Recurrent sinus infections

[Mom2J112903]

J had his tonsils out Thursday morning, and the ENT mentioned to us that he also found *another* sinus infection. :glare:

 

This is J's THIRD sinus infection since JUNE!

 

So, since June we have had three sinus infections and two severe cases of tonsilits. One which did land him in the hospital due to dehydration and this last one almost did. The allergist (because the pedi said there was nothing wrong, so we took him to our asthma/allergist doc per *his* request) took one look at his tonsils and could not belive it. He gave J an injection of Rocephin and a steriod shot (again-he had to have one back in July after his allergy testing) and told us to get whatever we can in him.

 

J takes two allergy meds, two asthma meds and receives allergy shots twice weekly. We have all the proper dust reducing goodies in our house and have two air purifers running 24/7 as well, one being in his room.

 

We see the ENT for our 2wk check on Sept. 9th and of course we will talk about the sinus infections then. We did mention that this was his third since June when he was talking to us after the surgery. Dr W was also :001_huh: to hear of his past few months.

 

For those of you that have had re-current sinus infections, what has helped? My Grand-Father went thru this as a younger adult and had to have surgery on his sinuses. J just went under general anesthesia for the 6th time, I really don't want to go thru it again.

 

Thanks for anything you can offer.

[springmama]

Have you considered making dietary changes? I know that dairy is a huge mucous producer and some people are really affected by it. I have pretty bad sinus problems and have been trying to psych myself up for an elimination diet. My plan is to eliminate wheat and dairy at first since those are usually the culprits.

 

I also wonder if seeing a chiropractor might help get everything aligned so that his sinuses can drain properly. My chiro is usually the first one I see when I start to feel bad and I feel like everything is draining properly after she straightens me out. I usually have her do my neck and ears.

[Mom2J112903]

Sorry, should have stated that J was on a very restricted diet due to allergies until the last month.

 

The first two sinus infections occured when he was gluten and dairy free. He just went on a "regular" diet after 5yrs of being gluten free due to a severe GI infection that left him un-able to digest gluten.

 

We have talked to the allergist and dairy does not cause any respiratory infections. It is not proven and since J was so sick *before* we placed minimal amts of dairy back into his diet, that this is not the culprit.

 

We have seriously considered a chirco for J but due to the family hx of sinus problems and what we have been thru with him, we feel we need to seek traditional ways. We are just very nervous that it is not going to work and we are back at square one.

[meet me in paris]

Neti pots work really well for this. Have you tried it?

 

Typically you use a saline packet to mix with lukewarm water... when you have an infection or feel one coming on you can add Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) - 3 to 4 drops - to your saltwater mixture. GSE is a natural anti-microbial, and it works. You can buy it at Whole Foods or other natural market.

 

That doesn't get you to the cause of the infections, but it will keep them at bay.

[rwilliams]

Are you sure your allergist is doing all he can? I might look around to see if another allergist might have a different approach. We went to an allergist who had also been a pediatrician for 20 years and he worked a miracle. No need to go any further than what he prescribed. If you live near NC I can let you know who he is.

[kewb]

I second the neti pot. Everyone is our house uses them.

[springmama]

I second the neti pot. Everyone is our house uses them.

 

I use one too and know that some people actually need to use them twice a day for relief. So it might be worth trying but don't save it for times when he's sick. Use it daily and see if it helps over time.

[Mom2J112903]

Yeah, love the NetiPot idea :) Yet like you said though, it is not getting to the root of the cause.

 

We just started with our allergist in July and so far have been very impressed. He is acting like J's pediatrician since we have not had any luck with the pedi and he is the one that recommended the ENT and the tonsilectomy. He told me again when we last saw him (2wks ago) that if J gets a fever to skip the pedi and call him.

 

I am not sure what any other pediatric allergist whom is also an asthma specialist could do for us. Dr M did extensive allergy testing and lung function testing. J was placed on Nascourt, BPM-Pseudo, Singulair and Asthmanex. His allergy injections were started since he tested positive for over half of the 50+ items tested for.

 

We will talk about the cat and dog-even though the allergist stated that the dog dander/allergy is *much* easier to control, even though it is a worse allergy than the cat. The dog is old and can not live outside, but the cat does ;)

 

Could J just have such severe allergies that his immune system is worn down? Could the allergy injections be too much on his immune system? We were going to talk about this with the allergist the last time we saw him but J was *so* sick (he was spiking to almost 105) and was *this* close to another hospital admission, we had more pressing matters to attend to.

