April 11, 2013

sickies

The last couple weeks have been a doozy with my boys' health. They're usually pretty healthy but Fritz has had this lasting cough for a few months and seemed like he often had a runny nose. It wasn't until that turned into a full-fledged crying, screaming, no-sleeping fest that I decided to take him to the doctor where he told me that my sweet baby had a horrible ear infection. I gave him an antibiotic for that and after that was finished, I took him in for a diaper rash turned fungal infection and he had another ear infection! That's two ear infections, a fungal infection and I'm pretty sure he has a milk intolerance (which contributed to the cough and runny nose). I've since stopped giving him all dairy to see if that helps.
And then, poor William. He caught an AWFUL stomach flu bug that has had him laid out for an entire week. I think he lost 5 pounds from not eating, has mild dehydration (which is getting much better after giving him Pedialyte) and sleeps all day long. Literally, all the time. It's very sad. So, I was getting worried because he just seemed to be getting worse and took him to the doctor. His pediatrician diagnosed the flu bug (which I expected) but he also looked in Will's ears and the poor boy has two horrible ear infections - like "the worst ear infections I've seen" kind of ear infections. The doctor had me look in Will's ear with the magnifying glass thing and I was pretty grossed out. I think they're both on the mend but it just breaks my heart that they're so sick. They've never had ear infections or any health problems like this before and just can't seem to get well! I'm pretty sure the culprit is that dang spring pollen!

In conclusion, it appears my boys have horrible allergies. Allergies that give them runny noses, which lead to post-nasal drip, which leads to ear infections cause it has nowhere to go. I am lucky that I don't suffer from seasonal allergies but I wish that my boys didn't have to suffer through this, especially since you can't give small children allergy medication. Does anyone have any advice?

P.S. Sorry for the lengthy health log but I wanted to record it. Sounds weird but you'd be surprised at how often I go back through my blog looking for stats and other health information on my kids. Does anyone else do that?

13 comments:

  1. I've heard that local honey can really help with allergy issues. I've also found it helpful to use saline solution on my kids to clean out their noses (a neti squirt bottle is great if they'll tolerate it, and I SWEAR by it as an adult!). We also bought a battery-powered nose-sucker-thing with our fourth and it has been so amazing--I wish we'd had it from the beginning!

    As a sidenote, if you keep having lots of issues with ear infections (fingers crossed that you don't!) make sure you talk to your pediatrician about getting a referral to an ENT. One of my kids had horrible ear infections that were starting to affect her hearing; she had tubes put in on her first birthday and she's never had any issues in the 5 years since. Not something that was on my radar at all, so I just thought I'd mention it.

    And (going on for world's longest comment here!) it's funny that you mention health stats on your blog, because I was just rereading mine trying to figure out how soon I might have my next baby based on where I was at this stage of pregnancy with my previous 4! And I always use my blog to remind myself of what schedules my kids were on at various ages so I know what I should be doing with the current baby...

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    1. Thanks for all the advice Rachael! These are their first ear infections so fingers crossed that they don't keep getting them. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses the blog as my virtual baby book! :)

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    2. Rachael, what is the battery powered nose sucker thing called? We use the Näsfrida/Nasfrida which is very effective but it causes so much drama with our little girl..

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  2. Make sure you give them probiotics after their rounds of antibiotics to replenish the good bacteria that fight future infections as well as fungi (which probably led to the diaper rash). Antibiotics are pretty devastating to their immune systems. Also, try to give them a few tablespoons of LOCAL honey per day for allergies. I get mine from Whole Foods, and they sometimes even sell it at Costco. It's all about trying to treat their illnesses with the least amount of damage. :) Good luck, those poor boys have been through the ringer.

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  3. :( maybe you can also check with essential oils for them?
    poor guys! hope they feel better soon!!

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  4. You absolutely can give kids allergy meds! Our pediatrician put my son on Zyrtec at 11 months old for seasonal allergies. He was haing recurrent infections, and we were trying to avoid tubes. He got 2.5mL once per day. He only takes it in the spring/summer with the pollen, but it has made a huge difference in our home.

