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Children's health

Conjunctivitis - help!

20 replies

DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 17/10/2009 18:01

My 12mo DD has developed conjunctivitis. We got her some eye drops from the GP on Friday & have been putting them in as directed but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. How long does it last?

Also, does anyone have any good tips for getting a determined toddler to lie still enough to get the eye drops in properly? She walked early & is now really good at running away & struggling.

All help gratefully received...

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Drooper · 17/10/2009 20:11

Hi, I would have thought there would be some improvement after 48-72 hours. How long did the GP say to use them for?

Could you distract her with choc buttons or other favourite to get them in?

Good Luck. Back to Gp next week if no better as he may need to take a swab.

DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 17/10/2009 21:26

He didn't say. It was one of those walk in centres as our surgery could only offer me a phone appointment, which I didn't think would be particularly useful for looking at her eye.

The nursery won't take her back until the gunk has gone but seemed to think they'd see her again on Monday after sending her home on Thursday.

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whomovedmychocolate · 17/10/2009 21:34

Call back, ask for the ointment instead - much easier to apply to a struggling tot. It should start to clear up within 72 hours but may take up to five days to abate totally. If you are not getting the drops in, it will take much longer.

alypaly · 17/10/2009 23:24

4-5 days and then go back to gp if no improvement.

PacificWerewolfwoohood · 17/10/2009 23:32

Could be viral in which case antibiotic eye drops will not work. It will clear in 10-14 days. Use cooled down boiled water and cotton wool balls to clean eyes, wiping towards nose.
Conjunctivitis can look awful but does not hurt and apart from babies usually not liking it when their eyelashes are "glued" together by discharge, they are not too bothered. Does your baby have a cold? It if often part of that.
As far as applying goes: IME, 2 person job, one person to pin child down, another to lift upper eye lid, squirt drops/ointment in and then blinking will make sure it all goes in the right places. Hugs and cuddles afterwards.
Also, it is v contagious. Make sure everybody does lots of handwashing. DS2 had it a couple of years ago - we all got it, and then he had it again. Not sure what it says about hygiene in our house ...

Doozle · 17/10/2009 23:34

We've had endless rounds of conjunctivitis and it usually starts to improve after 24 hours, if not then 48 hours. Once it didn't work and we had to switch drops because the doc said DD's infection was resistant to the first lot.

It is a nightmare getting the drops in and we've always just had to make do with a good aim! Still seems to work though.

Have you got chlorophemonol (or something like that?)

I do recommend asking for the once a day drops (taken for 5 days). They are different to the above ones but so much easier than trying to do this 3 or 4 times a day.

DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 18/10/2009 16:43

Yes it's chlorowhatsit. I was thinking of asking them for the fucimithingy instead as it seemed to work better on DH than the other ones. We've all had eye infections in the last 4 weeks, despite doing the hand washing & towel separating etc. It seems to be particularly stubborn for some reason.

She doesn't seem to have a cold at the moment but she is teething which means lots of snot, which she then wipes across her face & into her eyes. I doubt this is helping...

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Doozle · 18/10/2009 18:52

Yes, it's definitely from the wiping snot into their eyes - quite hard to stop them at this age.

Any improvement today?

If not, our doc did say that a lot of eye bugs these days are resistent to chloramphenicol and he tends to give us the other one instead.

DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 19/10/2009 21:19

Nope - we thought it had all cleared up this morning & sent her to nursery but it reappeared & we had to pick her up again.

I think a trip back to the GP may be in order.

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alypaly · 20/10/2009 13:39

Maybe the doc will have to try a different antibiotic eye drop...like fucithalmic.
hope DD gets better soon...poor thing

StealthPolarBear · 20/10/2009 13:47

DS used to get this loads (and is just getting over the latest lot). Cleaning with cooled boiled water as often as possible to remove all the gunk has worked to keep it under control the last few times - first few times he had drops and they are a nightmare to get in (found the gel easier).
I disagree that it doesn't hurt - if it's not kept under control the skin around the eye swells and goes red, and the eye gets bloodshot - looks so sore

StealthPolarBear · 20/10/2009 13:49

BTW for eye washing with water - make sure the water is still warm as it helps to get rid of the gunk. If you're struggling to get it out of her lashes, then hold the cotton wool on (with the warm water on) for a few seconds to soak and soften the gunk.

baskingseals · 20/10/2009 13:55

Breastmilk really, really works - honestly - give it a go.

StealthPolarBear · 20/10/2009 13:58

yes, it does worked a dream on 4wo DD. Didn't work so well on DS but then he wouldn't lie still long enough (even asleep). Give it a good squirt on, leave it for as long as you can and then dab it gently with dry cotton wool (to get up the excess rather than wipe it off). I noticed a dramatic improvement after the second go!

DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 20/10/2009 21:58

I've been trying the sterile water, but breastmilk's not an option as she's almost 13 months old & feeding only worked for us for 6 days before my milk spontaneously dried up. (Had a bit of a hard time with delivery & was very unwell afterwards.)

Thanks for all your help ladies. Who would have thought something so simple would go on for so long & cause so many problems?

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StealthPolarBear · 21/10/2009 08:24

good luck! water certainly seems to be controlling it for DS, the milk helped DD when it got red & puffy, shouldn't get like that hopefully.
I now have 2 DCs with it DD has a bit of a cold i think

StealthPolarBear · 21/10/2009 08:26

sorry to hear about the stresses you had with delivery & feeding hope you're both ok now, apart from a bit gunky!!

DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 21/10/2009 13:03

Thanks SPB. She's STILL gunky almost a week on so can't go back to nursery but at least it's less gunk now than it was yesterday. Hopefully the end is in sight...

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DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 21/10/2009 13:03

Thanks SPB. She's STILL gunky almost a week on so can't go back to nursery but at least it's less gunk now than it was yesterday. Hopefully the end is in sight...

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DragonMamiCooksPotatoes · 21/10/2009 13:03

Ahem. No pun intended.

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