i have a happy 3 yr old son. when he turned 15 months he spent the night in the hosp because he couldnt breath so that started the albuterol in his nebulizer machine. last yr he had tubes in his ears and adeoids out for constant sinus issues.
we have been giving him breathing treatments every month almost since his first episode at 15 months. he is at the drs every month. and im told the same thing. he most likely has allergies and virus on top of virus from the kids at daycare. his symptoms are the same everytime. terrible cough runny nose wheezing. this time was really bad sunday he started a fever and iv been giving allergy med breathing med and ib profin every couple of hrs. somehow today the dr said his lungs are clear but if you would listen to his c ough it tells us other wise! my son has suffered 3 weeks out of EVERY month since hes 15 months old with the above issues. today the dr said the only thing we could do now would be a referral to a lung specialist however would most likely tell me the samething since he says hes a normal healthy child that just has upper resp infection after another with allergies and asthma. we as a family are at our witts end on how to help our son. we cant see him like anymore and we cant keep calling off work. he goes to a very clean daycare i know kids cough in each others face however without knowing any better. i also do not want to keep pumping my son full of meds. i feel hes too little to be skin pricked for allergies. the dr also suggested taking blood to test his immune system but is against putting him through it when hes almost 100% sure it would come back normal.
i was also told he should have outgrown this by now. does anyone elses child go through this? i will take any advise with pleasure. i know im not alone in this . i just dont know how someone could be like 3 weeks out of every month and this be considered normal for a child in daycare. other kids in daycare arent sick everymonth with breathing problems so whats so different about my son;(
My first and most important piece of advice - get a 2nd opinion and/or switch pediatricians completely. Secondly, go ahead and go to a specialist, if your insurance covers it without a referral.
I have horrible allergies as well and have my whole life. But never to the point where I was as ill as your son for such a long period of time. I think there’s more to it than allergies or something at daycare, IMHO.
I will pray for him and for your family.
Take him to a pediatric pulmonologist. They are excellent and have lots of tricks up their sleeves. He might refer you to an allergist too.
Ditto Mamacade and Patty. You need a second opinion. You need to get to the bottom of this.
So sorry - saying prayers for you…
You need to change pediatricians, but I’m going to be blunt with you… you really need to get over whatever it is that’s holding you back from agreeing to various tests. Don’t you want to figure out what’s going on?
Then you need to know if he has allergies and what’s causing them. Are they contact allergies? Seasonal allergies? Environmental allergies, like mold in your home? Food allergies or sensitivities?
Get the damned skin testing. Get the RAST blood testing. Both for allergies.
You assume he’s cycling virus illnesses but you don’t know. You’re his mom so advocate for every test possible to be run. The child has “enough skin.” You need to figure out what the cough is from, why he gets sick so frequently, and whether or not he actually has asthma.
Don’t assume that a specialist will tell you the same thing as a pediatrician. Why? Because a pediatrician is not a specialist. That’s why you have specialists… they specialize in one illness/disorder/injury/area of the body or group of disorders/illnesses/injuries/area of the body.
Read that again. Don’t make assumptions. You could be missing something vital by making assumptions. I won’t even touch the whole, “should have outgrown” issue. How would they know when they don’t even know what he has?
What makes him too little for a skin test?
My mom is a nurse in a dermatology office. They have little babies come in for allergy tests and to have suspicious stuff biopsied…
Cancer and severe allergies are affecting younger and younger people.
I think it is all the chemicals in the air and water and food anymore.
At 3 he is definitely NOT too little or young for the skin prick allergy tests.
You NEED to get it done.
I am willing to bet money this is all allergy related and you need to figure out which one.
Good luck.
The allergist’s “prick test” is really not a big deal. My son had one at 13 months. I would recommend doing this, without delay.
I also recommend seeking out a naturopathic physician – an ND rather than am MD. I don’t recommend this with every health issue, but the naturopathic approach with allergies and food and environmental sensitivities has a high success rate.
Good luck, and please don’t delay taking him to the allergist. It’s more than appropriate at his age.
Ok, I know this is all very frustrating. Went through the same thing for years. It drove me crazy.. The non productive coughing all through the nights. The dark circles under her eyes. She could become clingy and whiny when she really did not feel well. I was very upset about all of it.
We live in a very green area, but it is also known for all of the dust and all of the pollen. Also at certain times of the year.. the smoke from the south comes up here.. and we can end up with air warnings.
Every season has an allergy component. Young children can really have a hard time with all of it.
The allergies, the asthma, the ear infections, sinus problems, adenoids.. …
Yes, we lived with the nebulizer, had her tubes placed in her ears and her adenoids removed. ,
We also had to pull out all carpets, all drapes, from the whole house and no pets allowed in her room. We purchased the best air filters for our air conditioner/ heater system..
We also purchased a Hunter electric air filter just for her bedroom and kept her bedroom door closed as much as possible. The electric air filter suggested changing the filter every 8 to 12 weeks. I realized I needed to change it at least every 6 weeks, but during some times of the year every 3 weeks! It was covered in gunk.. !
