RSV Page

The one thing that I have noticed with all of the sites I have seen and Drs. I have talked to is that none of them state how fast it can bring a child down. One day they have a snotty nose and two days later they are in the hospital with O2 sats around 75-80. At least that's how it happens with Brandon. I know that they state a child with underlying conditions, i.e. heart, respitory, (downs!) can get it worse, but I don't think that they make clear how dangerous and quickly it can happen.

Parents need to be aware of their rights in the hospital too. Don't let them walk all over you. The second time Brandon was in with this he was going down hill in the middle of the night. I noticed that his sats were not going up even when getting a breathing treatment with pure O2. I had to complain a couple of times to get action. The poor child was retaining fluid and x-rays showed he was having some conjestive heart failure. Whenever he is in the hospital, we have someone there at all times. Even when they say " oh you don't have to stay every night". WRONG! I'm his mother and I know if he is not acting right.

Initially, we thought this was just a cold, or perhaps an extension of the pnemonia he had suffered with in late November. A day later Dylan was fighting for every breath and we were on our way to Medical City. It came on fast and has lasted almost a month. We got out of the hospital after 5 days, but the virus lingered. It took almost a month to get him completely off of the O2 and regular breathing treatments. The fight to breath and replenish his O2 supply let him worn out and cranky. Left us the same way.
Update - preparation for RSV season 2000.
After three bouts with RSV in two years of life we are better prepared but still dreading the beginning of the season. Dylan had successful heart surgery in June and has easily thrown off little 'bugs' since that time. It is still stressful to think about the last two Octobers that we have spent in the hospital with Dylan getting through the RSV. Last year he got it nearly the first day he could. we were the first case in Dallas last year. After that initial bout Dylan was on Synagist the remainder of the year and experience no further bouts. The Synagist is expensive and hard to agin approval for from some insurance companies, but it certainly made a HUGE difference for Dylan AND for us.

Don't take this stuff lightly....especially if your child is under 3. Get to the doctor....request the RSV test...request a referral to a pediatric pulmonologist group. The pediatric pulmonoligists will be able to deal with this problem most effectively. (If you are in North Texas try Pediatric Pulmonlogists of North Texas at 972-566-5864.

When I read the comments section that some parents wrote I cried. My Granddaughter had a very strange cough one day. Noone would take her to the Dr. except for me. By that time she was so sick she stopped breathing. After 5 days in the hospital she was almost well enough to go home. They told me she was in more danger at the hospital because she could get something else while she was there. My gut told me she wasn't ready to come home. This virus can reverse itself for the worst very quickly. She was so ill 2 days later she had to go back to the emergency room. Fight for the right to get proper care! You know your children better than anyone else!

He was diagnosed with a cold until a Dr. from Repiratory came up with RSV. He was admitted and monitored and his O2 levels were quite low, he in a matter of a few hours was having difficulty breathing, he vomitted everything he put it in and from the other end put out what little fluid his little body had left. In a matter of just a few hours he went from a healthy child to near death. he was placed in a tent with O2 treatments and monitored for several days. Noone left his side I literally did not sleep for those days. I sat there staring at his chest in hopes that it continued to go up and down and then waited for him to open his eyes only to see the sadness and hear a whimper of a cry from his exhausted body. It was devistating. They released Eric some days later in hopes that the worse is over. How can anyone rest comfortably at night knowing that it could reoccur just as easily as it came
this time....a sneeze,a cough , a kiss. I still have not gotten over the light sleeping and the checking on him every few hours until , I guess, he turns Three. :) This is very very serious, just to let parents know not to take a cold lightly epescially in an infant. It can happen to your child...I pray it never does. God Bless all the little children.

RSV does come down hard and rapidly on a child with a supressed immune system. We almost lost our child because just a day and a half before we were told by the doctor that she had a cold. She was restless during the night and everytime she tried to lay down she would get restless and would wake back up. Its lucky we took her to the emergency room because within eight hours, even with an O2 breathing tube and nebulizer treatments she was to critical oxygen level. nothing they were doing was helping her. They finally intebated her and she could no longer breath on her own. She was wearing out just trying to breath. They waited for days for her to regain strength, but she just didn't have it in her. They ended up giving her a blood transfusion to elavate her white blood count. She spnt 10 critical days intebated. As parents we felt helpless. We could only trust the
doctors - but we also were aware of everything they were doing. We made them explain everything and if we didn't agree with something someone was doing. We would make them try something else. As we watched the doctors, We realized it is part of a educated guess on their part. Some are more savy then others. Our daughters Doctors and nurses where fantastic. The United Childrens Hospital is a wonderful facility. They took extra concern and care because of her downs syndrome. But it doesn't take a doctor to look at a
child and recognize if the treatment is affective. My husband and I could tell exactly how well she was doing. She spent two weeks in intensive care. It took another two months at home for her so seem back to normal. The doctors have warned us that she will be more suseptible to RSV again. This year will be watching and acting more quickly.

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Cold	A cold is a viral infection affecting the upper airway, which includes the nose, sinuses and throat. It may produce colored nasal discharge and a low grade (less than 101 F) fever. Commonly, a head cold lasts 5 days and may be followed by a cough lasting 3 to 5 days. The cough due to colds is worse at night, due to post-nasal drainage down the throat. Head colds may lead to sinusitis, which is a bacterial infection of the sinus cavities. This may or may not produce a fever, but is associated with 5 or more days of yellow/green nasal drainage and pressure in the sinus cavity areas. Again, sinus infections tend to cause a cough that's worse at night.
Pnemonia	Pneumonia means an infection of the lung with an accumulation of infected drainage in one or more sections. Pneumonias may be either viral or bacterial, and are usually identified by chest Xrays. Pneumonias are usually associated with fever, but one type (Walking Pneumonia, or Mycoplasma) is known for causing an awful cough but not necessarily fever. The cough due to pneumonia is usually the same day and night.
Bronchitis	Bronchitis is a general term, referring to inflammation of the airways leading from the trachea to the lungs. This may or may not be associated with fever, and can be allergic, viral or bacterial in nature. This is usually diagnosed when the patient looks and sounds like pneumonia but the chest Xray doesn't show pneumonia.

The RSV Info Page	Welcome to the RSV Info Center where you'll find a comprehensive overview about the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children.
MedImmune Inc.	RespiGam®, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Immune Globulin (Human), (RSV-IGIV) has been shown to provide significant protection against serious Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) disease, a potentially life-threatening infection for over 90,000 infants.
Dr. Reddy's Pediatric Office on the Web	Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a virus that attacks the mucous membranes of people's respiratory tracts (the nose, throat, windpipe, and the bronchi and bronchioles (the air passages of the lungs). The virus only infects humans.
American Lung Association® Fact Sheet on Respiratory Syncytial Virus	Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for many respiratory infections such as bronchiolitis, bronchopneumonia, and the common cold. RSV diseases are most common in young children. RSV causes approximately 90,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths each year in both infants and young children.

Choosing Medications for Colds and Coughs by Len Leshin, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and DS Dr. Len Leshin, MD, FAAP

American Family Physician - RSV Info

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a virus that attacks the mucous membranes of people's respiratory tracts (the nose, throat, windpipe, and the bronchi and bronchioles (the air passages of the lungs). The virus only infects humans.

DownsCity RSV Page	RSV Danger Zone November through April
Many children, especially infants with Down syndrome, are ideal candidates to be HIT HARD by RSV. RSV is a respiratory virus that can have a significant impact on the infants ability to breath and ozygenate their body