What to do to counteract effects from mega-doses of antibiotics in a 6 mos old? - Page 2

[thismama]

Yeah, it's hard, coz I've actually been warned against this whole drama. A friend's older child passed a cold to her newborn and a midwife I know told her don't go in if you know where she got the cold coz they will do this meningitis drama. So as soon as they said meningitis and lumbar puncture, I knew we were in the wheel of hysteria. Our sitch was different because of the fontanel, which I couldn't gage how serious a symptom that actually was, seems quite serious but then I was in the hospie with just that one sided perspective with no real info of my own. And time was of the essence if indeed it was the big bad M so I couldn't exactly check out and go home and research til I felt comfy. So... we were in it, and I knew from the start it was probably BS, but I didn't know for *sure* it was BS so we did the whole damn thing. I also didn't know how bad it would be. It was bad.

[WuWei]

There is no "right" answer. Nor "wrong" one.


Pat

[Tofu the Geek]

Originally Posted by thismama

Yes I can ditch. She was very enthusiastically downing pureed baby foods before this, in hospital she had bm only and didn't seem to miss solids at all. I gave her some sweet potato this morning but she seems quite flexible about solids/no solids.

That's great that she seems flexible. You can focus on breastmilk and healing her right now then.

And so sorry you and her had to go through all of this. I know what's it like to be in a situation where you don't have the time and the resources to do the research you need and you have to make the best decision for the knowledge you have (my situation was different, yet very similar). It sucks, especially when you find out that you could have decided differently but didn't have enough info at the time to decide the other way. to you and your DD!

[thismama]

Originally Posted by WuWei

There is no "right" answer. Nor "wrong" one.


Pat

That is so nice to be reminded of, thank you. Coz I feel like I did the wrong thing and she was harmed for nothing. Of course I knew my option was to go home and stare at her bumped up head and wonder if I was harming her that way too. *le sigh*

[starlein26]

*

[yadayada6]

Add acidophilus to the diet

Since antibiotics kill the natural flora in the intestines (results in a cold, damp condition that leads to diarrhea), you need to supplement with acidophilus to replace this natural flora. I did this with my 3 year old when she went through several bouts of ear infections (she was 1 1/2 then), and she finally had to take antibiotics. Acidophilus comes in a powdered form in a gel capsule. I mixed one with some applesauce and gave it to her twice a day. She never had diarrhea, or a runny nose (also a result of the system being cooled down from antibiotics).

It would be advisable to seek an acupuncturist who is well educated in herbs. She/he can balance your child's system so that the antibiotics don't cool her down so much that she becomes sick again and has to repeat the course of drugs (this is very common in western medicine). When my daughter had to take antibiotics; after her 10 course of the drug, we put her on an herbal formula to balance her back out. She had been eating too many "cooling" foods which helped cause mucus, which eventually led to all the ear infections. She has never been on antibiotics since, and if she shows signs of another ear infection, we alter her to a more warming diet and put her back on the herbs.

Hope this helps some.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by yadayada6

She had been eating too many "cooling" foods which helped cause mucus, which eventually led to all the ear infections. She has never been on antibiotics since, and if she shows signs of another ear infection, we alter her to a more warming diet and put her back on the herbs.

I would love more info about "cooling" and "warming" foods (herbs??), especially as they relate to infections and inflamatory processes/healing. I've recently been interested/intrigued by Ayurveda diets. Is this similar?

Thanks, Pat

[yadayada6]

Cooling and warming foods

Cooling foods are ones that are:
all raw fruits and vegetables
mucous producing: i.e., bread, pasta, and all dairy products
foods made with refined sugars (popular cereals, snack bars, etc.)

Warming foods are:
Cooked fruits and vegetables (limit tomatoes and potatoes though)
beans
rice
small amounts of protein

When you see your child starting to get a runny nose (clear mucous), then limit or remove all of the cooling foods. Stick with a diet of warm oatmeal, cooked veggies and/or fruits (not too many fruits though), beans and proteins. The formulas we use that have worked best with our children are all from Blue Poppy Herbs (can only get through a licensed acupuncturist practitioner). They are AllerEase (use when the tongue is not red), Cold Quell (use when you see red on the edges of the tongue and/or on the tip), and Perilla and Mentha (if child has chronic clear runny nose with ear issues and red tongue).

