Does My Child Have a Immune Dificiency?

Updated on November 01, 2010
M.P. asks from Arlington, TX
19 answers

My son has been attending daycare since 3 months. He is one now and has been well no more than a week at a time. He recently had a febrile seizure due to high fever and was sick with a virus for over a month. When my father took care of him for a week, he was well. It only took 2 days at school for him to catch another bug and he is sick again. My pediatrician told me that he should not be sick this often and suggested I take him out of daycare for a while. She said that his body needed to recover from infections and viruses to build immunities. She even mentioned that they would test for immune deficiencies if things persisted for a few months. Has anyone experienced a child this sick in daycare?

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So What Happened?

I want to thank everyone for their advice! I got a second opinion and switched pediatricians. He told me that my son looks good and educated me on the condition. My son would have to have rare bacterial and fungal infections. My son has only had the common illnesses from daycares. I also put my son in daycare 3 days and with my dad 2. This has significantly helped him recover and is feeling good. He also grew 5 inches. I still am looking for a good school or homecare in the frisco or Carrollton area. Please let me know if you have any recommendations. Thanks!!

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V.D.

answers from Dallas on

Never even close to that many times. Since daycare in March, maybe 2 or 3 times. Diarrhea twice, cold once. My child was never sick in an in-home daycare for the first 15 months of life. The lady only took care of 2 kids.

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K.J.

answers from Dallas on

My oldest was sick ALL THE TIME at daycare. He had ear infection after ear infection after RSV after chest infection after high fever after meningitis. Everything you can think of, he caught in daycare.

We pulled him from a normal daycare and put him in a homecare situation. Problem solved. He very seldom got sick after that and is now an incredibly health 8 year old.

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H.A.

answers from Dallas on

How old is your child now?

What about the daycare itself -- maybe they are part of the problem. Are they certified? Do they clean the toys nightly with a sterilizing solution? Do they send sick kids home so others don't get sick? Do they have a low teacher/student ratio to catch when kids are sick or a sick room to move kids to so they won't infect others?

Definitely have your son tested, but I would also look at other possible sources for the problems. You mentioned that he was fine home with your Dad for a week... .but two days back at Daycare and he was sick again. That would be a red flag for me.

I hope it works out for you.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

The immune system of a child, is not fully developed, until about 2 years old.

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K.K.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter did very much the same thing from six months of age....every four weeks she had a virus. I found Dr. Bain in Frisco and she has turned it all around for us. She did food intolerance testing and that has been a HUGE stepping stone for us. My daughter is in Pre-K and healthy! I can't remember the last Rx we had for her.

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M.M.

answers from Dallas on

I don't know if your child has an immune issue, but I worried about the same thing when my daughter was in daycare. She was in a Children's Courtyard daycare from about 3 months to 15 months. We were in the pediatrician's office at least every other week. She was constantly getting sick. She had tummy bugs, croup, brochiolitis, other types of colds, and ear infections that would not go away. At 10 months, we got ear tubes for her. That cleared up the ear infections, but she still was getting sick every other week. Thank goodness we found a woman down the street from us who babysits kids at her home. My daughter, who's now 2.5, has been sick only once since we switched. I am so relieved! I hope you can find another daycare option, preferably in-home daycare!

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

Dear M.,

I have 8 kids and when they use to go to daycare they used to catch all kinds of viruses. None of them have any immune deficiencies. You don't say how old is your child and what kind of daycare he goes to. I would take him out of daycare too for a while so he can get all better. If you are sick (anyone) your defenses are down and you are prone to getting more viruses. One of my kids had febrile seizures too. They had to do with how quickly their body temperature changes. It is usually hereditary. My dad had them too as a kid. They don't need meds to prevent them (it won't). Keeping them healthy until they outgrow them is best. The last time my son had it he was around 2 y/o, he is now 20. He has never had a problem since. Maybe the daycare you are using is not very good about containing germ spreading. Also anytime another kid has a runny nose in daycare, your kids get it! That;s how it was with mine... no runny nose daycares... no illneses! :-) At any rate, I wouldn't sweat it. Take him out for a while and then seek a good daycare. Best wishes and God bless!

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C.T.

answers from Dallas on

We put our first son in daycare at 5 months, and he was continuously sick for the 4 months we kept him there. And I do mean continuously (no healthy days) and with more than just the sniffles for the vast majority. We used up all my sick and vacation days, all of my husbands sick days, and all of my mother-in-law's vacation days for the days when he was running fevers and couldn't go in. After 4 months, we had enough and we took him out and put him with a nanny. Such a relief! He got much better, with just the occassional illness. My doctor has never suggested that my son has an immune deficiency, but I do notice that he reacts to illnesses differently than my second son. If anything, he seems to have an over-reactive immune system ... he never bothers with a low fever, but will skyrocket to the 103-104.5 range with every infection. My second son doesn't do this, even when they have the same thing. But, the important thing, is that my son has been 'normal' in terms of how healthy he is since being removed from daycare. Moreover, he's three now, and has just started preschool, and has not been getting excessively sick. So, it seems like his immune system did just need time to grow up and adjust. Hope your son is better soon!

