Can I vent?? Re. Sick Infant

[sdoll]

I might get long but I need some love today.. My son is sick AGAIN!! Today we had our 22 sick visit in 16 weeks. I am not a hyper mom infact I think I am laid back. But this is getting me to my breaking point. A little back ground info. my son got sick for the first time at 3.5 months it started about the second week of oct. 2005. All winter we were going to the Ped. I loved her and felt that she took all the right steps. We ended up seeing a pulmonalogist that ran all kinds of tests but found nothing wrong with him. Oh it might help if I tell you what is going on. Weasing, lots of mucus and ear infections ALL THE TIME!!! The poor kid sounds more like Darth Vader than a little boy. We moved early last year and are seeing a different peditrician. Supposed to be one of the best. Trust me I have asked everyone I know even a couple people I don't know. If they don't send there kids to my Dr. they are going to another one that surprise is not taking new patients. My son got tubes this past Dec. after having his 5 ear infection. Since the tubes he has had 6 more. The fluid that comes out his ears is amazing it gets into his hair and even drips down his neck. Yuck!! Anyways I am begining to think that we should change Drs. Because nothing is changing. But I am afraid because he is sick and she knows his history. He is usually better in the spring (at least he was last spring) So maybe that would be a better time to shop around. I just want him to feel well. I will say he never acts sick but it hurts me just knowing that he is not feeling 100%. I can't even begin to tell you the financial impact this has had. That is the other board. And that truly does not matter I just want him to feel better. My mommy guilt is stretched to the limit. Sorry that this is so long but I am close to tears with frustration.

 

[camdensmom]

No advice...just hugs.

My son is on his 3rd ear infection since December. I actually wonder if the original one ever went away. It seems like our boys are close in age. Mine was born 7.23.05.

Hope he feels better soon.

 

[Darcy03231]

Have you tried an ears, nose & throat specialist? Although your peditrician may be good your son may need to see a specialist since this has been going on for so long. Other than that I don't have any other ideas but am sending hugs your way .

 

[RangerPooh]

I can sympathize. DD 23mo spent all last winter at the doctors office. From the end of October until the beginning of March she was there almost weekly, and once mid January came around she was in there weekly! Nothing was ever found and the doctor ruled it as a cold. In Feb she was rushed to the ER twice. It was at the ER that we found that she had Pnewmonia (sp) and croup. Would ahve been nice if the doctor had caught that or if she'd notified us of the chest x-ray results from 2 weeks prior as it was there then (the doctor pulled them up for us).

We were supposed to get a referal to an allergy and asthma specialist but never received one. This October the same thing was back, and she had had a flu shot this year (last eyar she had the 1st dose but had an allergic reaction). We have been in and out of the dctor every few weeks and have gotten the referal finally! The specialist has been doing more work of their own and wants to review her records to see what the physican who we no longer see noted. But it is incredibly frustarting to be in there constantly and never get a diagnosis opr for DD to ever get better. Poor thing had blood work doen this week, a strpth culture, and was supposed to gtet another x-ray but was too sick to go for it...

All the sickness is just frustrating as we're good parents who bundle up our kids, ahve a warm home, give them medicine when needed, keep them up to date for immunizations, and take them to be seen when needed. So what gives

 

[jkelly86]

Hang in there! This has been a really rough winter with illness in the Northeast!
Is his ENT Doctor a pediatric specialist? Have they ruled out allergies and asthma?
I hope your little one is feeling better soon.
Here's wishing you both a good night's sleep...

 

[sdoll]

No advice...just hugs.

My son is on his 3rd ear infection since December. I actually wonder if the original one ever went away. It seems like our boys are close in age. Mine was born 7.23.05.

Hope he feels better soon.

I actually agree. I don't think his have cleared up at all. Thanks for the hugs. I want to blame my tears on hormones with my pregnancy but I think it is a lot frustration too..
Are kids are close in age my son was born on the 13th.

We have been to an ENT Dr. he was the one that did the tubes. He thought we would have no more ear infections after the tubes. we saw him 7 days after the tubes for the first ear infection post tubes. AARRGG!!

 

[ducklite]

I'm sorry your little one isn't well.

