When In Doubt, Check it Twice

Two weeks ago, my five-month-old daughter was diagnosed with Bronchitis, which had been previously thought to be a simple head cold by another doctor. She was seconds away from having to be placed in the hospital and it could have easily turned into pneumonia.

Her lungs were extremely inflamed and infection could have set in at any time. Pneumonia is nothing to play around with. It is caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites that are easily spread at daycares. (That’s how she got it in the first place.) Viruses that cause pneumonia are the influenza virus (flu), respiratory synctial virus (RSV), the parainfluenza virus, and the adenovirus.

Symptoms of pneumonia show up two or three days after a cold or sore throat and include fever, chills, cough, rapid breathing, wheezing, vomiting, decreased activity, loss of appetite, and a bluish gray color of the lips and fingernails. My daughter had all of these.

This is an extremely contagious illness and is found in the fluids of the mouth or nose of affected children. Here we can see how easy it is for our children to catch and spread these viruses. They are also spread through coughs and sneezes, drinking and eating utensils, and in used tissues or handkerchiefs.

My daughter was sick for a full two weeks. The whole time I kept the humidifier going. The doctor put her on a steroid for three days and told me that the added moisture in the air would help make it easier for her to breathe. And I gave her a lot of juice and water.

My advice is to always go with your gut especially when it comes to children. If I would have listened to the first doctor I was seeing, no telling where my daughter would be right now. When in doubt, get that second opinion. It just might save a life.

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