I made a house call on the granddaughter of a former two days ago. The family were visiting here from the east and the mother was greatly worried because her daughter sounded croupy. She told me that in the past the pediatrician gave the child steriods when she sounded croupy. Also, the little girl was hospitalized on one occasion with the croup and put in a mist tent.
Whne I saw the child, I expected to see an unhappy, croupy child. Instead, the little two-year-old was breathing easily and sat quietly while I examined her. The little girl did not have a fever, her lungs were clear and the only positive finding was a little pinkness of one ear which I had seen a few days before when I examined her sick cousin.
I told the mother and grandparents that I found no reason for aggressive treatment, but did want the child to have a croup tent with a mist vaporizer, an expectorant (Robitussin), and to stay inside and keep warm. I gave her an anitibiotic because her little cousin was still visiting and had bilateral ear infections and a cough.
I checked the next morning and the child had had a good night in her croup tent that the gradnfather set up. I was appalled that the doctor in the east treated mild croup with steriods. This is not something that should be standard practice. My own two children crouped almost nightly during the winter in Rochester, New York and all I did was set up a croup tent with a mist vaoprizer and give them Robitussin.
I just checked on Google to see the advice that WebMd gives parents and they fortunately do not recommend steriods, but just cool mist. I think the doctor was treating himself, not the little girl. That way he would be sure she wouldn't have to be admitted to the hospital!
I made a house call on the granddaughter of a former two days ago. The family were visiting here from the east and the mother was greatly worried because her daughter sounded croupy. She told me that in the past the pediatrician gave the child steriods when she sounded croupy. Also, the little girl was hospitalized on one occasion with the croup and put in a mist tent.
Whne I saw the child, I expected to see an unhappy, croupy child. Instead, the little two-year-old was breathing easily and sat quietly while I examined her. The little girl did not have a fever, her lungs were clear and the only positive finding was a little pinkness of one ear which I had seen a few days before when I examined her sick cousin.
I told the mother and grandparents that I found no reason for aggressive treatment, but did want the child to have a croup tent with a mist vaporizer, an expectorant (Robitussin), and to stay inside and keep warm. I gave her an anitibiotic because her little cousin was still visiting and had bilateral ear infections and a cough.
I checked the next morning and the child had had a good night in her croup tent that the gradnfather set up. I was appalled that the doctor in the east treated mild croup with steriods. This is not something that should be standard practice. My own two children crouped almost nightly during the winter in Rochester, New York and all I did was set up a croup tent with a mist vaoprizer and give them Robitussin.
I just checked on Google to see the advice that WebMd gives parents and they fortunately do not recommend steriods, but just cool mist. I think the doctor was treating himself, not the little girl. That way he would be sure she wouldn't have to be admitted to the hospital!