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

I would ask your doctor to test now and if he/she wont the go to another ... my son had Pediatric Neutropenia (spelling is close) long and short when he got a viral infection his white bloodcells attacked themselves and not the virus, if he had a fever over 101.0 that could hospitalze him ... bonus! Most of these immune issues are outgrow able.

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

I had the same issues with my son--he went into daycare at 3 1/2 mos, and was sick constantly, ending up with ear tubes at 15 mos. After the tubes (and maybe with maturity) he was much better, and is now a strong 4 yr old. I never had any concerns about immunity, but I vowed not to put my next child, my daughter, in school until she was 2 1/2 (I kept her at home with a sitter). It is expensive, but well worth it to keep her well during those first 2 years.

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C.T.

answers from Dallas on

If your child's tests come back negetive, which I hope they do, then I would question the day care's procedures for hand washing, sanitizing toys, washing bedding, wipping mats, changing diapers, meals, etc. Anything having to do with the spread of germs.

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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

My son did the same thing in a MDO program. I worked there with older kids to make exta money. He was 6 mnths old and we quit after 6 mths when he was almost 1. During those six months he had the stomach virus 2x, hand mouth and foot disease, multiple colds and countless ear infections. It was ridiculous. We were in the drs office ALL the time. We took him to an ENT to look into tubes. Right after that apptment I decided to pull him out. He never had another ear infection or stomach virus and rarely had colds. We tried a different MDO when he was 2 and he only had an occasional cold. They had a strict policy on sick kids coming to school and would send them home for icky noses. I found out after I pulled him out of the first MDO that his teachers weren't cleaning like they were supposed to and it had been addressed by the director several times while we were there. Obviously, they weren't listening. Everything looked clean. It may just be that you need to find another, cleaner daycare.

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J.N.

answers from Lubbock on

I have had immune system problems like your son (I was only finally diagnosed at the age of 45).

Chemicals wreak havoc on my immune system, so all the cleaning in the world only made me worse.

What I do know is that right after batteling any infection, the immune system is compromised. This creates a vicious cycle of infections that wears the body out.

Gamma gobulin was a life-saver for me. Doctor's don't like to give it because there is a remote chance of transferring HIV (never a documented case as far as I know though.) It lets you "borrow" the immune system from other people so that your (or your child's) immune system has a chance to recover.

T.C.

answers from Austin on

My son wasn't in daycare, but used to get sick really often. It seemed like once a week on average. I told the pediatrician, but he didn't think it was unusual. When my son was 4 we found out he had a hole in his heart. After it was repaired, he got sick much less(less than once a month) and not as bad each time.
Even if there's not a major condition causing this, it could be something else like a vitamin deficiency, or it could just be that he's not getting enough time to recover before being exposed to the next germ. You could ask the pediatrician if there's any vitamins or probiotics that could help build up his immune system.

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi M.,

My sister used to license day care centers and she saw more problems in the clean ones more so than the not so clean ones. The chemicals that are required to keep them clean are toxic and they break the immune system's capacity to work at it's best. Detoxing your home so that the immune system can be strengthened is a good start in building your little one's strength. Detoxing can also prevent a lot of the new disorders that are being diagnosed on a regular basis these days.

I detoxed our home a few years ago and we don't get sick anymore. We still get bombarded in places like the mall, at church, etc but our bodies are so strong that they can resist the worst. My youngest's daughter's diagnosis of ADHD was also removed shortly after I detoxed.

If your interested or even a little intrigued I'll be glad to share more. It's simple the way I did it and it has actually saved me money, tangibly and as well as intangibly.

Regards,

M.

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G.D.

answers from Dallas on

My pediatrician told me my child was not suited for daycare because she was sick so often. I could not afford to stay at home, so I moved her to homecare where there are only a couple of other kids. Problem solved.

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T.S.

answers from Dallas on

My son had some tests last spring that came back showing he may have a compromised immune system. It also showed that for some reason at least one of his vaccines did not "take". He was getting sick constantly as well. A friend introduced me to a supplement that he now takes daily, and it has helped dramatically. Although he still does get sick from time to time, the duration is much shorter-- 24 hours instead of weeks! Let me know if you are interested in more information.

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M.D.

answers from Dallas on

M.,

Yes, your child does have an immune system that is not functioning properly. We are exposed to germs everywhere we go and our body was created to be able to recognize and attack these germs to keep us healthy. When we get sick it is because either the body is not recognizing the germ to fight it off or the body is working overtime fighting off germs and can't keep up. There are things you can do to build your son's immune system and help him get well and stay well. My son use to get ear infections all the time and I was able to correct that with nutrition. So no more antibiotics for the ear infections and no surgery for ear tubes. I wish I had known about this with my daughter and then we wouldn't have had to do ear tubes for her either. One thing to realize is that every time we take an antibiotic to fight an infection the antibiotic not only kills the bad bacteria it kills the good bacteria as well. 80% of our immune system originates in our gut where there has to be a balance of good and bad bacteria for everything to work effectively. If you want to know more about what you can do send me an email and we can set up a time to talk. Just remember that this doesn't have to be the norm....you can change it.

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L.C.

answers from Dallas on

Seizures at this age could very well be from vaccines! How high was his fever? Your doc will probably tell you otherwise! Do your homework....You can look at www.generationrescue.org or www.safeminds.org
Vit D3 can help with immune system.
Please email me privately if you would like more info!
L.

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