Aubrey may have Whooping Cough, went to ER - I am so mad at Dr's right now I could...

My2Beauties wrote: scream!!

OK so here is how all this started. About 6, maybe even 6 1/2 weeks ago, Hanna got sick with a pretty bad cold. We took her to the doctor and the doc said it's a viral thing, just a cold let it run it's course, you can give her some Triaminic or something to help her runny nose and if she has a sore throat. That's fine, we did just that, and it only took her a week to get over it. As soon as she gets over it, Aubrey gets sick. I figured she had the exact same thing, a viral thing, a small cold, let it run it's course. I'm not one of those people that run straight to the doctor with my kids with every sniffle. So I figured it would take her a little longer to fight it off so I waited a little over 2 1/2 weeks, at first it was just sniffles and a small cough. When it started getting to the point that she was coughing so hard that she was projectile vomiting I took her to the doctor, she was getting worse instead of getting better. So, the doc says (might I add I hate the doc I saw, I specifically asked for one of two other docs in the practice and they said they'd try but they were tight that day, so guess who I end up seeing, the same idiot woman who had Hanna taking Albuterol when she was less than 2 months old when in reality she ended up having a freaking ear infection ) so when she walked in I started thinking oh geez Why is this woman still practicing. Hanna's chart specifically states that she is not to see that lady, wish I would have thought to put it in Aubrey's chart as well. So anyways....she says it's allergies. I figured ok, she's probably right, she didn't say anything out of the ordinary no respiratory distress or anything, no Albuterol or something drastic. But she did say to treat it with Dimetapp 4 times a day for 3 days, if that didn't work she said move to Benadryl and if that didn't work go to Claritin once a day. OK......all of which (except Benadryl) have been recalled for children under 2. When I mention this she explained that they are all perfectly safe if used as she directed me to, with the right dosages and only 3-4 times in a 24 hour period with the exception of Claritin which is once a day.

So tried all of this stuff with no change She kept getting sicker and sicker. Her snot (sorry of TMI) got thicker and greener, her cough was getting worse and worse. Yesterday morning Brian and I woke up to her choking. She was beet red and starting to turn blue because she was coughing so bad So Brian and I jumped out of bed and was literally doing everything we could to get her to catch her breath, I freaked out. She did this again not even an hour later. I thought the first time she had just swallowed some saliva and got choked up, but when she did it again she was sitting up perfectly fine playing. Well this happened two more times after Brian left for work. So, I called her doctor's office and the nurse on call said I really think that she may have a bad sinus infection from what you have described you need to take her to the Acute Pediatric Center (which is a place I've heard not so nice things about). I told her I'd heard horrible things about that place but she assured me for something of this nature they'd run all the tests etc... You guys I get there, and she has another choking spell in the waiting room, I'm like beating on her back and no one was helping me. I get her back there and the doc tells me that first of all that he cannot believe that her regular ped suggested Clariting as it's very unsafe for children under 2. OK thanks for reconfirming that woman is a complete idiot. But then this quack doc tells me well she can lift her head so she's not sick, give her some Tylenol and she'll be fine! WTF?????????? Tylenol - I said Excuse me, what is Tylenol supposed to do she's not even running a fever for flippin sake!!! SO....I said are you sure, she has been sick for over 5 weeks now, this has been going on too long. I said did you not hear her choking just now. He said if she was sick she would not want to lift up her head. I said no that just means she isn't on her death bed you dumb____! So Brian and I decide to take her to Children's Hospital downtown. Of course we're there for 3 hours, but when the doc seen her, I told him everything that other doctors have told me. He shook his head and said I CANNOT believe that with the horrible Pertussis (Whooping Cough) going around that they didn't test her for that. Pertussus. He said yes there have been a large # of cases in babies and children in this area lately and it's been a huge ordeal. He said when they have whooping cough they cough so violently that they projectile vomit and when it goes untreated they can choke. I said OMG this is exactly what she has been doing for 3 weeks now. He said this is serious because this is highly contagious. He said if we confirm that she has it, everyone that she has been around at daycare, at home, at grandma's everywhere will have to go on a round of antibiotics, he said even I will. He said you guys probably wouldn't catch it but you could carry it. He said even with a vaccine your immunity wears off by the time you're probably 16. He said and your youngest daughter hasn't had her full round of Pertussis vaccinattions because she is not 4 yet. He said now I'm not trying to scare you because she may not have it at all, but in the very least she has a really nasty sinus infection. They took cultures, they did all kinds of stuff that no one ever thought to do. He said and of course sinus infections in infants aren't to be taken lightly because they can settle and cause pneumonia or anything, he said so either way we need to give her something. He said that allergies certainly would not cause thick green mucus and projectile vomiting when coughing in an infact that he has ever heard of. He said if I were you I'd call both your regular ped's office and the acute pediatric center you took her to and let them have a peace of your mind. He was astonished that they didn't check her blood or anything. The nurse that took her mucus sample said that of the 6 babies she had tested in the past week, 5 of them were positive That poor baby. The good news is that Pertussis lasts 6 weeks, which means she's already probably had it runs it's course for the most part but he said the antibiotics will make her not contagious and help her fight it off a bit faster. He said it will also calm the cough down a great deal. He also said the same thing about the Claritin, he said and Dimetapp in his eyes is also too dangerous for a baby. He said the Benadryl is the safest thing she prescribed, which is what every doctor I've talked to has said, I would have never thought that so it surprised me. He said infact it's the only thing for allergies for babies that wasn't recalled. He said that she does have some mild allergies he's sure because this time of year in the Ohio valley is bad and allergies could have triggered all of this so I can give her some Benadryl at night for the next few nights to help dry her up and help her sleep better. My poor baby. I'm so livid at her ped and the doctors at the pediatric center! TYLENOL... I can't believe that no one thought to check her for something so horrible. Her results come back Tuesday so I'll let you guys know.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Leann I am so sorry! My brother had Whooping Cough (he went to doctors 27 times before they figured it out!) so if you do find out that is what it is I can give you the info my great grandma gave us...It was the only thing that helped him recover! Is there an actual whooping sound at the end of her coughing fits? Like a BIG inhale with an almost WHOOP like sound? That is where the cough got its name and it is pretty distinct after they have had it for awhile!

