OT: constant sickness

[barnaby1]

I am after some advice from anyone who has had this problem.
My dd 2.5 comes down with a "something" about every 6 weeks. You could almost set your watch by it.
By a "something" I mean a high fever which lasts 3 - 4 days. Often justs starts with a runny nose but sometimes there is no obvious infection cause (tonsilitis, ear infection, chest infection etc".
We ride it out with drugs and then she is fine but it is EVERY 6 WEEKS.
Inbetween she is perectly well and sturdy. She eats well and has a good diet. I am really surprised as I am an "eat dirt and drink pond water" type mother, never sterilised anything etc so she should have an amazing immune system.
Does anyone have suggestions or do I just have to wait until she grows out of it (which everyone tells me she will - but when?????).

 

[only1alexa]

I know it's sooo difficult to see your little one get sick and not be able to do anything about it. My DD was sick from 10 months all the way through 2 years of age WITHOUT A DAY OF GETTING BETTER. The doctors kept peeving me off giving her one antibiotic after another. I started telling them they weren't helping if all they could do is prescribe drugs. They asked me to let them try something else...so they gave her antibiotic injections. (8 rounds of antibiotics, 3 antibiotic injections and SHE WAS STILL SICK!) They did bloodwork and all they could tell me was that she had some sort of infection and a compromised immune system. She would constantly get fevers of unknown origin and would choke in her sleep due to all the congestion. I slept sitting up with her in my lap for about a year. The doctors kept saying it's common for kids to keep getting colds but agreed with me that she never seemed to get completely well before getting worse.It was the worst 2 years ever, and I had a newborn after the first year. We were sent to a children's hospital and they suggested having tubes put in her ears and removing her tonsils. They agreed with me on the antibiotics and actually wrote a letter to my doctors office telling them they should not be prescribing antibiotics the way they did for my DD. (Yeah, the head doc told me about the letter. They realized in hindsight it shouldn't have happened that way. You'd think they would've realized it when I finally stopped being nice and blew a gasket as they tried to prescribe another one prior to me stating I was going elsewhere for her care!) I didn't want it to come to that but was encouraged by the doctors optimism (He really felt she had constant sinus and tonsil infections and that was why she wasn't getting better).
Well, we went through w/the surgery and she got better...for several months...then she got a few more colds and she's been fine ever since. She's 5 1/2 now and she's had less than a handful of colds in the last few years. Seems everything fixed itself in the end.

Short version: She may grow out of it eventually, it's just a long, frustrating wait for any caring parent until she does. I hope that day comes soon for you.

 

[Feralpeg]

Have you had her checked for strep? It doesn't always present as a sore throat. The reason I ask this is that my DD was also sick constantly when she was little. She started when she was about two years old. She end up on an antibiotic. Once she finished the antibiotic, she'd be okay for about a month, then she'd get sick again. They finally tested her for strep. It was positive. From that point, they would test her each time. It was almost always positive. When she was five years old, the doctor suggested that she have her tonsils out. He said that they were so infected with strep that they just couldn't get rid of it and he didn't want to keep putting her on antibiotics. Once she had her tonsils removed, she got better and never had a problem with strep since.

 

[Miss LD]

Can you try a homeopathic remedy?
DS was like this constantly - it sounds really similar. He'd be fine and then runny nose and coughing then fever.
I didn't feel like our doctor was offering much other than drugs and empathy. (she's really nice)
I went to a naturopath who deals with kids and things have changed.
DS has been way way way healthier.
Some of our concerns were hyperactivity, exzema and these constant colds. So far DS hasn't had eczema again, and his colds are non-existent. I'm pretty sure we can't solve the hyperactivity by diet alone, but we have seen big changes from diet and homeopathic remedies.
My husband keeps telling me I've "gone granola" but really I'm amazed at the difference.
The specific remedy we've used for his immune system is called "Lymphosot" but you may need to get it from a naturopath.

 

[surfgirl]

Is she in a new environment ? A new daycare ? preschool ? playgroup?

I find that the germs in each are different and after a year in the preschool, we became healthier b/c we had been exposed to the same set of germs as all the kids. Shouldn't make sense, but seemed to...

If it is just colds, the good news is that she is building immunity and won't get them when she is older !

