SUNBURY — Your child isn’t feeling well, but how do you know when it’s time to see a doctor? Dr. Kathryn DeHart is a pediatrician for Geisinger Health System and was a guest on WKOK Sunrise.
DeHart said, “Common colds usually don’t need to come into the doctor if children just have coughs and runny noses. They kind of estimate that kids get about two colds a month through the entire season. So sometimes, it seems like they kind of perpetually have coughs and runny noses.”
However, if more than a week passes and your child is still sick, then something else could be wrong, “If kids are getting a cough and runny nose that is worsening after 10 to 14 days, that’s usually when we will want kids to come into the office to make sure everything is okay and potentially need some treatment from us.”
DeHart says the virus can become a bacterial infection at this point, “We always usually like to have the immune system fight of viruses and even some bacterias if they can and kids often get better on their own. But at 10 to 14 days, if you are getting worse, sometimes it has turned into a bacterial infection, and that’s when antibiotics can do their best work.”
However, DeHart says they are careful about prescribing antibiotics, “Antibiotics have a lot of side effects. There are other bacterias that can come in that cause severe diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. And, the real huge concern for all of us now, is antibiotic resistance. For bacterias that see a lot of antibiotics, it actually sets your child up, and everyone else around you, for bacterias that no longer respond to antibiotics.
DeHart adds that when your child is sick, sometimes just going with your “gut” is the right decision, “Anytime a mother is looking at her child, you know your child the best and so if you are truly concerned, never hesitate to come to the doctor.”
You can hear more from Dr. DeHart on how to help your sick child get better on WKOK Sunrise posted online at www.wkok.com.