My daughter has something very similar. I had to prop one end of the bed up so that she can breathe at night. Whooping cough has a very distinct cough, did he cough while at the docs? They would have recognized it.
