Nephrotic Syndrome - Gilroy,CA

Hi S.,
my 9 year old has food allergies. When he was 1 year old he would throw up all the time. His eyes would start watering and get red before this happened. we took him to several doctors, allergist, nutritionists, dieticians, and they all said the same thing just avoid the foods that trigger his allergy. he was initially put on different medications as a "trial" to see if they would help. I decided to stop the medication and jsut avoid the foods. he is fine now as long as he doesn't have those foods. My 11 month old nephew also now food allergies too. I would suggest taking him to another doctor and an allergist to be tested for the allergies. do not allow them to keep putting him on antibiotics because if he is taking them and doesn't really need them his body will build up an immunity to them when he really is sick and needs antibiotics.
good luck I know how frustrating it is
S.

Sounds like food allergies. Restrict his diet. NO dairy, soy, corn, sugar or nuts. Rice and vegies for a week. Then slowly add in foods and see what he reacts to. Just like you did when he was an infant and you add new foods. Seek professional help if the symptoms persist. Ask to see an allergist. My daughter would get sick because she was run doen from allergies.

It is possible that it is a food allergy. But also possible that he has had a series of different problems ending with the flu.

Try not just a different doctor, but maybe a ped allergist.

A 2nd opinion def. as I would wonder why the Dr decided to give out antibiotics so freely to a 2 yr old. You said he had a cold. So why give an antibiotic for a cold??? It will run its course and yes it may mean that a child has a runny nose for a while. Unless it was more like bronchitis or a flu I wonder why an antibiotic was the immediate choice. Did the Dr. suggest putting your son on probiotics during the time he is on antibiotics?? My ped has his son on one from Whole Foods daily. I use it w/my dd now too, it just dissolves into her milk or juice and she never has said a thing

Also, ear infections often clear up on their own, so why the antibiotic again, especially after just being on one for the cold.

Allergy testing may be what puts your mind at ease. If all this is due to allergies you will have your answers. If you breastfed him, it is less likely that he has allergies.

Try going back to a BRAT diet to help your son's stomach calm down. Homemade chicken soup is always good to start.

Good luck. My heart goes out to you and your son. I hope he feels better soon.

Take him to the ER. or another doc asap. Stop the meds. Swelling of face (esp w/vomiting)can be failure of kidneys to filter rx, he has had lotsa meds. TOO MANY.
He is allergic allright, prob to the meds! They need to check his blood and his urine.asap. If he can pee in a cup for you, take it with you, ok?
Keep going in til they do something right.
I do think they should have presscribed an antihistimine/decongestant from the start. by this i mean dimetapp or something similar. I found this as a preventative can STOP the need for all those antibiotics/infections
Also you can call ER and pharmacy when you have questions, your pharmacist can be a wonderful source of advice & info.
Pls let me know what happened! And good luck.

Hate to say it, but I think my best advice would be to find another doctor! All those antibiotics could be very harmful and also be responsible for causing the newer symptoms. Do another request for advice and ask for good doctors in your area. Good luck!

It concerns me that this doc keeps prescribing more and more antibiotics, which are not good for a developing immune system. In particular, she should not be giving antibiotics if she is suspecting either a cold or allergies, since antibiotics do nothing to help w/either viruses or allergies. In fact, they will weaken his immune system's ability to fight off a virus, if that's what the problem is.

Your son may be throwing up as a reaction to all the antibiotics, which wipe out all of the "good" digestive bacteria in his system. You may want to give him some probiotics (acidophilus, etc) to help his tummy recover.

He could actually have a food allergy, if it's not something in the environment. Dairy is a common culprit. If he's on cow milk, try using another type of milk for a week or two and see if that helps (rice, almond, soy, goat, etc).

Hope he's feeling better soon!

