2ys old son passed away

[dtcdds]

How difficult is it to Dx pneumonia??  My 2 yr old son passed ways 2 weeks ago in ER room.  5 days prior to this, he showed symptoms of cold/flu so we took him to his pediatrician.  Was told he has cold and Rx was given for it along with motrin for fever.  His condition got worse so we took him to another pediatrician who was highly recommended by friends.  He, too, said my son has cold and ear infection and was given antibiotics (suprax).  Next morning his diaper was full of dark stool so we called his pediatrician immediately and was told it's due to the antibiotic he took and that we should not worry ( we did ask if this was due to possible internal bleeding and was told, again, no, but if it continued on then we should bring him back to the office).  That afternoon he started vomiting, at first just clear water but later, after few vomits, black grain-like emesis.  Called his pediatrician but no one anwered.  Drove to ER, 5min from our house.  As we stood to register, my son passed out.  Tried resusitation for 40 min but never made it.  Saw 2 MDs in 3 days, both said my son has cold.  With 2nd doctor, we asked if this could be pneumonia since my son started having difficulty breathing.  Was told no.  Chest x-ray from ER showed massive infection is his lungs.  Coroners exam also said acute, rapidly spreading pneumonia.  My son was very healthy, active child.  Never went to a doctors, except for routine checkup and vaccination. Can pneumonia be this deadly??  Is there negligence/malpractice in 2 pediatricians we saw??  If both doctors were correct with their Dx, can pneumonia spread this fast to cause death in my precious son?  

[cgoodnews]

My thoughts and prayers are with you..
I have a recent little one to our family he is just 2 months old and the hospital/doctor has put him on a breathing adaptor.both my son/daughter in law are a little worried, new  parents they dont know what to do ..and they have to trust in medical help..you just have to pay attention to the signs and if they are not normal...keep asking for help
.I too had pnuemonia several years ago..never had it before and have not had it since.
However when I went to a very large hospital was told several times I had a cold..go home.rest, drink lots of fluid...take tylenol/cough meds etc. It not only got worse but my fever spiked to 104-105
and then would plummet til I was freezing. I probably only had the symptoms for 2 weeks. I went to ER and was given antibiotics, had xrays done and was told that i should follow up with a doctor in a week. after that week i went in and the doc told me i could have died. A few years ago he said that people who were not as bad as i was did die. I coughed so hard and so long it took a long time to heal my lungs..they were on fire most of the time. Just to breathe was an extreme effort
I was confinced that something was wrong with me..I watched my  mother go through pnuemonia every year for most of her life..i kept asking her what did she think...eveyone i knew told me it was pneumonia..why the hospitals didnt think so I dont know..why they didnt do xrays i dont know I trusted them I believed in them..and they let me down
We have to realize that we are the ones who know our bodies the best..pay attention to mood/behavior and fever changes/urine/bowel/ changes. children cannot tell us what is wrong but their bodies can.
I wish you hope for the future and healing for your loss.

[christa012068]

so so very sorry for your loss.

[caregiver222]

My condolances. I will say a prayer for you and your loved one.

[Sunny602]

I am just so sorry to read this...I can't even begin to imagine your pain. Yes, pneumonia can be deadly depending on the strain. Some are worse than others, some spread like wild fire throughout the lungs and then through the body causing what is called sepsis. Your son definitely had a very aggressive type, at least from the description you gave. It sounds like this is the type of pneumonia that has to be caught in the earliest of stages and get very aggressive treatment via very strong antibiotics (IV etc...). I think that a red flag would have been your son's diaper....
Again, I am so sorry for you loss....I will be keeping your whole family in my thoughts and prayers during this very tragic time. Sunny

[nonsmoker4life]

May God ease your pain. This is a very difficult time for you. there will not be much that anyone can say that will make it any easier for you right now. i read your story and felt a need to send you my sympathy.  

as for your question, yes, sometimes it can be difficult to diagnose a common cold, I had pneumonia last summer and i went to the hospital . i felt like i was dying, otherwise i would nit have gone to the hospital. they treated me like i had a broken toe nail. They gave me antibiotics and sent me home. They should have kept me. I lived alone, and i have crohns disease and crohnic bronchitis. I couldnt eat or drink and my temp was 103 +

3 weeks later i thought i was okay so i tried to work and i passed out. that time they kept me.

I think what happens is that some days you get these people in the ER that just dont take you as serious as they should. In your case i think they should have and could have acted and responded faster. Your story sounds like my broken toe nail treatment. Pneumonia is very serious, ... deadly and there are actually a few people out there who still need to be educated on the fact that pneumonia is not "just a cold".

again, I'm sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and as a Christian, I know that your son is now a happy healthy child with the Lord and never again see illness.