How long do you wait to call the doctor?

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bwilliams395

New member
My 17 month old daughter has a nasty cold--constant runny, crusty nose, with a slight cough. The cold started about 3 days ago, and the cough today. I know if I call her pul. he'll prescribe antibiotics, but wouldn't it be better to let it run it's course and her body fight it off on it's own? I just worry about her being on antibiotics needlessly and becoming resistant to them. But obviously with her CF, I don't want it to turn into anything worse either. So how long is too long to wait to call the doctor? Oh, and she does not have any fever.

Thanks!
 
B

bwilliams395

New member
My 17 month old daughter has a nasty cold--constant runny, crusty nose, with a slight cough. The cold started about 3 days ago, and the cough today. I know if I call her pul. he'll prescribe antibiotics, but wouldn't it be better to let it run it's course and her body fight it off on it's own? I just worry about her being on antibiotics needlessly and becoming resistant to them. But obviously with her CF, I don't want it to turn into anything worse either. So how long is too long to wait to call the doctor? Oh, and she does not have any fever.

Thanks!
 
B

bwilliams395

New member
My 17 month old daughter has a nasty cold--constant runny, crusty nose, with a slight cough. The cold started about 3 days ago, and the cough today. I know if I call her pul. he'll prescribe antibiotics, but wouldn't it be better to let it run it's course and her body fight it off on it's own? I just worry about her being on antibiotics needlessly and becoming resistant to them. But obviously with her CF, I don't want it to turn into anything worse either. So how long is too long to wait to call the doctor? Oh, and she does not have any fever.
<br />
<br />Thanks!
 
B

beansmom

New member
Becca

I usually call after about 5 days especially if my daughter does not have a fever. Usually our Pulmonologist does not give antibiotics right away. I usually call back after about 10 days and then another few days after that until she is either better or on antibiotics.
 
B

beansmom

New member
Becca

I usually call after about 5 days especially if my daughter does not have a fever. Usually our Pulmonologist does not give antibiotics right away. I usually call back after about 10 days and then another few days after that until she is either better or on antibiotics.
 
B

beansmom

New member
Becca
<br />
<br />I usually call after about 5 days especially if my daughter does not have a fever. Usually our Pulmonologist does not give antibiotics right away. I usually call back after about 10 days and then another few days after that until she is either better or on antibiotics.
 
M

Mommafirst

Guest
Our CF center wants to hear from us if she has been coughing for 5 days. They want to put her on abx since the increase in mucus means the staph she cultures will have a better environment to grow and they want to knock down any overgrowth right away to avoid it becoming an exacerbation.

For me, I get confused when it becomes a more intermittent type of cough. Alyssa has been coughing hard for the last 4 days, and we have clinic tomorrow so I'll tell them then, but for the last month she's had a weird mini-cough...only a few times a day, not deep or junky. It was weird so I held off calling. Now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if I waited too lung and we are into a full exacerbation. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0"> This disease sucks, and we are so required to make hard parental decisions all the time.
 
M

Mommafirst

Guest
Our CF center wants to hear from us if she has been coughing for 5 days. They want to put her on abx since the increase in mucus means the staph she cultures will have a better environment to grow and they want to knock down any overgrowth right away to avoid it becoming an exacerbation.

For me, I get confused when it becomes a more intermittent type of cough. Alyssa has been coughing hard for the last 4 days, and we have clinic tomorrow so I'll tell them then, but for the last month she's had a weird mini-cough...only a few times a day, not deep or junky. It was weird so I held off calling. Now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if I waited too lung and we are into a full exacerbation. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0"> This disease sucks, and we are so required to make hard parental decisions all the time.
 
M

Mommafirst

Guest
Our CF center wants to hear from us if she has been coughing for 5 days. They want to put her on abx since the increase in mucus means the staph she cultures will have a better environment to grow and they want to knock down any overgrowth right away to avoid it becoming an exacerbation.
<br />
<br />For me, I get confused when it becomes a more intermittent type of cough. Alyssa has been coughing hard for the last 4 days, and we have clinic tomorrow so I'll tell them then, but for the last month she's had a weird mini-cough...only a few times a day, not deep or junky. It was weird so I held off calling. Now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if I waited too lung and we are into a full exacerbation. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0"> This disease sucks, and we are so required to make hard parental decisions all the time.
 
