When To Take Your Child To The Doctor
by jmmillerWouldn’t it be so much easier if our little ones could just tell us what’s wrong? Sometimes symptoms, aches, and pains can seem confusing to a parent; how can you tell when it’s time to go to the doctor?
Unnecessary trips to the emergency room or doctor’s office can be costly and time consuming. Problems that can be treated at home should be handled outside of the health care system. Unless they have been persistent and are not responding to home treatment, these symptoms really do not warrant a trip to the doctor’s office:
- coughing, sneezing, watering eyes, or runny nose
- small cuts and scrapes (unless the child is not up to date with their Tetanus vaccination)
- minor skin rashes
- light bruising
Occasionally, your child may have worrisome symptoms that you should report to the doctor. They may ask you to bring your child in to be examined, or they may just ask that you call if the symptoms persist or worsen:
- a fever above 104
- headache or pain in the ear or jaw
- abdominal pain
- wheezing or persistent coughing
Some symptoms require a trip to the emergency room or an urgent care clinic. If your child has any of the following, they should be seen right away:
- difficulty breathing or turning blue
- tenderness, swelling, bruising or inability to move a limb or joint after an injury
- profuse bleeding
- rapid heartbeat
- a sudden change in alertness or mental status, ie: confusion, listlessness, drowsiness
- ingestion of a poisonous substance
Knowing when to treat at home can help to free up valuable time in the doctor’s office.
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