Recurrent Pneumonia

My 10-year old daughter has asthma, which started very young 15-18 months old (although not diagnoised until 3 or 4 years old after her 2nd hospitalization for pneumonia, and about 10th upper-respitory infection and bouts with pneumonia, etc). She has been hospitalized 4 times, the last being at 8 years old for 5-days. If they have not diagnoised her with asthma yet, get another peditrician or 2nd opinion. I can give you the name of the ped that diagnoised my daughter (Sterling Heights area) while she was in the hospital. I have not heard that allergies can cause pneumonia, but asthma sufferers get it very easily due to weaken lungs. If it is asthma, she needs to be on asthma medication (maintenance medications that need to be taken daily and are usually accompanied by allergy medications - mmost asthma patients have severe allergies as well). If you want to discuss or get the name of the Dr. that diagnoised my daughter, just email me (____@____.com).

Hi, M.. I am a retired Respiratory therapist and I can tell you Pneumonia in anyone at any age that many times is NOT normal. I hope that you are taking her to Bronson but even the Doctors there don't always get it right. I am assuming that she had blood work for immune issues. She needs to see a Pediatic Allergist first. If you are stonewalled demand to see a Pediatic Pulmonologist. Remember, YOU are the one in charge of your daughter's health. Doctors aren't ALWAYS right. Push, push and push some more until your satisfied. Also, it is possible your home is too damp or too dry or even (eeeek)it has mold issues, especially if it is an older house and you recently installed new carpeting or are remodeling. New house have their problems as well; toxic fumes for one but less likely to have mold.If this is enviromental your baby could develop problems.Don't allow Doctors to blow off your concerns for something is truly wrong.All breathing problems are serious and should be taken seriously. Do either of you smoke around her? That is a HUGE NO-NO! There are new drugs that curb cravings, a good friend of mine just quit with NO withdrawl issues. I hope for everyone in your family's sake that no one smokes, including realtives and friends. Kindly remind them of her illnesses and ask that they not smoke in her presence. Feel free to contact me and or keep me up to date.Denise K.

I had pneumonia every winter until I was in high school. I realized last year that I stopped getting it when my parents stopped smoking in the house. I am convinced that the smoking was causing me to get sick. If your kids are around smokers I would limit or stop all together.

Have you ever tried Homeopathy? It works wonders for things like this, especially in children.

My son had the same issue starting at 6 months old. After a trip to the ER, we were given a nebulizer to give him daily or upon starting the sickness and had to administer steroids. They told us it was asthma and I wasn't convinced. After several trips to the pediatrician, we finally were referred to the pulmonary doctors at UofM. His episodes of what we thought were boncitis or pneumonia were triggered by allergies (first sign, runny nose). They put him on Claratin and that did nothing for him. They switched him to Zyrtec in the am and Singular in the pm before bed time. My son has not had to utilize the nebulizer but maybe twice since then and it's been a year now. And the steroid doses are long gone. I don't necessarily think you need to see an allergist but maybe a pulmonoligist. I don't like that my sone is this medicated and we are trying to ween him off one or the other medication and hopefully only use the Zyrtec as needed. It's possible that they will out grow the allergies and asthma. Good luck, it will get better once you find your remedy.

Hi M.!

I have a customer who has a daughter that was having nightly asthma treatments. Switching to green products (that are still cost effective) has really impacted their lives. She is not having treatments and hasn't been sick in a long time.

L.
http://www.HealthyFamilyHome.com

A friend of mine was in a similar situation with her son when he was a toddler. The doctor's wanted to put him on breathing treatments and that was the final straw. She knew there had to be something better, you know a safe option.

She first took away milk. Unfortunately, if milk is not organic, there are synthetic hormones and antibiotics tha are given to cows and then people drink the milk and get them as well. NOT GOOD! He eats organic fruits and vegetables and clean meats in his diet and added supplements.

He is now 13 and healthy as can be. No asthma or allergies.

M.

My girlfriend had a similar problem with her daughter. Now in September she starts a humidifier and keeps in on through spring. That seemed to help, her daughter is now 6. Kind of a hassel sometimes, but I've started doing that myself, too this past winter. She uses the cool-mist type with the filter pads.

Dear M.- Did you ask your doctor if it was a possibilty that your daughter may be allergic to milk?? I wondered why my daughter always had a runny nose- come to find out she was allergic to milk. Is she drinking vitamin D? Sometimes another sign is a red & severely dry skin. My grandmother & brother were both allergic to milk. My grandmother told me when she was a little kid that before they knew she was allergic she would have pneumonia 1-3 times a year! It's worth a try. My daughter is on Rice Dream- a rice milk because she is also allergic to Soy. Let me know what you find out.