A

AleksandraKaczynska

New member
Hi,
my daughter is 3 years old.
Usally I wait 5 days - especcially if there is no fever and it seems that inhalations from saline help - I sometimes do 3 (instead of 2 ) a day using a mask to help her with her running nose.
But last week I took it the same way and the caugth seems to have come back. No running nose. There was only one evening with 37 celsius. I went to see the doc on monday and was told that there was some kind of bacteria infection but, for now, there is no need for antibiotics. But still we did a pharyngeal swab and are still waiting for the results as to see if something is not developing. I was told to keep in touch and if the situation gets wors we will do antibiotics. So far it seems fine and we are waiting for the results - then we'll have a second cheque up or - if needed a second pharyngeal swab to see if she managed the infection herself.
 
A

AleksandraKaczynska

New member
Hi,
my daughter is 3 years old.
Usally I wait 5 days - especcially if there is no fever and it seems that inhalations from saline help - I sometimes do 3 (instead of 2 ) a day using a mask to help her with her running nose.
But last week I took it the same way and the caugth seems to have come back. No running nose. There was only one evening with 37 celsius. I went to see the doc on monday and was told that there was some kind of bacteria infection but, for now, there is no need for antibiotics. But still we did a pharyngeal swab and are still waiting for the results as to see if something is not developing. I was told to keep in touch and if the situation gets wors we will do antibiotics. So far it seems fine and we are waiting for the results - then we'll have a second cheque up or - if needed a second pharyngeal swab to see if she managed the infection herself.
 
A

AleksandraKaczynska

New member
Hi,
<br />my daughter is 3 years old.
<br />Usally I wait 5 days - especcially if there is no fever and it seems that inhalations from saline help - I sometimes do 3 (instead of 2 ) a day using a mask to help her with her running nose.
<br />But last week I took it the same way and the caugth seems to have come back. No running nose. There was only one evening with 37 celsius. I went to see the doc on monday and was told that there was some kind of bacteria infection but, for now, there is no need for antibiotics. But still we did a pharyngeal swab and are still waiting for the results as to see if something is not developing. I was told to keep in touch and if the situation gets wors we will do antibiotics. So far it seems fine and we are waiting for the results - then we'll have a second cheque up or - if needed a second pharyngeal swab to see if she managed the infection herself.
<br />
<br />
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
We usually increase CPT/Vest & Nebs from 3 to 4-6 times a day. Currently DS' baseline is no cough, so if DS does develop a cough the doctor wants us to call. So we usually try to figure out if the cough is postnasal drip or more of a throaty/chesty bronchial cough. If he has a fever and is a little off -- though in the past he usually didn't get a fever.

The "know your cough" thing DOES drive me nuts because when DS was 5 he developed this odd throat clearing cough which I thought was just a bad habit and it turned out he was culturing something.
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
We usually increase CPT/Vest & Nebs from 3 to 4-6 times a day. Currently DS' baseline is no cough, so if DS does develop a cough the doctor wants us to call. So we usually try to figure out if the cough is postnasal drip or more of a throaty/chesty bronchial cough. If he has a fever and is a little off -- though in the past he usually didn't get a fever.

The "know your cough" thing DOES drive me nuts because when DS was 5 he developed this odd throat clearing cough which I thought was just a bad habit and it turned out he was culturing something.
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
We usually increase CPT/Vest & Nebs from 3 to 4-6 times a day. Currently DS' baseline is no cough, so if DS does develop a cough the doctor wants us to call. So we usually try to figure out if the cough is postnasal drip or more of a throaty/chesty bronchial cough. If he has a fever and is a little off -- though in the past he usually didn't get a fever.
<br />
<br />The "know your cough" thing DOES drive me nuts because when DS was 5 he developed this odd throat clearing cough which I thought was just a bad habit and it turned out he was culturing something.
 
M

Mommafirst

Guest
Lisa/Liza -- 4-6 treatments a day? Really? I commend you for trying to shake it out, but how in the world do you have time?? I know you work full time and Max has school, do you just call off all regularly scheduled programming (ie work and school) and focus on treatment after treatment? I work half my hours from home and I still can't imagine how to get in that many a day.