 

I am :bigear: and THANK YOU to everyone whom has commented so far and to those of you whom continue to offer support/advice/thoughts/comments.

[Hockey Mom]

I know this is going to sound crazy, but have you had your DS to the dentist lately? My DD used to get sinus infections all of the time. Turns out, the roof of her mouth was too high and causing all kinds of breathing problems. She had difficulty chewing food and breathing at the same time, she had difficulty sleeping through the night, and she would get sinus infections. ETA: She was also dx with asthema, and would have nebulizer treatments about once every 3 months.

 

The dentist put in a hyrax. It's this mid-evil device that is attached to the top molars. In the middle of the hyrax is a little lock, and each night we would have to turn the lock a quarter of the way to "stretch" her upper jaw. After 9 months with that thing in her mouth, the roof of her mouth was where it should be and she never had another sinus infection or asthema attack again.

 

Just an idea. :)

 

ETA: Here's a picture of the device: http://www.johnsdental.com/images/ortho/fixpics/rpe/Bonded%20Hyrax.JPG

Edited August 28, 2010 by Hockey Mom

[cdrumm4448]

I give my kids oil of oregano when they are sick, and it is especially good for any type of respiratory problem. It is spicy, so your child may not be able to take it, but there are other forms than the oil. Also, a good, strong probiotic is a necessity. I also supplement them with vitamin D. Check them out. My kids are never sick.

[Mom2J112903]

Not crazy at all! J has been to the dentist but is due for another appt. Nothing has been said about the roof of his mouth, but I will be certain to ask about it.

 

I know this is going to sound crazy, but have you had your DS to the dentist lately? My DD used to get sinus infections all of the time. Turns out, the roof of her mouth was too high and causing all kinds of breathing problems. She had difficulty chewing food and breathing at the same time, she had difficulty sleeping through the night, and she would get sinus infections. ETA: She was also dx with asthema, and would have nebulizer treatments about once every 3 months.

 

 

 

I give my kids oil of oregano when they are sick, and it is especially good for any type of respiratory problem. It is spicy, so your child may not be able to take it, but there are other forms than the oil. Also, a good, strong probiotic is a necessity. I also supplement them with vitamin D. Check them out. My kids are never sick.

 

I am glad your children are never sick. We do the Vit D and can not do probiotics since they are often grown on a mold substance-mold is one of J's most severe allergies.

[Michelle in AL]

My dd went throught this one yr. I assume your allergist is an ENT, if not I would have an ENT see him.

 

To get better, dd needed to take one antibiotic for 3 weeks. Then she was rechecked to see if the infection was completely gone. She was better, but it wasn't completely gone. Then she had to take a second round of a different level of antibiotic, for 21 days I think, then she was clear.

 

You have to be rechecked to see if you're clear to be sure it's one continuous infection and not one after the other.

 

If dd wasn't clear after the 2nd round they would've done a CT scan and I'm not sure what else. I do medical records for my dh, a pediatrician and I've only once seen sinus surgery on a child.

[freetobeme]

I use one too and know that some people actually need to use them twice a day for relief. So it might be worth trying but don't save it for times when he's sick. Use it daily and see if it helps over time.

 

when my oldest was 10 yo, we had her evaluated at a children's hospital because she was having recurrent sinus infections over several years. the recommendation was one month of antibiotics and one month of FOUR TIMES A DAY saline irrigation. she was to return after that for surgery to be scheduled.

when she returned, the physician reported that her sinus looked like she had NEVER had an infection in her life. seven years later, she rarely has sinus trouble. the only other thing that might have been contributing in her case was participation on swim team daily ended.

i think that the long-term antibiotics along with the saline "overkill" really did the trick. my understanding is that it is really hard to treat sinuses with antibiotics because there is so little blood flow (which carries the antibiotic) to the sinuses.

that much irrigation was not fun or easy to accomplish, but it was worth it!

hope that helps a little!

:001_smile:

[Dobela]

Did they also remove his adnoids? My son kept a sinus infection continuously until his tonsils and adnoids were removed. He even had one at the time of the surgery. He took one last round of antibiotics then and has never had one since. We still have some allergy problems, but not any sinus infections. Apparently his adnoids were so large they were blocking at least partially where his sinuses needed to drain.

