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Advice for baby in swahili with difficulty breathing

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hollie1990
hollie1990

Hello all,

I need some advice for a very dear friend of mine who lives in Moshi, Tanzania. I taught English there at the beginning of the year and whilst teaching my class I held a baby so that his mother could learn. He had difficulty breathing when I was there, always sounded full of cold and congested. His breathing was very heavy. He is nearly 1 year old. A few months ago his breathing and temperature got so bad that they operated and removed his adenoids in his throat? He recovered okay but now is very poorly again. He is struggling to breathe and has a very high temperature. The doctors there say his adenoids could be back, or he could have asthma as he is wheezy. They diagnosed him with pneumonia recently and told her to give him lots of fruit and paracetamol to keep the temperature down. And told her to come back every week to check his blood. This is because the doctors have told her he has an infection too.. low blood (9g/DL) not sure what that means but that's the information she has given to me. He is also being given oxygen. The mother had to get a loan out to pay for the operation for the adenoids and doesn't want him to have another one so soon whilst he is weak but they are saying the adenoids may have returned?

More information for you, Moshi is very dry and the land is elevated, I found it difficult to breathe there some days, so I cant imagine this helps.. I am wondering if he has asthma too?

Advice even costs money there, they are struggling so I thought I would enquire here. If anyone has any sort of advice at all I would be very grateful. And if anyone can speak Swahili it would be absolutely amazing!!!

Sorry I probably have been really vague, but the translation is so difficult, I am trying!

Look forward to hearing form anyone at all really smile

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • net27
    net27 hollie1990

    Posted

    Babies need adenoids ?until they are about 6 to fight infections etc, until their immune system is fully developed in adults these nearly disappear.  It is linked to tonsillitis?.  I'd assume since they have been removed the baby will be susceptible to infection until such a time as the immune system is developed.  Are you sure she didn't say that they took his tonsils out? These can grow back and can cause breathing problems if very swollen.  She will be able to see the tonsils at the back of the mouth but the adenoids ? are up behind the back of the soft palate.  They would need to be pretty swollen to be seen.  

    pneumonia ? is a severe respiratory infection.  Asthma is different again, it could be triggered by a number of environmental things, food  or a simple allergy. .Childhood asthma is very hard to diagnose is someone so young.

    ?Having been through asthma and pneumonia as an adult and, in the adenoids ?case with kids, really and truly for a child so young they need the medical intervention, it's too serious,

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