Comment

Comment by melissa firebaugh on June 5, 2010 at 7:39pm

it sounds like he is fighting something- if it is mono his lymph nodes in his neck would be swollen most likely...any other symptoms? fever? good wet diapers... he needs to be drinking at least enough fluids to give him a wet diaper 4+ times in 24 hours minimum and if he goes more that 12 hours with no wet diaper he needs iv fluids so he won't get dehydrated.
it really just sounds like he is fighting a viral bug and his little body is just resting --- is he teething?
if you think he is getting dehydrated or if he has a fever greater than 100.5 call the doc.

Comment by Annierow on June 4, 2010 at 9:36am

Question! Can my 15 month old have mono? For the last 2 nights, he has gone to bed at 7:30pm and been sleeping till 10:30am. Along with that, he's been having 5 hours of naps during the day. We all just got over a nasty cold that started with a fever, followed by aches and pains, cough and stuffy nose. I am just concerned cause he never sleeps like this.
Thanks, Angela.

Comment by Annierow on March 1, 2010 at 5:49pm

Great group Melissa!

Comment by melissa firebaugh on February 21, 2010 at 12:52pm

Thanks!! Not to mention a lot of stuff you read on the Internet is scary and not very accurate or a rare situation.

Comment by Allison on February 21, 2010 at 11:44am

I'm so glad you have started this group. I find that most of the time when I am looking for medical advice on the internet, all I get is a bunch of answers from people who have no expertise (yahoo answers and other similar forums). It is so frustrating. I am sure you will be a wonderful resource to many!!

Comment by melissa firebaugh on February 20, 2010 at 7:57am

this is a good checklist

http://children.webmd.com/tc/head-injury-age-3-and-younger-check-yo...

and this from the same site:

Quote:
Head Injury, Age 3 and Younger - Home Treatment
Any child who has hit his or her head should be watched for several days after the injury. Home treatment can help relieve swelling and bruising of the skin or scalp and pain that occurs with a minor head injury.

If your child had an accident, try to remain calm and speak to your child in a calm, relaxed voice. This will help reduce your child's fear and allow you to assess the situation.
If your child has a cut that is bleeding, apply firm pressure directly over the cut with a clean cloth or bandage for 10 minutes. See how to stop bleeding. If the cut is deep and may have penetrated the skull, emergency treatment is needed.
Check for injuries to other parts of the body, especially if the child has fallen. The alarm from seeing a head injury may cause you to overlook other injuries that need attention.
Apply ice or cold packs to reduce the swelling. A "goose egg" lump may appear anyway, but ice will help ease the pain. Always keep a cloth between your child's skin and the ice pack. Do not apply ice for longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and do not let your child fall asleep with the ice on his or her skin.
If your child is seen by a doctor
Be sure to follow the instructions given to you by your child's doctor. You may need to watch your child closely for the next 24 hours or longer. Here are some general instructions:

Check for the following signs of problems from a head injury every 2 hours for the next 24 hours. Call911or go to an emergency room immediately if you notice changes and cannot wake your child (unconsciousness). Seek medical care if your child has any symptoms of a serious head injury, such as:
A significant change in the child's level of consciousness
Confusion or not acting normal, such as extreme fussiness or crying that cannot be comforted
Abnormally deep sleep, difficulty waking up, or extreme sleepiness
Vomiting
Symptoms that affect one side of the body more than the other side, such as weakness or problems moving an arm or leg
Significant changes in the eyes, such as crossed eyes, droopy eyelid (usually just one eyelid), or problems using the eyes
Seizure
Fever
Continue to check on your child often during the night. If your child had a head injury right before going to bed or taking a nap and falls asleep soon afterward, check him or her for changes in color or breathing, or twitching arms or legs. You do not need to try to wake your child unless you notice changes.
Do not give any medicine, including nonprescription acetaminophen, such as Tylenol or Panadol, to a child you are watching for signs of a more serious head injury unless your doctor tells you to.
Symptoms to Watch For During Home Treatment
Use the Check Your Symptoms section to evaluate your child's symptoms if any of the following occur during home treatment:

Moderate bleeding has not stopped after 10 minutes of direct pressure.
Bruising or discoloring develops around the eyes, behind the ears, or on the scalp.
Moderate to severe swelling develops on the face or scalp.
Any of the following symptoms develop:
A significant change in the child's level of consciousness
Confusion or not acting normal, such as extreme fussiness or crying that cannot be comforted
Abnormally deep sleep, difficulty waking up, or extreme sleepiness
Vomiting
Symptoms that affect one side of the body more than the other side, such as weakness or problems moving an arm or leg
Significant changes in the eyes, such as crossed eyes, droopy eyelid (usually just one eyelid), or problems using the eyes
Seizure
Fever
Your child's symptoms become more severe or more frequent.
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i also shine a light in their eyes to see if their pupils react equally and when my kid had a small skull fracture i measured his head constantly to see if it was getting bigger as a sign of internal bleeding.