[Mom2J112903]

Our allergist is also an asthma specialist, but he just had his tonsils out-by the ENT. We will see our ENT on September 9th for our post-op appt.

 

My dd went throught this one yr. I assume your allergist is an ENT, if not I would have an ENT see him.

 

To get better, dd needed to take one antibiotic for 3 weeks. Then she was rechecked to see if the infection was completely gone. She was better, but it wasn't completely gone. Then she had to take a second round of a different level of antibiotic, for 21 days I think, then she was clear.

 

You have to be rechecked to see if you're clear to be sure it's one continuous infection and not one after the other.

 

If dd wasn't clear after the 2nd round they would've done a CT scan and I'm not sure what else. I do medical records for my dh, a pediatrician and I've only once seen sinus surgery on a child.

 

He was re-checked after each one-after each one he was clear. The first and second were close together, but he was clear after the first one. He went over a month this time.

 

He has been on a total of now, six different antibiotics this summer. Augmentin, Zithromax, Rocephin, Cefzil and currently Pennicillin.

 

We haven't had a CT scan but do think that is in order since we are fighting sinus junk.

 

Did they also remove his adnoids? My son kept a sinus infection continuously until his tonsils and adnoids were removed. He even had one at the time of the surgery. He took one last round of antibiotics then and has never had one since. We still have some allergy problems, but not any sinus infections. Apparently his adnoids were so large they were blocking at least partially where his sinuses needed to drain.

 

 

J had his adenoids out as a very young toddler. They had not grown back-thankfully.

Edited August 28, 2010 by Mom2J112903

[Michelle in AL]

I can't say about the CT. Bactrim is what solved my dd's problems.

[Mom2J112903]

I can't say about the CT. Bactrim is what solved my dd's problems.

 

Did she have back-to-back sinus infections or just re-current?

 

Thank you.

[Michelle in AL]

We don't know because she was never really rechecked. My dh is a pediatrician but when one of us his sick he tends to "blow it off." He would put her on antibiotics and then if she felt OK he didn't recheck her. We finally got treatment when we went to the ENT. She was fatigued all the time and had sinus pressure.

[OLG]

I know this is going to sound crazy, but have you had your DS to the dentist lately? My DD used to get sinus infections all of the time. Turns out, the roof of her mouth was too high and causing all kinds of breathing problems. She had difficulty chewing food and breathing at the same time, she had difficulty sleeping through the night, and she would get sinus infections. ETA: She was also dx with asthema, and would have nebulizer treatments about once every 3 months.

 

The dentist put in a hyrax. It's this mid-evil device that is attached to the top molars. In the middle of the hyrax is a little lock, and each night we would have to turn the lock a quarter of the way to "stretch" her upper jaw. After 9 months with that thing in her mouth, the roof of her mouth was where it should be and she never had another sinus infection or asthema attack again.

 

Just an idea. :)

 

ETA: Here's a picture of the device: http://www.johnsdental.com/images/ortho/fixpics/rpe/Bonded%20Hyrax.JPG

 

 

Agree! Our dentist says many sinus concerns are really caused by teeth.....

[Mom2J112903]

He has been to the dentist-knock on wood his teeth are fine.

 

The ENT took a long hard look at his throat, as has our allergist.

 

I really don't think J's issues are caused by his teeth.

 

DH thinks it was the tonsils but what was causing all of the tonsilitis? They came on so quick and so severe, literally within 12hrs he went from normal to hospital admission.

 

*I* think it is the dog, DH doesn't want to hear that though. The dog is old, ugly, smelly and a PITB. Yeah, I don't like her so maybe I just looking for a scapegoat. ;)

[ccmom]

My son has severe food allergies and he used to have recurrent sinus infections. I finally took a drastic step and got rid of all of the carpet. We even had some rooms concrete for awhile until we were able to afford flooring. At least I could keep the dust off of the concrete (and we put throw rugs, which worked fine). I could not believe the dust underneath the carpets and carpet padding that could not have possibly been removed, as much as we vacuumed and shampooed the carpets. We also invested in a *heavy duty* air purifier (IQ Air - around $1100). Those two changes made a huge difference.

[WiseOwlKnits]

My DD had this happen. The allergist finally put her on 3 weeks of antibiotics...or maybe it was 4...and then it finally went away for good. He also stressed giving her probiotics as well b/c they will help fight off bad bacteria too.

 

I hope you you figure it out soon.

