My 10 Month Old Is on His Fourth Round of antibiotics...Is This Normal???

I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I know how it is. My son had chronic ear infections from 1 to 12 months of age. Finally we were able to get tubes (after he became resistant to all antibiotics and were told he had significant hearing loss). I hope that you are able to get him in to an ENT soon. Tubes were the best thing for my son, without a doubt.

did the ENT tell you they couldn't get you in before a month unless the referring doc said it was urgent? call your pediatrician and tell them to make it urgent and get the re-referral. Also, call your patient advocate at your insurance and file a complaint against your kid's doc, that seems very negligent if the child is on 4 antibiotics. Either he's got a resistant strain, or he doesn't have a bacterial infection. The other alternative is you haven't been medically compliant with his medications (doubtful if you are a halfway caring mommy, and you obviously are), so a non urgent referral for a baby that age with a persistent infection is really cruel, and should be reported. Although it could have been a mistake with his office assistant. If the ENT the doc referred really cannot see you for whatever reason, ask for another --URGENT-- referral.

Another option? Take him to an urgent care clinic, pay the 50 bucks copay or whatever, and have THAT doc refer you to the ENT on call who takes your insurance (they should have a few numbers, you may have to drive.) Urgent and ER visits should be covered, but check with your insurance if you are referred to a doc who may not be in your preferred providers.

You are not being overprotectitive !
At most a doctor should only prescribe a second round of antibiotics. Your best bet is to contact your insurance company direct. As for the floor supervisor, they will see there is a referral in the system and tell them you want to see a Pediatric ENT immediately. If they tell you they are doing all they can you call the dr. office and ask to speak with the dr. themselves. You need to be adamant without raising your voice.
You can express your concerns (I'm not trying to scare you just give you some good wording to catch someone's attention)
scarred tissue with each infection, ruptured ear drum that causes long term problems, and you don't want his to develop into a hearing loss issue- ask what kind of speech therapy your plan offers. Mention, you have done the recommended course of antibiotics more than twice- FOUR TIMES ! This is absolutely unacceptable.

In the meantime, keep your child at home with you away from other babies (you don't want to give someone else thrush), make sure to feed in at least a 45 degree angle (if their legs are resting on your lap them their head should be resting on your upper arm. Start making a diet diary of what is consumed, how much (be accuarate don't guess) and at what time. Three weeks running log helps the dr. as well.
Finish out this last dose of antibiotics and refuse another round.

How rough for you and your child. I'm so sorry your healthcare professional has let you down. You didn't do anything wrong, your supposed to trust them to give you the best care possible.

"go get them !"

I am so sorry that your son is unhappy. It sounds like you need to find a new doc. You are the mom and if you think something is really wrong you are probably right. As far as the referal be annoying. Call everyday when they open to see if someone cancled. They well get so tired of you calling they well fit you in. Explain the situtation to the receptionist or a nurse whould be better. They might have a different opinon on his condition and say ok come in. If that does not work call ever specialist you can until someone well see you. YOu might also want to try going to the ER at okland childern hopspital(if you are in the bay area). Since all they see is childeren they may be more willing to help you out.
Hope he getts better soon.
A.

You have to be the squeaky wheel. Tell them you can't wait a month and insist.

Hi M.,

Go see a homeopath. My partner got this news with his first born, now 17. They were talking tubes as well. The homeopath cured her and she never had ear issues again. Homeopathy works very well on children and babies just respond to it like fish to water. And it's helped me personally. And my 15 month old. There's a great woman in Nevada City that I see, Meredith Benson, but I don't know where you live.

Warmly,
R.

M.,

I am sorry to hear your son is in so much pain! It sounds VERY serious to me-- Call the ENT doctor daily to see if they have openings if all else fails-go to the ER. You are your child's best advocate and so don't stop until you are heard. I would also get a new pediatrician-it sounds like they aren't taking your son's health seriously. Good luck and I don't know what area you live in, but if you live in Northern Ca, I could give you a great pediatrician referral.

Take care,

Molly

Yes. Your doctors are not taking this seriously enough, but they also must have given you the wrong types of antibiotics. After the first failure they should have used something less common and less likely to have resistance against it. I'd talk to a naturopath to find a more user-friendly and effective treatment.

M.,

My son went threw alot of antibiotics too, since he had alot of ear infections. We ended up having two sets of tubes put in his ears and he ended up growing out of the ear infections. I would look into it. My husband I were worried about his hearing too, but he is fine and hasn't had a ear infection since.

