If you tend to trust the immune system first, I need your input!

[bluebirdiemama]

hey mamas,

I need advice. We haven't had a doctor for almost 3 years. We don't have insurance or a lot of spare cash, plus our kids have never gotten sick besides a cold, so we haven't sought one out... except for one time, which didn't do us any good.

Anyway...... when the kids get sick (3 and 1) we pretty much let it run its course, giving them vitamin C, echinacea, lemon balm, and a homeopathis fever reducer if the fever gets really high. Also, after my midwife gave me some colloidal silver while preggy with my dd, we have been taking that occasionally. It is supposed to work as an antibiotic.

So, in May the kids and I got sick.......... I should have just let it run its course but I started taking colloidal silver as one would an antibiotic. We got better.... then in June we got sick again with the same thing, took the CS again... got better.... end of June started getting sick again.... took CS.... and we were takng it until about a little more than a week ago and a friend was telling me some things that made me question whether we should be taking it, so we stoped. Now we are getting sick again.

Do I need to get to a doctor for antibiotics?
I'm thinking at this point I do.... I just want to see what you all have to say about it.

Sorry, this is not the most well written and thought out post, I am in kind of a hurry to get it posted.
Appreciate any and all advice!!! TIA

[DoulaLMT]

I've had nearly miraculous success with liquid grapefruitseed extract. My kiddo will take it if I put it in some juice. It works for us basically like a natural antibiotic. I think I'd go that route first. You still might be dealing with a virus, just passing it back and forth between family members....?? In which case, antibiotics won't help you anyway.

Good luck - sure hope you all get better and stay better! Nothing like being sick in the summer

[crunchy_mommy]

I tend to treat symptoms for comfort if necessary (i.e. heat packs for aches & pains, cool wash cloth for clammy skin, etc.) but we generally don't 'treat' illnesses... but I guess I would need to understand what kind of illness is going around in your family. What makes you think antibiotics would 'cure' it? What kinds of symptoms do you guys have?

[bluebirdiemama]

well we are in the process of getting sick again... it's the 4th time with the same thing. At this point we have sore necks and aggravated ears. When we are sick sick we have fevers, swollen and sore throats, congestion, sneezing. .
we only got sick sick once. all the other times we were taking colloidal silver once we realized it was coming back. I probably shouldn't have started taking/giving it in the first place and it would have only been a couple more days or so and we would have been over it.
But I did...
and now I guess we either need to get something that's actually going to work or go through it again. It was bad the first time... and Im sure it would be way worse this time since it's been incubating for months...
the first time we were sick for about 2 weeks. like... not start to finish. I don't consider getting sick or getting over being sick part of it... I mean we were down and out, and it was bad for almost 2 full weeks

[elmh23]

we tend not to go to the doc for illnesses, but for those systems, i would. it kind of sounds like strep to me.

[Thing1Thing2]

Hi bluebirdiemama my first question was why do you keep getting sick? If the CS heals it and then it comes back again, maybe it is something in your environment like mold.

I had mold in my house and didn't know it. DS and I kept getting this throat pain and headache accompanied by a fever. The mold weakened our immune systems to the point where we were constantly getting sick.

We had to move out last year and move in with family. They are working inour house now, but when we moved out we felt much better and haven't been sick since.

Maybe you could take a look around the house for any moist areas and see if you find any signs of mold.

[bluebirdiemama]

bonnienova, mold might be a possibility.... I really think this is coming back because the CS is not killing it. I think it is just killing what it directly touches as we are putting it into our bodies, but beyond that, it doesn't seem to be working much like a medicine...


elmh23, I feel like we have to at this point..... I don't really feel like trying anything else that might work.
A big concern though is... are they going to take it into consideration that this is the 3rd time it's come back, and the 4th time we've had it... yk?
I have bad experiences with docs. Ranging from them not taking me seriously, to not even trying to treat what it was I went to see them for.

I spent the whole afternoon trying to find a doc.... it's hard!!!!! (if you're stubborn enough to make sure they're good before you go)

[crunchy_mommy]

Well if you go into the doctor demanding antibiotics they might not take you seriously... they see a lot of parents demanding meds for things like viruses that you really can't treat with antibiotics. I would tell them all your symptoms and exactly when you came down with it the first time, how long each episode lasted, and whether the symptoms have varied at all.