[Mom2J112903]

My son has severe food allergies and he used to have recurrent sinus infections. I finally took a drastic step and got rid of all of the carpet. We even had some rooms concrete for awhile until we were able to afford flooring. At least I could keep the dust off of the concrete (and we put throw rugs, which worked fine). I could not believe the dust underneath the carpets and carpet padding that could not have possibly been removed, as much as we vacuumed and shampooed the carpets. We also invested in a *heavy duty* air purifier (IQ Air - around $1100). Those two changes made a huge difference.

 

We don't have any carpet minus the master, which J is not allowed in.

 

We also have air purifiers running, and not cheap ones either.

[Mom2J112903]

Probiotics are grown on a mold substance and J has a *nasty* mold allergy. If I could find a probiotic that did not cost an arm and a leg AND was not grown on a mold substance, I would give them. We have tried in the past, numerous times, and every time either his GERD acts up (we have no idea why) or he gets very congested. It stinks not being able to give my child something I *know* that could help keep him healthy.

 

My DD had this happen. The allergist finally put her on 3 weeks of antibiotics...or maybe it was 4...and then it finally went away for good. He also stressed giving her probiotics as well b/c they will help fight off bad bacteria too.

 

I hope you you figure it out soon.

 

Thank you. It was just a shock, I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor and put my eyes back in socket (as did my DH) when the ENT stated he had found J had a sinus infection. Makes us even more upset because we finished a round of Cefzil less than a week ago. The Cefzil was for the last case of tonsilits, no signs of a sinus infection at that time either.

[Momofeat]

I'm going to wade into this & share what I did, even though I know this is going to sound crazy.

 

A little background: I have allergies & recurrent sinus infections. Last December, I developed one & could not get rid of it. Three months later, after several family doctor & allergy doctor visits & 3 or 4 rounds of antibiotics, the allergy doctor's nurse practioner finally pulled me off the antibiotics & recommended a CT scan. My family dr had already recommended one. We didn't have money for the scan, much less for the surgery that I knew would be recommended next.

 

A friend of mine told me about a website called "The Sinus Doctor." It looks like the biggest scam in the history of the web, but I was desperately miserable. Basically, it's aromatherapy. You boil water (or use a facial sauna) & then add 3 drops of clove oil, cinammon leaf oil & thyme oil. Then lean over the pot & breathe it for a minute or so. I did this several times a day, plus used the neti pot several times a day & put a warm compress on my sinuses for at least 5 minutes out of every hour. I had relief within 24 hours, and was able to cancel the CT scan. When I went back to my allergist, I was fine.

 

You can buy these oils individually at EarthFare, and I did, but I also purchased from the Sinus Doctor website. He claims that there is a difference in the quality of the oils. I don't know if that's true or not, but I figured that $90 was much less than paying for a CT scan, and I wanted the instructional videos that came with the oils. Note: This man is not a real doctor. I am only telling you about my experience & saying that I would try this with my own children before going the surgery route. I would, however, also use this as a last measure. If you do something like this, also be sure that he isn't close enough to burn his sinuses with the steam.

 

Hope this helps!

[WiseOwlKnits]

Probiotics are grown on a mold substance and J has a *nasty* mold allergy. If I could find a probiotic that did not cost an arm and a leg AND was not grown on a mold substance, I would give them. We have tried in the past, numerous times, and every time either his GERD acts up (we have no idea why) or he gets very congested. It stinks not being able to give my child something I *know* that could help keep him healthy.

 

Thank you. It was just a shock, I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor and put my eyes back in socket (as did my DH) when the ENT stated he had found J had a sinus infection. Makes us even more upset because we finished a round of Cefzil less than a week ago. The Cefzil was for the last case of tonsilits, no signs of a sinus infection at that time either.

 

Oh, that stinks!!! What about Vitamin D and garlic pills? Both help the immune system...

[Mom2J112903]

Oh, that stinks!!! What about Vitamin D and garlic pills? Both help the immune system...

 

 

We do the Vit D and massive amts of Vit C as well. Haven't thought about garlic though.

 

A part of me is thinking that until we find out *why* his immune system can't fight anything off, nothing is going to really help. Something is destroying his immune system but what is the question. DH is hoepful that now the tonsils are out we will see a healthier child. I still want to know *why* he was getting such severe tonsilits and these sinus infections though.

