Dear E.,
I'm going to send you a mixed message:
Would it help you to learn that most childhood illnesses that your son gets now are strengthening his immune system against future exposures?
I believe that one of the single most important things that we can/should try to teach our children is the ability to not be afraid of the way we feel. A person who is not afraid of pain, for instance, can tolerate more pain.
However, this is not something that can be taught without example. If we, as parents, freak out at the smaller stuff, how are we teaching our children to handle the little stuff? And then the bigger stuff?
How can we teach our children self-control if we can't control our own behavior?
I'm an RN who has worked in a variety of different areas. When I worked OB, I worked with one woman who actually did NO yelling or crying at all through an entire long labor and delivery. And, this was with no medication or anesthesia because she wasn't afraid of how she felt.
Having said all that, when my oldest was born, all of my previous 15 years of nursing intelligence was thrown out with the placenta. My brain was drained and empty. :)
We went to a family reunion in the Caribbean when my daughter was 6 weeks old. We knew that she was healthy and we would be in civilization, etc.
Long-story-short, she got sick on the flight down and proceeded to get sicker in the next few days. I took her to "the American doctor who the American tourists to the island go to" daily as she was getting sicker. He told me and my family that I "was crazy and just needed to relax on the vacation ... This was the baby's first cold and she'd get over it ... get used to her being sick because it would happen again."
My "gut" was confused. My gut told me something was wrong with my daughter, but the doctor was disagreeing with my gut feelings.
I decided to leave the family and return home with my daughter. If the doctors who knew me at home thought I was crazy and my daughter was fine, then so be it.
Her home pediatrician admitted her to the hospital immediately. She had RSV pneumonia in two lobes of her lungs. I had never before (or since) met a "quack"-doctor.
Now, 24 years later, she's fine, but that was a terrifying time of my life.
I told you this story because you must go with your gut feelings about your child's illnesses, too. I believe that we moms have significant protective instincts over our children. Our antique gut feelings know more than our modern culturally-adept brains.
If your gut is telling you to "panic and worry excessively" and says that something is terribly wrong with your child and that's why he keeps getting sick, then you should push the doctors. Ask for referrals to consulting physicians, like allergists or infectious disease specialists to check for allergies or immunities.
Meanwhile, you mention that he's been sick off and on for only a couple of months. What changed within the past couple of months?
So, RELAX, keep the Tylenol and Ibuprofen stocked, but keep your radar active.
Good luck. Let us know what happens.