Allergies? - APO,AE

Well we are stationed in Japan and for the first 6 mo to a year after moving here the kids (then 2mo old and 2yrs old) got one cold after another. I atribute it to them encountering new allergines and bug/virus strains that their bodies anren't used to. Sometime between 6mo and a yr after moving here this settled back down to a normal rate of getting colds now and again but not constantly. Best of luck!

I think a big part could be due to the change of environment (States vs. Germany) and also maybe pollution? When I first moved to Heidelberg I heard a lot of people had more respiratory problems here because of all the pollution coming from the south of us (industrial plants or something).

Allergies are common in Germany, even if they are latent in the person while they are in the US. Take your son to the American base, if you can. He will need to be tested for which allergies he has, so he can get immunized to the problem. There are allergies that don't show up in the US that do show up here in Germany. If the base isn't an option, then you should start working with him yourself. Change one thing at a time. Since bedtime/morning seems to be the worst, start there. Change his pillow. Change his sheets. Check his windows to see if there are blooming plants outside. I know these are obvious, but sometimes hearing from someone else can help. The other change you may want to consider, is his diet. I know that will be the hardest to deal with, but if you will change one thing at a time, you may be able to find out what's causing this.

Allergies are very common in Germany, my daughter is currently miserable with them as well, as am I! For now you should just continue with the saline as you are and talk to your Dr. about options. There are Claritin, Zyrtek and Singulair which can help some kids, however watch out for side-effects. A lot of people take those medications, but some are sensitive to them, my daughter can't take any of those. You can also try a steroid nasal spray such as Flonase, it helps my daughter some but not completely. Ask for a referral to an allergy specialist on the economy. They can test your son for what he is allergic to and start immuno-therapy so his body can learn to ignore what he is allergic to. It's too late to help him this year, but if you get him started by this Fall he should do better next Spring. I know there is no a/c in Germany, but if you get a referral from a Dr. you will be allowed to have your own unit, although you will have to purchase it. As a last resort he can recieve a steroid shot which should help his allergies, but many doctors won't give these shots because they temporarily reduce you resistance to viruses. Be careful using humidifiers, they can make allergies worse by putting mold spores into the air. Also try this web-site for information: http://www.aafa.org/ Good luck, I hope he is feeling better soon, as a life-time allergy sufferer I know they are NO FUN!

Bad smells usually indicate infection-
Sounds like you need to see another doctor and get a second opinion. They don't always know everything!!!
Maybe he still has an infection from the Scarlet Fever.
Hope your little guy feels better soon.
K.

YES! you are not alone...
My doctor suggested getting a humidifer I suggest the hot/cold one so that you can switch back and forth during the summer and winter it helps with the congestion, coughing, and snoring at night. It also helps to have a air purifier in the central location that your son is in when at home it makes a difference for him the thing is it depends on if you are on or off base when trying to locate one I see them at the BX all the time but you would have to navigate the voltage thing, possible to get one on economy but can you read german?

I would back off the saline spray a bit though they can cause more harm then help if you are having to do it frequently and there is a lot of congestion he can develop a nasal infection, since there is a stinky breathe thing I would have him checked out by the doctor and just have him checked for Strep just to be on the safe side, and for a sinus infection too. If you go to the doctor they should give you all the well known allergy meds, claritin, decogestion syrup, flonase use all them religiously when he starts to feel better still use them then tapper off slowly and then when there is the first sign of a problem go back to the religious routine quickly. If you are outside a lot this summer use the meds a lot don't wait for a symtom to arise.
When I first moved to Germany my son developed strep and I thought it was just his allergies and being on the plane and change in climate. Have your son checked out to be sure because mine did not run a fever!
MAMALYNN

M.,

Does he still have his tonsils and adenoids? If he does he may need them removed. I'm not from Germany but right next door in England. Plus, the bad smell sounds to me like infection. As a nurse, that's my guess. It's definitely NOT normal. I know this is short but I hope it helps.

T

We are in the Netherlands, not Germany, but right on the border, and my whole family suffers from allergies,especially here. They seem to be worse right now. Both my children take Zyrtec year round, prescribed by a military doctor, but at their last appointment, after looking in his throat, the doctor said my younger son needed to be taking Sudafed too (as needed) to reduce the draining and inflamation. She said if that didn't clear him up (he's making a weird noise all day, clearing the space between nose and throat) we'd have to look into something like Flonase. I haven't had experience with German doctors, but have heard enough stories to believe that they are more hands off, especially when it comes to medicating. I don't want to overmedicate, but I want my kids to be comfortable. When we first realized that my oldest son had allergies, he was coughing for hours every night, keeping everyone awake, himself included. After trying various treatments, I took him back to the doctor (a different one than we'd seen before) and she put him on Zyrtec. The coughing stopped that night. Whenever I have tried taking them off of it, it starts back up within days.