But the wheezing and ear infections make me wonder if it's not an allergic reaction. Has your ped discussed that possibility? I'd definitely bring it up. A dairy or wheat allergy would be a good possibility, or maybe mold or some other environmental allergy. I would really check into that.

Hope he feels better.

Anne

 

[ntink]

Would you consider seeing a chiropractor? We have been seeing one since DD4 was an infant and I feel that they (it is a husband & wife) have helped us stay very healthy. I still see a pediatrician for both DDs and a GP for me but feel that the chiropractor has been very beneficial for us.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would insist on allergy testing. Changed our lives and my Best friends son's live. Sometimes when nothing is majorly wrong but nothing is just right, it is allergies!!!

Prayers for a better week!!!!!!

 

[TheDizMom]

This may sound a little out there but have you checked to see if he is allergic to something. I don't know if you breast fed (which would mean what you ate would affect him to)or not but maybe he is allergic to milk or wheat or has some kind of digestive issue that manifest itself this way. I am not a doctor, but my DH's cousins little boy was doing similar things and it turned he had a pretty bad food alergy.
My DS also had tubes in his ears and still got ear infections and I would find what looked like bloody fluid coming out of his ears. I thought his tubes had come out, because they told me twice he had perforated his ear drum. Turns out that because he tends to have very waxy ears the tube kept getting clogged up with wax and therefore couldn't do its job. The fluid would back up and the pressure would perforate the ear drum. He however did not have all the other problems your son seems to have, so I am not sure you can compare them. His first set of tubes lasted shockingly 3 years, but he ended up with another set at 5 which also lasted a long time. My DS in second grade then proceeded to get strep 6 times in one fall/winter period and have to have his tonsils out. At the same time the second set of tubes were removed and he hasn't had any problems since.
I think it is worth running the allergy theory by the doctor and get her opinion on whether that could be a possibility. I am of course assuming this has not been discussed in the past. It sounds like asthma isn't an issue since you went to a pulminologist, and it could certainly be something seasonal since he is worse in the winter. He is still not 100% all year around and which is what makes me feel like it is something allegy related. What's his weight like? If he is on the low end that could again mean allery or he is not absorbing his food properly.
I hope I have helped. I hope you are able to solve his problems. It sucks he has had to deal with so much at so young. Good luck finding your answers and until you do keep on top of your doctor or keep looking until you find one who gives you some answers. When my son had lyme disease they kept telling me he had a stomach virus and I was sure it was more. I just kept at it until an ER doc recognized his symptoms and correctly diagnosed him. If I hadn't stayed on it he could have had some very serious life altering complications. If you have to step on some toes along the way who cares if it means your son gets healthy. My best wishes to you and your son.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

That's been going on around here too. As soon as their cold clears up, another one starts. When DS4 was 8 mo. he had a continous ear infection from Jan-June. I think his hearing was compromised because of them. He now has a speech delay and he failed his last hearing test. Now, DD8mo is starting to have them too. I think it might be a bit hereditary, my sisters and I also had way too many ear infections when we were children.

Although, after that first year, DS4 has only had 2 since then. So who knows...... I think it has something to do with this time of year more than anything else. Maybe it's a type of virus that goes around in the Wintertime?

 

[Merriwind]

If you think that something isn't right, I think you should listen to that instinct. I'm not saying rush out and change peds, but what about different specialists--another ENT, pulminologist, allergist. Have you looked around on the Internet? You might find similar symptomologies there that might point you towards a specialist or an idea. I always trust the Mommy instinct. Hang in there! Hugs!

 

[Steph9072]

Sara (((HUGS))) by all means if you think you child should see a new doc go for it. I know how hard it is to have sick child. My dd has pneumonia last year and it took near 3 months for her to completely recover. I know how helpless I felt. But know you are doing everything you can to help him. Take care of you and know this too will pass and you child will be healthy!

 

[northriver]

(((Sara))) Seek a second opinion, and a third, and a forth if you feel like it. Yes you have every right to be feeling upset due to pregnancy hormones. But go ahead and really listen to your gut feeling. If deep down you think there is some underlying condition, find a doctor who will help find the problem and find a solution for you child. You will be glad you did!

Good luck and take care of yourself through all this!

