About this topic
Pneumonia is an infection in your childs lungs. It is most often caused by germs such as bacteria and viruses. It can make your child have a fever, cough with more mucus, have trouble breathing, feel weak, and have chest pain. Pneumonia can be bad enough to make you need a breathing machine. In some cases, it can even cause death. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- Make sure that your child takes the drugs ordered by the doctor. Do not let your child skip doses.
- Do not give cough or cold drugs to your child unless ordered by the doctor. Coughing out the mucus will help your child heal faster.
- Prop a couple of pillows under your childs head and shoulders when your child sleeps. This will help make breathing easier.
- Encourage your child to drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluids each day unless told not to. This helps loosen mucus so your child can cough it up better.
- Let your child nap and have more rest times.
- Do not smoke near your child or allow others to smoke near your child. Do not smoke in the car with your child. Smoke can linger on clothes and furniture and cause breathing problems.
What follow-up care is needed?
The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits. ‚
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Fight an infection
- Loosen mucus
- Lower fever
- Control coughing
- Help with swelling in the airways and lungs
Your child may be given other drugs. These may include inhalers and steroids. The doctor will give specific instructions about the drugs your child may need to take. ‚
Do not give aspirin to your child unless ordered by the doctor. ‚
Will physical activity be limited?
Make sure your child has enough rest while getting better. Let your child stay home from school, activities, and daycare until your child has fully recovered. This will help prevent spread of infection. Ask your childs doctor what amount of activity is right for your child. ‚
What problems could happen?
- More trouble breathing
- Fluid collecting in the lungs
- Spreading of infection to the bloodstream and other parts of the body
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Teach your child to always cover a cough with the inside of the arm.
- Teach your child to wash hands often with soap and water for at least 15 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers also work to kill germs. Teach your child to sing the Happy Birthday song or the ABCs while washing hands.
- If your child has a cold, have your child stay home from work or school. Wear a mask to help prevent spreading the infection.
- Do not get too close (kissing, hugging) to people who are sick. Ask visitors who have a cold to wear a mask.
- Do not share towels or hankies with anyone who is sick.
- Stay away from crowded places.
- Make sure your child gets a flu shot each year. Ask the doctor if your child needs a pneumonia shot.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough.
- Trouble breathing
- Chest pain
- Mucus with blood in it or green colored mucus while coughing
- Bluish color of the skin, lips, and nail beds
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs condition.
- I can tell you what I can do to help my child avoid passing the infection to others.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child has more trouble breathing, feels short of breath at rest, or cough does not get better.
Where can I learn more?
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/pneumonia.html ‚
Canadian Lung Association ‚
http://www.lung.ca/diseases-maladies/a-z/pneumonia-pneumonie/index_e.php ‚
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ‚
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pnu/ ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