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7 yo ds on 10 days abx/4 days ER (stomach virus)


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I hadn't been posting long....and then fell off the map a few weeks ago. As a very brief reminder...I am in the Atlanta aread and had found an ENT who is open to the idea of PANDAS, and a neuro who will treat it if I say his symptoms correlate with his infections. So far, so good.

 

Jackson had a sinus infection (think that is the last I posted) and was on a 14 (or was it 20) day course of abx (Omnicef I think) for staph infection that was determined from a positive nose culture. To be honest, I was DEVASTATED that the culture didn't return as strep....and a few of you great ladies (and gentlemen?) reminded me that there is supportive literature to incriminate other infections, not just strep). I really still can't wrap my head around that, but I'm trying to just let it sink in.

 

So...he finishes the abx and then 7 days later wakes up at 2:45 a.m. throwing up and HORRIBLE diarrhea (sorry TMI)....it was just terrible, can't describe it. WAY worse than any stomach virus my children have had in any recent memory. By 7:30 a.m. I was at his dr.'s office (they do iv's, but that is ANOTHER LOOOOOONG story for another post)....and he began throwing up blood. ALOT of blood. We went directly to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and he was admitted, they tested him for a few specifics (rotavirus, salmonella, etc.) but those came back negative....docs said "we can't check for EVERY virus...." - and I guess I couldn't argue with that - or could I? I was too exhausted to argue. So he was admitted and was there for 4 days!!!

 

*I promise I'm getting to a point!* LOL

 

He has been out of the hospital since the 21st, and his sinus infection is back with a vengence.....and I don't see HOW he could take abx on his stomach! And the ENT agrees and suggests I come in to them for a swab, and make an appt with a pediatric infectious disease specialist for the end of next week. They told me that for kids that can't take an abx - they suggest a pic line!!! OMGoodness - this just seems like this merry go round is spinning way to fast....really? Has it come to this?

 

Do any of you have anything to offer here? Ideas? Has this happened to you? What in the world would we do with no abx for him IF in fact he does have PANDAS (haven't been down this road long enough yet to be able to say for certain)? I need shoulders to cry on and people who can think straight to weigh in here....HELP!

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I hadn't been posting long....and then fell off the map a few weeks ago. As a very brief reminder...I am in the Atlanta aread and had found an ENT who is open to the idea of PANDAS, and a neuro who will treat it if I say his symptoms correlate with his infections. So far, so good.

 

Jackson had a sinus infection (think that is the last I posted) and was on a 14 (or was it 20) day course of abx (Omnicef I think) for staph infection that was determined from a positive nose culture. To be honest, I was DEVASTATED that the culture didn't return as strep....and a few of you great ladies (and gentlemen?) reminded me that there is supportive literature to incriminate other infections, not just strep). I really still can't wrap my head around that, but I'm trying to just let it sink in.

 

So...he finishes the abx and then 7 days later wakes up at 2:45 a.m. throwing up and HORRIBLE diarrhea (sorry TMI)....it was just terrible, can't describe it. WAY worse than any stomach virus my children have had in any recent memory. By 7:30 a.m. I was at his dr.'s office (they do iv's, but that is ANOTHER LOOOOOONG story for another post)....and he began throwing up blood. ALOT of blood. We went directly to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and he was admitted, they tested him for a few specifics (rotavirus, salmonella, etc.) but those came back negative....docs said "we can't check for EVERY virus...." - and I guess I couldn't argue with that - or could I? I was too exhausted to argue. So he was admitted and was there for 4 days!!!

 

*I promise I'm getting to a point!* LOL

 

He has been out of the hospital since the 21st, and his sinus infection is back with a vengence.....and I don't see HOW he could take abx on his stomach! And the ENT agrees and suggests I come in to them for a swab, and make an appt with a pediatric infectious disease specialist for the end of next week. They told me that for kids that can't take an abx - they suggest a pic line!!! OMGoodness - this just seems like this merry go round is spinning way to fast....really? Has it come to this?

 

Do any of you have anything to offer here? Ideas? Has this happened to you? What in the world would we do with no abx for him IF in fact he does have PANDAS (haven't been down this road long enough yet to be able to say for certain)? I need shoulders to cry on and people who can think straight to weigh in here....HELP!

 

does your child not do well with needles????

i think it would be great in terms of a direct hit to the illness??

but my ds has been through so much by 7 that needles weren't a problem...if you can convince him its really only a bad pinch...he will be scared but once it's done he might want to show off how brave he is...that kinda worked for my kid....

are you sure the blood was from the abx?

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He is petrified of the needles....but that's not why the possible pic line. The doc is concerned that putting very strong abx in his stomach after a brief stint with this unknown virus that was so bad he vomited blood (and I don't mean a little), that we are setting him up for worse stomach troubles. Plus...if he has been unable to get well from the prior abx with his sinus inf....possibly we need to look into other options.

 

I wonder, at the end of the day, if having the pic line of abx might be better in terms of helping the PANDAS anyway...hmmm...

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Was your son tested for c-diff? Clostridium difficile can be caused by antibiotics and has similiar symptoms. It is treated with flagyl.

 

How long are they thinking he would need antibiotics? Can you try giving them through just a peripheral line that is not a central line? That would be much less invasive.

 

Colleen

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I dealt with a similar, but MUCH less severe problem over the summer. My 2yo, who was on augmentin at the time, was vomitting for 24 hours and I couldnt' give him abx obviously but his pandas in the meantime started spiralling without the abx. I called the DAN doctor who told me to give him a phenergen suppository, which worked to stop the vomitting. I think I waited another 12-14 hours and then started the abx, hoping for the best. He did not vomit after that and appeared to tolerate the abx ok. I think after the initial infection was over, his tummy healed pretty well.

 

Have you heard of the BRAT diet? Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. Maybe put him on the brat diet to calm things down for a few days and make sure you give abx with food.

 

I may be giving you the wrong advice, I would also be worried about his tummy at this time. I think you may have to rely on mommies instinct here to determine when he can tolerate abx again. No one can really tell you this...

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Also, aren't some antibiotics more harsh on the stomach than others? Isn't Zithromax supposed to be relatively easy on the digestive system? (I think I remember seeing/hearing that somewhere . Where does Omnicef stand on that spectrum? What if they tried a more gentle antibiotic through the pic line? Is that possible? Would it make sense?

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