I'm glad you know that taking your son to a new doctor is a given. Antibiotics should never, ever be given for a cold. Colds are caused by viruses, which are not affected at all by antibiotics. Antibiotics clear bacterial infections. They only work against bacteria. Any doc that would give antibiotics for what she herself says is a cold is a joke. Sorry, but I wouldn't take a word she says seriously. It is possible that he is allergic to the antibiotics, especially if he has been given amoxicillin/augmentin (augmentin is often prescribed after amox. fails, which it often does as it is pretty weak). There are also non-allergic reactions that kids can have to this class of antibiotics (early generation cephalosporins) that are not related to allergy. Is your son's tongue swollen even slightly? If so, get him to the ER right away as it is possible he is having anaphlaxis, which is an extremely serious allergic reaction that needs immediate attention. If I were you, I would get him to another pediatrician *today*. If that is not possible, consider an ER visit in case the swelling is anaphlaxis, even if his tongue isn't swollen. By the way, I have never heard of an ear infection spreading and causing issues with vision. That makes no sense. To be blunt, your son's pediatrician sounds horrible (have you checked her board certification?). Please have him seen by someone else today. The face swelling is extremely alarming. Either that pediatrician is doing a horrible job explaining to you what is going on with your son or she is relatively clueless. Neither situation is acceptable. Please take your son's medical chart to a new pediatrician (which you have a legal right to do). Don't go back to his current pediatrician.

I agree with the mom who says it could be an allergy to the antibiotics. Your Dr. isn't diagnosing correctly, and she's missing something big.

Could also have started with a food allergy. Might want to consult with a nutritionally-focused naturopath. Doctors generally take a day or week seminar on nutrition even though it's the basis for health. Kind of silly I always thought.

Oh, I hope your son is feeling better soon! When you say that his face is all swollen, is it his cheeks and jaw area or is it around his eye "mask" area? If it is strictly in the upper half of his face, he could have a sinus infection that the antibiotics are not handling. The ears are a "window" into the sinus cavities. If she saw pus and not just clear fluid with bubbles in his ear, his sinuses are also filled with that pus (usually). His sinus spaces are still developing at this age and can have great difficulties with draining. Did she give him any Claritin or Zyrtec syrup for his allergies? One of the easiest ways to find out if it is an allergy or not is to try a couple doses of antihistamine (you could even try Benedryl) to see if the swelling goes away. Also, with allergies, his eyes are going to be itchy...not just swollen. I know that a lot of the mama's here are reluctant to use antibiotics, but they do have their place in the treatment and care of our children. Definatly get a second opinion, but also, please remember, that sinus infections (if that is what he has) can take WEEKS to clear up on antibiotics. The antibiotic has a hard time penetrating the sinus spaces of these little guys. It is helpful to do warm compresses to the area or has have him in a hot steamy bathroom or "swimming" in a super warm bathtub to increase the circulation to these areas so the antibiotic will get there. If they don't take their medications well, or spit a lot of it out, injections of antibiotics are sometimes warranted.I know it all sounds a little scary....nobody likes their kids to have to be a medicine. You are your sons advocate and he depends on you to make the best decisions for his care...please be sure those decisions are informed ones and not based on fear. There are some not so pretty scenarios that can happen if a bacterial infection goes untreated. You may also want to insist on a sinus culture so you know exactly what antibiotic to have him treated with...if any at all! Best of luck to you and your little guy.

I'm so sorry you and your son are having to go through this. These articles might be helpful to you.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041800.asp#T041805

http://ezinearticles.com/?Food-Allergy-or-Intolerances---...

Link to parents message board about allergies: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppallergies?nlcid=cd...|

Food allergies are too common even though doctors don't always address the issue. It is a complicated one. The article I gave you is just a starting point. Go online and search and read as much as you can. You will come across things that make sense to you and will lead you to the next step.

Food allergies at such a young age can sometimes be related to gluten intolerance or celiac disease too. If anyone else in your family has digestive problems, eczema, diabetes, thyroid problems, rheum. arthristis, (or any other autoimmune conditions), osteoperosis, anemia, fertility probs, alelrgies, canker sores, lactose intolerance, learning or behavioral problems, contact me and I can tell you a little more about gluten intolerance if you are interested.

Hang in there. I know it is frustrating and exhausting to have a child who is not well.
Take care,
L.

Hi S.,

I don't quite understand the part about staying inside, but my daughter also went through multiple antibiotics over the holidays. Two of the medications she now has life threatening allergies to and one completely did not work.

Is your doctor speculating that your son is allergic to dust/pollen/external environmental items or food related items?