Hello M., i'm sorry that your son is going through all that. My son was having issues too and developed asthma but i'm not saying that yours will. i used to give him children's benedryl allergy and sinus, it works wonders. The only thing is that i have never seen it here at the commisary or px. but i have an extra bottle that i havent used if you want i could send it to you so you can try. My son's asthma is actually gone but whenever he has a cough or runny nose, i give him that at night so he can easly sleep. well, let me know what you think OK.
Take care M. and good luck.

Y.

Have you had him checked by an ENT? The reason I ask is because they said my son had allergies and continued to medicate until he grew immune to each medication. Then I realized it was a problem and took him to an ENT. He had the same problems with what seemed to be a constant cold and snoring and all that you described. The looked at his adnoids and saw that they were enlarged and things were just not draining properly. They removed his adnoids and he hasn't had any problems since. Don't know if this is the problem but it never hurts to insist on testing. It doesn't hurt him and then you know for sure. If it is allergies, the ENT can prescribe medication that is right for the allergies your child has. Good luck.

Hi. I have lived in Germany for nine years now and I never experienced allergies until we moved here. Also, we moved to Vilseck when my daughter was 2 weeks old and she battled a plugged nose all year round until age 4 when we finally had her adenoids removed. I would also spend a great deal of time in the morning and at night unplugging her poor little nose so she could breathe more easily. I would suggest, if you haven't already, having your son's adenoids looked at. My daughter had enlarged adenoids and once they were removed her nose was so much more clear and comfortable for her. She does still get allergies here and we have to give her allergy medicine to help with her nose and eyes. Hope this helps.

Alls I have to say is welcome to Germany. My children have had many breathing problems since we have gotten here. We had to get IONIC Breezes from Sharper Image and they have done wonders for our children. Some of my friends state that they can breath in my house for the first time since moving to Germany. Hope this helps.

I have found that our allergies over here have been more severe than they were at home. I know that right now, we're especially having problems with the rapeseed fields nearby (it's used to make canola oil- you'll see a patch of solid yellow flowering plants), and we've recently discovered that my oldest is allergic to birch trees as well. You may want to try the children's Claritin, and if that doesn't work, see the pedi about getting Zyrtec (I know you can get the adult version MUCH cheaper at the German apothekes, so it may be worth checking that out).

Hi M.,

Since moving here to Germany in 2005 my whole family has had allergies. Seems to come with the territory. Are you unable to see a Dr on Post?

The other thing you may want to have looked at is Adenoids. (sp?). I was told when my daughter was a baby that she had enlarged adenoids. She started snoring very early on (from about age 2 on) and had the icky breath. Turns out her father had enlarged ones as well. They didn't do anything for her...and told us to wait and see if she 'grew into them'. She is now 11 and does not snore as much...but still does. Her breath is a little better as well. We are waiting to see if it corrects on it's own. Her Dad had his removed when he was 30!

K.

Hi M.,
We have been in Germany for two years. The air hear is so dry.
I agree with the other lady about the humidifier especially in the winter months. I disagree with that Doctor telling you it's normal. My son is now six, and I used the humidifier during the winter months and also keep the window open from time to time. One thing I noticed none of the other moms mentioned was making sure your child and the whole family is getting the right nutrition and eating well. My son has been taking supplements since he was 2 and he has not gotten sick like most of the kids here. Make sure to get him on some high quality supplements and make sure he is getting plenty of Vitamin C and D.

Hi M.,

One of my daughters teachers told me when we first moved to GK (Geilenkirchen) that Germany (at least here) has the greatest number of allergists than any other country in the European Union. This is because there is no barrier (like a huge mountain pass) from the wind coming across the plains. The wind picks up all of this pollen and just "dumps" it in Germany.

Needless to say, my daughter is just miserable and several times a year (especially this spring) has to take benadryl daily. She's counting the days until we PCS.

I hope that you and your son can work things out while you're hear. I hear that changing your diet may help but I've never tried that.

Good luck and hope this helps a little.

~A.

Hello M.. My name is N. (as in Christmas). My son is a lifelong sufferer of allergies. In fact, allergies so bad that when we were in the States we had him seeing an Allergist who had prescribed first what our son called the "pokey pokey test" lol. Since I am not sure if you are familiar with this test, let me tell you what I mean by this. It's that test where they give you "lots" & "lots" of shots in each arm to test what you are allergic to after doing a blood test on you. Well this "pokey pokey test" came back that our son was allergic to a whole lot of things! In fact I was terrified to let him out of doors, he was so allergic to most of the outdoors. Now that is bad. Then the Allergist tells us that he is also allergic to a lot of things indoors. This floored me. What all this meant was our son had to have weekly shots from the allergy clinic. We also had to carry around what they call "epi pens" for emergencies.
What I'm trying to say to you is what your describing is definately "allergies".
Since we moved here to Germany, our son has suffered even more. But then his allergist said that he would. What I would suggest you do is have his PCM put in a referral for your son to go see an allergist to have the blood work done then the "pokey pokey test" done. I know it would be a lot to handle, but they really are only a little bit painful.
I hope this information helps you out. If I can help you anymore, please let me know, I would be happy to. Just let me know.
N.