PrairieMom replied: How frustrating! I am glad you finally got someone who knew what they were doing! We see a ton of pertussis here too. I hope she feels better soon.

lovemy2 replied: Olivia had whopping cough when she was 3 1/2 - the Ped at first really didn't think it could be that since it wasn't really "going around" but then my Mom who was also sick at the same time as Olivia was tested for it and it was positive - took Olivia back to the Ped - they tested her and sure enough - she had it - it is awful, she coughed so hard and choked so that I thought for sure I was going to have to beat her on the back to breathe again.... - I can't imagine what it is like with an infant - poor Aubrey - well at least you are finally on the right track now - many hugs to you guys and Aubrey that she gets better quick now

My2Beauties replied:
That is what it started to sound like yesterday, for the past few weeks it's just been horrible coughing and then vomiting, then when she started choking and not being able to catch her breath I freaked out!! I was so scared to death. He said it's possible that she is just having some horrible coughing from a really bad sinus infection, which I get one of those every year and you do cough pretty bad with them. He said that babies don't make as much of a whooping noise (most people say they sound like a seal if they have it, but he said that isn't necessarily true with infants) because their lungs are so little that they start to choke before they can even continue the cough, well you know what I'm trying to say. He said so a constant cough to a baby makes them start turning red faster than we would for example and we'd take deep breaths inbetween coughs that sounded like a whooping noise but they can't get those deep breaths in

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
That is right I had forgotten how little she is! My brother had it from 3 months through almost 6 months old! He lost tons of weight and it was horrible! Did they start the antibiotics just in case? Ask him about roceffin (sp?) it is a steriod shot that has helped Taylor get through pneumonia. It is one shot that the doctor told me boosts them enough to help them over the hump so to speak...I am sure Aubrey could use something to boost her right now!

luvmykids replied: I"m sorry you got such idiots, glad you finally saw someone who knew what they were doing The twins had it too and it was so scary, it actually helped to hold them in front of the open freezer during a coughing spell, I don't remember why, something about the cold air opening the airways. Anyway, I hope she makes a speedy recovery from here

My2Beauties replied:
They started the antibiotics yesterday because he said even if it isn't Pertussis she has a bad sinus infection in the least because of the mucus he saw and the coughing he heard. Luckily she hasn't lost any weight, she actually has gained a couple of ounces since I took her to the doctor 2 weeks ago, she gained about 6 oz, well 1/2 pound so that's good. She's in pretty good spirits, I asked him if she'd start acting lethargic or anything, he said no babies with pertussis are overall healthy in all other areas, their lungs are usually pretty clear if you catch it quick enough and it hasn't turned into pneumonia or something else really horrible and they'll smile, coo, play etc. Which she is doing. He said the doc who said she isn't sick because she can lift her head and tries to sit up on her own is crazy, he said all kids wanna play even when they're sick, he said if she was that sick she'd be hospitalized Idiots.

MommyToAshley replied: Oh goodness... I am sorry, poor girl. I am glad you were insistent on getting some answers. I hope she starts to feel better soon.


I'd definitely have it put on Aubrey's chart not to see that quack doctor!

grapfruit replied:
I think I'd have to do more then just have a note put on my chart. I'd have to rip them a new hind end....that's just ridiculous!!!!

I hope she gets to feeling better soon though...

amynicole21 replied: Poor baby!! My best friend's son had Whooping Cough last year. It was misery. I really hope you can get her feeling better soon!

DansMom replied: That's unbelievable---that docs can be so stupid, misinformed and dismissive. Pertussis is very dangerous for infants.