 

[mjkacmom]

All of my kids were sick from October to May, all of the time, until age 3 or 4. Maybe we'd have a few good days, but not many. Colds, strep, cocksackie, fifth's disease, roseola, rotavirus - not to mention countless random virus's and ear infections. Good news - by the time they got to elementary school, they were pretty much DONE. Maybe a cold here and there, but I can't remember the last time one of my kids stayed home from school due to illness - they've had them all (and I a SAMH - we just got out a lot).

 

[Alesia]

I agree with Feralpeg.

Get her tested for strep.

 

[rt2dz]

I don't have much (new) advice, but have you had your DD checked for mono? DS4 and DS7 had those issues last year, a bit like every 3-4 weeks though and it turned out to be mono. Our Pedi told us that they are starting to see it in younger kids a lot more. They now know that mono is highly contagious during a fever outbreak; no salvia needed.

I'd also have your DD see an allergist. Bad allergies can cause the symptoms like you are describing.

 

[SmallWorld71]

While I know this sounds unrelated, DD was the same way until at age 2 she started being treated for seasonal asthma / allergies. Simply put her body was so busy trying to deal with her breathing that it couldn't fight germs / colds at the same time and she would get reapeated ear infections, colds etc... Might be worth taking to an allergist about?

Just realized that previous poster also mentioned allergies.

 

[magchavez]

I don't have an answer for you but I wish I did. My ds (7) is sick all the time. Last year he had strep 3 times between Christmas and April. He also had ITP (a virus in the blood that attacks his platelets). They initially thought it was leukemia and it took 5 months to get all of his numbers back into the normal range. I just don't understand why he is always the sick one and my 5 year old daughter never gets anything. If he hasn't outgrown it by now (7), when will he? Wish I had more answers!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I remember when my boys were very young, the pediatrician said it's not uncommon for kids to get 8-10 colds a year! I thought that sounded a little high, but apparently it can happen. As some other posters said, there may be an underlying cause like undiagnosed strep. Or, she could just be a kid who catches everything she's exposed to. She's still young and building her immune system. Does your pediatrician say her frequency of getting sick is unusual?

 

[bumbershoot]

Since it never seems to be anything substantial, stop with the drugs. The FDA and drug companies are telling us that kids shouldn't take those things anyway.

Let her body work through the illnesses; it's what her immune system is made for, after all. If she needs to cough stuff up, let her. Don't suppress it. If she needs to have her nose run, let her nose do its thing. Etc. Suppressing symptoms when not absolutely necessary (in our house we suppress when I'm sick at the same time as my son and we're both utterly miserable AND my hubby is well but has to work...if I can't function and he can't help, that's when we reach for "helpers", which in our house usually means a homeopathic remedy) just isn't normal for our bodies, and it will often lead us, especially children, to then overtax ourselves because we feel good, or at least more normal.

Also you need to support her immune system. Chiropractic works on the body's systems, including the immune system. It helps the body work more perfectly, and kids especially often become MUCH healthier once they are under care. Acupressure and acupuncture too work to support the systems of the body, though most would be more comfy with acupressure for a little kid (let me tell you, if you move accidentally during an acupuncture treatment, forgetting you have thin needles in you, it can HURT! so for a little kid most would stick with a'pressure).

If you're still nursing her, start taking vitamins yourself. If she's weaned, give her something if you don't think her diet is terrific. Try to stick with the more natural products vs things like Flinstones, b/c those more mainstream vitamins have all sorts of crud in them (gelatin, corn syrup, etc) that aren't terrific for us anyway!

Good luck! I myself was a sickly kid (thank goodness I was nursed until I was 4, I probably would have died without that solid nutrition!), and b/c of custody situations my mom *had to* take me to the doctor's and *had to* give me antibiotics whenever the doctor cultured and found a bacteria and recommended them (thank goodness he ALWAYS did the lab work on us and wouldn't prescribe until the test results came back). I think it just made me sicker, less able to fend off the normal stuff. Once the custody stuff from my dad eased up, she was more able to care for me as she wanted to, with natural remedies and without the OTC medicines), and I got better and stronger once she could do that.



Oh, I forgot!