Good luck.

Lee R

Hi M.,

Have you tried going to a chiropractor? A lot of my Chiropractor's patients are kids and babies like yours. I hear a lot of testimonies about kids feeling better immediately after going to the chiropractor. My daughter who was swelling up because she was allergic to some weird plant and said that she had a hard time swallowing got better in an instant after being adjusted by the chiropractor. I am not exaggerating. Maybe you should try probiotics instead of antibiotics. Anyway, I pray all goes well M..

Ditto on the homeopath! It sucks to pay out of pocket but so worth it. Also get him on some probiotics, a local natural foods store can recommend one for you. I just empty a capsule into my son's yogurt, so you can replace all the good bacteria being zapped by the antibiotics to stop the thrush & diarrhea.

sorry to say this this way but give 'em hell...they dont call it a medical "practice" for a reason. you're gut feeling is almost always right-you are mommy. if they dont refer you right away and state it as urgent then get another dr. or pay out of pocket to see one. who is your pediatrician? if it is dr. bustamante then enough said-get another pediatrician. his negligence almost cost my son (now 2) a kidney. you are NOT being over protective...you can never be that way (unless you put them in a bubble). i cant tell you how serious it is that you trust your instinct. my son was on ammoxicilian from 3mo-1yr and he has developed an immunity for being on it for so long. If it were my kids id get another dr...or at least a 2nd opinion. even if its out of pocket, most dr's will let you pay in payments and if your paying cash then usually they'll give you a break. please let me know what happens. i HIGHLY recomend dr. hitesh shah (he's in bakersfield--even my sons kidney dr @ ucla said that he is one of the best in the states and has a high amount of respect for him). ive had some really scary experiences with my son and ill spare you the events but trusting myself over dr's was the best thing i did. dr shah is truly amazing though and i do trust him. even if you have to pay out of pocket, he's totally worth it. ...however, as said before, TRUST YOURSELF...YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S ONLY ADVOCATE.

Hello! I have a son who is now 1 year old. He was sick since about 4 months old over and over. Ear infections, antibiotics that gave him diarrhea and rashes. He could never clear all the fluid out of his poor ears and would get so congested he could barely breath sleep or eat. I would take him all the time to the dr. and it seemed they never took it very seriously. Finally the dr. said he would refer us to the ENT but to wait 2-3 months to see if he would get better on his own. I didn't want to wait because I knew he needed the tubes to get better. I knew he needed help right away. We also had to wait a month to get an appointment. By that time he was on daily breathing treatments for wheezing. Any way, he got tubes put in at 10 months old. The dr. said his ears were so bad they were about to rupture and he probably couldn't hear very well. The tubes have totally helped, also he is now on Singulair for asthma and alllergies which has been a lifesaver! He hasn't had trouble with his ears and he hasn't needed the breathing treatments since starting the new medicine. I haven't noticed any side effects either. I would reccomend you get a probiotic for your son to replace some of the good bacteria in his gut from all the antibiotics destroying everything. Also you may want to take him off dairy for awhile. My son drinks rice milk. Consider taking gluten out of his diet too just to see how he does. A lot of kids have a gluten sensitivity. It's not as hard as it sounds especially at his age. You are not being overprotective, you are smart to listen to your instincts and you need to find a new pediatrician ASAP. We switched and love our new dr. He listens and cares. I live in Pleasant Hill though so don't know anyone in your area. Get him the tubes as soon as you can. The procedure is fast and simple. Good luck! J.

Keep him away from dairy and sugar... including fruits.

Thrush is a form of candidiasis (The reason for eliminating the sugar) so he has basically lost all of the good bacteria which then gives him diarrhea as well. You need to replenish the good bacteria in his body as well.

I would take him to a naturopathic doctor or a chiropractor. Being on Antibiotics that often isn't a good thing.

It is NOT normal. Call your dr.s office, get another referral. Call the ENT restate your case, see if they will see him sooner. Definately start hounding these people until your son is seen. You have every right to be worried, this is very serious. Being on antibiotics for extended periods of time is very damaging to your child's system. Four rounds seems excessive. I am a firm believer in the benefits of chiropractics, I have heard of it clearing chronic ear infections. But I also believe in being prudent and pursuing all avenues of care for your child. My one daughter had chronic sinusitis from ages one - three (they tried to tell me it was allergies). She was sick 70% of the time. I finally got a referral to an ENT when I told our Pediatrician my daughter had sleep apnea. The ENT recommended a tonsil/adnoidectomy. After her surgery she was well. ENT's are so much better at diagnosis and treatment than pediatricians. Keep fighting. My daughter suffered bouts of infection and antibiotics because our pediatrician was reluctant to refer out or take the problem seriously.

