Saturday, November 11, 2017

AskMeMom: Tips on Caring for a Sick Child






A week before I leave for Korea, and just a week left before Kyle's semestral break, Kyle got sick and worst, he is the type of kid who never complains about "Ouchy".  He can be as active as his normal self yet temperature could rise up around 39 to 40 degrees Celsius!  

It started with him getting warm and temperature went up to 38 degrees.  Most of the time, I just give him paracetamol as recommended by his Pediatrician with the correct dosage depending on his weight and age.  With several sponge baths and ice on head, most of the time, it works and he gets better in a max of a day or two.





This time, it was different, the temperature keeps on rising every after 4 hours (where his paracetamol would wean off) and he vomits and have nose bleeding almost everyday!  With the recent posts on dengue fever outbreak affecting children in the country, it really scared both me and my husband so we have decided to take him to his doctor IMMEDIATELY to have him checked just to make sure the symptoms does not lead to Dengue.

Just in case, you may need to know that ----

Dengue manifests itself much in the same way as a common flu, so it would be hard on the part of the parent to tell the difference immediately. It could start off with your child complaining of a fever or a headache, and in a matter of hours, could take a turn for the worst.

Here are some symptoms of Dengue I found online:
  • Skin Rashes
  • Runny Nose
  • Slight Cough
  • Sudden temperature Shoot
  • Sudden bleeding from various parts of the body.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Loss of appetite
Kyle manifests 80% of the symptoms, though he doesn't have fever more than 40 degrees Celsius.  To keep myself calm, I try to self-treat and tell myself he is okay and it is NOT Dengue.  All thanks to my good friend Janina (whom I constantly chat with online) for telling me that Dengue fever is very sneaky!  She highly recommend me to take Kyle to the doctor to have his blood test and other tests just to make sure!  It pains me, it broke my heart just the idea of taking him to the hospital to have his blood taken!  I was extremely scared for my son!  But I'm glad I went to that route --- on taking advance steps.

Because, it gave us peace of mind after knowing the result and really, you can't buy peace of mind and it really helps make you think clearly if you have a clear idea on what's happening with your precious child!  So the good news was, he does not have Dengue, he has viral cough which needed can be treated with antibiotics, cough syrup, antihistamines and paracetamol (Doctor's prescription, please do not self-treat your child!)

After more than  a week, my son is finally well and back-to-school!  I am glad to have good family support system and right medication to help him get better.  Because seriously, it made me weak to see him sick!

Since this is the season for sickness especially for kids who goes to school, here are some tips I can share for caring a sick child.  Feel free to comment below fellow mommies for us to help other moms like me too!

  • Let him drink lots of fluids.


  • Let him sleep and rest.


  • Bath him or sponge him with water (normal temperature) to help bring down fever.  
  • It helps to always check his temperature every 4 hours (even when he's sleeping as most of the time, his temperature shoots up during sleep).  Once temperature goes 40 degrees Celsius, call your Pediatrician and take him to the doctor immediately.
  • If tests are needed, do it!  Even if it scares you because even doctors can't see what's wrong with your child and we don't want second guessing!  As for me, Kyle was extremely brave with 2 CBC tests and it was a relief to know his platelet are normal!  We even went ahead to urine tests and even X-ray just to pinpoint what's wrong with him.



  • If your child is still active, continue with the usual activities, let him watch TV, do activities with him and do the everyday normal things he loves to do as long as his body is up for it!  Do not treat him as an extremely sick child!




Kyle is still very much happy and excited to do our usual home activities!


It perked up his mood and he felt better even for an hour or so.


If your child feels discomfort or pain from fever (ex. Headache, body ache, etc...)  Check with your Pediatrician if you can give him Paracetamol to lower down fever, make him feel better.  I was advised by my Pediatrician to give Calpol every 4 hours when temperature rises 37.5 and above.


Give him lots of hugs and kisses!  Your child needed your hugs and kisses the most when he/she feels bad!  I remember longing for my mom's touch whenever I don't feel well!

Fellow mommies, do you have other tips you may want to share on how to care for a sick child?
I am so glad Kyle is doing better now, but at least, with the experience I had, I am armed with more knowledge as I ready myself to battle challenges like these!

    Keep smilin'
    Stay happy!

     

    4 comments :

    1. Reading your post...I got to appreciate my Mom. She fusses so much whenever I get cough/ cold even at my age.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Yes, that's how moms are!!! I also appreciate my mom more!

        Delete
    2. Thank you for valuable information. I will forward this to my Daughter so that she can follow up for my Grand child

      ReplyDelete

    I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to comment your questions, suggestions and just anything you may want to say! Keep smiling and stay happy!