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Child Undergone Appendectomy. Coughing With Sputum, Asthma Problem, Shoulder Pain. Need To Worry?
My 9 y.o. daughter had appendectomy three days ago. She is coughing a bit more than before. The cough is productive of clear to light yellow sputum . She also has asthma . She says her chest does not hurt when she coughs. She also has some shoulder pain near her clavicles. Is this anything to worry about? If not, when should I worry?
Mon, 26 Aug 2013
Hi
Thank you for your query
I hope you had mentioned the duration elapsed since surgery. Anyways she may have gotten a chest infection. She may require antibiotics for the same and a course of broncho-dilators as well. It unlikely to be related to the surgery per se but yes sometimes after anesthesia and a surgery involving opening of the abdomen may make an asthmatic child more prone to infections. Don't worry. Consult your pediatrician. She will do well with medicines.
Hope that helps
God bless you
Thank you for your query
I hope you had mentioned the duration elapsed since surgery. Anyways she may have gotten a chest infection. She may require antibiotics for the same and a course of broncho-dilators as well. It unlikely to be related to the surgery per se but yes sometimes after anesthesia and a surgery involving opening of the abdomen may make an asthmatic child more prone to infections. Don't worry. Consult your pediatrician. She will do well with medicines.
Hope that helps
God bless you
I find this answer helpful
1 Doctor agrees with this answer
Hi
Thank you for your query
I hope you had mentioned the duration elapsed since surgery. Anyways she may have gotten a chest infection. She may require antibiotics for the same and a course of broncho-dilators as well. It unlikely to be related to the surgery per se but yes sometimes after anesthesia and a surgery involving opening of the abdomen may make an asthmatic child more prone to infections. Don't worry. Consult your pediatrician. She will do well with medicines.
Hope that helps
God bless you
Thank you for your query
I hope you had mentioned the duration elapsed since surgery. Anyways she may have gotten a chest infection. She may require antibiotics for the same and a course of broncho-dilators as well. It unlikely to be related to the surgery per se but yes sometimes after anesthesia and a surgery involving opening of the abdomen may make an asthmatic child more prone to infections. Don't worry. Consult your pediatrician. She will do well with medicines.
Hope that helps
God bless you
I find this answer helpful
2 Doctors agree with this answer
Hi,
As your daughter has asthma, it would not be unusual to have a cough with a small amount of sputum at this stage following an appendectomy. She may need to use her inhalers a little more over the next few days. This does not necessarily indicate that she is developing a chest infection.
The shoulder pain may be related to the surgical method that was used. Many appendectomies are carried out through telescopic instruments rather than larger surical incisions. As part of the technique, gas is used during the procedure. This can commonly become trapped for a few days post-operatively and cause shoulder tip pain. This will resolve spontaneously in the next few days.
At this stage there is nothing to worry about. If your daughter is still producing sputum after a week and has a fever, I would suggest she may need antibiotics.
I wish her a speedy recovery.
Regards,
Dr K A Pottinger,
MBChB FRCA
As your daughter has asthma, it would not be unusual to have a cough with a small amount of sputum at this stage following an appendectomy. She may need to use her inhalers a little more over the next few days. This does not necessarily indicate that she is developing a chest infection.
The shoulder pain may be related to the surgical method that was used. Many appendectomies are carried out through telescopic instruments rather than larger surical incisions. As part of the technique, gas is used during the procedure. This can commonly become trapped for a few days post-operatively and cause shoulder tip pain. This will resolve spontaneously in the next few days.
At this stage there is nothing to worry about. If your daughter is still producing sputum after a week and has a fever, I would suggest she may need antibiotics.
I wish her a speedy recovery.
Regards,
Dr K A Pottinger,
MBChB FRCA
I find this answer helpful
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