You might give homeopathic remedies a try while your waiting on the medical community to help you. There's really nothing to lose. Also, thrush is tough to get rid of.. Get baby probiotics from your local health store. Start feeding your baby yogurt daily (the unsweetened kind if he'll eat it, if not then go for an all natural brand). These will help with counter the effects of the diahrea as well. Cut as much sugar and refined foods as possible (that's what the yeast feeds on). If your are still nursing, watch yourself so that you don't suffer the effects of thrush, its horribly painful (for you, not baby).
God bless you in your efforts. I'm so sorry that your baby is going through such a painful experience. Always trust your gut. Hoping and praying you get seen soon.

It is when the antibiotics are not strong enough. Get a new doctor. My son had tubes put in finally at 3 years old. i finally had a ent remove both his tonsils and adnoids as wells replace ear tubes. If your son has enlarged adnoids and tonsils tht could also be the cause of the prolonged ear ifections. With my son and daughter they require longer stays on antibiotics 14-18 days. Not the normal 7-10 days. With my son I always had to tke him into the emergeny room for a demeral shot to knock him out. He would shake in pain and when ever they tried to look in his ears he wouldn't let them. Once they gave him demeral he slept for hours and I was always sent home with tylonal with codiene for him since he was about 11 months old with a calculated dosage of what amount to give him. And boy was I happy it made living with him a piece of cake. He was able to sleep and didn't hake as often in pain. He would just sreem and shake other wise. straight tylonal and ibuprofen didn't help my son 1 bit. My son always had to be sedated. The emergency room here new about his ears. I always called ahead and let them know we were coming in and they would have a bed and medicine waiting for him. They put an iv in with demeral. they gave it over a 2 hour period long enough for the doctor to look and he slept the rest of the day and night. My daughter we only knew when puss came out of her ear. She has such a high tollerance to pain. If you asked her she would say I don't hurt mommy. And she would have a massive ear infection.
About the surgery itself. It's only about a 15 minute operation. It takes a little longer to sedate the child. They put a mask tightly over the face with inhaled anestetic. kids goes to sleep in about minute. The doctor then puts the tubes in. Then they remove the mask and in about a few minutes your child is already waking up. Your usually there a hour before and 1 hour after so they can monitor your child to soo he or she wakes up and has juice or water about 2 ounces then they send you home with instructions about giving tylonal for pain. They usually have you come in and hold your child so they are less scared when they wake up. My son was they thought he was having a sezure but it was the way he normally goes to sleep, and wakes up. HE thrashes around. They will tell you if your child has a favorite blanket or toy make sure they are clean they usually allow something familiar to go with your child so they are not scared. I hope this helps. Take care and let me know how things go. Your kids are lucky to have a wonderful mom like they do. You are dong a great job. Keep up the good work. The best moms fight for the kids. take care. M. Petersen

Hi M., I have one word for you "homeopathy". I hope I spelled it right. I know a couple families right here in Santa Cruz who have had wonderful results from seeing Karen Cohen. I see her myself for something else but have sent a good friend and my brothers family to her for ear infection problems and it cured it. And their next step was ear tubes for the on going ear infections during the first 4 years of their sons life. You can call her and have a free consultation over the phone and she very honestly will tell you if she can help and what experience she's had with ear problems. For my skin problem she told me she wasn't sure she could help but she had seen some people have positive results. Well I am one of the some now . Homeopathy has many positive effects. You just have to give it time sometimes. Others will notice right away. Everybody is different. Best wishes to you and I think you are right to be concerned. Oh and you can look her name up in our local phone book. I have heard we a couple of good homeopathests in town. R.

Your doctors are being ignorant in my opinion. If they referred you and did not indicate this is of an urgency, contact the specialist yourself and see what comes of it. If nothing, it's time to find another specialist or doctor. If you're with Kaiser, ask to be seen by ANY ENT doctor that has the first available appointment and let them know it is an emergency. All else fails go to the ER, that might get you going faster. Sounds like the little one my need tubes to help matters.

T.