Too Many Visits to Dr. Office. Help!

I agree with other recommendations. After you overcome the ear infection I recommend Cod Liver Oil. I have a 6 yr old and 16 month old. 6yr old has always been in daycare/school. When the other children are getting sick cod liver oil helps boost his system. I use to be in and out of doctors office w/ 6 yr old asthma (started when he was 6 months old). Now I avoid the cold that starts the asthma by giving him the cod liver oil. Even generic brands work. I use walgreens. Give w/ orange juice

If you think you're doctor is not really listening to you, then I'd look into finding another doctor. I'd also look into seeing an ENT. My son had problems with ear infections and had tubes when he was very young, but the problem seemed to resolve itself at around two years old (when my doctor told me the anatomy of his ear would catch up to where it should be... and it seemed to do just that). That said... we too have faced some stubborn bugs this spring. My son had an ear infection and then was back again two weeks later with a sinus infection... and all of us in the house have been sick int he last couple of weeks. We made it through the winter without a single doctor visit and then it's all come apart in the spring, which makes me thing allergies might be involved? Good luck.

Have you tried taking him to a chiropractor? There is a really go pediatric chiropractor in Gainesville that actually because a chiro from a teacher because of all the help one gave to her son... sick all the time, not sleeping.

Would be delighted to give you HER name and number if you are anywhere close by.

K.

Hi, T.

I am sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with your son. I moved from Maryland to Georgia and had the same issues. My son who is now three went to the doctors three times in a six week span for ear infections and strep throat. To some people, that was not alot, to me, it was too many. I stumbled upon a health and wellness company that provided products that reduces allergies and impurities in the house. It worked for our household. This is truly not a sales pitch but what truly happened in my household. I have not been back to the doctor's since except for a regular checkup. These products worked and my whole house is cleaned by these products from the floor to the clothes. The products are all natural. If you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to ask. Your problem may be in your household due to the cleaners you have for your house that are harmful to children.

You are right to ask for help. I am a mother of 2 girls ages 13 and 11. I regularly visit medical websites and one that I find very useful Dr. Patrick Holford, UK. I recently read his May 2008 newsletter and it was packed full of information on detecting allergies and how to treat them... read this and see how you can help your son.

How old is your son? With allergies you will probably have to work on it yourself. Does he take vitamins? Does he get enough sunlight? The most likely allergens in food would be wheat and milk. Try eliminating the wheat for a couple of weeks and see if there is some improvement. 3 of my children who are now adult are allergic to wheat and have a sinus infection when eating it. My only son is allergic to milk and can only drink it a couple of times a week without a reaction. This is going to take work on your part if you don't have insurance that will pay for allergy testing. Try to eliminate all preservatives from his diet and that will be difficult if he goes to day care/school. V.

When my family and I moved back to Georgia we were in the ER five times in one month because of ear infections, fevers and croup. Not fun!!! It wasn't until the flu problem that just went around that we had to go to an urgent care center because our hospital we go to was just too packed. He gave the kids some antibiotics... honestly amox. and augmen. wasn't doing it's job so he used... Keflex, I think. He also gave them something called Rondec syrup. It dried up the nasal stuff, the ear stuff and the sinus stuff. Then we put the kids on regular dose of zyrtec and they have been good... knock on wood. I even take allegra now and I never had a problem when I lived here before. I know that when I or the kids miss a dose that symptoms start to reappear of sinus and earache problems. If you don't want to pay for another visit, go to a local drug store and get the zyrtec syrup (now over the counter). It shouldn't react to any other medicines your child might be taking but if you have questions, just ask the pharmacist. It's allot cheaper than making a visit to the doctor's office! With my kids, all the meds we were giving them just made everything take forever to get over. I had to make the kids suffer with a whole week indoors, no other kids inside to play with and good ol' chicken soup. Good Luck!!

Does anyone in your house smoke? That by itself can easily be the culprit. Even if he is around someone who has smoke residue on their person can sometimes cause a reaction. If not, I would take him to an allergist ASAP to find out if there is anything specific he is allergic to that you can change. Sorry to hear your little guy is sick, I hope you find a solution soon!

E.

