Doctors trying to do a spinal tap on my 1 year old need advice please?!
Question: she went in to the er yesterday with a temp of 103 and it had actually come down from 104.3 but i couldnt get it to break so i brought her to the hospital and they did xrays they did a catheter and put an iv in her and they could not find a reason so they had 4 different doctors look at her and none could come up with any thing so they ordered a spinal tap for my baby but just as they were fixing to do it she woke up and was fine fever shot back down to at least 100 and she was responsive again so im worried now because im wondering if they had reason to want to do a spinal tap on her any advice
Answers: she went in to the er yesterday with a temp of 103 and it had actually come down from 104.3 but i couldnt get it to break so i brought her to the hospital and they did xrays they did a catheter and put an iv in her and they could not find a reason so they had 4 different doctors look at her and none could come up with any thing so they ordered a spinal tap for my baby but just as they were fixing to do it she woke up and was fine fever shot back down to at least 100 and she was responsive again so im worried now because im wondering if they had reason to want to do a spinal tap on her any advice
Spinal tap is done when meningitis is suspected. In young children all the signs of meningitis may not be obvious and hence a tap is done whenever there is some doubt as delay in treatment can be dangerous. The procedure is quite safe.
sounds like they suspected meningitis which causes high temps and in kids that makes them sleep if they've had it for awhile. since it broke, there was no need to do the tap. there is a version of study in kids with fever that suggests kids aren't in any type of danger with temps until they reach 104. seems this is either the breaking point for their illness or the worry point at which something must be done. with meningitis, the temp would have continued to climb.
My boyfriend had this happen when his daughter was a baby...she was diagnosed with spinal meningitis.
BUT he said the spinal tap was the worst experience of their lives! (IF you do it - do not watch!)
Said they did something incorrect the 1st time & had to redo it...
And also feels that it messed with her glands and caused a weight issue....she was normal height & weight before - afterwards she immediately started to put on weight and never stopped (now 12yo & 160lbs)
She's active & eats right, but cannot get her weight down. Both parents are normal weight to underweight- so it's not genetic....all other kids in the family are average to
underweight
SO - beware of these possible side effects & if it's possible to NOT do this - don't do it!
Safe procedure when done by competent doctor. He was doing it to rule out meningitis since they could find no other diagnosis. Not to do so would be considered malpractice under the circumstances.