 

[ohiominnie]

Sounds like my little guy (well, when he was a little guy) He didn't have the wheezing so much, but the ear infections leading to tubes. Thing is, he only had TWO ear infections. The first one at about 5 weeks old when his ear drum ruptured and pus went dripping down his face and neck. That one lasted from February until about June. Switched antibiotics multiple times to try to make it better but it didn't get better until better weather hit.

Then his second infection started in September and lasted clear through until February...which is when he got his tubes.

If you are interested, click on the link in my siggy about my dh's podcast. I'm sure he'd love to answer your question from a medical POV. It's been a very rough year, illness wise. He is seeing so many sick kids this winter. Even this deep freeze we had hasn't killed things off (usually that helps....deep freeze, few days off of school....kids start getting better) Anyway, he's a bit behind answering parents' questions, but I do know that if you call his call in line and leave a message, it's kinda like a Disney fastpass....you get your question answered faster!

 

[sharlon]

Sara, lots of hugs to you! DD8 had ongoing problems (hers were abdominal) that noone could seem to pinpoint and they would just clump her in with the previous doctor's diagnosis. FINALLY her Pediatrician here (we had moved) said we are not going to rest until we figure out what is wrong. After seeing a couple of specialists and finding nothing, we ended up in Cincy at the Children's Hospital. BTW, we live in Asheville, NC, 6 hours away. Two consults later, she had an exploratory laproscopy and they found something and fixed it. It took almost 3 years to figure it out. The lesson, I guess, is push and push until you get an answer. This is your son, and he can't fight for himself, so you fight for him. Lots of Luck!!!
BTW, I have a DS born 7/19/05.

 

[Aristomommy]

I have been through the same with DD and now with DS. I was just at the Dr yesterday as he started wheezing again. With DD, we ended up with tubes in her ears and she stopped having ear infections. She would still have asthma attacks with colds and changes in weather. We pulled her from group daycare and reduced all allergens especially in her bedroom. It's hard to test little ones until they are 5 or so, that is when DD got her official asthma diagnosis and was allergic to dustmites, ragweed among other things.

With DS, we will have a follow up next week and will discuss tubes and hopefuly that will cut down or eliminate these ear infections. Good luck and I hope your little one feels better soon.

 

[kellyg403]

Hugs to you OP. My sons, when they were smaller, were alot like your little guy. It does sound like you are dealing with an allergen of some type, change in weather etc. My oldest ds Allergy doc said he was one of those kids that should be kept in a steel room with nothing but a bed. He was allergic to so many things! He had the tubes and continued to have ear infections and I would say for the first 5 years of his life, he was never well. I agree that sometimes I think they never get over that initial infection.

Maybe you can suggest to your Ped that you have been wondering about allergies. There are so many things you can do just at home, especially in his room that may help. There are alot more preventive meds out there now too that he could take if allergies might be a culprit. Good luck to you, I know it is the pits. I don't think I slept a whole night until my son was 8. Getting a hold on it now before he goes to school will help alot.

Kelly

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

We too had a similar problem with my middle child. He was always sick, didn't matter what you did. What we found out is that his tonsils were bigger than normal, and that was causing the fluid to back up in his ears. He has since had his tonsils and adnoids removed, and tubes put in. What I found out is you always need to trust your instict. If I were you I would go to a child ent doctor, we ended up at the childrens hospital, and I think that is what finally got the ball rolling in the right direction. Allergies or asthma could also be the problem, does that run in your family? But again a child specalist should be able to pick up on that fairly easily.

 

[LaraK]

I just wanted to send out some . My DS has been in and out of doctors offices since he was born. The worst was last year from 9 mos. to 2 years. This year has been better, as we finally have a diagnosis and can keep him away from his triggers. He didn't have the ear infections, do I don't have any specific advice...but it sounds like several people's suggestion of an ENT and/or pediatric allergist are good ones.

Also, it's ok to vent. It's truely awful to have a sick child. You get the mommy guilties for everything...am I over reacting, am I under reacting, did I do something to cause this, can I stop this in some way, should I ignore this, did I miss something, am I being a difficult mom, is the doctor not going to treat my child as well because I am pushing, is this all in MY head...ignore all of those thoughts. My experience is that you beat yourself up over and over...but in the end, you are the one who will be right.

No one knows your child like you do. Push, then push again. Find the doctor who is going to get to the bottom of what is going on. If you think something more is going on, I'd put my money on your opinion.