[shavon]

I took fd to urgent care last night, she is soooo sick.
They said she had an ear infection and RSV. What can I do to relieve the symptoms? She is on antibiotics for ear infection but they said rsv had to run its course, I also have her 10 month old brother, is there any way that I can keep him from getting it? They said it was VERY contagious. I have tryed looking it up but my computer for some reason wont load any of the pages so any help you all may have I will apprciate it.

Thanks
Shavon

[jphollen]

clorox has good information on their site on how to dilute bleach to disinfect toys, bottles, etc. Tons of handwashing by everyone. Using the hot water setting on the dishwasher if you have one, would be a good idea.

[SarahBethsMommy]

RSV is a nasty virus. Keep the kids apart as much as possible. It spreads like a cold. So very good handwashing, germ-x, not coughing on the baby, etc. If the baby starts coughing or breathing heavy/ wheezing take him to the doc right away. It can be very bad for the little ones. It is the leading cause of hospitalization of infants.

[MommyAlysia]

RSV can be miserable, the younger they are or if they are in a "high risk" category (i.e. premature birth or other medical conditions) the worse it is. My 3 yo had a nasty case of it when he was 6 weeks old and was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. If your FD is close to 2ish years old and not in a high risk group it hopefully won't get too much worse. Usually at that age its doesn't get much worse than cold like symptoms. Watch for wheezing in both children and take them in if they start wheezing, you can look at there chest when they breathe and if it looks like it sucks into their ribs when they breathe thats a sign of wheezing, also if their nostrils are flaring and you can listen to their back and see if you hear rattling. If they cough a lot and can't catch their breath thats another sign of struggling to breath. I hope that nobody gets worse!

[shavon]

I hope she does not get worse..She actually had a few hours of good sleep last night!!!! The baby was wheezing but I had him to doc last week and they thought that it was just bronchitis, and gave him steroids and breathing treatments, he is better now...

Now if I could just get a couple of hours of sleep we would all be happier LOL..

[HappyHopefulMommy]

My daugther had rsv at 11 months. But, they gave me an nebulizer and a bunch of RX because of her wheezing. Did you not get anything to help treat it? I don't have rsv in my house right now, but with my 5 kids, I have one with a double ear infection, one with crouple and asthma and is on 6 rx, one with a sinus infection, one we thought had strep throat last week and one whose cheek hurts (my one healthy one is jealous that all the others are taking medicine!!) And I have a sinus infection and DH has fluid in his ears. This is our first winter with all the kids and I had no idea how sick every one would be and how fast things would spread. Good luck with the Rsv, just watch the breathing closely.

[mommytoelmolover]

My son had RSV at 3 months of age (he's currently 14 months). He seemed ok except for some mild colds symptoms and then I noticed his breathing was very rapid (65-70 breaths a minute). I called his doctor and they sent me to the ER. By the end of the day he was very very ill. He was given IV fluids and on oxygen for severla days in the hospital. He got breathing treatments and percussion therapy. The percussion therapy helped him more than anything. You can do it at home. Every few hours just gently tap the childs chest and back for several minutes. It helps break up the thick mucous that rsv creates (which is what is dangerous about RSV, it gunks up the lungs basically).

My son wheezed for months afterward until he was put on Pulmicort (an inhaled steriod). He quit taking it last Spring and this winter he got pneumonia and is now back on the Pulmicort. The allergist says he probably has asthma (he's too young to actually diagnose.) RSV and Asthma tend to be linked but they don't know if asthma makes you more likely to get RSV or RSV puts you at risk for asthma. Being a premmie also puts a child at risk for RSV (my son was born at 35 weeks).

WHen he got sick I babysat another 3 month old and a 6 week old baby. My son had not really been sick so I was not extra careful just normal with handwashing and such and neither child got RSV (thank goodness).

[RNFosterMom]

As the other posters have said, RSV is a nasty virus that's very contagious. I recall a lecture in nursing school where they said the virus lasts 13 hours on surfaces! Frequent handwashing and antibacterial cleaning on all surfaces, toys, etc. is especially important during the winter months. A weak bleach/water solution can be made up each day. You can find "recipes" for this by doing a search about sanitizing toys. Another important thing is not letting them be around any smoke or minimizing contact w/smokers (because smoke permeates their clothing). I noticed that several of my RSV and bronchitis patients had parents who were smokers.

As others noted, be sure to watch their work of breathing by noting any nasal flaring, grunting, retractions or posturing. If you see any of these signs, they need to be seen by a doctor. Kids can maintain their breathing for a while, but then can get tired out quickly and that's when they're in real trouble.