 | Diary Navigation:
|
January 30, 2001
January 30
Yesterday, my midwife, Melanie, called and we discussed the results of my throat culture. The culture came back positive for a bacteria called Haemophilus influenza. Melanie as surprised to learn that I felt I was getting over it, but we both agreed it was a good idea to treat this with an antibiotic because this bacteria can infect my respiratory system, becoming bronchitis, pneumonia, or something similar. It also causes ear infections, and is very likely the cause of my eye infection. She’s called in a prescription for the antibiotic Keflex, which my mom will pick up on the way home. The interesting thing is that this bacteria is resistant to penicillin, and most forms of penicillin.
I have several concerns, and if anyone knows the answers, please let me know. There are apparently several types of this bacteria, the most common being Haemophilus influenza type B, also known as HiB. If that sounds familiar, it’s because your kids have very likely been vaccinated against it, or at least you’ve been pressured to vaccinate your kids against HiB. That’s because it can be an extremely serious illness, causing the aforementioned things, and even death through meningitis. It’s primarily a problem for children, especially very young children.
Jacob has been vaccinated against HiB. And he just finished a 10-day course of amoxicillin. He was taking antibiotics for an ear infection, which can be caused by HiB, as well as a number of other bacterias and viruses. He also has a cough, which he had then. I am very unsure of our pediatrician’s care. Dr. B. looked in his ears, eyes, and throat, and decided he had a slight ear infection and an eye infection, but that the cough was not really a concern. She did not tell me that some ear infections can be caused by a virus, even though I had strong objections to antibiotics. And I told her, after we decided to go ahead with the antibiotics, to make sure she used a strong enough one to be sure of killing the bacteria, instead of breeding a stronger resistant form of the bacteria. She convinced me that since Jake has never taken any antibiotics that using a weaker antibiotic was the best choice because if he took a very strong one now, if he got sick later he would be resistant. Resistant to what, I don’t know. I was also sick the day I took him in to see her, and very unsure of myself. But now that I’ve had time to think about it, I really think she is wrong. It’s the bacteria that becomes resistant to a weak antibiotic, not the child who becomes resistant to a strong one.
I really wish she had done a throat culture to double-check her diagnosis. Although, I can maybe understand why she didn’t, because Jake’s throat was not inflamed. However, I rather disapprove of giving antibiotics without confirming a bacteria. And in this case, if he has Haemophilus influenza, then amoxicillin was not a good choice because this bacteria is resistant to forms of penicillin. Which would explain why he still has the cough. His ear infection seems to be gone, though, as well as his eye infection. And that leads to the next concern: the vaccine. If Jake has HiB, doesn’t that mean that the vaccine didn’t work? And if that is the case, should I have him re-vaccinated? Or, this isn’t type B at all. I haven’t been able to find any information on any other type, but why would they specify a type B if there were no other types? Should Jake be put on a stronger antibiotic? I’ll be calling Dr. B. today, even though she’s a bit intimidating.
I sent Melanie an email yesterday asking what type of Haemophilus influenza I have. I had forgotten to ask while she was on the phone with me. She actually just called while I was typing this and confirmed I have HiB. She also said not to worry about Jake because he’s been vaccinated, has had antibiotics, and seems to be getting better. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him, though, to watch for a relapse. Melanie thinks it’s rather possible Jake never had HiB to begin with. It could have been any number of things, and we have no real idea because he wasn’t cultured. She also says that not doing a culture wasn’t such a bad thing. I was cultured because she suspected a virus and wanted to rule out a bacteria that would require more treatment. She thinks Dr. B. did not do a culture because she suspected a bacteria and was prescribing a treatment, and thus didn’t need to test for something she might miss, as a virus would resolve itself.
I rather think Jake should have been cultured, as he could have had a bacteria that is more resistant that we supposed, but I no longer fault Dr. B., as she seemed to follow standard practice. I will request a culture next time Jake is ill.
Another concern is the rest of my family, who are coming down sick with sore throats and coughs. I fear they have caught this bacterium of mine. The problem is neither of my parents have doctors. My mother is going to look for one today, but my dad avoids doctors as best he can. I just hope no one comes down with bronchitis. And I hope we don’t continually cross-contaminate each other.
It’s been a while since I updated you about breastfeeding. :) Jake nurses quite a few times a day. I don’t pay attention much, actually, so I can’t really tell you how many times he nurses. But it is more than it was over the recent holidays. I think it’s because he and I have both been ill, and we don’t have any interesting guests coming through all the time. He still nurses to sleep, for naps and at night, although he doesn’t have to. If he takes a nap while I’m out grocery shopping and he’s home with my mother, he goes down with little fuss.
He’s picked up his rather annoying habit of picking at me while he nurses. He’ll scrabble his fingers up and down the back of my arm, or stick his fingers in my ear/eye/nose/mouth, or wedge his hand in my armpit or the crook of my neck, or pinch at any skin he can reach. And he does this incessantly, driving me nuts. And he won’t lie still. He used to assume exceeding strange positions and then stay there, but now he twists and turns and pulls and bounces all over the place. Grr. It’s not enough for me to wean him, but it certainly makes nursing him much less fun. If anyone’s got any suggestions...
And tomorrow is my MRI. I admit I’m awfully nervous about it, even though we are virtually certain I’m simply having debilitating migraines. I’ll update y’all as soon as I have any information.
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
