# brochitis, how long to stay home?



## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

So my DD got sick over the weekend - developed this horrible cough over the weekend and a fever too. She is pretty miserable right now. We went to the pediatrician this morning and she has brochitis. She is on antibiotics now (which of course I am reading now only help in about 10% of cases







) and an over the counter expectorant. I am also reading online that this could last for weeks before she finally shakes it. So how long do we stay home for? Of course I will stay home until DD feels better but how about after that? I'm not sure if she'll still be contagious or not....We are very active, she takes several classes plus we get together with other moms (including some babies) for playdates several times a week. Should we take the whole week off? Just a couple of days? Do we jump back in when DD seems herself? We are having her 3rd birthday party next weekend and her baby cousin (10 months old) will be there. Do I tell them not to come?
Uggghhh!! I hate being sick!!


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## Porcelain Interior (Feb 8, 2008)

I'd stay home until the fever has been gone for 24 hours. She's on anti-biotics so within a day or two she shouldn't be very if at all contagious.

If the cough is very very severe and persistant I'd keep her home longer unless you don't mind freaking people out. They'll assume you've brought plague.










Oh, and with family and friends you're meeting up with in your home I'd just give them a heads up. Most people are fine if you mention anti-biotics.


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## VisionaryMom (Feb 20, 2007)

I concur with the no fever for 24 hours rule.

I had chronic bronchitis as a kid, and as a general rule, I usually felt too crummy to do much for about 3-4 days.


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## Jessy1019 (Aug 6, 2006)

We only stay home if the kids are not feeling well. Otherwise, we'd at least be going out shopping, for meals, movies, etc. even if friends didn't want to get together with our snotty, hacking selves (which is usually not an issue anyway . . . we don't run with a very germphobic crowd).


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## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

I'd wait at least 24 hrs after starting the antibiotic... the rest of the time you wait really depends on how she's feeling. I don't think you need to worry about the contagious part of it. For us, if kiddos are well enough to get up & want to get dressed & play, we just go about our day like normal, pausing longer for naps, rest times, earlier bedtime, and we don't push it.


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## SunshineJ (Mar 26, 2008)

Bronchitis can be a nasty little number. From personal experiences if you can keep the sick person home and quiet overall for about a week they're significantly more likely to shake it faster and move past it in a few weeks. If you're out running all the time as soon as they feel better, it can drag on for up to 3 months. As for exposure to other people, with antibiotics she should be fine to be around others, especially by this coming weekend.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

We stay close to home for about a week. I don't go out while they feel crummy, and then for the next couple days we take it easy but make quick trips to store, etc ... Partly to let them rest and recover and partly to avoid exposure to other illnesses before they get over the first one! DD2 gets pneumonia frequently and there is nothing I hate more then getting over it only to get a stomach bug or something else right away.


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## Ks Mama (Aug 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SunshineJ* 
Bronchitis can be a nasty little number. From personal experiences if you can keep the sick person home and quiet overall for about a week they're significantly more likely to shake it faster and move past it in a few weeks. If you're out running all the time as soon as they feel better, it can drag on for up to 3 months. As for exposure to other people, with antibiotics she should be fine to be around others, especially by this coming weekend.

I agree that it isn't wise to go rushing around, days packed with hectic activities while recovering from a cold. But honestly, taking a week off just for quiet for a child who's feeling better, in the hopes that otherwise they *might* not get better overall is a lot to ask - especially when you're just dealing with bronchitis. And particularly a lot to take off for a working parent/child in school.

I honestly think that getting out in fresh air, getting back to a normal routine as soon as you can is GOOD for healing, IMO. I've never felt lying low, saying in bed when you can otherwise get up & get moving is good for mental or physical health. It's like dwelling on your illness, when what you should be doing is thinking healthy!


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## SunshineJ (Mar 26, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ks Mama* 
I agree that it isn't wise to go rushing around, days packed with hectic activities while recovering from a cold. But honestly, taking a week off just for quiet for a child who's feeling better, in the hopes that otherwise they *might* not get better overall is a lot to ask - especially when you're just dealing with bronchitis. And particularly a lot to take off for a working parent/child in school.

I honestly think that getting out in fresh air, getting back to a normal routine as soon as you can is GOOD for healing, IMO. I've never felt lying low, saying in bed when you can otherwise get up & get moving is good for mental or physical health. It's like dwelling on your illness, when what you should be doing is thinking healthy!









I'm not sure where I said anything about staying secluded in a dark room, curtains drawn, dwelling on the fact that you're ill. No need for such doom and gloom here.







: Of the people I know who get bronchitis (it's very common in this area, DS gets it annually as do several friends), the ones who get right back into regular activities even when on medication are the ones who end up back at the dr. in a month with it never really getting better, whereas the ones who take it easy for a solid week seem to be over it in a month at most. Bronchitis can turn into a stay in the hospital if not taken care of, so I don't agree that bronchitis is a minor affliction comparable to a cold (though it can be if caught and treated swiftly and if the person responds well to the treatment). That doesn't mean you can't let a child out in the fresh air - I totally agree that if the weather is agreeable it can be one of the best things for them, and that doesn't mean they have to stay in bed 24/7 for a week. But if your body is still recovering then maybe getting right back into that normal routine isn't always the wisest thing to do and a child may be better served by taking it easy.


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