I don't have a fever, but I have a really bad cough. I told the doctor how bad it was, and when she…

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I don't have a fever, but I have a really bad cough. I told the doctor how bad it was, and when she listened, she heard wheezing when I exhaled, although she later said she didn't hear anything. She still prescribed an antibiotic, saying the infection had lingered! I asked if it wouldn't be better to treat my nose or throat locally, but they said I needed to take it orally. We did a blood test, and the results will be ready tomorrow. I'll see what they say and then decide whether to buy that darn antibiotic. My child has been sick since Thursday, but if it weren't for one thing, he would have been healthy for only 6-7 days before getting sick with the same cough again. That's why both I and the doctor believe this is a continuation of the same illness, not a new one.
I feel like I've finally relaxed a bit and am trying not to stress. Of course, I've been buried in w…
Comments
Kondrateva Ekaterina
if a bacterial infection is added to a viral infection over time, then yes.
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Fedorova Karina
I'll tell you more, you might not even see the bacteria right now. My dad was in the hospital with pneumonia, the doctor already saw it wasn't viral but a blood virus. He ignored the blood results and prescribed antibiotics. As a result, the bacteria only appeared in his blood 3 days later, and treatment was already in full swing. But ultimately, the decision is yours.
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Olya
There's no point in local antibiotics, it's been said over and over again.
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Olga
Over time, a bacterial infection often joins, and the development can be very rapid, so they probably err on the side of caution.
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Kristina
Yes, I've seen protocols like that to reduce the risk of bacterial infection when immunity is lowered.
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Anna Pavlova
It seems like a bacterial infection has set in, hence the antibiotic. Treating the nose and throat with a severe cough and wheezing... well, it's tricky. You might guess wrong and end up with pneumonia. The wheezing is likely coming from your bronchi.
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Gulya
I've never given it during viral blood.
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Ekaterina
Because a bacterial infection could join in
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Anastasiya
Only if a bacterial infection has joined will the antibiotic be effective.
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Elena
Yes, I had that too. I didn't have a fever, but my blood work showed a virus, and my breathing was difficult. Everything only returned to normal after antibiotics.
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Olga
I stopped donating blood altogether when I was sick; it's all uninformative. When I had a viral infection, it turned out to be pneumonia. If I'm sick for more than five days, we usually start antibiotics.
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Natalya
Olga So pneumonia can be viral, and it's not always treated with antibiotics.
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Vedeneva Yuliya
Olga And what is informative?
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Olga
Olga Pneumonia can be viral
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Olga
Elena Let's see what another doctor says, similar to another one...
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Olga
Olga I don't know about you, but I've already drawn my conclusions.
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Olga
Olga In our case, it was bacterial, and after taking antibiotics, all symptoms subsided.
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Olga
Ekaterina Or maybe not
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Olga
Anastasiya How can I know without a blood test?
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Olga
Anna Pavlova How did you determine that? For example, I know it's bacterial if there's a worsening of symptoms, like a fever or a worse cough, and a general decline in well-being. But he's doing fine. In fact, we started giving him an antiviral on Friday and he started feeling better, and he's just kept improving. The cough is still pretty bad, though, even though it's also gotten better. It was much worse at first, both in intensity and frequency.
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Olga
Kristina I understand, but it's not a given that she'll join.
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Olga
Olya It's been said for a long time that antivirals don't help either, they're the only ones that treat viruses. They even treated my Epstein-Barr with regular Viferon up the bum, but the dose was in milliliters... That's why I don't trust these storytellers very much.
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Olga
Fedorova Karina But the doctor might not see it either, or might not want to look.
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Olga
Olga They over-insure themselves, ruining their immunity, I honestly don't understand it. I get so annoyed by these incompetent doctors who, without understanding what's wrong with the child, just prescribe something randomly. She said that the lungs were clear and, with full confidence that everything was in his upper respiratory tract, prescribed antibiotics. Why? If she had said she heard wheezing and that's why she was prescribing antibiotics, I would have understood, but like this
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Olga
Gulya We'll know tomorrow if it's viral or not.
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Elena
Elena Get well soon 🙏
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Ivanova anna
Olga There's so much you don't know, and you're so mistaken. You think a bacterial infection can't be in the upper respiratory tract? Antibiotics aren't prescribed based on blood tests alone; an experienced doctor knows when to start them.