When I was little I had an allergy to eggs. It caused a constantly running nose with CLEAR goop. And I get very stuffed up with dairy. I'm fine with eggs now but I really should cut dairy out entirely, even now. When I'm eating a lot of dairy, I get environmental allergies BIG time. If I don't eat much dairy I'm OK. When I've cut it out entirely (and I mean EVERYTHING related to dairy, even taking out whey, milk solids, casein, and so on) I have absolutely NO allergies. I could run through a field of hay, roll down a manicured lawn, and I would be fine. But if I'm "on" dairy and do those things, well, I couldn't even get close to the hay or the big lawn b/c I would already be miserable.

So I would suggest looking strongly at her diet, too, b/c those normal things might be negatively affecting her health!

 

[aprilgail2]

Have you had her checked for strep? It doesn't always present as a sore throat. The reason I ask this is that my DD was also sick constantly when she was little. She started when she was about two years old. She end up on an antibiotic. Once she finished the antibiotic, she'd be okay for about a month, then she'd get sick again. They finally tested her for strep. It was positive. From that point, they would test her each time. It was almost always positive. When she was five years old, the doctor suggested that she have her tonsils out. He said that they were so infected with strep that they just couldn't get rid of it and he didn't want to keep putting her on antibiotics. Once she had her tonsils removed, she got better and never had a problem with strep since.

My daughter was sick like this too and once her tonsils were removed she has not had strep or a really high fever since- 4 years!
I don't believe in Chiropractors so I would never go that way- I feel they are a bunch of quacks- I once had one tell me they could cure my godsons cancer- wouldn't trust them with my child!

 

[princessmom29]

I agree that you need to see an MD not chiro, homeopathic. Something real is wrong here for her to be that sick for that long, and the recuurent fever is concerning. I would be sitting in a doctor's office untill they diagnosed and treated her or sent me to someone who could. There has got to be a real underlying medical condition that needs treatment causing a recurrent fever like that some kind of infection, bacterial or viral or other type of inflamation. You don't get a fever from a food allergy. Some thing is attacking her immune system and fever is the body's way of fighting back. Pelease see an MD who is willing to help!!!! I would NOT stop giving her motrin ect to bring down her temp. A high temp that lasts that long in a 2.5 year old is dangerous and can lead to brain injury untreated. I agree that letting her body get rid of the bad stuff by not supressing a cough ect is a good idea unless it becomes severe enought to compromise breathing ect, but please keep her fever down!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I don't believe in Chiropractors so I would never go that way- I feel they are a bunch of quacks- I once had one tell me they could cure my godsons cancer- wouldn't trust them with my child!

You know, I used to feel this way (having worked almost 20 years in a radiology field myself), but let me tell you - there is a big difference in having a good chiropractor who is educated and literate in immunotherapy and going to a general practitioner who can't think outside the box because insurance won't let them - Insurance dictates the proper analytical practice (flowchart) that MDs must follow for reimbursement/payment. Bad MDs often miss a lot of the signs and symptoms, since they rely too much on the flowchart and not enough on their instinct and education.

I was horrendously sick immediately after having my 2nd daughter and my GP and OB couldn't figure out why - wasn't gallbladder and my hormones should have returned to normal. I went to a good chiropractor on a friend's recommendation and OMG - he was amazing. By looking at my bloodwork, he was able to tell that my pituitary had slowed down to nothing and that my adrenals we incredibly out of whack. He was able to give me supplements that started my hormones on the right path, he showed me how to work with my adrenal lymphatics to calm and keep them open, he got my back and hip in place, so they could reset correctly when my cartilidge returned to normal, I lost all the baby weight and then some, and he put me on a great detox to help me stay functioning. He even taught me how to listen and work with my own body to help maintain my adrenal and digestive systems. I can now tell him exactly what is out of place or wrong when I see him and I can fix myself when I don't.

I now owe a lot to chiropractics. It helped me be well enough to take care of my new baby - which I was all but incapable of at the time I started seeing him. Good chiropractors have a lot of knowledge that modern science has taught medical doctors to forget.

PS - I believe Molly is a good chiropractor....

