“Do we need to go the doctor?” If there is anything worse than a sick, miserable kiddo, it’s trying to figure out just how sick he is and whether you need to go to the doctor. We asked our friends at Lakewood Pediatrics to give us a quick guide.
This is a question parents often have. The simple answer is, any time you are worried about your child’s condition. There many conditions like colds that get better on their own, so it may not be necessary to rush in.
Practically however, there are a few fairly simple signs that would make a trip to the doctor’s office a reasonable thing. These are:
1. Is your child in a lot of pain? That is, pain that causes crying. Pain that alters their activity level. A condition that you think should hurt a lot.
2. Is there a fever that is high enough to change their activity level, making them lethargic or tired? Usually this is over 101. However, some kids with a 102 fever act like nothing’s wrong, and some with 101 fevers act really sick. It’s more about how sick they look, than the actual temperature.
3. Are they having trouble breathing? And we don’t mean, that their noses are stuffy, but they seem to be breathing hard, like just after a run. Are there noises coming from their chest? It doesn’t have to be much, but increased breathing effort is always a concern.
4. Has there been repeated vomiting and diarrhea that won’t stop? If it keeps happening, it’s worth a check.
5. Do they just look sick, with no energy, or acting confused?
6. Has their condition been dragging on for too long? Usually mild conditions that have lasted more than 2 weeks are worth checking into.
The signs above are worth investigating. However, they are not a comprehensive list. And we return to the first statement: If you are worried, that’s good enough. Your doctor will never feel like you wasted their time, and it’s always, “Better safe than sorry!”
If you have a question you’d like the doctors to address here, leave a comment, or send it to soundsfunmom@gmail.com, and you might see it in this space! This is sponsored content, and we would be very grateful if you mentioned Sounds Fun Mom when you check out Lakewood Pediatrics. Their providers are board certified physicians, and they can usually get their patients right in. We think those differences are important! If you do, too, you can check them out here. or just call 253-581-2111 They are accepting new patients now.