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Olga
Olga It happens. But it still needs to be diagnosed. Otherwise, you give blood, it's viral, and you just sit there... Even viral pneumonia needs to be treated with specific medications.
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Olga
Olga These experienced doctors almost killed my baby three years ago, switching us to three antibiotics for a severe virus. And yes, I know a lot, and she even said the airways were clear, both upper and lower, just a sore throat and runny nose causing the cough... According to her!
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Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlova Temperature isn't a definitive indicator. My son had three pneumonias without any fever. Get tests done and consult another doctor you trust. The main thing is not to waste time. Wheezing in the bronchi and coughing are signs of worsening condition, in my opinion.
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Olga
Olga Of course, it needs to be treated. There are medications for pneumonia, including viral pneumonia, and these are antivirals, not antibiotics.
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Ivanova anna
Olga Okay, okay. Evidence-based medicine is great, but it's become too much, and I hear this even from doctors, good doctors. My child's blood work often doesn't show anything. About 4 years ago, a good ENT doctor told me that a general blood test is completely uninformative for ENT diseases. It might show something, or it might not, and it was never even in the recommendations, only a swab from the throat, nose, and ears. But pediatricians don't know this and let illnesses develop into serious complications by not prescribing antibiotics. We were once hospitalized urgently with otoantritis, with a swollen head, and the blood work was clear. There was also a severe purulent otitis, pus was streaming from the ear, but the blood work was clear. And there are many such cases.
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Olga
Olga And that's exactly why evidence-based medicine would be great here – knowing that an antibiotic needs to go in, and so on, rather than guessing. And yes, a cough should be treated with cough medicine, not just with some magic antibiotic!
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Olga
Olga A friend of mine had some gynecological issues, her stomach hurt, and she couldn't get pregnant for a year. All her tests came back clear. She was prescribed a bunch of medications, but not antibiotics, as everything was still clear. In the end, they asked to be prescribed an antibiotic. After taking it, everything resolved, and she got pregnant right away!!
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Olga
Olga My dad had coronavirus and pneumonia, likely viral. However, in the hospital, they gave him both antibiotics and antiviral medications. No one would risk treating pneumonia with only antivirals, as viral infections can quickly turn bacterial, especially pneumonia.
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Ivanova anna
Olga I had the complete opposite experience; mine was almost killed without antibiotics. It took a very long time to recover, and they had to operate urgently. They were treating test results that showed nothing.
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Ivanova anna
Olga The antibiotic was needed even before the pus started flowing freely.
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Ivanova anna
Olga That's exactly what I mean. I don't understand this current abnormal fear of antibiotics. My older child took antibiotics all childhood long for sinusitis, injections twice a year, and pills in between because every cold would trigger a sinusitis flare-up. He's grown now, 15 years old, rarely gets sick, knock on wood. His sinusitis cleared up by age 5, he stopped getting sick like that, and he hasn't taken antibiotics since.
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Olga
Olga I don't treat my wet cough with anything at all, just drink plenty of fluids and that's it
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Olga
Olga I'm generally one of those who only have saline nasal spray and Rengalin for a cough, but if I feel my child isn't getting better after a week of illness, we'll calmly take antibiotics. I don't see anything scary about them.
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Ivanova anna
Olga My youngest was treated only with saline solution. His runny nose lasted for months. I constantly went to the clinic and complained that nothing was getting better, but they kept telling me, "Your blood work is fine, just keep rinsing with saline." They didn't order any tests other than a complete blood count until I went to a hearing specialist, and that was on the recommendation of a neurologist due to his speech development delay.
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Vedeneva Yuliya
Olga And what are the conclusions?
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Olga
Olga Of course, you need to look at the situation. Everyone's illness progresses differently, and doctors tend to treat everyone the same.
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Olga
Olga Monitor your baby's condition, and if there's no improvement after a week, take the antibiotic without any blood tests.
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Vedeneva Yuliya
Olga Blood can be not only viral
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Ivanova anna
Olga Yes, that's exactly right, everyone follows the same protocol, but here everything is individual.
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Vedeneva Yuliya
Olga Which antibiotic should I take? You mentioned above that specific medications are needed, how do I choose them?
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Olga
Olga The doctor will choose the best option for you.
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Vedeneva Yuliya
Olga And how is he supposed to choose, based on what?
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