[celticmom]

Has desensitization therapy (allergy shots) been tried? I had very severe allergies as a child and this is what worked for me. There is such a thing as allergy shots for food allergies as well as inhalent allergies. I know this because I have taken them.

 

His immune system may be "used up" by all of the allergic reactions and there is nothing left for the actual infections. I was very prone to infections before my allergies were controlled.

[WiseOwlKnits]

I bet it just wasn't getting cleared out completely. Our allergist says that a child can have a "low-grade" sinus infection and there can be spots in them, depending on how your particular sinuses are, where it can trap bacteria. So you take a 7- or 10-day course of antibiotics which will make it appear that the infection is gone. But it's really not...and as soon as the antibiotics stop, it starts reproducing again and the cycle starts all over.

 

And since his immune system is still down from the last infection when the new one is starting, it never gets the chance to build up so that it could fight it.

 

We had a heck of a time getting rid of DD's. Our ped said it was "just allergies" so we tried a bunch of different allergy meds first and then I decided it was crazy to use her as a guinea pig and took her to the allergist since the ped was sure it was an allergy problem.

 

The other thing the allergist said is that if it's not the right antibiotic, it won't completely cure it. I couldn't believe she needed more antibiotics since she'd been on 3 other antibiotics already for an ear infection and a upper respiratory stuff. They put her on Bactrim.

[Mom2J112903]

He started allergy shots July 8th, or something like that.

 

Has desensitization therapy (allergy shots) been tried? I had very severe allergies as a child and this is what worked for me. There is such a thing as allergy shots for food allergies as well as inhalent allergies. I know this because I have taken them.

 

His immune system may be "used up" by all of the allergic reactions and there is nothing left for the actual infections. I was very prone to infections before my allergies were controlled.

 

This time however it was a case of tonsilits then a sinus infection. I could see this happening with the first two however. We were off antibiotics for about 10 days when he was dx with the 2nd one.

 

I bet it just wasn't getting cleared out completely. Our allergist says that a child can have a "low-grade" sinus infection and there can be spots in them, depending on how your particular sinuses are, where it can trap bacteria. So you take a 7- or 10-day course of antibiotics which will make it appear that the infection is gone. But it's really not...and as soon as the antibiotics stop, it starts reproducing again and the cycle starts all over.

 

And since his immune system is still down from the last infection when the new one is starting, it never gets the chance to build up so that it could fight it.

 

We had a heck of a time getting rid of DD's. Our ped said it was "just allergies" so we tried a bunch of different allergy meds first and then I decided it was crazy to use her as a guinea pig and took her to the allergist since the ped was sure it was an allergy problem.

 

The other thing the allergist said is that if it's not the right antibiotic, it won't completely cure it. I couldn't believe she needed more antibiotics since she'd been on 3 other antibiotics already for an ear infection and a upper respiratory stuff. They put her on Bactrim.

 

I know we have tried Bactrim before, but not this summer. We shall see what happens with this round.

 

He is not doing well today, I just don't know what to do anymore.

[TechWife]

I went through this when I was in college. It turned out that one of my upper teeth needed a root canal. I was in no pain because it was draining through my sinus cavity. Has he been to the dentist and had x-rays lately?

[WiseOwlKnits]

 

He is not doing well today, I just don't know what to do anymore.

 

I'm sorry. :( It's so hard to watch your kids and not be able to help.

[Sandra in FL]

Ds who has asthma is medication-free. This is what we did:

 

1. No carpet in the entire house.

2. IQ air purifier

3. netipot at least 4 times a day

4. gluten and casein free

5. epsom salts foot baths

6. cod liver oil

7. vitamins and minerals

8. probiotics - Culturelle

9. whenever he has a cold - lots of fluids especially chicken soup with lots of vegetables, n-acetyl-cysteine for congestion

10. discovered that he had MTHFR (quite common - 40% of population) - supplemented with l-methylfolate instead of folic acid.

[Mom2J112903]

Ds who has asthma is medication-free. This is what we did:

 

1. No carpet in the entire house.

2. IQ air purifier

3. netipot at least 4 times a day

4. gluten and casein free

5. epsom salts foot baths

6. cod liver oil

7. vitamins and minerals

8. probiotics - Culturelle

9. whenever he has a cold - lots of fluids especially chicken soup with lots of vegetables, n-acetyl-cysteine for congestion

10. discovered that he had MTHFR (quite common - 40% of population) - supplemented with l-methylfolate instead of folic acid.