Does she have reflux problems. How is her eating, any difficultly with swallowing. I could be related to aspiration (food going into the lungs). Nothing to stress about, but it should be addressed.

Hi M.,

You may want to try a product called XanGo. It is a natural product that my whole family takes...my son is 2 and my daughter is 5. Lauren is off all of her allergy meds, for over one year. I am also off my allergy meds and antiinflammatory meds, for colitis (for over a year) Lauren and Nolan have not been sick in a year! I work in a hospital and I have not been sick either
This product is just a fruit, no herbs or harmful ingredients and it gets delivered to your door (which may be an advantage if you live rural)
I highly recommend it and would be happy to get some juice to you right away. Please check out my website and feel free to contact me if you are interested in this safe alternative.
www.choosenature.mymangosteen.com
Hope to talk to you soon,
K. Collins ###-###-####
I will be home today and the rest of the week if you would like to contact me.

That sounds horrible! There are so many things to be allergic to now days... Have you tried changing the products you use in your home? Many household products have harsh chemicals including formaldihyde and or formaldihyde releasers. Q15 is one of the trade names for it and that is in baby wash and wipes... Those types of additives can actually cause us to be allergic to other things. Visit your local health food store or research green household products. I can tell you about a great place where I shop but I dont want to sound spammy. Please email me and I can tell you more. ____@____.com
www.workinghousewife.com

My son who is almost 4 had his first case of pneumonia in the fall of 2006. We had a pretty rough winter with bronchitis, bronchilitis, and pneumonia. He was diagnosed with asthma after his first episode. We see an allergist/asthma specialist. He was put on several allergy/asthma medications (Singular, clarinex, nasonex, albuterol, pulmicort, flovent, and others if he caught something like a cold.)They were not all at the same time, but we tried alot of them. Singular made the best improvements for him. Last summer he started complaining about stomach aches and he had alot of congestion, which we related to the stomach because it can upset the stomach with drainage. After visits to the primary doctor, allergist and an ENT we were told that reflux can cause the congestion. Now he has started taking Prevacid daily. He has had far fewer problems with allergies and asthma this winter.

Basically, I'm telling you all this because it is worth the time to find the underlying problem. It seems like a lot of work, but it will pay off. Try to watch for any cues from your child even at an early age. Sometimes they're hard to recognize in a child this young. Try keeping a journal about symtoms, environmental situations, food changes, sleep patterns, or any other clues you may see daily. If you can give the doctors an idea of what is happening when symtoms get worse they can determine causes easier. If you need to travel a distance to see the specialist, make it worth everyones trip.

I agree with many of the other responses as well, take care of any of the environmental concerns as possible. Keep pets out of her room, NO Smoking in the house by ANYONE, including grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles, etc. Get dustmite covers, remove carpet, curtains, stuffed animals etc. I also have a niece with food allergies and the results are similar to environmental allergies. The best way to safeguard against allergies is to get allergy tested. If you know what causes her the biggest problems, it is much easier to keep her healthy.

Hang in there, it does get easier and even the medications become routine. Good Luck with whichever treatment you try. Don't forget the power of prayer. It can only help!

L.
Daycare, sahm of 2 kids (6 and 3)

Hi!
I have had the same problem as your daughter. I have asthma and allergies. I have has it at least 2 times a year for the past 5 years. This is the first winter I didn't have pneumonia! I got a pneumonia and flu shot this year. I wasn't sick once. Is she to young to get the pneumonia shot? My doctor said usually only old people get it and thought I was strange for requesting it. He didn't say if there was actually an age limit on it though. It is good for about 10 years. You should ask about it. Good luck, I hope she gets healthy and stays that way!

Dear M.,
My 21 month old girl has had pneumonia twice this winter and bronchitis twice since October. She also had pneumonia and bronchitis last year. Her dr. did send her to an allergist and put her on regular neb treatments. Her appointment is next week. I would ask to go to a specialist it is not normal for a child to be getting that many upper respiratory infections. Take Care, M.

Hi M.---Allergies are no fun and they are frustrating considering that they usually occur because the body is sensitive to things that it doesn't need to be. I am VERY involved in wellness and disease prevention through good nutrition and I am learning that our diets have a direct impact on how well our immune system functions. Have them eat as many different fruits and veggies as possible, as well as WHOLE grains and legumes. Minimize animal product consumption and eliminate cow's milk which is one of the most allergy causing substances in the world. If you would like ideas on how to get more of these foods into your diet, feel free to contact me. I have a number of resources that I can share with you. In health, D., Wellness Educator

I understand your distress! When my daughter had it I was really worried. If your insurance will cover it, have the allergy testing. It is not a big deal or anything for the child. Then you can rule out this for the cause. Good Luck!

