I feel so foolish

AAAAA · Jul 30, 2010 at 10:46 AM

My youngest son went tubing down the River on Monday evening, he didn't hear me when I said "don't forget the sunscreen" and got a really bad sunburn.

On Tuesday morning he was sick, vomitting and diarrhea. He went to sleep Tuesday afternoon and did not move until I forced him awake Wednesday evening to make him drink. It did not even occur to me that he had heat exhaustion, I just figured he was dehydrated from the sunburn. But I got him to take fluids and he was feeling much better yesterday. About 5pm he even got out of bed to go play some video games.

At 6 he came up and said "will you look at my eye, it really hurts". There was a great deal of puss, which made it look like there had been a blister that popped in his eye. I absolutely paniced. I threw him in the car and hauled him off to the ER. It turns out it was pink eye. I feel so stupid. I just need some validation that if you saw a huge amount of puss coming from your child's eye it warrants an ER visit.

pachyderm · Jul 31, 2010 at 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAAAA

I just need some validation that if you saw a huge amount of puss coming from your child's eye it warrants an ER visit.

Sure sounds like it would, to me! Especially after you observed his reaction to the dehydration: you could not tell what else might be a consequence of that.

Perna · Aug 01, 2010 at 12:09 PM

Ewww! I had conjunctivitis lots in my early 20's but never pus; I'd definitely have hot-footed it to the ER. Better safe than sorry; eyes aren't to be messed with! I'd make sure he gets a referral appointment with an opthamologist on Monday!

AAAAA · Aug 01, 2010 at 02:32 PM

At the risk of being graphic.....

When he first came to me, there was a puss pocket the size of the tip of my finger, which I took to be a burst blister. By the time we got to the ER (a half hour away) he had puss oozing out of both corners of his eye.

The doctor has no doubt that he picked up the bacteria that causes it from the River. I've never let them swim in the River as it has been over run with duck poo since I was little. As a result we have our own version of swimmer's itch, our pharmacy makes it's own brand of lotion for it. Many locals and tourists alike seem to be able to tube and kayak without incident.

The eye doc appointment is a great idea, he needs a check up anyway. I have issues with people abusing the ER. My thought process was I had no idea what could possibly cause puss to ooze from the eye, but it couldn't possibly be good and it definately required immediate medical attention. When I looked it up on the internet later it seemed so minor.

lynn P. · Aug 01, 2010 at 03:20 PM

You 100% are correct in taking him to the ER. You can't fool around with the eye, especially if there's puss.

I live in Canada and as you already know, we don't pay for health care - it's worked out in the taxes etc. So you can imagine our ER's are packed with cases that range from ridiculous to serious. We get people coming in with colds who think they can't wait for Monday morning. I once had pink eye and went to the ER -eye problems can't wait IMO

AAAAA · Aug 01, 2010 at 04:15 PM

It was a bad day all around. Hubby was on a business trip, my daughter borrowed my car to go to a concert in Milwaukee. I keep my driver's license and insurance card in my car so I always know where they are, so I did not have them on my person. She has a replacement key for her car, so there is a trick to start it.

Since he'd been sick, I didn't get much sleep because I was waking him up every couple of hours to drink still going to work at 4 pm and working nine hours. I was exhausted. I had my pjs on and was already set for bed when he came in with eye complaints.

The road construction is horrible. I tried to keep track of the roads I was driving on (following Hospital signs) so I could find my way back. When I got to the ER, I'd had not been there in years, so I forgot that it's actually around the back of the building, so it was a mess trying to find the correct entrance. When we finally got to the right place I approached the window to let the receptionist know what was going on and she snapped "go through the door! Does it look like I have supersonic hearing and can talk through walls?"

Luckily the hospital is associated with our local clinic, so after a few security questions, they had all of our insurance information. The receptionist looked at my son and said "oh, that's just pink eye."

The doctor was more concerned with the sunburn as he is battling skin cancer for the third time.

When we were finished, it took me 15 minutes to get my daughter's car started. Well actually, my son ended up doing it. Then I got lost on my way home.

lynn P. · Aug 01, 2010 at 05:09 PM

(((AAAAA))) sorry you had such a hard time.

Hopefully you'll rest well tonight. What did they do about his eye. I didn't know pink eye to turn to a puss like problem.

AAAAA · Aug 01, 2010 at 07:56 PM

They just gave him Cipero eye drops. He had to have them every 2 hours for the first day, now three times a day.

I forgot to ask about his contacts. I just assumed that they would be contaminated and had him throw them away and wear glasses until he's finished with the drops.

Perna · Aug 02, 2010 at 11:59 AM

"In both children and adults, pink eye can cause inflammation in the cornea that can affect vision. Prompt evaluation and treatment by your doctor can reduce the risk of complications." ~Mayo Clinic

Not foolish to go to the ER. Sorry it was so complicated getting there and back but glad you got it done!

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Perna Pandita-in-training Member Since Sep 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 27,289 (SuperPoster!) 17 550 hugs given	Aug 01, 2010 at 12:09 PM #3 Ewww! I had conjunctivitis lots in my early 20's but never pus; I'd definitely have hot-footed it to the ER. Better safe than sorry; eyes aren't to be messed with! I'd make sure he gets a referral appointment with an opthamologist on Monday! __________________ "Never give a sword to a man who can't dance." ~Confucius
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lynn P. Legendary Member Since Feb 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 12,269 (SuperPoster!) 15 2,432 hugs given	Aug 01, 2010 at 05:09 PM #7 (((AAAAA))) sorry you had such a hard time. Hopefully you'll rest well tonight. What did they do about his eye. I didn't know pink eye to turn to a puss like problem. __________________ This is our little cutie Bella Practice on-line safety. Cheaters - collecting jar of hearts. Make your mess, your message. "Be the change you want to see" (Gandhi)
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AAAAA Elder Member Since Oct 2007 Location: Midwest Posts: 5,042 16 1 hugs given	Aug 01, 2010 at 07:56 PM #8 They just gave him Cipero eye drops. He had to have them every 2 hours for the first day, now three times a day. I forgot to ask about his contacts. I just assumed that they would be contaminated and had him throw them away and wear glasses until he's finished with the drops. __________________ I've been married for 24 years and have four wonderful children.
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