Constant Fevers

Well totell you the truth kids are always sick. However clear fluid fromhis ear is not normal. Maybe you should take him to a pediatric ENT. Constant fevers and clear liquid draining out of his ears isnt always normal. Pediatricians are used to the "normal" illnesses. Please by all means follow up with a specialist.

With all due respect, please go to another pediatrician as soon as possible. Secondly, begin to boost his immune system with herbs. Good luck

Before you do tubes, take out all dairy for 2 to 3 weeks as a trial. I have heard many of times on my board of food allergies that dairy cause lots of ear problems. Its worth a try. My kid has not had dairy since he was 11 months. He is 22 months now and he is healthy as a horse and got him tested and is not deficient in any vitamins due to a diverse diet in vegetables and fruits and protein. Before when he at or drank dairy he was picky and then once I took it out he no longer was a picky eater. It was the weirdest thing. Anyway I hope that it can be as simple as this and you can avoid sugery.
Alternatives to Milk is Hemp Milk or Rice Milk. Hemp milk is better as it has protein like milk but also has omega 3's and 6's which milk doesnt even have. It taste good too but I use rice sometimes too as Hemp Milk is not in every store. Good Luck to you.

L.,

My son was sick non-stop from October to July of last year (ear infections, flu, pnemonia - you name it, he had it). After taking him to the pediatrician a number of times (a dozen at least) I took him to an allergist/immunologist who assured us that everything was fine. I know my son is intolerant to dairy (diahrea and stomach ache) and allergic to soy (diahrea, stomach ache, hives) but neither of those items showed on an allergy test. He also has eczema. According to the allergist he's not allergic to anything though (allergy testing is very unreliable on babies). After all that time, I went back to my pediatrican's office and got a different doctor. After explaining to her that I really wasn't exaggerating how much and how often he'd been sick and telling her I intended to bring my son in every single time he got sick so that they would realize I really wasn't kidding - and I'd likely be seeing them weekly, she actually listened to me and put him on Singular and he's been fine every since. He's had a few minor, normal type of colds but nothing like the endless "sick" he had last year.

I'd pretty much bet your child has allergies and that has him so sensitized that his immune system can't fight off the infections. It could be food allergies or environmental allergies or both.

In addition to keeping my son away from all forms of dairy and soy (even those hidden in other foods), I wash his bedding in hot water twice a week, have an allergy-barrier cover on his mattress and pillow and I have a HEPA air filter running in his room all the time. Between doing that and the Singular, he's doing really well.

Good luck,
T.

My son had the same problem! He did have ear infections a lot! By 6 months he had 16 rounds of antibiotics! He also always seemed to have a cold and runny nose! Finally I took him to a fabulous ENT in Yorba Linda and he had ear tubes put in and his adenoids removed! He is 19 months old now and hasn't had any fevers since! His fevers were always 102! It is not a good thing to have fevers for days straight! I suggest an ENT, they are the ones that can tell you about fluid in the ear! Truly and ENT is a great way to start and then go from there! Good Luck!

No offense but I don't think that your doctor is handling this right at all! Blood work should have been done and you should have been referred to an ENT already!

First off, I feel your pain. It's awful. My daughter, now 11, had recurrent ear problems after she turned 1. It was a constant stream of antibiotics. I got sick of all those antibiotics and took her to a homeopathic doctor. They cleared up and never came back. I'm serious. And my daughter didn't know the difference between homeopathic and traditional medicine! There are plenty of natural medicine doctors. I'm sure any one of them could help. Go to the sites for homeopathic doctor referrals or naturopathic doctors. They'll start with routine herbs or remedies and talk about his diet. Just believe that he's creating really good immunities now (it helped me anyway). I'd give you our doctor but that was when we lived in NY! G.

L.,

I had the same issues and concerns with my son at the same age.

For us the saving grace was getting him to an ENT and taking him out of daycare and finding somone to watch him at home. I'm a single Mom, so my paycheck is necessary and I was missing a week at a time.

