Ok so my 20 month old nephew has now after 3 weeks of misdiagnosis the doctor is stating they found Jenjuni bacteria in his stool and prelim tests show possible Lyme disease. He is experiencing joint pain and discomfort, always crying. He is on antibiotics for Jenjuni, today is day 3 yet nothing seems to improve. Doctor took other blood tests however seems to be more of a wait and see thing. Anyone have a child that has gone through either ailment? Looking for any guidance/suggestions during this difficult time.
You don't sound very confident in this pediatricians ability to treat or diagnose.
Does your nephew's mother feel the same?
At this point I think I would be locating a children's hospital and recommending to his mother to bring him there.
I don't know enough about the treatment protocol to know if this is the norm or not, but I can sense your frustration and anxiety, and believe a second opinion never hurts.
Poor baby.
My granddaughter (now age 3) ended up with Lyme disease at 20 months. We caught it quickly (very classic bulls-eye rash on her arm, but never saw the tick, and also a full body rash that sometimes happens with Lyme disease), and she was on antibiotics for 3 weeks. (The rash appeared on a Saturday, she was in to see the doctor on Monday. The doctor didn't do any testing since it was such a classic rash, and because the antibodies don't usually show up in the bloodwork for several weeks.)
She tends to still be sensitive to insect bites (she welts up badly at mosquito bites), but we've not seen any other side effects. We are hoping there are no long-term effects still to come.
Good luck! If you aren't confident with this doctor's diagnosis, seek a second opinion, especially since he is having so much joint pain.
Again - antibiotics take TIME. Lyme is tough to diagnose and to treat - I know several adults who are on 30 day antibiotic regimens, and many I know who have been through it continue with immune system support because the effects can be long-lasting. Not to panic you, just to have you be more realistic in expecting results. I wouldn't expect results in 3 days with something simple like strep throat, but if this is bacterial (which is what you say in your paragraph although the title says "virus") it may take longer. What miracle recovery are you expecting? And a virus isn't responsive to antibiotics anyway so I'll assume you just made a mistake in using that term.
I'm concerned that you have no confidence in the doctor. If the child's parents feel that way, they should get a 2nd opinion, or a third. Perhaps you are just getting agitated with partial info? While they may not mean to exclude you, it's understandable that parents with a sick child and medical info overload aren't going to relay every single detail to the child's aunt. Do you tend to be a worrier? Or are the parents also beside themselves with concern and frustration with how long this is taking? Look, THEY have to be willing to go to the next step, which is another pediatrician or a children's hospital with a team of people (gastrointestinal, maybe infectious disease specialists) who will address the whole child. If they are content, and there's no negligence on their part, then I think you have to be supportive of them and help in other ways than trying to solve their child's problem. Maybe they could use some babysitting or some home-cooked meals to help them - they must be stressed out. Try to help in the way that they need and will accept.
lyme diseases is NOTORIOUSLY difficult to diagnose. it often takes way, way longer than 3 weeks, as it's mostly a process of elimination.
and if he has either one of these relatively serious conditions, 3 days on antibiotics may well not be enough to make him feel better.
do you not trust this doctor? if that's the case, go get 2nd and 3rd opinions.
but quick fixes aren't going to happen if indeed the poor little fellow has either jenjuni or lyme or both.
khairete
S.
I have a friend who had Lyme Disease and she still hurts in her joints. It's been a couple of years. The docs told her they might never go completely away. Plus she has fatigue now. She can get up and do a few things but then she has to stop and rest.
Medications take time. BUT I would be expecting to see some sort of change by now too. His fever and flu like symptoms should have stopped by now, his aches should be less but the joint pain might not go away for a while. If he's having any other symptoms other than the flu like stuff and the joint aches I'd just call the pharmacist and ask them how long they'd expect it before you see results but if he's only having joint pain...that might be there for months and months.