I had strep 5 or 6 times in one year (and back then I did receive antibiotics for it each time) and we even had to test the cat to see if that's how it was recurring. Eventually it just went away on its own.

I'd go see the doctor, but try to have an open mind and let them 'diagnose' rather than telling them, "We have XYZ" -- you don't have to agree with the diagnosis or follow through with the treatment but I would at least give them a chance to do their job.

P.S. Check on Finding Your Tribe, that's where we found our doctor and he's awesome.

[mellowjello]

Are you all taking any food based probiotics? I think these are a much healthier choice than antibiotics. VSL (can get prescription) is a great one and it's expensive but if you are making your own yogurt with it then it lasts a lot longer. We have VSL goat milk yogurt and banana smoothies everyday. Yum!!!

[Panserbjorne]

I hope this comes across the way it's meant to. I'm not being snarky at all. The question you asked was "if you tend to trust your immune system first" and that's not what I'm hearing. Taking an abx, however natural it may seem to you is not trusting your body IMO. It's sending in troops to take out the invaders because your body isn't. A natural abx is still killing bacteria as opposed to supporting the body in doing it's job. This is not wrong, I'm just trying to say that perhaps taking abx isn't as different as you may think it is.

From that perspective, and given the fact that you are not able to kick this at this point you need a different approach. I would see a doctor. If you don't have insurance and have to pay anyway, maybe see a naturopath, a osteopath, a TCM pracitioner....something that will feel supportive to you rather than destructive if that's your preference.

Either way I think that you probably need to be seen so you can get back to feeling like the best version of yourself and stop having to manage illness on such a regular basis. Feel better!

[littlest birds]

I tend to trust the immune system first. So I would not have done colloidal silver especially not even knowing what the illness was. I also don't think I would use colloidal silver as a medicine for anything, although I doubt it made anything worse. Personally, I would not mention that I'd used colloidal silver to a mainstream doctor.

I have never had an illness return repeatedly. Therefore I would go to a doctor. NOT for antibiotics but for a diagnosis. Most illnesses with those symptoms don't respond to an antibiotic although the repetition suggests it may.

If I was short on money I might just make an appointment at a low income clinic for the most symptomatic child, get a strep test, get a professional opinion. Once you get that information, you will have a better idea how to proceed with everyone else in the family. If you still believe you need a prescription, everyone will need to be seen for their own prescription. But with a diagnosis you may be able to proceed with a different treatment with no further appts.

I also think that visiting a doctor once for a simple acute illness you need a good doctor in terms of basic competence but you may not need to worry about seeing eye-to-eye philosophically about general health.

[Nazsmum]

A Dr can tell you what you have. So you could go and see what she/he says. Then take it from there. I would not give an antibotic unless it was completly necessary.

My 4 year old kept getting sick. He got sick March 1st (fever) then got better for about a week. The 2 weeks later sick again. (fever and back ACHE)
Then one more time. Each time I just kept giving him tea and lots of it. Ginger, peppermint, and Chamomile. Basical lot of fluids and keep it coming. He did get better but it took time. Oh maybe I did give him Olive leaf. Also I did give him my milk.

I hope you all feel better.

[bluebirdiemama]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

Well if you go into the doctor demanding antibiotics they might not take you seriously...

I have no intention of going into a doctor's office and demanding anything. I don't know why you would assume this from what I said. I am worried about not getting enough antibiotics to kick it in the butt for good and it coming back a 4th time, and stronger for it.

Panserbjorne and littlest birds.......... I titled the post that way because I am a person to trust my immune system. That may not go perfectly for me all the time, but it is what I do firstly, and strive to do it more effectively. By learning as much as I can and being as healthy as possible. I started taking the CS because after being pretty sick for 2 weeks, not having eaten for most of that time and not having energy to go to the grocery store, cook, or take care of my kids properly. I, and my kids, were clearly not getting better, and in fact getting worse. I am curious to know what you would have done, because if there is a better option I would love to know for future reference. But at that point I couldn't just wait it out any longer. I had to do something.

