When to give baby antibiotics?

A

Alica

Registered User
My daughter had a running nose on Thursday and then tempreture (38.3) after 3 days(Sun). We took her to the Adventist and the doctor prescribed antibiotics. The question is - should the doctor give her a medical check of the blood and if not how is he sure whether it is bacteria infected or not?

My baby does not like medcine and we have to force her to take the medcine, which is quite stressful for her and us. And we can not stop the antibiotics halfway once we started. But I fear all this can be avoided.
 
Hi Alicia,
How old is your daughter? Did the doc do any other tests?
I have had only several experiences with local doctors but felt I was overprescribed both times and had to push for information on what I was getting. However, saying that, when it's your child I imagine you want the virus to be cleared up as soon as possible (as long as it is a virus and not just a cold!). My 20 month old daughter has a history of bladder infections but even so, we were advised by her Doc in Oz to try and avoid anti-biotics and to ensure she had a blood test each time she had a fever (one of the main signs) to confirm the infection.
I guess we put alot of reliance on our doctors so you need to feel like you can trust them - then you will feel much more confident with their decision.
Jen
 
Hi, Jen

Thanks for the info. My daughter is 19 months. In both times at the Adventist hospital none of the doctors gave her the blood test. And my daughter is back to normal now after about 10days counting from the first day when she had the running nose.

I think it is absolutely necessary for the parents to be careful in choosing the hospital and the doctor and insists on the blood test if antibiotics is to be prescribed.

Can anyone recommend a good doctor from any hospital?

Alica
 
Just consulted the Medcine dictonary and want to share this with everyone:
Bacteria, viruses and protozoa all attack the body in different ways to cause different illnesses. Among the many conditions caused by bacteria are Pneumonia and Tuberculosis. Viruses cause such ailments as the common cold, flu and chicken -pox.

Antibiotics are, quite simply, durgs which kill bacteria. They have no effect on viruses.
 
I give my kid a homeopathic medicine called Coryzalia (suitable for 6- 36months old kids) when he has runny nose. It really works and most importantly, it's mild and safe. Slight problem is that you may not be able to get it in HK. I got it in Canada.

As for paed, I would recommend Dr. Simon Wong in Dr. Vio and Partners. He is GOOD...and has a great sense of humour, which helps so much at times when things can be just a little bit too tough to handle.
 
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I had a similar experience at Adventist. My child was about 20 mo. and had a high fever so we brought her to Adventist. After what I thought was a very hasty check on my child, the doctor prescribed both medicine to bring down the fever and antibiotics. I gave her the fever medicine but decided to throw away the antibiotics because I didn't think child this age should start to rely on antibiotics. Getting sick, as long as it's not life-threatening, is nature's way to build up our immune system.
 
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