My 4 yr old daughter has life threatening allergies to dairy, amoxicillin and cefprozil. She almost completed the 10 day course of amoxicillin and on the 8th day broke out in head to toe hives that were systemic not topical. It took her 3 days to start feeling comfortable and then she got a severe ear infection, probably because we stopped the course of amoxicillin. The 2nd antibiotic she took for the ear infection did not work and the 3rd produced another allergic reaction. So, maybe your son is allergic to the antibiotic he is taking?

If it's food related, my daughter has had blood tests near her birthday every year since she was 1. She has out grown life threatening allergies to soy and eggs, however she continues to show increased numbers to dairy. I would highly encourage you to talk to your doctor about having your son tested for food allergies if that is what she is thinking or get a referral to an allergist.

Best of luck with everything,
K.

S.,
You may want to find another doctor. No doctor would advise keeping a child indoors for allergies, they would refer you to a good allergist. Children need to be outdoors. Your child needs treatment, but first needs testing to identify the allergens, as they could be things indoors, or even in his food. To me it sounds like a very bad food allergy. This is very important as it can be really unhealthy to keep giving him what he's allergic to. I have just gotten the name of a great allergist from my pediatrician. If you would like his name, contact me and I would be happy to give it to you.
Best,
J.

I'm not sure if it will help but I have a 2 yr old who was taking antibiotics for awhile because he kept getting ear infections alot when he was a year in a half. He was a day into taking the antibiotic when one morning I was changing him and he had red splotches on his legs. About 4 hours later one ear was swollen, both knee caps were swollen, part of his face and he was in a lot of pain. I took him to the dr and he was allergic to the antibiotic. The antibiotic he was taking had penicillen in it. They took him off the antibiotic right away and gave him steroid shot which helped with the swelling. I'm not a big fan of steroid shots but it helped him. He is now allergic to anything with penicillen. Maybe he is allergic to whatever is in the antibiotic he is taking. I really hope he gets well. It's frustrating not knowing what's going on. Hope I could help in any way.
C. R. proud parent of an 8yr old boy and 2 yr old boy.

Hi S.,

One of my sons has severe food allergies and pollen allergy. This does NOT sound like a seasonal or environmental allergy to me. Those usually cause congestion or runny nose, not swelling. Now if he has chronic cold nasal symptoms (like my son did), that might be caused by allergies and might have caused ear and/or sinus infections. But my son never had facial swelling as a result of that.

Now, a severe reaction to a food might have caused the swelling. But unless you had just tried giving him a new food like peanuts, tree nuts, soy, fish or shellfish, my bet is that he is allergic to one of the antibiotics. (I'm assuming he's been eating dairy, wheat and eggs for awhile. Those 8 are the most common foods to be allergic to.)

Have you tried getting him in to see an allergist? It might take up to three weeks to get an appointment though. And when you do get in, don't count on allergy testing helping. It is very common to get false negative allergy test results in young children (for both skin-prick and blood tests). My son tested negative to everything but peanuts when he was 15 mo, but then tested positive to pollen and over 30 foods when he was 2.5 yo. I don't know if allergy testing to antibiotics is more reliable. But if the allergy is severe enough to cause swelling, the test probably would pick it up.

I agree with a previous post that if an over-the-counter antihistamine reduces the swelling and nasal symptoms, that is a good indication it is an allergic reaction as opposed to just a sinus/ear infection. Does your medical group have an Urgent Care Center? If so, I would go there rather than the ER. We go to PAMF and they take same day Urgent Care appointments for pediatric patients.

Feel free to contact me directly if you want more info on allergies. Good Luck!

-D.

Hi S.,
Allergies are a strange thing in that often even testing doesn't identify food allergies. I have two daughters (14 and 10) and we have had lots of testing due to similar situations which you are experiencing over the years. First and foremost, take your son off of all milk products for two weeks and see if you see a difference. Milk allergies are very, very common. I used orange juice with calcium and and I would warm it up a bit so that it was soothing. Secondly, dust mite allergies are huge in my family and they are not found on top of furniture. They live mainly in your bedroom matresses and pillows. Make sure to have a fresh pillow without down for your child and change his linens weekly. Wash in very hot water. Dust mite allergy is worse in the winter months because of central air heating. It was only after I pressed very hard with the head of my children's practice to get a full blood test done on one of my daughters that we found out how bad her allergies are. She too was constantly diagnosed every month with an antibiotic and became immune to one of them. My friend's son was on three seperate medications and an inhaler for supposed asthma. She took him off of milk for two weeks and voila - he is medication free ever since. This is the same mother who used to poo poo my daughter's peanut allergy and now she sees how real allergies are.