Saturday mornings, if we heard the lawn mowers going.. we kept her inside until things settled down.. Or we would rush her to the car to get out of the neighborhood.
We washed her hair every day during these times also..
Yes, eventually as her body grew she seemed to have less and less episodes. We became Pro active we could see when she was becoming ill again so we respond as fast as possible.
She grew out of the inhaler by the end fo 5th grade.
If you feel like you need a second opinion get one. I never refused a test that was suggested, but I also had to stop and figure out what I could do to make our home a breathing sanctuary and a safe pace for her to sleep..
If you are at your wits end, you will see an allergist as soon as possible. The only way to know for sure if this is causing his symptoms is to find out. My son has environmental allergies and had food allergies. We were at our wits end too. Once we knew what was causing the symptoms, we could be proactive in eliminating it from his contact. Otherwise, the allergic response will go on and on and on.
It’s really not about what you don’t want to do and more about what you are willing to do for your son. I can only imagine how miserable he must be.
My son got his prick test at 18 mos and goes once a year. He has been taking allergy medications since he was the same age. It has made a world of difference in him. He’s so much happier and healthy.
If you don’t want to do the skin test, do the blood test instead. What do you have to lose by finding out and possibly ending this misery?
I urge you to take him to a pediatric allergist. Much of your post indicates that you probably don’t understand what’s happening with your son. My granddaughter has had asthma since she was a baby and has had symptoms similar to your son including frequent respiratory infections. Once she was seeing the pediatric allergist she was much healthier.
You avoid getting him tested for allergies but the trade off is that he’s sick often. I would rather that he be uncomfortable for an hour or so than to be sick 3 weeks out of the month.
When a person’s asthma is out of control their lungs are very much more susceptible to infections. Having to use breathing medication every month is indicative that his asthma is out of control. Tho, you don’t say what the breathing medication is. If it’s an inhaler and it’s only once a month that’s good. But a nebulizer should only have to be used when he’s sick.
Having a gurgling cough does not indicate that his lungs are congested with asthma. I’ve found it to be the opposite with my granddaughter. When she has an asthma attack her cough is dry. Asthma causes the tubes in the lungs to constrict and is not the same as having congestion due to a cold.
Giving him Ibuprofen every 2 hours is not safe and is probably counter productive. Please follow the dosing recommendation. You can overdose him at that rate. He needs to have a fever because the fever is part of the ways in which the body kills the virus or bacteria. If his lungs are clear he doesn’t need the breathing treatment. You need to give the breathing treatment only when needed so that his body doesn’t get used to it and thus have it not work as well.
What do mean when you say breathing treatment. If it’s a nebulizer that you’re giving him 3 weeks out of the month , either his asthma is out of control or you are giving it to him unnecessarily.
I suggest that since his lungs are clear he has a bad cold or the flu and the breathing treatments are not helpful. They are to open up his airways because they are constricted by asthma. If they are not constricted you are wasting the medication and causing his body to build up a tolerance to the medication.
An allergist will explain this to you in much more detail than a pediatrician and also has other medications that would be more helpful. I suggest that you have reached the limit of what a gp can give you and it’s time to see a specialist.
I’m not familiar with a lung specialist. I think he would be called a pulmonologist. I suggest that you may eventually need to see one but I would start with a pediatric allergist. They are more specialized in diagnosing asthma and allergy related issues.
As to feeling that he’s too young for prick test. I see this as a choice between an hour or so of discomfort as opposed to 3 weeks/month of illness. My granddaughter had her first skin prick tests around age 3 and she handled it well. No tears. The pain is minimal. The most discomfort is the hives of a positive test. But they treat those immediately and so that is also short lived.
So, the bottom line is, it is TIME to see a Pediatric Pulmonologist.
And/or an Allergist.
He is 3 already.
And has this problem for a long time.
My daughter was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis when she was 8. Finally took her to the allergist…had the testing (FYI it was no big deal and I would not hesitate putting a 3 year old through the testing) her results were negative. The allergist then suggested a simple blood test to check her immune system (getting a blood draw is not a big deal either. My daughter did not flinch and watched them as they did it) the allergist said she would be shocked if they showed anything because my daughter never had pneumonia or a skin infection which is quite typical in immune compromised kids. Long story short… She was slighly immune compromised. They gave her a booster of the pneumococcal vaccine and she has been great since.
Pediatric pulmonologist. Former respiratory therapist here.
Anytime you are giving albuterol that often, you need special eyes and ears on his case.
Just want to let you know, the allergy test is no big deal. I got it for my son at one and two years old, because he was having similar issues to your son, although less severe. A lot of coughing, a lot of upper respitory stuff, and he goes to preschool, where he picks things up. The skin prick test is very quick and not too traumatic. The only thing is, according to our pediatric allergist, it’s not definitive until age four. My son’s test were all negative but the doc said that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have allergies. And btw, several doctors told us that the constant illnesses were very normal for daycare/ preschool kids. My son has been a little better since spring began, but he still had yet another ear infection three weeks ago and his nose is running again. If you are really concerned about germs, maybe consider a nanny if possible?