[Panserbjorne]

I want to again say it was not meant to be snarky. It's just that when you say you trust the immune system that can mean many different things to many different people. I don't know what it means to you, so I was giving my own feedback. Everyone is learning all the time. It's all a journey. Nothing you did is *wrong* it's just not what I would personally do. I'm also not suggesting you want to be like me!

I personally support with homeopathy because that's what is effective for us. That is done on a base of good nutrition to keep things functioning optimally. However it's not always easy to use for someone who isn't familiar with the modality. If not homeopathy I would be using targeted nutrients (that there are increased needs for in various instances) and biochemics.

And better option? That really depends on what is happening. Not only that, but there's different approaches that work for different people so it's about finding your groove. Some like eastern herbs, some western herbs, some homeopathy, some nutrition, some chiropractic and so on. Some like a combination of a few. It also depends on what you are trying to do. Clearly you want to feel better...but what's the mechanism by which you want to get there? Are you killing a germ? Are you bolstering the body? Are you looking at the physical issues, the mental/emotional reaction etc...

It's not a black and white situation. The only mistake would be not recognizing when something was/wasn't working and adjusting appropriately. If you aren't able to get on top of it then it's time to look elsewhere. If you are proficient enough with herbs to try that route yourself, then that's great. If you are an afficianado with home remedies, go for it. If you don't know what to do next, find someone who does. That's all!

[mambera]

I would cool it on the colloidal silver, yeah.

http://colloidalsilversecrets.blogsp...d-argyria.html

And I'd see a doctor for a diagnosis. (Not for 'antibiotics,' which may or may not be appropriate depending on the diagnosis you receive.)

And I actually would not hide the CS use from the doctor because if any of you do have metal toxicity from it, he'll be much more likely to be able to pick that apart from your original illness if you give him the courtesy of an accurate history.

[poppan]

Originally Posted by bluebirdiemama

I started taking the CS because after being pretty sick for 2 weeks, not having eaten for most of that time and not having energy to go to the grocery store, cook, or take care of my kids properly. I, and my kids, were clearly not getting better, and in fact getting worse. I am curious to know what you would have done, because if there is a better option I would love to know for future reference. But at that point I couldn't just wait it out any longer. I had to do something.

I do believe in letting the body handle small things on its own but I'm not personally averse to medicine. If my kids and I had all been sick-sick for two weeks I would have sought out a doctor at that point. Actually I probably would have gone at the one week mark if it was getting worse, not better, because clearly our bodies were not kicking it on their own.

My kids do see a homeopathic MD (she has both types of training/licensing) so I guess that makes me feel more comfortable about going to the doctor--I do understand your reluctance to see a doc because I have my own issues with mainstream medicine. Even so, I agree with the PP who suggested taking in the most symptomatic child and getting a medical opinion at this point, since it is recurring. I don't think even a healthy immune system can handle everything and with this history I would be concerned and want to have a medical opinion on what it might be.

[ameliabedelia]

I'm sorry you're all getting sick.

I wouldn't assume that it is the same illness that keeps coming back. It could be different viruses and your family is just more susceptible for some reason. We've had months in the winter where we seem to come down with a cold every few weeks, but I'm pretty sure it's a new virus each time.

I would not do the colloidal silver, but I would take garlic or olive leaf extract or grape seed extract and vitamin C

I also think going to dr. is a good idea too at this point, if you've been sick since the end of June (which is sounds like, it might be the case...I wasn't really sure from your post).

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by bluebirdiemama

I have no intention of going into a doctor's office and demanding anything. I don't know why you would assume this from what I said. I am worried about not getting enough antibiotics to kick it in the butt for good and it coming back a 4th time, and stronger for it.

I'm sorry, I meant no offense, it's just that I wouldn't have jumped to "antibiotics" based on the symptoms you described... so I was worried you'd go to the doc & mention antibiotics & be upset when they didn't prescribe them.

It sounds more like a virus to me (though as pp's mentioned it could be something bacterial like strep), and I would question whether it was really the same virus continually returning -- I'd be more inclined to think it's a different virus and for some reason you are all more susceptible right now (maybe your immune systems are run down)... I don't know. I generally just let things run their course & don't interfere, not even with 'natural' remedies... So I think many of us were confused by your title/post and maybe we just read it wrong. If I was that sick for 2+ weeks (and then again... and again...) I would definitely take a trip to the doctor though! I hope you all feel better soon