 

[Krissy Marissy]

I agree about the fever...it shouldn't be let go. I do agree that other methods could be tried along WITH tylenol/motrin...such as a cool bath. I am sorry to hear that you guys are having to deal with this, not sure what I would do. As PP said a fever is the bodies way of fighting something off and perhaps another dr should be seen? Sometime dr's with the best of intentions miss things? I think getting her tested for multiple things might be worth it. Esp if you have been trying to figure this out for some time now. Make the dr's do it....do not leave their office until they do! If they refuse find a dr who will! Best of luck to you.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

You know, I used to feel this way (having worked almost 20 years in a radiology field myself), but let me tell you - there is a big difference in having a good chiropractor who is educated and literate in immunotherapy and going to a general practitioner who can't think outside the box because insurance won't let them - Insurance dictates the proper analytical practice (flowchart) that MDs must follow for reimbursement/payment. Bad MDs often miss a lot of the signs and symptoms, since they rely too much on the flowchart and not enough on their instinct and education.

I was horrendously sick immediately after having my 2nd daughter and my GP and OB couldn't figure out why - wasn't gallbladder and my hormones should have returned to normal. I went to a good chiropractor on a friend's recommendation and OMG - he was amazing. By looking at my bloodwork, he was able to tell that my pituitary had slowed down to nothing and that my adrenals we incredibly out of whack. He was able to give me supplements that started my hormones on the right path, he showed me how to work with my adrenal lymphatics to calm and keep them open, he got my back and hip in place, so they could reset correctly when my cartilidge returned to normal, I lost all the baby weight and then some, and he put me on a great detox to help me stay functioning. He even taught me how to listen and work with my own body to help maintain my adrenal and digestive systems. I can now tell him exactly what is out of place or wrong when I see him and I can fix myself when I don't.

I now owe a lot to chiropractics. It helped me be well enough to take care of my new baby - which I was all but incapable of at the time I started seeing him. Good chiropractors have a lot of knowledge that modern science has taught medical doctors to forget.

PS - I believe Molly is a good chiropractor....

I have been feeling a little "off" since having my DD this last may and have considered seeing my GP but not sure what to tell them...perhaps trying chiro will point me in the right direction. I just dont feel right but not sure what is wrong either.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Krissy - I'd get that 2nd opinion. My MD just thought I should be slightly monitored for thyroid since my TSh was kind of low. I'm not sure she even considered my pituitary, which makes hormones that stimulate TSH production. My chiropractor took one look at my pit level and told me that I must have been on birth control for a really long time to have levels like that. I had never disclosed that info to him. I'd been off the pill for 5 years at that point, so I saw no need. I was pretty impressed.

To the OP - if you can find a regular MD that has some experience with homeopathy, it may be a good mix for you. Kids today have such different systems, due to diet and the like. Then, add on to that the disease exposure levels brought on by pre-school and daycare scenarios, you get a huge germ-filled mess. An MD with homeopathy can really help to change a child's wellness level - once they cure the initial issue, they can work to reduce the need for too many support medications through diet modification and such.

 

[hmacmahony]

I agree with the poster who said see a chiro. All our kids see chiros, and we love them. They are a super wonderful family group, and they work on not only chriopractic care, but whole body health. Like diet, supplements, exercise, and keeping the body healthy through adjustments.
It won't hurt to try.
I would also let her body fight this infection, drugs are not the answer, espically if there is no infection. A fever is the bodys way of fighting something, give the body time to work the way it is supposed to before giving her any drugs. If she gets hot, try giving her a lukewarm bath to bring down the fever.
Make sure she takes vitamins, (vit c is great!). Gets plenty of rest, eats healhty, drinks tons and tons of water and is active.
I know it can be frustrating, with my 3rd was sick all the time, runny nose from birth, finally after about a year of this we ended up having her tested for Cystic Fibrosis (negative), tested her for allergies, and it just ends up she had 3 child syndrome! Her two sisters brough her home every little bug around, and she just had a cold pretty much from birth until about 1, but she is fine now, she grew out of it.
Good luck, if you aren't happy with your doctors decesion though, go see someone else, if your gut is telling you something is wrong, listen to that.

 

[Heluvsme]

It sounds like you've tried everything, but I just wanted to add...

Try getting new toothbrushes and using paper towels in the bathroom instead of cloth towels.

Also, disposable cups in the bathroom instead of a glass.

I wish you luck, this sounds really frustrating.