Any One

My good friend's nieces both had RSV at the same time (they are preemie twins) and it was very frightening. Most of us have had RSV at some point, and we think it is just a bad cold. the BEST thing to do, and i think this was suggested, is listen to the doctor's advice and keep the baby away from EVERYONE, especially other children / babies.

anyone around the baby should take care to wash hands / anything coming into contact with the baby. smokers should change before coming into contact with the baby.

Preemies are especially at risk b/c of their lung development.

The treatments work though -- the treatments DO work -- and don't be afraid if they have to go in to the hospital for a while. This is very common.

Best of luck!

Hi, S.. I have two nephews (both premies) who had RSV. They were both on the nebulizers, etc. The first had to be in the hospital quite a few times. Both have outgrown everything (the asthma, etc.) and are doing great. The best advice is to do everything the docs tell you.

Hi S.. My son was hospitalized with RSV when he was 22 months for 4 days. He also had the nebulizer, steroids, and an antibiotic for an ear infection at the same time. I know how scary it is but he is fine now. He is more sensitive during winter to viruses that affect the lungs but has not had a relapse. The doctors told me that the reason he, and most, kids are hospitalized is that they are working so hard to breath that they don't eat or drink and therefore get dehydrated. BUT he also said that this is normal for the virus and passes once treated correctly. Just keep up with the meds and breathing treatments and you'll see an improvement.

No matter how hard we try and what we do to keep our kids healthy it's always terrifying when they are that sick. Hang in there, he'll get better and hopefully be back to normal soon.
Amy

Congratulations to you S. from one Grandma to another. What an awesome experience you are in for. Personally, I am not familar with RSV but I find a website you might want to research ...www.rsvinfo.com. I scanned through it and it seems to be pretty informative. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your beautiful grandson. Please let me know what you find.~Simply D.

yes, the nebulizer did wonders for my kids last year. they got both medications through the nebulizer, the albuterol and the steroid one (i can't remember the name). also, the humidifier helps a lot and like the other lady said plenty of fluids, even if juice
good luck

Hi S.,

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I am so sorry to hear that your grandson has RSV. I have recently learned that the products that you use in your house can contribute to respirtory problems, not to mention lots of other health problems. I would love to tell you more, you can reach me at www.cheerforyourfuture.com

S.,
Its scary I know, but try not to worry. My daughter had RSV when she was 7 months old. She too was on a nebulizer and we had to take her to the hospital everyday for a week to have her oxygen level checked. ( we were lucky that her case was not so severe that she had to stay in the hospital. ) She seemed to pull out of it just fine, with the exception that she is more susceptible to respiratory infections. She too had been in very good health, as best I can recall any child can get it. Just keep him in your thoughts and prayers and let the doctors do the rest! I too will keep him in my thoughts and prayers.
D.

My youngest son had RSV twice, once at 4 months and once at around 9 months. Nothing scarier than that "seal-like barking" sound is there?
My son was diagnosed with asthma after the second time and would have issues a few times a year that would require the nebulizer and steroids, but now that he's 9, he hasn't used the nebulizer in 2 years.
It IS a potentially deadly virus, that would just be a chest cold in adults, but that's usually when they are much younger than your grandson's age. It sounds like you're doing what you're supposed to be doing (meds, etc), so just keep doing what you're doing. He'll get through it. I know it's scarey. He'll get through it and so will you and his parents. :-)

I know many moms who's kids have had RSV and been on a nebulizer, etc. I have some great emails saved that states what they did to improve their situation. If you'd like to email me at ____@____.com I can forward all that information to you. My name is J.. Just let me know that you need info on RSV and I'll send it to you. I hope it'll help out your little guy.

My son had RSV about 4 weeks ago at 5 monthes old, and he has always been a rather healthy boy. We did the neb treatments, oceans saline drops for his nose, tylenol for comfort, had him sleeping in a slightly upright postion with a cool mist humidifier running. It all seemed to help. The sad part is it has to run it's course, and that can be up to 14 days. UGH I hope you little guys starts doing better soon.

RSV is worst usually during cold/ flu season. Make sure nose is clean of snot before he's said down. You may want to put saline drops into his nose before he sleeps if you can't suction it out well enough. A air filter may also help. My eldest daughter had RSV, and this really helped out with her breathing issues at night. Make sure he gets plenty of fluids. I would go to webmd.com and see what other suggestions they had. That's what I remember (sorry it's been a few years) she had RSV when she was 7 months old- very scary stuff. Good luck!

I know this is hard to go through. My six year old went through RSV his first year. Afterwards, he had illness induced asthma. Even now, when he gets a bad cold, I have to nebulize him or give him an inhaler. It gets better though. The doctors have me doing the treatments more for precaution than anything. It was miserable nebulizing him as a baby. I had to neb him twice a day during the "sick months" even if he wasn't sick. I asked the doctor if it was really neccessary. He said that if I didn't his lungs could scar and he would have emphysema by the time he was 30. You'll get through it, but it's hard. Just find a DVD he likes when he needs to have his treatments. It's very hard to get them to sit still at 18 months! It does get better. My son hasn't had a treatment all season! He is finally growing out of it, but we still watch him if he gets a cough.