Hi T.,
We are in a very similar situation with two young children and it seems like we are constantly back and forth at the doctor's office and even with insurance co pays for the visits and the doctor rack up pretty quickly. One solution that we have found is to simply talk to our pediatrician and let him know what the situation is. He has since been very forthcoming with sample medicines to get us through that spell and even prescribing the other not quite sick enough child a prescription just in case he begins having the same symptoms as the sick child. He has been very diligent in finding less expensive medicines that will still work well and even gives us coupons for free medicine as well. He has also given us phone consultations (at no cost) and will call in prescriptions for us so that we avoid the doctor visit fees. I know that we are blessed to have a great pediatrician but I would hope that other one's would be willing to do the same.

Hi T.,
I know how you feel. When my kids were 2 it seemed like every time I got them well they'd go for a couple of days and then be sick again. Part of it is that age,but part of it MAY be his diet. He might be allergic to wheat or something like that. There are some good websites that address allergic reactions to foods. I don't know the names but you could probably google "food allergies" and get a million hits. Also, get him to wash his hands a lot by buying that foam soap in a bottle. They love that. Just washing the hands helps prevent many things.
Good luck, C.

ITA with the ladies who say to start with an elimination diet. Start with Dairy and all products with refined processed sugar. Milk allergies present themselves in so many varied ways, including acting out. (I have a friend that that's how we know her son has had dairy, he turns into Mr. Hyde.) But in general, May is a horrid month in SC for allergies. I know there are some mothers that swear by The Feingold Diet.

Hi T.,
What does your son keep getting sick with?
2 suggestions: consider going to a holistic dr since you arent having luck with your pediatricians. A friend of mine had similar issues and she decided she didnt want to keep giving him steroids so she went and he is better already! I can get his name for you.
Second: does he take vitamins? I sell a natural vitamin and my 2 yo has been taking for a year now and she rarely gets sick and never gets a fever! It has 28 fruits and veggies in them, excellent for the kids and best part it is Vegan certified! You have to be careful with gummie vitamins you buy at stores, they have gelatin in them and some were recently recalled for lead!! Mine are inexpensive and they work!
K.

Try taking him to a good chiropractor. My kids & I go to Dr. Theobald in Mt. Pleasant. He is awesome with kids. He also takes care of the Charleston Soccer Battery Team. My kids are 11 & 5 and each one has only had one ear infection & one sinus infection. And I no longer have migraines. If you become a patient of his then your child(ren) get adjusted for free, so you would be able to save some money. Since we go to him, my kids have only gone to the doctor each one time for illness, other than that they only go when its time for shots. I hope this helps. A. M.

FYI- Single mom of two wonderful boys 11 & 5.

I know exactly where you are coming from. I would highly recommend you demand for your son to be referred to an allergist. My son was projectile vomiting almost daily. He had numerous ear infections even after tubes were placed. He had dark circles under his eyes, was rubbing his nose a lot and had red patches all over his body. I feel that because he was in daycare that his pediatrician was too quick to jump to the ole stomach virus and antibiotic diagnosis. I had changed pediatricians and still the same response. I took my son to an allergist on my own when at about 15mths old he had had 4 episodes where his eyes swelled. My son has had what they assumed was eczema since he was born. Being a first time mom I had could only trust the doctors. Well, after taking him to an allergist I found out he was allergic to milk, eggs, the dog, cats, nuts and soy. My son is now on soy milk and we moved the dog outside. His skin is clear and he has not vomited once in 4 mths. It infuriates me to think of all the times my husband stayed home from work, we paid the daycare for nothing, paid copays, antibiotics, tubes in the ears and his own daily trauma from his allergies. I am upset that I looked online and had to do my own diagnosis when all the signs were right there for two pediatricians to see. Hope this helps and he gets well soon.

Nicholas is probably not getting rid of the first ear infection. My husband just had an ENT explain to him that he wasn't really getting sinus infections over and over - he just wasn't getting rid of the first one. And the dr said "like small children with their ear infections - the symptoms are better after 10 days of antibiotics but the infection is still there."

My ped when my children were young believed in a low dose of antibiotics over an extended period of time (6 months) for chronic ear infections. I saw several children treated this way. They never had ear infections again and they also didn't require tubes.

I agree - you should find a new ped.

Good luck.

T.,

YU are wise to see the whole writing on the wall. Being constantly sick is your child's body saying "Something ELSE" is going on with me. He is allergic to something. He is not getting better and then sick again , he is just not getting better and then you see him having another bad day as him getting sick again.