    Also, if the ear infections continue, look into chiropractics. I think that helped our son as well..we've been ear infection free for almost a year!

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    1. Really Caitlin?! That's great news - I just saw the "do not give to children under 6" thing on meds like Claritin so I just assumed it wasn't safe for small kids. I'm glad to hear that your doctor prescribed something. I will ask my pediatrician! Thanks!

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    2. Our doctor said the FDA has those warnings on almost all meds for young kids these days because there were dosing issues. I hope it helps! It's so hard when they don't feel well!

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  5. I totally use my blog for a health record!
    I would recommend taking both boys to an allergist. You absolutely can give daily allergy meds to babies and young children, but it needs to be under a doctor's supervision.
    We have dealt with everything in your post - milk intolerance, repeat ear infections, seasonal allergies that turn into sinus/ear infections, etc. It is a vicious depressing cycle, but daily allergy meds & PE tubes / adenoidectomies helped a lot for my kiddos.
    Many children with milk intolerance are also soy intolerant (the proteins are similar), so you may want to try coconut milk instead of soy milk.
    Hope they are feeling better soon!

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  6. My family is always getting respiratory stuff, more so now that we live in northern Florida where there is so much pollen and mold. I was getting worried about always having to give myself and my kids antibiotics, so I started doing some research. We began making Mullein tea (the second link is the product description). I brew it up and put it in juice so my kids take it easier. To me it is a miracle herb! We are usually out sick for a week with respiratory infections, but now we are better in a couple days. And when I feel some post-nasal drip coming on, I start taking and avoid coming down with something. I absolutely LOVE this! You can also mix some cooled Mullein tea with some warm olive oil and drop it in the ear to help with ear infections (but I haven't tried it) and make a cough syrup by boiling 1 C Mullein with 2 C. water, let it cook until half the water is gone, then add 1/2 raw organic honey. We have tried that and it works great. Doing a Mullein steam might be difficult with children, but I've used it on myself, steaming Mullein and Peppermint, and it really cleared everything. Also, you can check out their Youtube videos on the Bulk Herb Store Channel. There is so much great info, and their videos are seriously addicting!

    http://www.bulkherbstore.com/articles/mullein?s=mullein
    http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Mullein-Leaf-Cut_Organic?s=mullein

    I hope everyone feels better soon! It's no fun to be a sickie!

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  7. My family is always getting respiratory stuff, more so now that we live in northern Florida where there is so much pollen and mold. I was getting worried about always having to give myself and my kids antibiotics, so I started doing some research. We began making Mullein tea (the second link is the product description). I brew it up and put it in juice so my kids take it easier. To me it is a miracle herb! We are usually out sick for a week with respiratory infections, but now we are better in a couple days. And when I feel some post-nasal drip coming on, I start taking and avoid coming down with something. I absolutely LOVE this! You can also mix some cooled Mullein tea with some warm olive oil and drop it in the ear to help with ear infections (but I haven't tried it) and make a cough syrup by boiling 1 C Mullein with 2 C. water, let it cook until half the water is gone, then add 1/2 raw organic honey. We have tried that and it works great. Doing a Mullein steam might be difficult with children, but I've used it on myself, steaming Mullein and Peppermint, and it really cleared everything. Also, you can check out their Youtube videos on the Bulk Herb Store Channel. There is so much great info, and their videos are seriously addicting!

    http://www.bulkherbstore.com/articles/mullein?s=mullein
    http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Mullein-Leaf-Cut_Organic?s=mullein

    I hope everyone feels better soon! It's no fun to be a sickie!

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  8. I think it's a good idea that you've been keeping a log of your kids' health through your blog. I'm sure it comes in handy when they need to get their regular checkups. As for alternatives to allergy medication, have you tried essential oils? A drop each of lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oils added to a teaspoon of honey should help. You can ask your doctor if it's okay for your kids.

    -Logan

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