Because, you know, the GI problems weren't tough enough on the poor little guy. Pedi says it could last weeks (!!). I'm glad my MIL is watching him next week before he starts daycare.
Anyone have experience with RSV? Any suggestions? We'll be doing nebulizer treatments each day for a little while though I suspect that won't do a whole lot.
Re: DS has RSV, anyone else's LO have that?
unfortunately, yes! DD gave it to DS as a present for his 4mo old birthday.
we now own a nebulizer (go ahead and purchase it, your insurance will pay for it). We found Xopenex better than Albuterol as Albuterol makes the kids jittery and keeps them awake. If you ask your pedi, she should have a Xopenex RX card, which will bring your co-pay (if it's $50 or less) to $0! Xopenex is expensive but worth it b/c of the above, IMO.
we had to nebulize every 4 hrs for the 1st few days, around the clock, then go to 6, then 8. It did help.
it's so sad when they get so sick so young
DD didn't until I weaned her but she brings so many germs home, DS has been a lot sicker in a lot shorter period of time
in addition, make sure he sleeps elevated, run a humidifier in his room and ask if he's old enough to put baby Vicks rub on his feet (and socks or footie PJs) over the feet.
good luck!
Ditto Sofka on everything, and make sure to get the coupon card for the Xopenex. Unfortunately, even the Xopenex causes DD to get a little wired, so we tried to give her the evening treatment at least an hour before going down for bed. Luckily, we didn't need to nebulize around the clock!
Her RSV did last about 3 weeks and four weeks later, she still has a pretty bad nighttime cough. She had a decent sleep routine going but the RSV killed that, and we're still having trouble getting her back to any routine.
Our LOs are just getting over RSV. I second what everyone else has said, especially about the albuterol making them jittery. It also reduces appetite, as does the RSV on its own, so your DS' appetite might go way down. Our LOs were eating only an ounce or two at feedings. But, when we stopped the albuterol after 3 days, it came roaring back.
Also, definitely ditto what Gigs said about RSV messing with the sleep routine. DD is back to sleeping almost normally, but DS's nighttime sleep is still a mess. They both were almost STTN, but now DS is waking at least 15 times a night starting at 1am if we don't put him in our bed. We caught the RSV in the LOs early, so both LO's cough has just about gone away, but they both still have stuffy noses. We suspect this is what is keeping DS up. If that goes away and he still isn't sleeping, we'll have to CIO. Stupid RSV!
Finally, don't be surprised if you get a pretty bad cold too. DH and I never get colds, but we both got pretty sick after the LOs got RSV. MIL and FIL, who take care of the LOs two days a week, also got sick.
Yes! J had it when he was 4 months. The nebulizer does help (although he HATED it at the time).
Some other things that helped were having him sleep upright (we used the swing) and actually kind of patting/pounding his back to help loosen the mucus. I think it last more like 1.5-2 weeks. It suuuuucked.
Sorry your little guy is going through this on top of everything else - no fun!
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Ugh, we've dealt with it too and it is absolutely awful. He hated the nebulizer, we used every trick in the book to get him to sit still for that - hopefully your little guy might just calmly lay there! Although the doc actually said if they are crying it can sometimes get more of the medicine into their lungs because they are taking bigger breaths.
We also did lots of sitting in the bathroom with the steamy shower going, the humidifier in his room at night, and elevated his mattress.
It messed with his sleep terribly. He had it for about 4 weeks total. When he was finally done we had to totally re-Ferberize, but this was just about 2 months ago so he was a lot older than your DS!
Hope he feels better soon and so glad he gets grandma next week!
DS had RSV at 3 mo and ended up in the hospital for a couple nights. Everyone else's advice is great. Putting some eucalyptus oil in the bathtub and then running the shower on full hot (drain closed makes for better steam) helped. Not to freak you out, but things to look out for include discoloration around the lips (blue tint) or that their neck gets a little "hollow" spot when they breathe because they are struggling a bit. If you see either of those, go to urgent care or ER for a pulse-ox check. DS wasn't sick for all that long. Hope you are all on the mend quickly!