3 Signs That Your Child Needs To Go To The Doctor
by Julia Gregory
As a parent it can be very hard to know when to take your child to the doctor. There are situations where you might fell as though the child was fine and then all of the sudden, their state dropped quickly and you blame yourself that you didn't take them to the doctor earlier. It is never easy knowing when to go to the doctor, but there are some things that should know that can help you to make the right decision.
1. You Suspect Some Sort Of Infection
One common reason that people take their child to the doctor is because they suspect that they have some sort of infection. If the infection is bacterial in nature you can treat it with antibiotics. Your child might get better on their own, but with the help of the antibiotics you can speed up the healing and get them feeling better faster.
Signs of infection are a fever, a rash that has open wounds, pain in the throat, like strep throat, achy body, or cramping in the stomach. If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, especially if it is a high fever, you should take them to the doctor.
2. Your Child Is Struggling To Breath Or Their Breathing Is Labored
If your child is struggling to breathe, like they are having an allergic reaction, then you need to go to the ER, not the doctor. However, in some cases the child will just appear to have labored breathing. Meaning, while they are lying down their chest is rising not enough and then caving in more than usual. This could be a sign of a respiratory infection. A respiratory infection can be dangerous, even fatal for a child, so this is not something to be ignored. You need to get the child some sort of medication. Usually they will give the child a steroid shot to help them breathe better while the infection clears out.
3. The Child Isn't Acting Like Themselves
Usually when a child is sick they will have a behavior change. However, if the child begins to be overly lethargic, they don't want to eat or drink anything, they seem to be zoning out, or seem generally unresponsive, then you need to take them to the doctor. This can be dangerous if you don't attend to it.
These are a couple circumstances where you should take your child to the pediatric urgent care.
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About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.