RSV

OrangeSmoke

How do I know if they have it or not?

Harry and Alex have been coughing (but not bad) for a while now.... Any telltale signs I should be watching for?

mrsolsenk12

From what I know wheezing is a big sign of RSV. Last winter when I had to call about Hayden they would ask if he was wheezing or not. He hasn't had it (knock on wood) so I am not sure of the rest.

KYRN

Retractions, where the ribs sort of suck in when they take a breath.  Nasal flaring, and increased respirations (>60/minute).  These are not necessarily just for RSV.

ejgballerina

Wheezing is a telltale sign.  DS was hospitalized last year for bronchiolitis (basically the bronchioles in his lungs were filled with fluid and since his lungs were so exhausted from fighting the condition for a week, they just couldn't empty out sufficiently) that was caused by RSV and I'll never forget the sound of his breathing.  Ugh.  There are other symptoms that DS had but I think they are common with any virus:  fever of 102 for about a week, no appetite, cranky, irritable, unable to sleep well, runny nose.  If there is wheezing, definitely get your LO in so the oxygen saturation levels can be monitored- that is how they can tell if your LO's lungs are handing the virus okay.  And keep going back as long as there is wheezing.  DS had oxygen sat levels of 95 one day and 48 hours later they were 82 and he was hospitalized.  Hope your LOs have just a cold and can kick it soon!

firsttogo

Another Hallmark of RSV is a nose that runs like a faucet. Your baby can have all, some or few of these symptoms. RSV looks like a cold in an adult or older child/toddler. Babies and younger toddlers can develop bronchiolitis from it, and that is where the danger lies. So, RSV can just be a label for a cold virus, or it can be very dangerous.

Mrs.LisaP

My LO has had a horrible cough (sounds a little porductive, but not too bad) and a CONSTANT runny nose for 2 days now. This morning she also has a alight fever. She gets most of these when she gets teeth, so I do I know if it could be RSV? She's not wheezing, but has all the other symptoms.

LCB34

KYRN:

Retractions, where the ribs sort of suck in when they take a breath.  Nasal flaring, and increased respirations (>60/minute).  These are not necessarily just for RSV.

This is what the ER told us as well.

Kate was just diagnosed witha respiratory virus (she's been coughing, super snotty nose, colored snot, labored breathing but not retracting, etc) but her RSV swab came back negative.  But, we are still watching for the retractions - which is a big thing apparently.

AuburnBride06

All of what the PPs said, but really it just depends on the severity. Noah just got over RSV, but thankfully never had the retractions or labored/fast breathing. They can definitely test positive without all that.  But those are the bad warning signs and we were told he needed to be seen immediately if he did all that. He ran a pretty high fever, had a terrible cough and had an incredible amount of congestion.Luckily, his lungs stayed clear, so they can have a very scary cough and it not be in their lungs.  If your DS has nasal congestion at all, do everything you can to get it out, to keep it from going into the lungs. We swear (and the pedi agrees) that basically camping out in the steamy bathroom everyday kept Noah from getting into scary territory. We did it at least 3 times/day for about 15 mins each every day that he was sick.