Infant son with severe diarrhea, cough and runny nose. Should I take him to the ER?

Question

I just took my 8 month old son to the drs. He had a slight temp and he said 2 bad ear infections. I told him he has had 9 diarrhea diapers so far and he told me not to worry about that cuz he isnt concerned about it. He did not check his throat nor his nose. He also didn't take his pulse ox which really worries me. He is filling in for a pediatrician and is not a pediatric dr. He told me to give him the penicillin and wait to see if he gets better by Monday. His face is bright bright red and he totally out of it. I feel this is reason to go to the ER but the dr. says to wait it out.. What r ur opinions? I have no idea what to do since I have to get a referal at the Er from his Dr. Mind you his isn't his usual dr. but our pediatrician quit and this guy is just filling in. Ur opinions will be appreciated!!

He has only had 3 bottles in 2 days and he wont eat any of his food.

Answer 1

Call your insurance company, they should have a 24 hour nurse line and they can tell you what to do. If that doesn't work take him to the ER and fight with your insurance company over the bill later, your baby and his health should take priority - I can tell you think that as well. Good luck and I hope that he gets better REALLY soon!!

Answer 2

It can be frightening when babies are not well. And most of the time it's hard as parents to know exactly what the best answer truly is. My advise is, your obviously worried about your baby, it wouldn't hurt to take him to the ER if for nothing else, piece of mind for you. Ear infections are no fun for kids and can cause runny noses and coughs. The mucus that drains down the back of the throat will cause irritation and in turn result in diarrhea. Make sure that he doesn't get dehydrated. Babies can seem "out of it" when they don't feel well, but again only you will know if he seems more out of it now than as when he has been sick in the past. If your worried about his oxygen levels, then definitely take him to get treatment. Flushed faces can be a result of cough, however constant coughing could be a sign of something more.

Answer 3

You need to call your pediatricians after hours emergency number. They should have one for things like this. Could be a reaction to the amoxicillin if his face has a red rash. It did the same thing to my daughter who was also 8 months & had a double ear infection & was given amoxicilin & it gave her diareah (around 6-7 runny diapers a day). But if you have a gut feeling that something just isn't right just go ahead & take him to the ER tonite just for peace of mind.

Answer 4

Take him to the ER. If anything it will make you feel better And if he is red and out of it he could have a severe fever or be reacting to the penicillin. It is very easy to be allergic to that stuff. And when babies have high temps they can take severe turns for the worse very quickly and that could lead to something very bad. Lifelong problems or worse. Never ever let someone tell you not to worry about something with your child. That's your job!

Answer 5

My son just got over an illness like what you have explained i took my son to the ER, they told me it was probably a virus and I wood have to wait it out. Is he eating ok? Keep hydrated buy him pedialyte, if you cant get him to drink it you should take him. Babies can dehydrate easily. Check for signs of dehydration like dry much, no tears, less wet dipers. Smother his butt in ointment, the poor thing will get a bad rash. Give it a day or two he should be back to normal.

Answer 6

Trust your gut and go. As others have said he is probably fine, but why take the risk?The "being out of it" is not good. One caveat: try to go to a childrens hospital, if possible. They will be more equipped and educated about childhood illness. When you get there make sure you keep baby away from others in the waiting room; your best bet would be to ask the triage nurse/admitting if you and baby can wait someplace away from everyone else,,some hospitals will put you in a private room somewhere while you wait-emergency rooms are NOT good places for babies.

Answer 7

hmm, I say the doctor was correct here... but, just keep an eye out on his temperature! Also, make sure your baby isn't throwing up... our son just got over the flu- we all got it... he's 14 months, and we didn't take him to the doctor- he threw up thanksgiving day twice, and that was it, then just had diarrhea really bad for a week. We did call the nurse line, and they told us to keep trying milk (our son is on reg. milk now), but to try that, and to counter-act it, to feed him bananas- so get some bananas baby food! Also- regular baby yogart is good for that too- I noticed after we used both of those, our son's poop got slightly harder. Carrots I think are good also. Keep your baby well hydrated too... we tried Pedialyte, but he hated it, so we had him drink lot's of water, some juice here and there, and even some clear gatorade. Again, it took a good full week for it to get out of his system, where for my husband it took him 3 days, and for myself it took me just one whole day. The nurse line also told us that it could take up to 2 weeks, but 5 days is average... so keep that in mind. But I say try all of this first.... if your son spikes a really high temp, or his throwing up consistantly, then take him to the ER. Goodluck. Hope your son feels better.... it's no fun getting sick :(

Oh yes- they also said to watch for pee diapers- make sure he has at least one pee within 12 hrs.
Try the Pedialyte asap.. also try maybe half regular juice/half water... my son was extremely thirsty, so he would drink the water and juice, but not so much milk.

Answer 8

Croupe! Croupe is going around right now. My doctor said to either crack open u'r window a little or actually, dress them up in their winter coats and take him outside for a walk. The cold weather helps. If u have a newer crib (mine has a flat board instead of the string) move it up at one end or use a blanket or pillow under the mattress evenly...it too will help. One twin has croupe right now.

Answer 9

Oh hun!

If he is lethargic - very out of it and sometimes limp TAKE HIM TO THE ER. RUN don't walk!! This is serious.

If he's had that many diahrrea diapers he's severly dehydrated. And, if he didn't take his pulse how does he know he's not slowing down as a result of the diarrhea. Sounds like he's really sick.

Why do you need to get a referral to go to the ER? If you do tell this doctor IMMEDIATELY that your son is lethargic and unresponsive.

Idiot shouldn't be practicing medicine!

Answer 10

take your baby to a different doctor! The man you saw did not seem to address any of your concerns..and if the other doctor seems unconcerned then mabye take him to the er. Its your choice, if your mind isnt going to rest until your baby is properly looked after then by all means go to the er.