Hi M.:

I have a son who is susceptible to pneumonia. This winter we had him on a maintenance dosage of antibiotics. He takes it three times a week. It has really worked at preventing the recurrence of pneumonia that had him in the hospital twice in the fall. We also have an at-home nebulizer for breathing treatments at home.

Hope this helps!
Poppy

It seems like doctors are always quick to throw different meds at our kids - and while sometimes that is the necessary course of action, I often like to start with some more natural remedies including changes in diet, etc. There is a great book that I recommend called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders" by Dr. Kenneth Bock. It focuses on treating root causes of these disorders rather than just treating symptoms (which is what meds will do). I've seen the advice in this book work wonders on my own family as well as many extended family members and friends. Best of luck!

If you are interested, I know of a natural way to STOP this from happening to your daughter!

S.
____@____.com

M.,

I looked at your profile and even though you live in Alpena, there should be allergy clinics that rotate through your area each month. Talk with your doctor. If he thinks your daughter has allergies, you should find out immediately what those allergies are and how to prevent them, not just treat the symptoms. Treating the symptoms long-term with anti-histamins may not be safe for growing children.

I used to live in Gaylord and went to see Dr. Tim Linehan. His main office is located in Petoskey, but he operates satellite offices in Gaylord, Mackinaw City, and Alpena. This may have changed in the last five years, but it might be something to look into.

My son has both food allergies and indoor/outdoor allergies, and I have adult onset asthma due to constant exposure to indoor/outdoor allergens. It is a pain and now my body consistently over-reacts to low levels of allergens in the air. If you can prevent your daughter's asthma from developing she will have a better childhood.

My son's speech has been slightly delayed because he couldn't hear due to both the food and other allergies. He had frequent ear infections and fluid in his inner ear. Every time we visit our current allergist, he has a tympanogram taken, which is just a special ear device that measures the amount of negative pressure in the ear. It works great with kids who cannot tell adults exactly how they are feeling and how their allergies are getting better or worse.

If your daughter is getting pneumonia so often, going to an allergist can help to prevent other health issues later in life.

You will also want to look into eliminating allergens in your home. She may be allergic to dust mites and their by-products; you can slow down dust mites by covering her mattress and box-spring with allergy covers. Wash all of her bedding once a week in HOT water and dry on the hottest setting. Or you can wash her bedding in a chemical called DeMite, which kills the mites, and then dry on the hot setting.

If you have carpets, look into either removing them from her bedroom and/or the major living areas of your home, and replacing them with solid floors (hardwood, Pergo or linoleum) or washing the carpets with a similar mite killing solution every few months.

If you have pets, make sure they are bathed at least once every two weeks and that they are not allowed in her room. She may be allergic to the dust mites in the fur (both on and off the pets) and/or the pets themselves.

You can put dryer sheets into the vents that blow heat into her room and these will trap allergens fairly well. We have hot-water heat, so we use a box fan, with a whole-house air filter (the best you can get) taped to the fan. Run it in her room 24/7 and you will see the amount of dirt, grime, and allergens being trapped in that filter within a few days to a week. As long as air can blow through the filter at a relatively good pace it can still be used, even if it is unsightly. Replace the filter once every two months.

It can be expensive in the beginning to prevent the allergens from triggering her symptoms, but in the long run, it is cheaper than taking her to the emergency room every few nights due to asthma attacks, and the medications for other health problems later on down the line.

Here are a few websites for you to look at that might help to explain allergies better than I can. I have also included a website for an allergy store that sells great, moderately priced products. I wish you luck and hope that your daughter's health improves soon.

-C..

Asthma and Allergy Facts: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~kupstas/FAQ1.html#section1.3

What is an allergist/immunologist? http://www.aaaai.org/patients/resources/rgce/patients.asp

Locate an allergist in your area: http://www.acaai.org/

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=10&sub=28

Allergy Store: http://www.allergystore.com/index.html
(This on-line store has a lot of great products and they are reasonably priced. In the beginning of my dust-mite allergies I had purchased allergy mattress covers from Walmart, but they fell apart in 3 months. I just purchased the mattress covers from the allergy store and am very impressed with their quality and durability. I now longer wake up in the morning with cold-like symptoms, my son is definitely feeling better in the mornings as well - we covered his mattress too. And, I am saving money now that I'm not buying the Walmart $20 covers every three months.)