Niece is Sick

Calebros

Ok, so my two year old niece is sick, but we can't quite figure out what it is. Everyone is really far in debt here so if we can avoid the costly hospital visit we'd really like to, and I know everyone is gonna say 'go to the doctor', but really any clue as to what it is exactly will help.

She has asthma and has a history of attacks, one that was very very close to killing her, so it may have something to do with what's currently going on.

Symptoms as of now:
-Fever
-Sore throat
-Fatigue
-Sore muscles
-Quickened pulse
-Sleeps a lot
-Dark rings under the eyes
-Diarrhea

This sounds like just a flu, but as an asthmatic 2-year-old she's vulnerable and things could get worse very quickly, and we aren't familiar with asthma attacks to be able to tell the difference.

Ruckus

Sounds like our old friend, Influenza. Keep her hydrated (plenty of fluids), let her rest. There really isn't any other treatment than that.

Do be aware of any trouble breathing. The weakness of the body's immune system may allow a secondary infection of bacterial pneumonia or possibly bronchitus, which would not be fun at all for Asthmatics.

Also, if her temperature exceeds 103 (39c) degrees I'd recommend a doctor, above 105 (41c) call an ambulance.

sark

No offense to anyone, but a group of mostly teen - 20 somethings is not going to give advice you can bank on in this kind of situation.

If you can't afford a hospital visit, find a free clinic or something.

Money < Your niece's well being.

zhen_rogue

Strep, tonsilitis, pneumonia, sinus infection, etc.
Could be any one of a large number of afflictions with those symptoms.

Fever = serious enough to see a doctor.

Call your local health department for a list of free or low-cost practitoners that will give her the diagnosis she needs.

Why take a chance?

Calebros

sark wrote:

Money < Your niece's well being.

lack of money means less able to give her the things she needs on a regular basis, as well as a house (since my brother and sister-in-law don't even really have one right now), so right now, the less money we can spend the better off she'll be.

Which is why we're exhausting the options first.

Nerissa

It does sound like the flu. But remember that there's a reason they suggest small children get flu shots every year. They are EXTREMELY vulnerable to complications. And when she's got asthma to start with...

I'd seriously start calling around looking for a free clinic or something, because you don't want to wait until this is an emergency if you can help it.

This won't help right away, since there's an application process to go through and all, but for the future, if money's really that tight, is she maybe eligible for Medicare or Medicaid? (I've never been quite sure what the difference is between the two) Also, some states have "healthy kids" programs (I know Florida does) where you can get extremely low-cost health insurance for your kids if your income is low enough. It might be worth looking into since things like asthma tend to stick around and make kids vulnerable to other illnesses as well. One small insurance payment is better than lots of big doctor / hospital bills.

Calebros

I'd have to ask my brother about all that stuff. I know they've tried getting one of those health care things for Chloe that's only like $15 a month but they keep getting turned down.

She seems to be doing a bit better now though.

Axim

yeah we're not really the people to be asking about this but suggestions so far have been good, with something like this a free clinic is the best option sounds like some sort of flu but fever and inflammation can be connected to infection as well. when they're not old enough to tell you what hurts that makes it even more difficult. if it's an infection then a prescription for antibiotics is all you will need so the costs wouldn't be too high. but again i have no idea what you guys pay out of pocket, but when she's that young i would not risk anything even with a poor financial situation..

definitely look into some form of state subsidized program for her.. really anything to get a little coverage since 2 is still a pretty volatile age with illness. man we take that sort of thing for granted in canada but it's situations like this that piss me off man you guys should at least have government funded care for children..

good luck