Find a new Dr. The Dr. is treating the symptoms, not the problems. Sounds like an allergic reaction. Get him outside in the fresh air and out of the stuffy house. When you vacuum and dust open up the house because if you don't all that stuff gets thrown up into the air.

It's possible he may have an allergen to dairy. You stated he had milk, threw up and his face was swollen. You may want to do a food allergy test on him. It's a simple blood test that usually test around 200 different foods. When i got tested, i was allergic to 28 different foods. They were the ones I was consuming the most. Good luck !!
M.

S., your doctor is a bozo.Run, don't walk, to the nearest exit.

You should look into the possibility of an allergy to the antibiotic. Many people find that sulfa drugs (amoxycillin bacrim, augmentin, etc) are highly toxic to them. Look up all the meds she gave you and rare side effects ONLINE ( you should be able to find more info online than in the packet info.)

My daughter went through this and her tounge was bleeding. The doctor told me she bit it! although I knew she didnt!She also got an all over rash. I looked up side effects of Augmentin and sure enough!

If not that, then get a blood culture done. There is a possibility that he has a nasty- nasty. Sounds like your pedi is shooting in the dark. Shame on her. meanwhile she is wiping your kids system out.

Get your child on primadophilus (they have a small pill made just for kids) and fulvic acid asap. (Fulvic is an AWESOME detoxifier)
If it were me, I'd get him on liquid Samento (3 drops under tounge 2 times daily) ASAP as well. You can find it online (it is a natural antibiotic that fights cell wall deficient bacteria and fungus,stimulates the immune system, fights infections, lowers inflammation and tumor markers.)
70-90% of gasrtointestinal disorders are caused by a cell wall deficient bacteria.

Praying for you,
Gail

Call the MD and or advice NOW and explain what happened with the eating last night and the mild today - I imagine he should be seen today. INSIST on food allergy testing. Food allergies can be life threatening and a swelling face and vomiting after drinking milk is VERY concerning and should be responded to immediately. I have a 3.5 year old son with multiple severe food allergies that was FINALLY diagnosed at 15 months. Unfortunately food allergies aren't "just allergies" they can be life threatening and life altering. www.foodallergy.org is a great resource or feel free to contact me directly. T.

As everyone else has said, take him to see someone else!
Take with you anything the current doc had given you...meds, written directions, etc.

S.

Hi S.,

My daughter has had allergies for most of her life - she'll be six soon. Her pediatrician explained to me that he knew it was allergies just by looking in her nose. Apparently, the inside of the nose is red with a cold, looks bruised if allergies (when the doctor looks with the otiscope/light thingy).

If it is severe indoor allergies, you'll have to do more than dust and vacuum. There are some great messages here on mamasource about it.

My guess is your son has had a bout of bad luck (of course, I'm not a doctor, and have never played one on tv). Perhaps he had a cold. The cold turned into an ear infection. This happens with my son. Also, my mom just finished a cold that made her eyes run terribly.

My son spent one winter sick the entire time. I withdrew him from his preschool because he was attending only one day every two weeks. Cold. Cold. Cold. Flu. Cold...

Hang in there! It hurts to see our children sick and we can't help them.

Try an allergist. I'm not sure how old he is but if he is old enough they can do a skin test and help narrow this down. Never going outside is a little silly long-term. And dust mites are a number one allergy. Dusting (particularly dry dusting) and vacuuming with the average vacuum, can put dust and other allergens in the air. Try an allergist because you are trying to prevent exposure without knowing what the problem is...

S.,

I know you stated the obvious about taking him to a new doctor---I AGREE! I would also suggest that you keep a food journal for a few days and set up an appt with a nutritionist and a homeopath doctor. They are pretty skilled at discerning red flag foods, possible allergies and things in the home that could trigger this type of response. Also, is it possible that he was having a reaction to the antibiotic? That is a lot of antibiotics to be giving one after the other-- I hope that you get this figured out really soon and that you son feels better asap.