We opted not to do tubes, as his ENT prefers to not do surgery on kiddos under two unless necessary. It was mostly an immune thing (preemie 8 wks)...once we got him healthy and past the colds, he has only had one infection this whole year!

Good luck!

Hi L.:

I understand the frustration.

I have 2 children; Son who is 3 and daughter will be 2 in April.

Since about 6 months my son had constant ear infections, I think he had about 7 by the time he was a year old (talk about being frustrated and worried).

He was put on a "preventative" antibiotic which seemed to help prevent infections, but would still have fluid in his ears.

Most recently (Christmas Eve in fact) we had noticed our son was straining to hear us, he would literally raise his ear to our mouths so he could hear. We made an appointment and he saw his Doctor who noticed fluid in his hear, but it was not infected (he had had fevers a few days back and also had a cold). We explained our concern and she referred us to the ENT Specialist (for children). We then had 2 appointments; 1 for the hearing test, which was scheduled 2 weeks after our initial visit (he still had fluid in his ear) and 1 visit to the ENT on 1/16/09 (he still had fluid in his ear). The dr told us he had about 30% hearing loss because of the fluid build up.

He did suggest, because of the history of ear infections and continued fluid in the ear which was not properly draining (and may have been causing the fevers) that we have tubes placed in his ear to help with the draining, which would improve his hearing and help prevent future ear infections.

You may want to ask you dr. for a referral to the ENT to see if tubes will be necessary for your son.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. ____@____.com (yes my name is L. also)

Try my cure for everything that ail's ya: Give him plenty of fluids (but not milk and not corn syrup based juices - pure diluted juices (1/2 water and 1/2 juice) like Langurs Apple juice or others - just read the label, mega doses of vitamin C, and go to bed for 24 hours. Or, in the case of a toddler, let him nap as much as he wants whenever he wants.
The dosage for Vitamin C is 100mg. per month of age per day. So a 19 month old could have 1900 mg. a day divided into 3 doses, 600mg, morning, noon, and 700 at night. Vit. C is water soluble so any he doesn't need will just be peed out. You can get the high dose powder from a health food store, a teaspoon is about 5,000 miligrams, so the doses you need will be fractions of a teaspoon. Mix with a small amount of something he will eat, apple sauce, apple butter (it may taste bitter).
This may work because it may be that you child's immune system is just run down, and the repeated antibiotics are making it weaker, not stronger, especially if the problem is viral and not bacterial. The Vit. C treatment is very safe and gives the body a chance to repair itself.
Your pediatrician won't believe in it, ask the clerks at a good health food store, or get "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by Balch and Balch, a husband and wife team, one is a Physician and one is a Nutritionist.
B. L

Um , hell no ! Your doctor should have drawn a CBC ( blood work ) by now and if that was OK send him to an ENT .
ALWAYS trust your instinct , and err on the side of caution . You are with and know your child far better than anyone.

My son had this EXACT problem! He is fine now so let me tell you what I did. Luckily my son's pediatrician is Dr. Bob Sears so the first couple ear infections were treated with antiboiotics and garlic ear drops (helps the pain and the infection). Then when he kept getting fevers and had fluid in his ears the Dr. Bob said it could be an allergy to dairy products and to stop all dairy products for one month and come back to see him. So we did that and no more fluid in the ears and no more ear infections. My son always had a problem with milk even with formula and soy didn't agree with him either, he would get really constipated so he drinks Rice Milk and loves it. He has cheese sometimes and is ok and can eat eggs and is fine. For him it seemed to be mostly milk. I can say my son has not had an ear infection in almost two years (he is 3 1/2 now)! It can't hurt to try. I would only do the ear tubes at the very very very very last resort. they have proved to cause other types of developmental problems in the future.
You can visit www.askdrsears.com and look up ear infections and see suggestions. Its a great site when you are worried :)
Always go with your intuition just like you are doing. It doesn't lie.