Comment by melissa firebaugh on February 20, 2010 at 7:55am

goggle is too scary!!!
websites to trust are
http://www.webmd.com/
http://www.askdrsears.com/
http://www.kellymom.com/
just three of my favorites-- ask you doctor or you can ask my opinion about another site!

Comment by melissa firebaugh on February 20, 2010 at 7:50am

i am all about natural medicine too and this is the BEST teething relief...
NatraBio Teething Relief Liquid
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=150876&catid=26942

Comment by melissa firebaugh on February 20, 2010 at 7:49am

when to take a kid to the ER for vomiting ...
good article:
http://www.squidoo.com/vomiting
also:
when you call the doctor in a panic they will tell you to go to the ER..... it is a well known fact among ER doctors that a lot of this treatment is not necessary but they have to do something so they place an iv and give fluids and meds.
only because i worked in the ER for years do i know all this stuff and most kids will turn it around or not get dehydrated enough for an ER visit.

it does not matter how many times they throws up.... it only matters how long they go without a wet diaper/pee and if they are responsive/lethargic, cry tears, have a dry mouth and show signs like that of dehydration.

at the children's hospital we go with this wet diaper/pee thing on when to call the doctor:

age less than a year old ... 5 hours no wet diaper or fever of 100.4 or greater, lethargy, no tears, projectile vomiting -- with fever, lethargy, projectile vomit call the doc immediatly at this age because you will be going to the ER.

age 1-2..... 8-10 hours no wet diaper or fever, lethargy, no tears

age 2+....12 hours no wet diaper/pee or fever of 101, lethargy, no tears

wait an hour after vomiting to start pedialyte-- a tablespoon every 10 minutes for a couple of hours and if they tolerate that then try a popcycle and work slowly up from that (seriously watered down apple juice, salteens, applesauce, bland broth and bland foods/liquids for then next day) and do this unless they vomit again- if they vomit then wait another 45 min to an hour and try again.
don't ever give a vomiting kid cow's milk... breast milk is okay if they have not thrown up for an hour.
their stomach has to calm down and get out of reverse mode so that is why you wait the hour.... otherwise they will just keep on vomiting.

call your doctor if you have any worries no matter what but i can promise you that if you are freaking out on the phone they will tell you to go to the ER because they are worried about you and they feel that going to the ER is not going to hurt anything (except your wallet). lots of kids get another illness in the waiting room though so just don't let your kid touch anything or play with any other kids in the waiting room.

i hope this helps. it is really scary when your kid is sick and you don't know what is going on. try to remain calm and call the doctor if you have any concerns but if you are calm it helps the doctor and it helps your kid stay calm too.

Comment by melissa firebaugh on February 20, 2010 at 7:35am

these are the dosages they use in the pediatric ER... it is a fine line because if you underdose then you could be not make a dent but overdosing is worse. so when in doubt of weight go for underdosing.

kg= lbs/2.2

tylenol is 15mg per kg (every 4-6 hours as needed)

motrin is 10mg per kg (every 6 hours as needed)

benedryl is kg X 5/ 4= mg (every 4-6 hours as needed)

never give a child less that 6 months motrin

never guess on your kids weight, less is better-- don't weigh youself then weigh yourself holding your kid... not accurate for mediation

you can rotate tylenol and motrin for fevers... so give tylenol then 3 hours later give motrin then three hours later give tylenol but i would write it down on a piece of paper times and what you gave so there are no mistakes or just pick one and stick with it as directed.

tylenol hurts your liver and motrin hurts your tummy if you dose too much or too often.

never ever give aspirin to a kiddo

make sure you know the mg per mL...
i had a mom giving her infant the children's tylenol instead of infant tylenol and her dosage all wrong. infant is 100 mg per mL and childrens is 160 mg in 5mL.

don't give cough syrup in a kid under 6 yrs old (they need to cough otherwise it is bad news)
immodium can be bad too... you want to get the stuff out so unless the doc tells you to give immodium i wouldn't do it.

rectal and oral temps are best ... when you call the doc tell them what the temp was and how you got it .... do not add a degree to an under the arm or in the ear temp when you tell your doc

again call the doctor if you are worried about anything ... febrile seizures can happen and it can freak your world out... so keep your kid's fever below 101.
fever is your body's way of fighting off a bug so it means it is working but too high is bad.

and with a fever over 100.4 in a newborn (less than 2 months) they need treatment (call doc and go to ER) asap.... you don't mess around with the newbies-- they will do a full work-up to make sure there is not a serious illness going on and start medicine immediately.
the same goes for a newborn that has a rectal temp less than 97* they need medical treatment asap most likely.

i have the most accurate dosages worked out every time i reweigh my kids and write them down and put them up where it is easily accessible so i don't have to look up anything.

dr.sears website has good charts to use too
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/11/T089900.asp#T089902