Take care,

Molly

S., please call me. I do not have time to type right now it's 2 a.m. ###-###-#### A. B.

Wow! This doctor is antibiotic-crazy!!! I've never heard of antibiotic being administered just for a cold... Much less, three different antibiotics in such a short period of time for such a little guy!!!!

It sounds like it may be food allergies. Get a second oppinion asap.

Good luck!

Hi there
maybe he is allergic to MILK..... and or other foods... also, three diff antibiotics.. That seems like a little much. I would keep a food log for a week and chart all the foods/beverages you give to him. Track his symtpoms. cough, swelling.. etc.. truly sounds like food allergy. Additionally, could also be something you are washing the clothes and house with. I don't use shampoos or soaps with sodium laurel sulfates (too irritating) and I don't use detergents with harsh chemicals. My son used to have childhood asthma so we are in the habit of vacuuming everyday and we DON'T wear shoes in the house.. this way, the house stay a lot fresher AND I do open a window to let in some FRESH air.

S.,

What kinda of cleaners are you using?! All the stuff we buy at the stores can actually cause allergies and it is really bad for our kids!ESP if you they are indoors alot!! I use the EcoSense cleaning line from Melaleuca, it saves me alot of $$ and my fmily is not having any reactions to it all all. I know familes that actually even would have severe asthma attacks all the time, and when they changed over to the safer, green cleaning products, the attacks stopped! There are alot of chemicals in the normal cleaners. If you would like more info about the company go to www.melaleuca.com - Everything is RISK FREE and for the cleaning line there has never been a case of ingestion that required hospitalazation, in the 23 years of the company. That is huge! Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions. Switching all my cleaning products to the Ecosense products has made my home healthier and saved my family $$. Hope this helps. Have a great day.
S. ###-###-####

Hi S.,
I don't have any faith in your doctor! No good doctor is going to put a child on antibiotics for a cold, doesn't do ANY good! Even most ear infections will clear up without antibiotics. I would get a second opinion immediately. He COULD be having a reaction to all the antibiotics. I have pretty bad allergies and have never had such extreme problems.
Sincerely,
L.

Hi S.,

It sounds like something is going on and he need to be seen by another dr for a 2nd opinion. My opinion is that why in the world did the dr prescribe him some antibiotic for cold? The antibiotic don't do anything for colds/flu. They are viruses and it won't be cured by antibiotic. Colds/flu goes away by itself. The ear infection can be treated by an antibiotic. As far as I'm concern with him throwing up and face swelling, there is something going on with him. Maybe could be allergic reaction to some kind of antibiotic. I don't know what kind of antibiotic he is on. That seem strange to me how this is happening to him. I would demand for blood work up just to rule out something that won't interfere his health. Just have him get checked out. Don't wait too long for this. Explain to the dr what is happening to him and the dr should be able to find out what is happening to him. I hope he is getting better. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I am a wellness consultant and see many challenges with our children today. Experts advise us our health is created by our home environment.

Air, Water and food we intake.

There are many ways to help your child without putting him on medicine.

The antibiotic is not just distroying the bad cells it is effecting the good cells also.

Your child has an imbalance and his little body needs some nourishment to strenghen his immune system.

I live in a wellness home and it makes a difference how I breathe, sleep and feel everyday.

If you are interested email me and I will share some ideas with you that will make a huge difference in your son and families health.

Have a great day.

N. Marie

I also agree with what the others have said go to another doctor as soon as possible to get him checked out. Also there is a test where they poke his back with many little pricks to check what he is allergic too. My son who turned 3 in Nov. did this last spring when he was 2 because every spring and fall he would get many "colds" and my pediatrician who is very good thought it might be caused by allergies and felt we should find out what he was allergic to. The test didn't bother him at all and only took a few minutes, we did both my kids 2 and 4 at the time. We found that my youngest was highly allergic to grass and was allergic to alot of outdoor things. So now we know and when those things are high we give him claritin and benadryl also during grass season singulair. This last year has been his healthiest and it is so great to see him feeling better. Good luck and absolutly request to have this test done, it is so wonderful to know and be able to prevent your son from being sick all the time.
C.