Been there done that! You sound just like me! We had the same issues with our son. We were dealing with ear infections also. The best move I made was going to an ENT. We ended up needing tubes and things got a lot better. He has had one ear infection since durning allergy season and we cleared it up right away. We did a round of antibiotics and the doctor acutally used a tube to suck the gook out of his ear. We haven't had problems since. Good luck.

Hi L.:
Sorry to hear your little guy is experiencing so many problems of late with his ears. Believe it or not, Linda A hit the nail right on the head.If Mothers,were only told, from the beginning,that propping up a bottle,while their baby lays flat, can create health problems,they'd never do it.while there's no doubt its convenient,in saving time and steps, It can create constant ear problems,When your baby drifts off,and hasn't finished his bottle,that formula or milk,continues to roll back into his throat and it continues to drain into the ear canals,where it forms bacteria. Below,is an article I researched,and it discribe's Acute Otitis Media.I don't know why Drs. don't warn young mothers,of this, before they even take their new babies home.It could save so many babies the pain and discomfort,so many mothers tearful nights of freting,and of course save the money spent on antibotics and Dr visits. Ohhhh...Now I know why they don't tell us!.. Heres that article.I wish you and your darlin son the best.J. M

Acute otitis media: Inflammation of the middle ear in which there is fluid in the middle ear accompanied by signs or symptoms of ear infection: a bulging eardrum usually accompanied by pain; or a perforated eardrum, often with drainage of purulent material (pus). Acute otitis media is the most frequent diagnosis in sick children in the U.S., especially affecting infants and preschoolers. Almost all children have one or more bouts of otitis media before age 6.

The eustachian tube is shorter in children than adults which allows easy entry of bacteria and viruses into the middle ear, resulting in acute otitis media. Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (strep) and Hemophilus influenzae (H. flu) account for about 85% of cases of acute otitis media and viruses the remaining 15%. Babies under 6 weeks of age tend to have infections from different bacteria in the middle ear.

Bottlefeeding is a risk factor for otitis media. Breastfeeding passes immunity to the child that helps prevent acute otitis media. The position of the breastfeeding child is better than the bottle- feeding position for eustachian tube function. If a child needs to be bottle-fed, holding the infant rather than allowing the child to lie down with the bottle is best. A child should not take the bottle to bed. In addition to increasing the chance for acute otitis media, falling asleep with milk in the mouth increases the incidence of tooth decay.

Trust Yourself... I think your right.. My son had this on and off for months and the drs just wanted to wait. Took him to an ent and he looked at my son said you need ear tubes. He said I should have gone to him sooner. We have had them for 3 months and not one fever or water in ear.

They also told me if you wait to long it can damage your sons hearing. I am glad i demanded he see an ent.

If it is not that well then fine... At least he saw the doctors that have 3 extra years of training on the ears! Hearing is something you never want to mess with...

My daughter had this last year at this exact time. She had a fever for over a month on and off and had continual fluid in her ears! It was terrible and we found out she was antibiotic resistent so our only choice was tubes in her ears. So she had tubes at 11 months and we haven't had that issue since no fluid at all in her ears. She has only had a fever with getting the flu this year. I hope you can get to the bottom of the issue it is so nerve racking having our babies not feel well. Good luck and God bless!

Hi L.,

You are right! A fever is not normal. It is sign of infection of some sort. It could be bacterial or viral - but your son's body is trying to fight off something by changing the internal environment. My concern about it reoccuring even after antibiotics is there are strains of bacteria that are building up resistance to antibiotics. (due to over and improper use) It is important to rule out these strains as being the problem. I really think you need to see another Dr. If this is continuing for a long time something should be done about it. The wait and see thing is fine at first - but I think that time has passed.

Good luck and I hope your little guy feels better.
G.

I'm sorry to hear your little one is having fever/ear infection issues. Ear infections run in our family - all the kids would get an ear infection with anything; common cold or virus, even teething. After seeing an ENT Dr, most of our toddlers have received ear tubes to assist with the drainage. This did the trick. No more fevers from ear infections. Don't hesitate to encourage the pediatrician to send you to a specialist. And, don't second guess your instincts..... as a mommy you know when something isn't right! I hope this all works out for you very soon.