 

Only room that has carpet is the master and we don't have funds to replace it right now.

 

Air purifiers run 24/7 and while not an IQ we did invest a nice amt of $ into them.

 

J was both GF and CF for most of his life-while it helped his stomach he has never been the healthies creature. We have been thru a lot with him including GI and Respiratory problems since birth and his DTaP vax.

 

CLO was done for YEARS, literally. Again, no change in health.

 

Probiotics like stated before, can't use due to the method they are grown.

 

Epsom salt baths are popular here :)

 

Do the lrg amts of Vit and have been for quite a while.

 

Neti Pot, while I would love to, we have to work on J's SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) before we can do this.

 

J gets dehydrated so quickly we don't even notice it. His hospital admission happened so fast. We went swimming the day before, drank A LOT, was happy, normal 6yr old. By 4am the next morning he was white and pasty and dehydrated.

 

Would like to do the MTHFR gene testing, I have many friends whom have done this. Just do not have the out-of-pocket funds for such an expensive test.

 

We feel his respiratory problems are caused by his DTaP vax and nothing is going to repair the damage it did.

 

I want to get to the bottom of his immune system and why it is not fighting things off. The first thing I want to do is get rid of the dog, but that is going to hurt more than one person in the family. And since she is an old you-know-what, re-homing is not an option. We are stuck with her-grrr.

[E_Edgerton]

You may want to run it past your ENT doc, but New Chapter Organics makes a great sinus supplement. It aids in sinus care and helps to reduce/eliminate sinus infections for those who are prone to them. The New Chapter line is excellent. My entire family takes one or more of their products (fantastic multivitamins, supplements, etc). Something to check out at least. Take care.:)

[celticmom]

One thing that has not been mentioned is household cleaning and personal products. Some cleaning products can cause problems for sensitive individuals. I cannot tolerate anything with the ingredient: fragrance. I can tolerate essential oils but synthetic fragrances do not agree with my system at all.

[Dobela]

You mentioned immunity problems and that you have pretty much ruled out everything else that would be the first conclusion...Have you looked into anything like juvenile arthritis or other immunity disorders? I have a friend that struggled and struggled with immunity problems. She was always sick or feeling bad. She frequently had strep, or a sinus infection, and so on. She was taking allergy shots as well. She was a teacher and even stopped teaching trying to get well thinking it was a sick building syndrome or the kids. Finally an internist (I think) ran bunches of tests and she was diagnosed with arthritis. When they began treating the arthritis, she gradually began feeling better and began being less sick. On another board a mom posted about her dd's health struggle (she was an early teen) and she as finally diagnosed with Lupus. A poor immune system is part of Lupus even if you don't have the other symptoms.

 

Another thought is cystic fibrosis. There are milder strains of it out there. The children struggle with diet due to lack of enzymes, GI issues, and respiratory problems. For some versions the person may not be diagnosed for years.

[Mom2J112903]

One thing that has not been mentioned is household cleaning and personal products. Some cleaning products can cause problems for sensitive individuals. I cannot tolerate anything with the ingredient: fragrance. I can tolerate essential oils but synthetic fragrances do not agree with my system at all.

 

We do not use chemicals to clean and his shampoo is fragence free. He doesn't like to smell like Mommy he says :tongue_smilie:

 

You mentioned immunity problems and that you have pretty much ruled out everything else that would be the first conclusion...Have you looked into anything like juvenile arthritis or other immunity disorders? I have a friend that struggled and struggled with immunity problems. She was always sick or feeling bad. She frequently had strep, or a sinus infection, and so on. She was taking allergy shots as well. She was a teacher and even stopped teaching trying to get well thinking it was a sick building syndrome or the kids. Finally an internist (I think) ran bunches of tests and she was diagnosed with arthritis. When they began treating the arthritis, she gradually began feeling better and began being less sick. On another board a mom posted about her dd's health struggle (she was an early teen) and she as finally diagnosed with Lupus. A poor immune system is part of Lupus even if you don't have the other symptoms.

 

Another thought is cystic fibrosis. There are milder strains of it out there. The children struggle with diet due to lack of enzymes, GI issues, and respiratory problems. For some versions the person may not be diagnosed for years.

 

We have not ran a lot of blood test recently, but something will be done by someone. I do not care if I have to get a refferal to someone but this has gone on long enough.