It is best to speak with an acupuncturist/herbalist on this. Please make sure they are licensed and NCCAOM certified. Go to acupuncture.com and see if you can find one in your area.

A good book to pick up is "Healing With Whole Foods". My husband swears by it.

[mamaverdi]

Genetian violet will help with the diaper rash. If she has sensitive skin, the alcohol base could be burning, so try a tiny bit first.

Please don't be hard on yourself. The "I shouldn't have" statement is, I'm not sure what to call it: it's a nearly impossible statement to make truthfully in cases like these. A swollen fontanel should be taken very seriously.

And a real chest xray shouldn't be the least bit tortuous.

It's impossibly hard to watch your child experience that type of testing, even if it's necessary. It's okay for it to be necessary and impossible.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by yadayada6

A good book to pick up is "Healing With Whole Foods". My husband swears by it.

Thank you for the informative reply!


Pat

[thismama]

Originally Posted by mamaverdi

Genetian violet will help with the diaper rash. If she has sensitive skin, the alcohol base could be burning, so try a tiny bit first.

Please don't be hard on yourself. The "I shouldn't have" statement is, I'm not sure what to call it: it's a nearly impossible statement to make truthfully in cases like these. A swollen fontanel should be taken very seriously.

And a real chest xray shouldn't be the least bit tortuous.

It's impossibly hard to watch your child experience that type of testing, even if it's necessary. It's okay for it to be necessary and impossible.

Thanks. I will try the gentian violet for sure. Diaper rash is looking a good bit better today. I attempted to go to school and leave her at daycare for an hour (we usually do two hours/week while I have a class) and I couldn't handle it. She is so well though, it's amazing how she doesn't seem obviously affected by everything, I'm glad she is so in the moment at her age. I picked up the stuff for her belly last night and am dipping my finger in it and putting it in her mouth.

Chest xray, apparently they put them on like a bicycle seat, with their arms above their heads, close a tube around them and of course they freak out. We missed that version thank god.

So like, what would be the effects she might experience from such high doses of antibiotics? Of course the docs act like nothing.

I found out from someone in the know that if I would have refused the treatment they would very likely have called CPS on me. Crazy.

[WuWei]

Systemic antibiotics kill off the microbials in the gut (and lungs, stomach, esophagus, blood, skin, vagina, urinary tract, upper respiratory tract, ears, mouth too), rather broadly, when they don't know which bacteria or virus may be present and causing problems. (ie. "broad spectrum antibiotics"). The consequence is disrupting the normal microbial balance in the gut (and lungs, stomach, blood, skin, vagina, urinary tract, upper respiratory tract, ears, mouth too).

Depending on drug, dosage, and frequency: diarrhea, electrolyte imbalances, leaky gut, allergies, asthma, nutrient loss, allergic reactions, food intolerances, yeast overgrowth, auto-immune issues, etc. could develop. Or, nothing dire, if the gut is repopulated, intact, and able to rebalance itself.

Yes, they'd probably call CPS for refusing medical care on a child that they deem "urgent, medically necessary, and non-optional". They mean well. You did exactly what you needed to do in the moment.


Pat

[workjw]

I'm glad she is feeling better!

We had a Meningitis scare when DD was 6 weeks old, and had the whole spinal tap, chest x-ray course. She didn't have Meningitis, but she did have a very serious condition, and we were very glad we had jumped through the hoops. Like Pat said, there is no "right" or "wrong", we just do the best we can. Hindsight is always 20/20.

For us, the chest x-ray was torture - for me. DD wasn't happy, but it didn't physically hurt her, and she got over it quickly. She only cried for a few minutes, I cried for an hour.

DD has been on abx since she was 6 wks old, so we've had some experience with the side effects, but nothing too major. All kids react differently to different drugs. DD has a lot of gut issues, mainly diarrhea and some nausea while on the higher doses. We have also battled a lot of yeast. We will be watching for signs of asthma as she gets older, b/c of her abx and a family history.

Like the pps have said, we treat with probiotics (we use Florastor) and we started using Genetian Violet (thanks mamaverdi!) for the yeast. Those two things have been the most helpful for us.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but we try to give the probiotics midway between antibiotic doses. I think most things say at least give 2 hours between the dosing.

Hope she continues to feel better!