First take a deep breath and realize that your instincts are right-on and your sense of urgency is well warrented. Go see an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) Doctor right away. I know you want to trust your doctor, but sometimes you just need to see a specialist. If your doctor has never seen this, I promise you there are doctors that have. I would be taking him to an ENT or an Audiology doctor as soon as possible. Fevers are nothing to mess with since they can cause decay in the adult teeth that are waiting to come in and they are a huge sign that your sons body is trying to fight something. Fluid in the ear can also cause lots of problems, but your son is young and you are going to find the cause of the problem and fix it so he is going to be just fine. Good luck to you - you're doing the right thing.

I don't want to scare you but this happened to my daughter and it ended she had Rabdomyosarcoma. She had fevers off and on for a month or two. Ears, bladder, etc. They didn't find out anything for about three months of this. If it were me, I would demand detailed blood work, checking for Leukemia and other cancers etc. It will make you feel better to check that off your list. I had a gut feeling all along something wasn't right with her I wish I would have followed my gut feeling rather than listing to the doctors say it will go away with this med or that. Listen to your feelings. I would have liked to be more demanding with the doctors and what they should do with the tests.
I wished someone would have sacred me into checking earlier. I hope everything is alright. If it is just low resistance I would work with Kim at the wellness center by Valencia Pharmacy she is great to let you know what homeopathic works well. My son kept getting sick with colds etc. I started studing homeopathic s and when he gets sick right away I start him on a remedy and it starts to clear and usually is gone in two or three days without antibiotics even fevers work this way. He is 12 I know allot more about homeopathics and love it. Good luck. M. R

Hi L.,
I have a 37 month boy which had a couple of fevers during his first year I do think maybe you should switch pediatricians but when I found a really good one he made sure to tell me that when they turn 1 year make sure they are not drinking a bottle anymore. This causes them to get more ear infections. I know you said your baby is now 19 months, but you didn't say if they were still on a bottle. I doubt it, but I thought I would let you know anyway. Good luck.

L., please get your kid to the doctor asap. A fever is a sign of an infection. Even if it's the weekend, take him to urgent care or even better the ER. The ER will run lots of tests. The doc NEEDS to run a CBC (complete blood count to find out if something else is going on). And why the heck hasn't the doc referred you to and ENT doctor yet??? Maybe he needs tubes!!! I'd request that they do so asap!!! Good luck. I hope your son is ok.

L., An excellent ENT in Orange is Dr. Camilon, located near CHOC/St. Joseph's. ###-###-####. B.

Ok I'm no expert and I'm sure you've heard these but just in case here is a few possibilities.
1. He's around a smoker (it seems to cause more ear infections). make smokers smoke outside and wash hands before handling baby.
2. Its his molars coming in they will fool you with ear infections for months.
3. He's laying down in the bathtub and getting water in his ears that isn't coming out correctly. Solution don't put as much water in the tub and try not to let him lay down especially before bed when he'll be laying down.
4. He's laying down with a bottle/sippy cup, to go to sleep. Solution give him a bottle/sippy cup at a better angle before laying him down.
5. He's recently started going to a babysitter of multiple children or preschool and catching everything that is going around. Solution try buying a case of lysol and donating it to school.

I worked in a pediatric office for 22 years and it sounds like it's time to step it up a notch and find a really good pediatric ENT for your son. I have seen kids as early as 9 months old that needed tubes in their ears. There is a really good doctor in Encino (I know it's not close, but it may be worth it.) He is really the best! His name is Jeffrey Birns and he specializes in pediatric cases. I hope this helps.