 

My Uncle does have Lupus-a very mild case but still so.

 

We did a blood test for CF when J was younger, it was negative. Wouldn't hurt to do another draw, right?

 

J being so sick is one reason we chose to homeschool. He missed a lot of school last year and would have not been at school more than 5 days this year. They started school August 9th-he woke up with a 104 fever that morning.

 

Thank you all, keep the thoughts/comments/suggestions coming. The more detectives, the better! :)

[MamaAkins]

This may sound too basic and may already be something that you're doing...but are you replacing his toothbrush after he's been on antibiotics for 48 hours? He could be reinfecting himself.

 

Hope you can get to the root of the problem soon.

[Sandra in FL]

J gets dehydrated so quickly we don't even notice it. His hospital admission happened so fast. We went swimming the day before, drank A LOT, was happy, normal 6yr old. By 4am the next morning he was white and pasty and dehydrated.

If your son has issues after swimming (and trouble with DTAP), I'd consider phenol sulfotransferase deficiency. Below is a link to a long article on it. If you notice a few of the symptoms mentioned, epsom salt baths immediately after swimming is recommended. My son sometimes has problems with phenols (starts coughing for no reason except eating red grapes, tomatoes, etc.) so I usually up the epsom salts baths, give him TMG (tri-methylglycine) and avoid high phenol foods for a while.

 

http://www.newtreatments.org/fromweb/sulfur.html

 

Would like to do the MTHFR gene testing, I have many friends whom have done this. Just do not have the out-of-pocket funds for such an expensive test.

If you could save $99 by next April, I believe that 23andme.com offers their full genetic testing for $99 on (only) Earth Day.

 

We feel his respiratory problems are caused by his DTaP vax and nothing is going to repair the damage it did.

My ds had an anaphylactic reaction to the DTAP. No more vaccines for him. Fully sympathize with you.

 

I want to get to the bottom of his immune system and why it is not fighting things off. The first thing I want to do is get rid of the dog, but that is going to hurt more than one person in the family. And since she is an old you-know-what, re-homing is not an option. We are stuck with her-grrr.

Sorry, but I'd get rid of the dog. No animal is worth my children going through so many medical problems. I hate giving them antibiotics, etc as sometimes it messes up more than it helps.

Edited August 28, 2010 by Sandra in FL

[celticmom]

Your shampoo/other products could still possibly impact him.

[Dobela]

Crystal, I just want to send you many :grouphug:. And try to encourage you. Keep being the detective and hang in there. Push for a specialist beyond who you are seeing. We have a couple at our church whose infant dd began running fever for no reason and breaking out in rashes. The mom did hours and hours of research on the computer and finally ran across a disease called NOMID- Neonatal Onset Multisystem Inflammatory Disease. After meeting with doctors at the Children's Hospital in our state, they were sent on to another specialist several states away. They ran even more specific tests and found she didn't have NOMID but something similar and not quite as serious.

 

Your child is blessed to have you as his mom :)

[Sandra in FL]

If your ds isn't allergic to olive oil, there's Kiss my Face 100% olive oil bar soap. I use it to wash ds' hair too. Just keep it dry or it'll melt into a blob.

[Ottakee]

A few of my random thoughts---from a mom that had a child with CHRONIC severe sinus infections for YEARS that included sinus surgery at 4, long term antibiotics, etc.

 

1. Check for other food allergies---corn was a big one for my friend's kids---food allergies were not a part here though.

 

2. Fish oils--can't say for sure they helped but since we started them, no more sinus infections. She takes county life omega 3 mood 2 per day. You want 1000mg of EPA per day, not just total fish oil.

 

3. If he could tolerate it, the Supremadophillus has made a HUGE difference here. The girls are one 1 per day, every day for years now.

 

4. See about blood tests for IgA and IgG deficiencies along with other immune deficiencies.

 

5. http://www.nasopure.com like a neti pot but easier for kids.

 

These things along with tonsils and adenoids out and we are now sinus infection free.

 

My sister's son does NAET treatments for his allergies and while I think it sounds like hocus pocus stuff, it does seem to really work for him. He is MUCH healthier than he was before starting them.

[Mom2J112903]

If your son has issues after swimming (and trouble with DTAP), I'd consider phenol sulfotransferase deficiency. Below is a link to a long article on it. If you notice a few of the symptoms mentioned, epsom salt baths immediately after swimming is recommended. My son sometimes has problems with phenols (starts coughing for no reason except eating red grapes, tomatoes, etc.) so I usually up the epsom salts baths, give him TMG (tri-methylglycine) and avoid high phenol foods for a while.

