Anglim Private Health is a private GP surgery in Bury St Edmunds. We aim to make it easy for patients to access high quality face to face GP appointments. Call us on 01284 245665 to find out more.
As the weather turns more wintery, we are going to see an increase in the number of coughs and colds. When that affects one of our children we can often be left unsure about the course of action. Do I need to worry about a high temperature? What about a cough that has gone on for a week? How do I know if it is time to see a doctor? We are going to try to answer some of these questions.
Firstly there are some special circumstances. If your child has other serious ongoing medical conditions, the following may not apply to you. For example a child who has a suppressed immune system or heart defect will need to have a much lower threshold for seeking help. Children under 3 months of age should also see a GP with each infection and if a child under 12 weeks has a temperature (38.1C or higher) you should see a doctor immediately, go to A+E if necessary.
If your child just has a cold, it is normally fine to look after them yourself at home. The key features would be a cough, perhaps a sore throat and maybe a short period of having a temperature. But there are some circumstances where you probably should see a doctor:
- If your child seems short of breath
- If your child is dehydrated because they are not eating and drinking well
- If their temperature is very high and they are shivery
- And if they seem more drowsy or confused than normal, find it difficult to walk or are very much not themselves
Some children will have an illness with just a temperature and not much else. If that happens and they are not too unwell in themselves, you can see how things go for a day or two. But if your child is very unwell with a temperature, or if a temperature without other symptoms continues for more than 3-5 days, you should organise to see your GP.
What about bacterial meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis is a very serious illness. It normally appears with a temperature, headache, neck stiffness, dislike of light and a rash. It can progress quickly and is considered an emergency.
The most important feature that parents should look out for however is that your child just appears very unwell. That means quiet, not playing, dehydrated, not eating and not themselves. Many parents look out for the meningitis rash but that rash appears quite a way in to the illness and most parents would have sought help long before its appearance, because the child looks so unwell. Bacterial meningitis is luckily rare and the best way of reducing the risk is to make sure your child has had their planned immunisations.
If your child is unwell and deteriorating quickly you should call 999. If you would like to get them checked it might be appropriate to see your GP on an urgent basis.
My child is wheezy?
This can be very difficult to assess yourself at home. If your child seems short of breath with their wheeziness, you should take them to see a GP. If your child has asthma, you should follow their written asthma plan. If you don’t have an asthma plan, speak to your GP or asthma nurse to get one asap; they are proven to save lives.
There are many children without asthma who will have wheeziness. The most common causes are:
- Viral induced wheeze, which is the same as a cold but young children will become wheezy because their airways are small. In a small number of cases, even though it is just a virus, it can cause symptoms bad enough to require a trip to hospital.
- Croup is a virus (or one of a few different viruses) which causes swelling of the upper airways and vocal cords. It causes wheeziness and a distinctive cough which sounds like a seal barking. As the swelling is worse when lying down there tends to be a big difference with symptoms with much worse symptoms overnight. Then by the time you bring the child to see the GP, they sometimes appear much more well.
- A pro tip is to video the child coughing overnight, it makes it so much easier to make the diagnosis when you see your GP the next day.
- If you think your child has croup then you should see your GP every time. They used to give treatment to just severe episodes, but the guidance now is that every child with croup should receive treatment.
- Occasionally croup can be very severe and if your child is struggling with their breathing, you should call an ambulance
- Bronchiolitis is a viral infection, normally from the RSV virus. It causes swelling of the small airways in the lungs causing a wheezy cough, often alongside a temperature and runny nose. It is very common in autumn and winter and has traditionally been the most common reason for a normally well child to require hospital admission. They have recently started a vaccination programme for pregnant women to reduce the risk of a child having bronchiolitis in the first year of their life and we hope to see far fewer babies requiring hospital treatment as a result.
- Bacterial chest infection, which is when antibiotics are needed. This produces symptoms which can be similar to a cold, but often more severe and sustained. This is mostly diagnosed by your GP having a listen with a stethoscope.
If you have a child who is wheezy and struggling more than they should, then you should organise for your child to see a GP. If you think your child has croup, you should see your GP every time, even if it is mild.
My child has a painful ear infection?
Ear infections are common in children, often happening alongside a cold. The big clue is the child pulling at or rubbing their ear. If they have a cold with an earache for the fist few days you can try to give them pain relief and see if it settles. They can be horribly painful, particularly overnight, as lying down increases the pressure in the ear. If the earache lasts more than 3 days or gunge comes out of the ear, then you should take your child to see their GP. If there is gunge and a temperature at the same time, you should see your GP on the same day.
How can Anglim Private Health help?
We aim to make it easy and convenient to organise your GP appointment. If your child is unwell the last thing you want is to have to battle to get them seen. And if your child is unwell on a weekend we can see them on the same day. Our surgery is conveniently located with onsite parking. You can use our service if your child is unwell or you are not sure and would like them checked over. If there is an emergency you should call an ambulance or go to the emergency department.
We are also able to offer home visits if you would prefer your child to be seen at home.
If you would like your child to be seen by Dr Anglim, please call us on 01284 245665, email doctors@anglimhealth.co.uk or book an appointment online.
You do not need to register with us beforehand to book an appointment and it does not affect your registration at an NHS GP surgery. As well as individual appointments we offer memberships with unlimited appointments for a monthly fee and discounts for family memberships.