L.,

This same thing happened to my son. As i read each line I am amazed how i went through the same thing. My son had back to back ear infections for 2 weeks with low to high fevers. We went through 2 rounds of antibiotics (really strong ones). Then one day he started to have pain whenever we went to change his diaper, so we thought it was appendicitis and immediately took him to the urgent care. The urgent care doctor was amazing and told us to get to the hospital right away. Needless to say after a week of many many tests in the hospital and my son getting progressively worse they called in an infectious disease doctor - at this point my son had trouble walking. On his way out the door, the doctor looked in my son's ears (everyone else had as well) and looked really deep to find a massive ear infection that could only be treated with strong antibiotics and the infection grew to his joints which is why he hurt to the touch. After 3 days he was a normal boy again. My point is trust your motherly gut instinct...I know i did - sometimes the pediatricians blow things off and you just know it's something else than the common cold. If you have any questions my name if J. and you can call me at ###-###-####. I have two young boys ages 3 1/2 and 2. I hope he gets better.

I would suggest taking him to see a homeopath. It sounds like your son may have some immunity issues and, in addition to that, he may end up having digestive problems with all of the antibiotics that he is taking. My own son had at 5 or 6 ear infections during his first year, until he had tubes put in when he was 14 months. After that, for the next 3 years, he had a chronically runny nose and pretty much had a bout of the cold and flu every 3 to 4 months. We also had a problem with potty training him also because he had chonic diarrhea. Those issues all cleared up after we started consulting the Homeopath/M.D. last February. During the last 12 months, my son has only had one short bout with a cold and the flu but so I cannot say enough about going the more natural, less pharmaceutical route.

Hope your little guy is feeling better soon.

I am so sorry to hear that you and your baby are going through this, my younger
Brother had the same problem, my mother took him to an
Ears, nose and throat specialist. Your pediatrician doesn't
Have the answers. For my brother it was just a build up
Of fluids that began to drain slowly on its own.

I hope this helps and your son gets better soon.
God bless you
P. Ewing
California

Hi L.,

My children have had quite a few ear infections - similar to your experience. My daughter seemed to always have fluid in her ear (allergies!). My pediatrician referred my daughter to an ear, nose,throat specialist. She recommended ear tubes. They were "inserted" in December and my daughter hasn't had an ear infection since! It's great!

You may want to get a referral to an ear specialist. that seemed to be the turning point for us.

good luck!
--h

I would request to see an ENT an Ears nose and throat docter asap. My son didn't have the liquid in his ear but had low fevers for weeks at a time. It led to a speech delay bc he was not draininy fluid in his ears properly. The fluid was preventing him from hearing properly.

We saw the ENT dr. and she immidiatly ordered a small surgery to put tubes in his ears. The tubes help drain the fluid properly and open everything in the ear up so no more ear infections.

Please ask for this referal soon. Email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions.

My daughter also had the same. She several different anitbiotics for 6 months. We had the tubes done around 15 months and no problems since-she's nine now. I'd ask to see an ENT. Constant fluid can impact his hearing and possibly delay speech development.

My daughter was the queen of ear infections. I may be exaggerating a bit, but it seemed like she was antibiotics at least every-other month. As she got older the ear infections subsided.

I didn't have the tubes put in her ears, I changed her drinking habits. When she was able to hold her own bottle, I would prop her up on a pillow, in an almost sitting position and when she started her sippy cup, I did the same. At night it was tough because if she woke up, I had to wake up to make sure she drank more upright. It helped and she stopped getting ear infections by the time she was 2years.

Good luck - I don't know if it is a solution, but it worked for us.

Same thing happened to my son...when he was around 12 months old and on...the only thing that helped was putting tubes in his ears. He is now on the second set of them. Best of luck to you.

You may want to consider seeing a chiropractor. If your child continues to get fluid in his ear, leading to many ear infections and fevers, a chiropractor may be able to solve the source of the problem by adjusting your child, instead of continuing to treat just the symptoms with antibiotics and other medications. If you are near the Carmel Valley area in San Diego, I highly recommend my chiropractor, Dr. Chris Elleraas ###-###-####, www.carmelvalleychiropractic.com. Good luck!