 

http://www.newtreatments.org/fromweb/sulfur.html

 

 

If you could save $99 by next April, I believe that 23andme.com offers their full genetic testing for $99 on (only) Earth Day.

 

 

My ds had an anaphylactic reaction to the DTAP. No more vaccines for him. Fully sympathize with you.

 

 

Sorry, but I'd get rid of the dog. No animal is worth my children going through so many medical problems. I hate giving them antibiotics, etc as sometimes it messes up more than it helps.

 

He does not have any trouble with phenols-we have checked into that before. Always willing to look at things and someone else had mentioned this.

 

Thank you for letting me know about the Earth Day special! We will definatly do it then!

 

I do want to get rid of the dog but she is not able to be re-homed. She is old, smelly, ugly, and just a PITB. There is tension between DH and I right now because of her. Now if I could get the allergist to say "yeah, the dog needs to go" then DH would have no problem. J's dog allergy is worse than his cat allergy. DH heard the allergist say though that the dog dander is easier to deal with than the cat and well, he doesn't want to hear that his beloved dog could be the problem.

 

It breaks my heart to give J all of these meds. I cringe every time I do. He had to have a dose of Tylenol the other day-first dose in over 5yrs and yes I did cry. HATE Tylenol but can't give ibuprofen within 7 days of surgery and he *needed* something for pain.

 

Crystal, I just want to send you many :grouphug:. And try to encourage you. Keep being the detective and hang in there. Push for a specialist beyond who you are seeing. We have a couple at our church whose infant dd began running fever for no reason and breaking out in rashes. The mom did hours and hours of research on the computer and finally ran across a disease called NOMID- Neonatal Onset Multisystem Inflammatory Disease. After meeting with doctors at the Children's Hospital in our state, they were sent on to another specialist several states away. They ran even more specific tests and found she didn't have NOMID but something similar and not quite as serious.

 

Your child is blessed to have you as his mom :)

 

Thank you *so* much. We are unfortunatly used to traveling and doctor's appts with J. When we lived in W.Va we were traveling to Columbus, OH quite often for his pedi GI doc. We just thought all of this was over when he had one good year.

 

A few of my random thoughts---from a mom that had a child with CHRONIC severe sinus infections for YEARS that included sinus surgery at 4, long term antibiotics, etc.

 

1. Check for other food allergies---corn was a big one for my friend's kids---food allergies were not a part here though.

 

2. Fish oils--can't say for sure they helped but since we started them, no more sinus infections. She takes county life omega 3 mood 2 per day. You want 1000mg of EPA per day, not just total fish oil.

 

3. If he could tolerate it, the Supremadophillus has made a HUGE difference here. The girls are one 1 per day, every day for years now.

 

4. See about blood tests for IgA and IgG deficiencies along with other immune deficiencies.

 

5. www.nasopure.com like a neti pot but easier for kids.

 

These things along with tonsils and adenoids out and we are now sinus infection free.

 

My sister's son does NAET treatments for his allergies and while I think it sounds like hocus pocus stuff, it does seem to really work for him. He is MUCH healthier than he was before starting them.

 

He has had both IgG and IgE allergy testing done, no immediate reactions and the only delayed still hanging around is flax.

 

He has been too sick for them do draw an IgA, no doc will pull it when he is sick. They want him to be healthy for and off antibiotics for 2wks. Haven't been able to do that since July.

 

DH is hopeful that since the tonsils are out we will start seeing a new J. I go back to *why* was he so sick over this past year though.

 

We did fish oil for three years-we still didn't have a totally healthy J. I spent *so* much money in "alternative" supplements it makes my head spin.

 

I have heard and done some research on the NAET treatments but since J is on allergy meds and allergy shots I am not certain we could do them. I am not stopping his allergy shots, he missed one week due to the tonsilits and that is all I want him to miss. He has to get built up to his allergens otherwise he will never be able to be a happy child outside.

 

Thank you all again. Maybe DH is right once J heals from the tonsilectomy he will be better. But again I ask *why* has he been SO sick these past 3 months and not healthy for more than 8 weeks this past 12 months? I just want answers for J, he shouldn't be inside sick while his friends are swimming enjoying their summer.