Sinusitis

Gabriella has had a cold for a little over three weeks now. Her main symptoms are a persistent, congested-sounding cough, a running nose, and a rattling congestion sound at times when she breathes. I brought her to the pediatrician after the first couple of days of these symptoms because I didn't know if there was any cough or cold medicine that was appropriate to give her. The doctor said that there is nothing to give a child under two for cold symptoms but said to use saline drops in her nose. After another week, I was still concerned with the congestion sounds and wanted the doctor to listen to her chest and lungs to ensure that it wasn't turning into Pneumonia or Bronchitis. Everything sounded clear, and the doctor said to give the cold a bit more time to run its course. Her symptoms are still the same, so I brought her in to the pediatrician again yesterday. Due to the persistence of the symptoms he has now diagnosed it as Sinusitis.

Here comes the issue... I was told by Gabriella's foster family that she is allergic to Penicillin and the pediatrician is aware of this. The doctor said that Amoxicillin is the typical medicine to prescribe for these types of illnesses, and many others, but that Amoxicillin and Penicillin are related. He asked me what her allergy symptoms were that led them to conclude that she was allergic. I did not know. He said that only 1 in 20 people who believe they are allergic to Penicillin truly are and he said that there is not an easy test to test for the allergy. He decided to prescribe the Amoxicillin and wants me to give her the first dose tonight at 5:00 PM at his office with nursing staff around. In the meantime, I spoke to Gabriella's foster family and asked about her reaction to Penicillin. They claimed that she broke out in a rash all over her body, which is a classic allergy symptom, but it was within one day of receiving the dose. Allergic reactions typically occur within one hour of receiving the dose. I shared this with the doctor and am waiting on his determination as to whether we will move forward with this trial.

On a happier note, during my call to Gabriella's foster family, Norma and Daniel got to speak to Gabriella. When Gabriella heard both of their voices she lit up and smiled from ear to ear. She clearly recognized their voices. It was very special.