RSV is really common, usually nothing to stress over. Just keep him away from other kids, it's very contageous. If he is doing his neb treatments and such, he should be fine. If the doctor didn't hospitalize, don't worry about it. The best thing to do is monitor the breathing (you, or the baby's mom, can put your ear up to the baby's bare back and listen as he takes deep breaths, if it sounds dry, you're good, if it sounds wet, take him back to the doctor. My son had it when he was 24 months old and he was hospitalized for 4 days because his oxygen levels were low. He had RSV, pheumonia, and strep throat all at the same time. My son's doctor told me that all of us have had RSV at some point in our lives, most of us have had it several times. Don't let the fact that he's been diagnosed with RSV scare you. Just be cautious in watching his breathing to make sure he isn't getting pneumonia. I'm sure he'll be fine.

hi new grandma - RSV is more common than you would think - its a virus, so like cold germs most of us carry around, its usually only the little kids with other health issues - like preemies that are affected when they get it, but sometimes healthy ones like yours have some respiratory problems and need to be in a hospital where they are closely monitored - why? because when small children have respiratory compromise, they can decompensate rapidly. the steroids will help shrink the inflammation in the lungs, oxygen maybe, not feeding them if they are breathing too fast, and humidification to loosen things are pretty standard. preemies or chronically ill infants will get a vaccination to help keep it away. We are at the height of RSV season and really the only prevention is good hand washing.
Hope this helps.

H. (a pediatric nurse who has taken care of lots of RSV babies and toddlers)

Hi S.. My son developed it at 13 months. I also breast fed. He was fine after awhile, and hasn't had anymore problems with it. How long has he been on the nebulizer etc. Maybe he just needs a little more time. I hope he gets better soon. What does his doctor say? If they are not concern, just relax. I know it's hard but sometimes we worry more than we should. Best of Luck.

Hello. I am very sorry that your grandson is so sick. Unfortunately, we have a lot of experience with RSV and other respiratory ailments. Our 5 year old has been admitted to the hospital 4 times for 4 days each from age 2 thru 4 with respiratory problems. This is so scary, so stressful. Her oxygen levels dropped so low that she was hospitalized until they reached a normal levels again.
First, most children really do rebound from this well. It is, again, very scary and so sad to see your child suffer, but after few days of treatment, kids seem to rebound quite well. We have a nebulizer and steroid treatment at home just in case we ever need it.

I, too, breastfed our children. Really, this has nothing to do with your grandson getting sick. Your daughter should be proud of herself!

As your grandson grows have his adeniods and tonsils checked. This will not prevent further respiratory problems, however we discovered that our daughter's airway way 80% blocked by incredibly large tonsils which we had removed at 4 years of age. She still gets colds, runny nose, etc...however she has not had an respiratory issues to speak of. I am still gun shy, so when she has a cold I do give her nebulizer treatments (under Dr's care) when I think she is a bit uncomfortable in her breathing.
AND call your Dr. if you feel your grandson is getting worse, not better. Trust your instincts.
Sorry this is so long! Please let me know if you have questions. Good Luck and I hope your grandson is already feeling better!!

My daughter had RSV at that age, as well as ear infections. I was at urgent care a lot, and the ER once. She had MANY rounds of antibiotics, steroids and neb treatments. At age 2, they started to treat her for allergies and asthma. She is now 10 and her asthma is under control. She uses advair and singulair. My son (now 6) also had similar symptoms. He was treated with cromolyn (no longer used as much... it was before singulair). He has more allergies than asthma and uses singulair. I have a son who is 2 (3 in April). He is similar to my daughter and often has croup. He is also on singulair. We use the neb (albuterol) when is is sick to prevent worsening of the asthma symptoms, as well as pulmicort in the neb in acute situations. Singulair is great. They used to prescribe it for allergies, but now it is known to help asthma as well. It can be prescribed as young as age 2 in the 4mg dose. It is a tasty chewable. I know it works because I also take this medication, and have only been ill with my asthma at times I have failed to be consistent with the singulair. Your grandson may not have asthma, but I think it is worth asking the pediatrician if it is a possibility. I know I literally breathed a sigh of relief when they all began breathing better. Good Luck!

Hi..My daughter got RSV when she was 10 weeks old. And I breastfeed as well.She is now almost 13 weeks and I feel like we are on the tail end of it. She was on an antibiotic for alos having a touch of ammonia. It was so scary at night watching her try to sleep and try to breath being so congested. But the more upright she was the easier it was. So that might help. It sounds like your case is a little worse than mine was but Im sure it will all be fine. I know how scary it is! Good luck!

My son had this and this is the standard course. Continue all the treatments until the dr. says not to, even if the symptoms start to clear up, to prevent reinfection. It's scary, but my son got through it and is doing wonderful now. Also, try to get him to sleep in a bouncy seat or something to help keep him upright, it helps. Also, in the crib, put 1 or 2 hardcover books under the head of the mattress, so it's elevated slightly above the feet, it will help!

Good luck.

S.-
My daughter was diagnosed with RSV last year at 8 months and was hospitalized for a week. During that stay she was on a nebulizer and steroids and refused to eat. It is a very stressful illness as it has to run it's course. It is also extremely contagious. My daughter was in isolation at the hospital. I too breastfed her and she was in good health. RSV is very dangerous for children. Hang in there. It will get better.