When in-patient, we did 4 a day and it felt like it took up sooo much time. I just can't imagine living a "normal" life and being able to get it all in.

Do you know of any research that shows that that many treatments improves their care? I had once asked if we should add extra time to the second treatment if we missed the first of the day, and I was told that they needed to be seperated by a certain amount of time in order to have effect.

I don't know if you can read my undertone here, I'm not in anyway being critical or doubting, I'm just interested in how you work it out. The idea of trying to fit in 4-6 a day when she is ill makes me want to vomit with anxiety.
 
M

Mommafirst

Guest
Lisa/Liza -- 4-6 treatments a day? Really? I commend you for trying to shake it out, but how in the world do you have time?? I know you work full time and Max has school, do you just call off all regularly scheduled programming (ie work and school) and focus on treatment after treatment? I work half my hours from home and I still can't imagine how to get in that many a day.

When in-patient, we did 4 a day and it felt like it took up sooo much time. I just can't imagine living a "normal" life and being able to get it all in.

Do you know of any research that shows that that many treatments improves their care? I had once asked if we should add extra time to the second treatment if we missed the first of the day, and I was told that they needed to be seperated by a certain amount of time in order to have effect.

I don't know if you can read my undertone here, I'm not in anyway being critical or doubting, I'm just interested in how you work it out. The idea of trying to fit in 4-6 a day when she is ill makes me want to vomit with anxiety.
 
M

Mommafirst

Guest
Lisa/Liza -- 4-6 treatments a day? Really? I commend you for trying to shake it out, but how in the world do you have time?? I know you work full time and Max has school, do you just call off all regularly scheduled programming (ie work and school) and focus on treatment after treatment? I work half my hours from home and I still can't imagine how to get in that many a day.
<br />
<br />When in-patient, we did 4 a day and it felt like it took up sooo much time. I just can't imagine living a "normal" life and being able to get it all in.
<br />
<br />Do you know of any research that shows that that many treatments improves their care? I had once asked if we should add extra time to the second treatment if we missed the first of the day, and I was told that they needed to be seperated by a certain amount of time in order to have effect.
<br />
<br />I don't know if you can read my undertone here, I'm not in anyway being critical or doubting, I'm just interested in how you work it out. The idea of trying to fit in 4-6 a day when she is ill makes me want to vomit with anxiety.
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
It's the "beat that cough out of him" mentality that's been drilled into our heads since day one! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> And by no means is it a long term routine for weeks on end. Our doctor does have several parents who routinely do 4x a day, but that's the exception. Barebones twice a day. 3 times a day is preferred.

If we're both working and he's still well enough to go to school, we usually just bump it up to 4 treatments, in which DH gets up at 2:30 and gives him CPT; however, if he's sick enough that he's home from school, then yes. One of us will give him CPT if he's sleeping or have him do the vest every 4 hours if he's awake. For the 6 times it does need to be timed right. The extra CPT treatments aren't the usual 30 minute ones -- 15-20 with his albuterol/atrovent nebs.

I should point out though that when he has gotten a cough in the past, it's been a rarity. I'm awake with worry anyway, so I'll do CPT. We've been fortunate in the past that a couple days on increased treatments and abx has seemed to have done the trick. And if he was in the hospital, they'd be doing it as well.
 
R

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
It's the "beat that cough out of him" mentality that's been drilled into our heads since day one! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> And by no means is it a long term routine for weeks on end. Our doctor does have several parents who routinely do 4x a day, but that's the exception. Barebones twice a day. 3 times a day is preferred.

If we're both working and he's still well enough to go to school, we usually just bump it up to 4 treatments, in which DH gets up at 2:30 and gives him CPT; however, if he's sick enough that he's home from school, then yes. One of us will give him CPT if he's sleeping or have him do the vest every 4 hours if he's awake. For the 6 times it does need to be timed right. The extra CPT treatments aren't the usual 30 minute ones -- 15-20 with his albuterol/atrovent nebs.

I should point out though that when he has gotten a cough in the past, it's been a rarity. I'm awake with worry anyway, so I'll do CPT. We've been fortunate in the past that a couple days on increased treatments and abx has seemed to have done the trick. And if he was in the hospital, they'd be doing it as well.
 
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