I spent thousands on medical care for my son for years only to find out that he was allergic to so many things. If we had gone ahead and paid for the allergery test first we would have taken steps to prevent his taking or being around the allergy triggers and then he would not have been sick so much! We joke that he built the doctors new office (Due to our constant need of offive visits but in hind-sight if the doctors would have said,"let's get to the bottom of his illness or lets find out what is givien him these symptoms instead of, "Here have a drug,- my office is busy and I can make $125 per 3 minutes and then on to the next $125 child in the next room" If you sense what it is that I am saying. YOU ARE YOUR CHILD"S BEST ADVOCATE! Find out what is causing the infections or reactions and then remove it from his world be it a cat, dog, rug, food, or chemicel! Once you do this he will feel better, you will feel better and your doctors will have to rely on some other mother who is not working on her child's behalf to slove the issues that today's doctor's are just to busy to give their time to.
So to recap...
GEt an appointment with an allergist
Have the test taken
Find our the results
Take steps to remove his allergents from his life
See a happier healther and more able to funcion child within 6 weeks
Stop spending your days at the doctors office where he is picking other illeness as well coming in contact with hard and accumulative drugs.

I hope this helps.
Keep Mothering,
Ms C.

Hi T.-

I would look at allergies and things that would be weakening his immune system. Sugar and white flour are common culprits and common food allergies are usually things like dairy. Our family switched to organic and natural foods removing anything with preservatives, etc. and it has made a huge difference. It is often not as expensive as you think either...Costco has a lot of organic items and just switching to foods you make from scratch makes a big difference. The short of it is if you don't recongnize the name on the label don't buy it. Other than that I would make sure he is constantly washing his hands and that his daycare is keeping things clean. I don't know what your situation is but if he is in a daycare you could consider switching to a nanny...I know some people get together with 1 or 2 other moms and split the cost making it more affordable. Good luck...my heart goes out to you!

not sure how to help you but i would definitely say seek another opinion. giving him steroids doesn't sound good.

Do you have any animals in your house? This same thing happened to me and to my nephew because of a dog allergy, but it can also happen because of a seasonal allergy. Is your son old enough to take children's Zyrtec? If so, try that for a week or so and see if it helps. The other thing that has really helped me is a HEPA air filter in our living room. It cleans the air of dust, pollen, animal allergens, etc, and I have had much less problems with my ears and throat! I can tell you which one I purchased if you'd like. Another thing to know if this is allergies is that you should never vacuum in the presence of a person with allergies. This is because vacuuming stirs up allergens in the carpet/floor, and it takes a full 8 hours for the stuff in the air to settle again. I have been having my husband vacuum the living room after I go to bed. He turns the air cleaner on high, and by the next morning, the air is clean again. Oh, and if you do have a dog or other animal, don't let it in your son's room. :) Hope this helps!

It could be allergies or perhaps the medication being prescibed is not strong enough.

My middle son had chronic ear infections for 9 months and we finally had tubes put in. Since the tubes he's had one ear infection in 14 years!

There's nothing wrong with pushing your doctor more about your concern. You're the only advocate your child has. If you feel you're not getting the kind of care from your current doctor, find another one. Use this website as a way of finding a more competent pediatrician.

Hve your home checked for mold. My son was never sick. When he was almost 2 my husband got a promotion and we had to move. We lived in an apartment for 5 months and he was on antibiotics 4 times (including for his first EVER ear infection). As we had just moved, we hadn't found a new ped and saw several doctors. It was finally a family practice doctor in my home town that said it could be something in our apartment. Luckily we had already put a deposit on a house and moved in that same month. Guess what? No more antibiotics!

I understand it gets not only expensive you can get tired of just going through the motions of seeing the doctor and treating a sick child. If he's had too many ear infections and you need a doctor to refer you to an ENT because of insurance requirements then ask them for a referral. If you need not have a referral then I suggest you make an appt and seek and ped ENT yourself for the little one. I had two children that kept getting ear infections and sinus infections and finally a doctor that would listen to me agreed to have my oldest looked at, it was before the 3rd child was born and he needed tubes...later after the third child was born he too had the same problems with infection after infection and we didn't wait as long had a different doctor that agreed to an ENT had the eval and he ended up with tubes...
They still get and sinus infection maybe once to twice a year but really haven't had ear infections since...the problem was one infection after another no real break.
Can you change pediatricians??, if so maybe you should consider it since they seems of no help, I did a few times until I found one that would listen. If your child gets to many infections it can cause a delay in learning because of hearing. I lived that as well, so act on your child's behalf and find a doctor that will listen and be helpful.

