In her 21 months of life, Sofia has rarely been sick. I can count the number of times on one hand. This is in major part I think to breastfeeding and being lucky enough not to need to send her daycare. Now that she is older, we are going out more often and meeting new people, so she is getting sick more often.
From my last post you'll see that we had quite a week. As it turns out the ear infection was not an ear infection at all but Roseola. I only came to realize this after her fever had broken and she developed a full body rash. At first I thought it was an allergy to the Amoxicilin she had been prescribed. So I stopped the antibiotics for the "ear infection" and called the doctor. She said that it was most likely Roseola as the rash didn't itch. After talking to the doctor I got out my copy of The Baby Book (which I should have done in the first place) and searched the internet for Roseola. Sure enough all of her symptoms fit the description of Roseola perfectly and not those of an ear infection.
I'm not blaming the doctor we saw on the fly, because with Roseola you don't know it's Roseola until the rash comes and it's over already. I think this misdiagnosis came from the fact that her left ear canal may have been inflamed due to swollen glands from the high fever caused by the virus. She showed no signs of an ear infection other then fever.
What I have learned from this whole thing is that toddler sicknesses are hard to diagnose sometimes and that I need to write down as many details as I can from when she first started feeling ill so I can give the doctor a more accurate history of what's going on. As well as the fact that I need to be more assertive in asking questions about illnesses being diagnosed.
I should have said simply is there anything else it could be? Live and learn! She's totally back to normal now and not allergic to penicillin, thank goodness. Nor does she need to take antibiotic for 10 days.
What crazy experiences have you had with kids being sick?
She forgot to mention how she managed to make a game out of taking antibiotics with one of those mouth syringes and Sofia still asks for it. Crazy!
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up about it, as you said, it's so hard to know exactly what's happening in these little bodies we're caring for. I tend to let things ride with my kids...Fevers generally don't freak me out unless they get very high, and I don't run to the doctor every time an ailment strikes. Usually, this approach works and the virus runs its course after lots of fluids, cuddle time, nasal spray for congestion, etc. I have, however, had my laid back approach backfire a time or two--lingering coughs have turned into infections that have needed antibiotics, and one time last Spring after my 3 year old was just "off" for a couple weeks I took him in, only to learn he had 2 flaming ear infections and likely some infection in his chest too... I felt terrible! Glad she's back to feeling better.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't normally call the doc for a fever either. I don't even give baby fever reducer. But when her temp reached 106 I panicked a litte. Lesson learned and now I feel wiser. :)
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of someone who was a sick kid (and with chronic type illnesses), the best thing you can do is research, ask questions, and keep details of everything. My mom had this whole big file/word doc on me she kept for YEARS. The human body is a crazy complex thing and it's hard to know what may be wrong (or right) with it immediately. Don't feel bad. You did the right thing, and when you realized it was something else, you knew exactly what to do. :)
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