What could be going on with my 14 month old son?

Question

Okay, my son had gotten strep throat - we went to the dr, were diagnosed and treated with Augmentin Antibiotic. He had HORRIBLE diarrhea while on the antibiotic - I called and asked dr if it was normal/okay, They told me it was normal and that once he stopped the antibiotic he would be fine.... WELL, 4 days after the antibiotic was finished, which by the way I was always on time and finished it as instructed, he still has diarrhea and worse he has developed a high fever (103.1 during the day) (keep in mind the fever from the strep was over like 4 days into the antibiotic). SOOOOO, we went again to the dr, she recultured him for strep and that was neg, "his ears look great, throat not red, chest sounds clear"......... So what is going on, she had us do a stool analysis and will be taking it to the lab monday, also she prescribed ANOTHER antibiotic! This one is omnicef. Im not too hot on giving him ANOTHER antibiotic but dont want him to be sick - (let me add that I think this dr simply gave us this other antibiotic because she doesnt know what it could be) OKAY, so I go get the antibiotic filled and were gonna start it this am BUT he hasnt had a fever for going on 24 hours, still has some diarrhea but not at all as frequent (from 6 a day to now only 3 a day)! In your opinion and it would be nice if you had experience with something very similar, what would you do??

Answer 1

Ok, I'm not a Doctor, so don't sue me! But here's what happened to my son. Same thing, had a respiratory infection and was put on antibiotics. Got aweful diarrea, and the diaper rash to go  with it. (which is really just a yeast infection) The doctor took him off of it immediately, saying this was a possible allergic reaction. It made sense to me at the time because his father is allergic to penicilin and his grandfather too. There was no sense taking any chances. The infection ended up getting better on it's own, and he has never had penicilin since. From what I've been told and researched, every time a person who is allergic to the drug gets another dose of it, the reactions start to become worse with age and over time. So I think it's better to assume the child IS allergic, rather than risk having another bad reaction. Many Doctors are too quick to hand out the prescriptions. This can cause problems later in life, as your child WILL build up an immunity to them any way. Save it for when it is REALLY needed. There are better ways to boost a child's immune system BEFORE they get sick! When cold season hits, I give my son a cup of hot tea before bed, which contains echinacea, zinc and vitamin C. He likes the taste of it. It helps him sleep, and belive it or not, he hasn't had a cold in several years! If he does start to get the sniffles, I double up on the tea, and he gets better right away! I swear it's true! He was seven months old when he got the infection(I had just stopped breast feeding him by the way) He is now almost eleven, and he's never been to the Doctor, except for shots!  

Answer 2

Hi - I don't have experience with this exact situation, but my gut is telling me to hold off on the antibiotic today. Push the fluids and veggies as much as possible, and of course encourage sleep. Make an appt with a 2nd doctor as soon as you can. If you can't get in today, try for tomorrow. It's possible that no doctor can really know what the issue is, and in that case, administer the antibiotic tomorrow.

I feel for you in this situation. Nothing is scarier than a sick child!

Answer 3

I would not start the new antibiotic today if the fever is gone and the diarrhea is easing up.  Tomorrow your doctor will have the results of the stool sample and waiting one more day to get those results as well as giving one more day to see if the diarrhea continues to improve now that the fever is gone seems the best action to take.  Like you, I'm not crazy about the idea of giving more antibiotics if not absolutely necessary.  And with the fever gone, I'm not sure they are.  I know you don't want to take any chances with your baby and it's a little scary, but if your baby has improved now - after been off antibiotics for several days there's no reason to think he will get worse by waiting one more day and talking with the doctor again tomorrow.

Answer 4

This sounds more like Scarlet Fever to me. This is not as common as it use to be but it does occur.   I am no doctor but I do have 4 kids and with them came many different illnesses.  Yes it is also very common for kids to have diarrhea when on an antibiotic, make sure he is getting plenty of liquids.  I hope your little guy is feeling better.

Answer 5

I would definately go with the omnicef. Its a great med my daughter is 19 mnths and has been on it a handful of times! However I hope ur dr warned u about what it does to their stool...it makes it a bright red/orange color...so don't freak out! Everytime I bring my daughter to her dr for running fever, they tell me she has a "fever virus"! I think that just means they don't know whats wrong! But whatever it is...the omnicef should take care of it! So dont worry too much! lol I know its hard and frustrating tho...good luck!!

Answer 6

That's why I mistrust doctors, half the time they don;t know what's wrong and give you medication as a process of elimination. If it were my son I would contact a holistic doctor. They will take the time to ask you questions about EVERYTHING and they will get to the bottom of it as well as prescribe more natural cures.

Answer 7

IT could just be another bug.  I wouldn't give my child antibiotics if they don't konw why your child has a fever "just because".   Since his fever is gone, the diarrhea was probably caused by the antibiotics upsetting his system. Since that's getting better as well, I'd just make sure to keep him hydrated and put him on a BRAT diet  Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast.   Things to help firm things up for him.

It DOESN'T sound at all like Scarlett Fever to me. http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/... Scarlet Fever is produced from the strep bacteria toxins. Some kids are sensitive to it, some aren't.    For several years, the first sign of strep in my son has been Scarlett Fever.  My son gets strep throat annually.  He almost always presents with a mild sore throat and bad tummy ache and fever.  I have learned that these symptoms, in him, are Strep, because two days later he has Scarlett Fever.  Scarlett Fever is characterized by a red sand paper type rash, very fine bumps mainly on the trunk, though they can spread to face, arms and legs.   I now call the Doctors office and tell them, "My son has strep and scarlette fever"  I always get "how do you know?"  and after having it every year for 6 years running, I KNOW! LOL!

Answer 8

Actually I am suprised to see that bobcat has my answer.  My son had something similar twice.  It was scarlet fever.  I would not start the other antibiotic if there is no fever.  Don't be suprised if after the dust settles your son gets a strange raised thin rash on his torso.  Suggest doing blood work for a CBC (complete blood count) and check the immunoglobulins.  Also suggest getting him to a specialist.  Make appointments now, you can always cancel later.  It takes many months to get into an ENT, infectious disease, allergist etc.

The brat diet is always a good idea with any GI upset

You learn quickly as a nurse that nothing is by the book.  My son never had any fever either time he developed scarlett fever and both times when the rash came he was already on the antibiotics.