Poor guy! Would you believe this can be fixed rather quickly? Try taking him to a Chiropractor that specailizes in children/family care. If you are new to chiropractic, leary to it, etc.. Give it a try, your original method is obvisouly not working and your little guy needs help! The antibiotics and other meds have decreased his immune system so much. This is the only pattern you are going to see with the same interaction, over and over again. You can also give him probiotics and acidophulis. This will help to rebuild his good bacteria. He needs to do this to strengthen his immune system. A good multivitamen would benefit him also. Go to your local healthfood store to get one that is absorbable. Be sure to really push his water intake too:) If you have questions about chiropractic and children, please feel free to contact me. I am a chiropractor and mother of a 3 year old. I know you may be 'afraid' to take this approach but once you do you would be very thankful for it. It could really be so helpful for him. Best of luck!

You never said how old your son was. I for one believe you have to make the doctors listen to you. You must remember that you are paying them for a service. Make them listen to you when you tell them you don't want your son pumped full of meds and you want to find out why all this is happening. If they won't listen and do as you ask, FIRE them and find one who will.

I am a Naturally Green Life Coach and I have talked about some of this on my blog. Please go read it and maybe it will help.
http://thegoodnaturallife.blogspot.com/

My son has lots of allergies (food and environmental) - but surprisingly has rarely had an ear or sinus infection. I've never heard of steroids to treat an infection. He should be getting antibiotics. If you are concerned about environmental allergies (pollen, dog, cat, mold, etc.) start him on Claritin or Zyrtec. You can buy these over the counter now. They are similar medications but work differently, so you may find that one works better than the other. Each will take a few days to take full effect. If you are concerned about food allergies, try an elimination diet - taking him off of the most common allergens one at a time (milk, egg, wheat, corn, soy and peanut). For example, no dairy (read all labels) for several days. If you don't see any improvement, move to the next one. If you do see a change - either from the medication or the elimination diet, talk to your pediatrician. If you still don't get the response you want, call an allergist directly and make an appointment. Good luck!

You are right about things that he eats or drinks causing this. Many don't realize that what goes into our bodies affects us drastically..even if it doesn't until later, when something builds up.

First thing, get him off of milk (cow's) immediately! Milk is very mucus forming and a big culprit when it comes to ear infections, etc. (This is coming from a mom (me) whose first son drank a lot of milk and had multiple ear infections. I finally realized the connection and took him off. What relief for him.)

Another thing you can do when he seems to get a bit sick is to give him some Emergen-C in his water the first sign of any kind of sickness. If you can do something about it EARLY, then it won't develop into something worse. You can find Emergen-C at your local health food store or at Wal Mart.

If he has been on antibiotics, he needs the good put back into his body. When taking antiobiotics, his body is stripped not only of bad, but good. Therefore, his body can't fight the next thing or is weakened. He needs some probiotics. You can get it at a local health food store...I like the Jarrow brand. You can open the capsule and put it in his yogurt, etc.

Just a note...I haven't had to take my children to a doctor for sickness in almost 7 years. They are rarely sick and when the first sign of anything comes up, we nip it in the bud fast...and I'm talking about pneumonia, kidney infection, ear problems, strep, etc. I've handled them myself and they have not suffered due to the quick action of herbs.

I hope this helps some! It certainly helped me with my children when I was first learning to be Dr. Mom years ago.

What have they given him? A daily allergy medicine?

Sounds like its time to 1) switch doctors and 2) look into getting tubes. When my daughter was a baby we figured out that we had been to the dr 11 times in 9 weeks. That's when I asked the dr about tubes and he agreed. Later, when she got her first strep infection, we went back in, put new tubes in(the others had come out) and removed her tonsils and adenoids. Of course, this seemed radical to some, but she was allergic to 4 of the most commonly used antibiotics so we felt it was the best thing to do. If you think this is too drastic, try a chiropractor or a naturopath. Neither of these options are cheap, but if it gets your child well then you will be missing less work in the long run. (If I had to do it all over again, I'd try the chiropractor first. I was a huge skeptic, but I am a converted enthusiast now.)

I agree it could be an allergy. If he is still on formula, try a soy formula. If he is drinking milk, try a soy milk. Also, I have two daugthers that both had ear infections until we took them off the bottle and pacifiers. Once the bottles and pacifiers were gone, so were the ear infections. Good luck.

