Orignally posted in 2021.
We have just had our first case of Covid in our household. My 11-year-old son woke up two nights ago spewing with a raging fever. It literally came out of nowhere - he was fine at bedtime. I was anticipating one of the kids getting it any day, so I had made a concerted effort over the last couple of weeks to ‘dose them up.’ In other words, I was working to boost their immune systems and tried to make sure I had everything I may need to help them through.
It is never fun seeing your little one sick. With my youngest, it’s not something I've had to deal with often.
Whether your child is vaccinated or not, you treat the symptoms of Covid the same way. The key is to treat what is presented to you with some general immune support.
This is an account of what I used, along with some general suggestions. If at any point you are concerned about the health of your child while they’re unwell, contact Healthline or your Doctor immediately.
The Fever
Thursday, 3 am, Day 1 - My husband was woken by our eldest who heard our youngest spewing through the bathroom. Like all good mothers, I slept through the entire thing and had no clue until I woke in the morning 😂. Hubby cleaned up the mess and gave Asher Pamol for the fever. Then he used a cool cloth on his forehead, neck, and feet to help the fever.
Although fevers can feel scary, they are actually a good sign that your little ones immune system is working really well to fight the infection.
Once I had woken, Asher was sleeping with a very high fever. We woke him regularly for sips of water and I started to administer FevaEase every couple of hours. You may also wish to use Pamol and Nurofen, alternating between the two. I went to the testing clinic to pick up some RAT tests, which luckily had become available that very morning. The positive reading gave us confirmation but did not change the course of treatment. Of course, we are all in isolation now, as well.
Asher spewed once more during the day, then slept for the next 16 hours in between us waking him to drink. We knew he was getting enough water because he was going wees. During this time, his body was so hot and listless.
I spent the night with him in my bed, keeping him cool and continuing the use of FevaEase. At about 2 am, I decided to make Lemon Socks (see below how to make), which I put on him while he slept.
Friday Morning Day 2 - On waking, Asher still had the fever although it was starting to drop. He got up for a short time and was happy to have one of my Electrolyte Popsicles that I made (see recipe), which are great to get much-needed electrolytes into them. He also had a piece of apple and a few bits of pasta which was a good sign.
At this point, I noticed a rattle in his chest and he started to cough every now and then - this developed further as the day went on. At about 4 pm (about 36 hours from the first spew) his fever broke and he started to perk up hugely. He ate a bit more food and another ice block. The cough was now sounding thick and heavy, but his body temperature was normal.
The Cough
One of the important things with a cough and phlegm on the lungs is to make sure that oxygen saturation stays at acceptable levels. If this drops too low, it becomes very dangerous and you must seek medical attention immediately. We have this great little gadget called an Oximeter which you place on the finger and it reads your oxygen saturation levels and pulse rate. These are not expensive and I highly recommend having one in your first aid kit. I have been using this every few hours on Asher.
I also used Qbaby TickleEase and Qbaby Immune Drops in acute dosing to help break up the phlegm. I make an herbal chest mix, but this can be difficult to administer to kids since they are not used to the taste. Vitamin C is also super important if your child can handle it at this stage. I recommend Childlife Vit C in regular small doses.
On Friday evening, I concentrated on trying to break the phlegm and used silicone suction cups on his back. Cupping therapy can help remove the buildup of excess heat in the lungs and clears them of the congestion, phlegm, and fluids. You may notice that persistent cough beginning to ease up and an improvement in breathing.
Instead of using cups, you can also use percussion or clapping. This is tapping the chest wall rhythmically to loosen mucus and move it into the bronchial tubes (large airways) of the lungs. You can find more information on that here.
Saturday Day 3 - Asher woke up declaring “I feel normal again!” It was great to see that the fever did not return and he had a great night’s sleep. I checked his oxygen levels, which were normal. The main symptom at this stage was still a slight cough and so we continue to use cupping, chest herbs, Immune Drops, and TickleEase.
We have not had any issue with a snotty nose at this point, but if that does occur I will use Qbaby Snot drops internally and will make a mild saltwater nasal spray to use. We have also not had a sore throat but I personally like the Sambucca Zinc Lozenges. At this point, I would also start to do some lymphatic drainage around the neck gland area to help prevent any swelling or build-up of infection in the glands.
Conclusion
From our experience, Covid moved very quickly through my 11-year-old. He is generally a very fit and energetic child who doesn’t really get sick. At this point, we need to slowly build his energy back up. We will continue to treat the cough and help break down the phlegm. As his stomach can handle it, I will start dosing up again on general immune support (as I was before he got sick) such as probiotics, Childlife Zinc, Childlife Vit C, and Childlife Vit D. We’ll make sure he continues to rest, chill, and keep hydrated.
It will be interesting to see if any of us now pick up the virus. I am starting to not feel quite right, with a sickly feeling, snotty nose, and light-headedness. So I am taking myself to bed and will perhaps do my RAT test later today or tomorrow.
(11 days on i am feeling fine and continued to test negative). We are out of iso and the kids are back at school. Asher on his first day out of iso was at the Auckland Athletics Champs and won Gold for High Jump. Covid one week, gold medals the next.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via natasha@qlife.co.nz.
This is not a treatment plan, just a personal account of my experience so far.
How to Make Lemon Socks
You’ll need a lemon, hot water, a pair of adult cotton socks, a pair of adult wool socks, and rubber or latex gloves. The following needs to be applied to warm feet. If the feet are cool to the touch, first warm them up with a warm blanket or hot water bottle.
Follow these steps:
- Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a pan.
- Add ½ to 1 C water and heat to almost boiling.
- Soak a pair of adult cotton socks in this hot lemon juice.
- Wring socks well. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the heat.
- After socks cool slightly, put them on child’s feet, pulling up over the calves.
- Place a pair of dry adult wool socks over wet socks so child’s feet and legs will not get chilled.
- Cover child with a blanket.
- Apply no more than three Lemon Wraps in a 24 hour period. It is very likely that you will see the temperature come down, at least a few degrees, sometimes more. The Lemon Wrap does this by pulling inflammation away from the head. My son often sleeps better after applying the wrap.
Electrolyte Popsicles
Ingredients
½ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups water
2 tbsp maple syrup
⅛ tsp Celtic sea salt
Directions
Mix ingredients thoroughly in a blender or by hand in a bowl. Add to popsicle molds, freeze, and use as needed.