My oldest was like that. She outgrew it around age 5 - not all kids do. You can’t just give them one treatment a month…a neb is to be used as prescribed. That’s usually several times a day, every day. When you say you’ve been giving him breathing treatments every month (instead of several times a day) I wonder that you are not following doctor’s orders.
Sounds like my daughter who does have allergies and “pre asthma”. They did test her once she turned 4 and she is a allergic to many plants, trees, dogs, cats, smoke, etc. It triggers asthma like episodes and typically her lungs are clear (although a few times she did end up with bronchitis before we knew what was causing it). At this point, it can’t hurt to do the blood test…he is a bit young for the skin test (they prefer to wait until they are 5-6 years old but tested my daughter sooner because her issues were so long lasting). Talk to a pediatric allergist, it can’t hurt.
He sounds just like my son.
When my son turned 11m he started getting sick. Runny nose → ear infection → fever (102+)-> medicine → relief.
3 - 5 days would go by. Runny nose → ear infection → fever (102+)-> medicine → relief.
3 - 5 days would go by… this went on for a year. I could tell you each day what that day’s symptoms would be.
If I had another doctor tell me it was just a virus, I was going to hurt someone!
I finally started keeping a food journal, because the symptoms started changing over faster. We also got a copy of the daycare menu. What I noticed was that he would get sick a few days after he had one of 3 foods. I took him to a pediatric allergist and asked for the environmental prick test as well as these three foods. Peaches, pears, chocolate (my allergy). He immediately reacted to the pears.
We had stopped giving him pears at home because they would give him runny BMs. We would give them when he was constipated. The daycare however, was serving pears with lunch every other Wednesday.
We removed him from pears and pear juice (NOT any easy thing!) and he improved. He is now 12y and has maybe had 2 ear infections since.
He does have a nut allergy, environmental allergies, and asthma so he is sick from time to time. However our life now is no where near what it was back then. He gets allergy shots and has improved in most areas. Colds trigger his asthma (he sounds like he has bronchitis, not wheezing), but if we stay with his daily medicine routine, he gets better in a few days.
I’m sorry but your doctor sounds like an idiot. Three is absolutely not too young to be allergy tested. A pediatric allergist can use 4 pads with 8 scratchers each. Two technicians press them into the back at the same time, testing for 32 common allergens at once. My oldest son had this done at age 3 and that was 12 years ago so this isn’t new. Pediatric allergists test children your son’s age all the time. Shame on your pediatrician for not insisting that he be evaluate by an allergist a long time ago.
If you doctor suspects allergies as the main cause, you need to know what he’s allergic to, if anything, and mitigate the allergies. There are many things you can do to reduce his exposure to allergens once you know what they are - pets = no pets in the home, dust = remove carpeting and drapes and add dust covers to his mattress and pillows, mold = identify and remove source of mold in the home, pollen = use OTC allergy medications during the pollen season, same with grasses, food = eliminate the food from his diet, etc.
Honestly if I were you I’d be looking for a new pediatrician. Yours doesn’t sound very proactive at all. All of my kids were in daycare from the time they were a few months old until they were in Kindergarten. Yes they do get more colds than if they were at home, but to be sick several weeks a month every month is not normal or acceptable.
I would also immediately stop all dairy and gluten and see if that helps. Both are very inflammatory to some people. Your son may be one of those people.
I hope you get some answers soon.
I have chronic sinusitis from allergies. It is more than my body can handle and I have spent most of my life on Sudafed until last summer. I got a new doctor, and she told me to take Claritin everyday. I was skeptical, and the first week I don’t think I saw any improvement, but then I called the doc and she said to keep trying it. After another week, I forgot to take Sudafed, and didn’t need it for several more months, until I got a really bad cold.
I would recommend a daily allergy med, Clariton, Zyrtec, or Allegra.
Then, I would also recommend a chiropractor who specializes in kids. I know that the tubes from the ears, and sinuses can’t drain if they are being squished by the vertebrae. I know it sounds odd, but I have felt the drainage immediatly after an adjustment, and it was something I couldn’t get on my own.
Also, a neti pot is great to wash out all the impurities that are going into his body through his nose. This might be tricky to get him to let you do it, but if you can, it will probably really help.
Good luck, and the other ideas are really important too, but I was thinking to get some relief until you can get to the specialists.
Oh, is there any way that it could be aggravated by dairy products? I know that dairy can cause phlegm if the person is sensitive or allergic to it. That might be something to cut out, and its not uncommon to have to cut for kids who have allergies.
Is there any possibility that you could have some sort of mold or mold spores at your house? Something he may be reacting to at home? I would definitely get some one out to your house to check it out just in case---- cover all your bases so you can find the solution. Hope your little one feels better soon!