Our son had similar problems, and our pediatrician sent us to an allergist. We knew he was allergic to eggs, but we then found out he was also allergic to dust, peanuts and some seasonal pollens. He has been under the allergist's care now for over 5 years, and this year (2nd grade) he received a certificate for perfect attendance! (Just to let you know it gets better!)

Same thing happened to my son. I demanded a referral to ENT and found out he has enlarged adenoids as well as allergies.

If we keep him on a daily allergy medicine and use a steroid nose spray 2 times a week he seems to be ok. The other option was surgery to remove adenoids but that doesn't make the allergies go away, just keeps infection from setting in so often.

We still don't know what he is allergic too because he has to be off allergy med for 10 days before the allergist can do that awful prick test. Everytime we try to go a few days without the med he gets sick.

I can't stress enough the importance of seeing the ENT. They are really much more helpful in the ped. in this situation. They were for us anyway.

Hi T.,

I had the same problem with my first child. It turned out that there is a tube that runs from the ear to the throat that is suppose to help the ears drain. Her tube was very tiny, plus her adenoids and tonsils were very enlarged. They only had to remove her adenoids and tonsils to solve the problem. My second daughter had a similar issue and tubes had to be put in her ears and her adenoids removed. In the first case, I had to get my husband involved, to get the doctor to do something about it. We had gone to the doctor's office about 4 times with in about a month and half regarding ear infections. I found out that if a child has at least 4 ear infections with in 6-12 month, they are a candidate for surgery. I hope this helps.

I read all the other responses to see what advice you were receiving. A couple are right about chiropractic assessment and care being an excellent way to start on the path to complete health and stay there. I would suggest you visit a website built by a patient, not an association or practitioner, where you can find a good education and a referral for a chiropractor near you that understands the whole body from a holistic viewpoint. It is www.upcspine.com. Feel free to call the offices and ask questions about their practice with children. The whole family would be helped. Medical doctors, unfortunately, are at the mercy of the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.

The other thing you need to know is that steroids, just like antibiotics, wreck the immune system, tear down the bodily structure, like bones and joints, as well as membranes in other parts of the body. They are usually not effective, just like antibiotics, because you haven’t reached the root of the problem. Most health problems can be fixed by GOOD NUTRITION. Your child needs to be on a complete vitamin – not one you get off Wal-Mart’s shelves – and staying away from toxins that most families consider a regular diet. It is easy once you know what is dangerous in the grocery and drug stores. I can tell you about what I use – they save me money and have saved literally many lives. I apologize if this next statement shocks or offends you, but please quit letting your child be a guinea pig for the pharmaceutical companies and take charge of his health and yours. Contact me to set a time when it’s convenient for some education. I am not pushing you something – I have the best interests of the children at heart. I will be happy to help you as I have many others. I look forward to talking to you.

My Grandson was always sick too. He had so many ear infections they had to put tubes in his ears. Needless to say the minute I pulled him out of day care and put him in private care he suddenly got well and stayed well. Very seldom does he get sick, but he does have seasonal allergies. Not to much can be done about that, except claritin or benedryl.

Two of my children have had chronic trouble with their ears and allergies. If you have a good relationship with the urgent care doctor you might ask if he/she will refer you to an ENT doctor. They specialize with the ears, nose, and throat. My ENT found that both my children needed to have their adenoids removed as they were huge and causing a blockage to the tube in the ear that helps fluid drain out from behind the eardrum. My daughter hasn't had another ear infection at all in the last 4years. My son has also had relief from most of his symptoms, he still has an occasional ear infection, but nothing compared to his trouble before ear tubes and the adnoidectomy. Hope this helps.

S. H.

Tree pollen is very high right now as well as grass for this area (I'm 3hr down the coast from you and used to live in MB). Which is probably what is causing him the problems. Most sinus meds (sudafed, claratin type stuff) will plug up the sinuses which in turn can back up into the ears causing ear infections or go down into the lungs and cause respatoriy issues. Your best bet is to let his nose run and chase him around with the kleneex, bugger sucker and saline or get him on zertec, flonase or nasanex which will block the allergin from trigering the problem, not just covering it up like most OTC stuff does.

Good luck and I hope you get a DR to pay attention!!
~S.

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Try your insurance provider. Some are comng up with nurses on call and offering assistance with continuous medical problems. If this is not available, find a peditrician who will listen to you or insist your current doctor run allergy test. Be persistent.

TRY taking the baby off dairy and see if that will help. If your son is older than 1 year try FATHER JONE also. God keep you both. Sarah