Kingsley: Antibiotics

September 2014

I am so against the use of antibiotics in small children, that when the Paediatrician prescribed them for Kingsley today I was taken by surprise and had to evaluate my feelings on the matter versus his need to fight the infection that was making him very sick and miserable.

The diagnosis was ear infection. So what are King’s symptoms? He’s has a bothersome cold for a week. Snot is now, all of a sudden, turning a little green and his cough is starting to keep us both up at night. Then last night he became worse: up every hour extremely fussy with a fever, and unwilling to lie flat. Hence the doctor’s visit today…and finally the diagnosis and prescription.

Ear infections in children are the most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions. And with my new found understanding of their beneficial use in certain indications, I now get it. Look, antibiotics are not necessary to treat ear infection, but their use will possibly prevent the very rare, but possible, complications of an ear infection spreading into the brain or bone surrounding the ear.

And when I looked at my sad baby coming out of the doctor’s surgery, taking comfort from his dummy (which he rarely if ever uses) then it was case closed. Bring on the big guns. This baby needs his medicine…

Nini 381 Nini 387

 

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