It has started again (not just school)

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Sickness is what I am refering to. :

Since dd started school in 05 she stays sick the whole year and of course me and ds are sick a lot as well. Before starting school even with her allergies and ashtma she was sick maybe 5 times total her whole life.

This year started august 11th and by august the 13th she was sick and ds woke up yesterday 16th sick. :

I am so sick of this, no pun intended. My poor kids when school is out both are fine. But within days of school being back in she gets sick and pretty much stays that way. Sick 2 weeks better a week is usually the way it goes.

Please tell me that there is something I can do? What can I do to help them both?

[LauraLoo]

big hugs.

We were all so sick last year. So, I going to try some new things this year:

I just ordered a more potent probiotic for all of us along with some digestive enzymes. I read an article on WebMD last winter that said that scientists are discovering that flu viruses have a fatty coating around them - which is why the viruses survive in colder climates and are more apt to disintegrate in warmer climates. Thus, more people seem to get sicker in northern climates. Digestive enzymes are supposed to help break down stuff when it reaches your gut -- so hopefully it will help with the germy germs, too.

Also, I have heard that when you first start to feel like you are coming down with something to take a swab with hydrogen peroxide and swab out your ears. It'll fizz. Apparently a lot of germs enter through your ear.....

So -- I've got the gut and ears covered.......not sure what to do with the eyes and mouths! We already do a lot of handwashing.

[Satori]

I so did not want/need to read your post! dd has only attended public school for the last 5 weeks of school last year then will attend this year starting Wednesday. I just can't handle homeschooling anymore and with her immune issues and the baby's issues, its scaring the heck out of me sending her because of the illness thing

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

It is scary to me to odds are pretty high that at least 1 ER visit is in our future if not more because of her asthma that really flares up when she gets sick like this from the drainage Ds usually pulls through without problems or a Dr. visit at least he has in the past.

He scares me though when he starts coughing like he was sat. he gets what I call the croop were when he coughs it sounds like a seal barking with no loosness in his chest at all I gave him a breathing treatment and some expecterant to loosen things up and he is doing better today.

I do not want to do this for the next 9 months again.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

It is scary to me to odds are pretty high that at least 1 ER visit is in our future if not more because of her asthma that really flares up when she gets sick like this from the drainage Ds usually pulls through without problems or a Dr. visit at least he has in the past.

He scares me though when he starts coughing like he was sat. he gets what I call the croop were when he coughs it sounds like a seal barking with no loosness in his chest at all I gave him a breathing treatment and some expecterant to loosen things up and he is doing better today.

I do not want to do this for the next 9 months again.

He shouldn't be getting that sick that often, does he have immune issues? I know it was a nightmare when we tried kindy a couple years ago but once we started Ig infusions we haven't had illness like that since. But we also haven't been exposed to 600 kids with snotty noses either... I've already told dd that if we have 3 hospital admits by xmas for either child or 1 life threatening admit were back to homeschooling no matter how horrible it is

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

She does have eczema and asthma and those show immune system issues if I am remembering having read that. But with her weaker lungs due to the asthma even a small cold can cause big problems with her breathing.

DS catches whatever she has because they share food and drinks. I try to prevent that but keeping a 3yo from drinking after his sister and even keeping her from drinking after him is next to impossible.

What is Ig infusions?

[Satori]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

She does have eczema and asthma and those show immune system issues if I am remembering having read that. But with her weaker lungs due to the asthma even a small cold can cause big problems with her breathing.

DS catches whatever she has because they share food and drinks. I try to prevent that but keeping a 3yo from drinking after his sister and even keeping her from drinking after him is next to impossible.

What is Ig infusions?

Ig=immunoglobulin

My daughter has a Primary Immunodeficiency which means she was born missing a critical part of her immune system and was getting constant life threatening illnesses. Some kids just seem to be sick ALL THE TIME. You can find the top ten warning signs here but if your child is literally sick the entire year then I could get a work up done. Our life was hell before we started therapy and we celebrate 2 years of infusions and good health this Tuesday She's only been sick a handful of times since then and before that it was one thing after another. 3 weeks in kindy resulted in I think it was 4 trips to the pedi, 3 ER visits in the middle of the night and 4 months to stabilize her lungs they got so messed up from just 3 weeks exposure and she missed a lot of that time due to illness. I made the mistake of asking here at MDC about people's experience with IVIG (we ended up on sub-q which is weekly) and people thought it was a bad idea, I'm so glad I chose to do what I felt best for us, I shudder to think what would have happened if we had stayed on the path we were on.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

She dosnt have any of those things listed. She has had 2 ear infections in her whole life and those only in the last 2yrs. Same with the sinus infections never has had pnumonia or trouble with weight gain. She was nearly 20pds at 6months old.

Here appt. with the allergist is this week and I am going to talk with her about a different allergy medication. She is on zyrtec right now and it isnt doing what it should. I have her on otc decongestent right now to stop the drainage and hopfully stop the spiral into breathing trouble.

She was a year old before she was ever sick the first time and ds was around 8months old. (she had started school by that point and brought it home to him).

I am going to start vit. C and see if that helps anything is there anything else I can do to boost the immune system?

[Satori]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

She dosnt have any of those things listed. She has had 2 ear infections in her whole life and those only in the last 2yrs. Same with the sinus infections never has had pnumonia or trouble with weight gain. She was nearly 20pds at 6months old.

Here appt. with the allergist is this week and I am going to talk with her about a different allergy medication. She is on zyrtec right now and it isnt doing what it should. I have her on otc decongestent right now to stop the drainage and hopfully stop the spiral into breathing trouble.

She was a year old before she was ever sick the first time and ds was around 8months old. (she had started school by that point and brought it home to him).

I am going to start vit. C and see if that helps anything is there anything else I can do to boost the immune system?

wow a year before she got sick? Both my kids had there 1st pneumonia at 2 and 3 months old As for allergy meds different meds work for different people, my dd was on Zyrtec and it didn't work very well (and caused violent outbursts) but Claritian seems to work well for her. Have you tried Singulair? Thats a wonder drug for many people. I know I went on it the day it came out and I had severe uncontrolled asthma and that stuff was a miracle drug for me.

[LookMommy!]

I recommend zinc and a good chiropractor, or other alternative health professional, who can work on her immune system.

[williamsmommy2002]

I am so not looking forward to that. Ds1 was sick maybe 4 times until he was 3.5 and in preschool. Now he is sick monthly. Nothing serious but because he is in special ed classes, I keep him home during the whole time he is ill because i'm afraid of him giving the illness to a child with some more serious medical conditions. He has always had medically fragile children in his classes. The ped said it was normal the first year in school but it's a bit unusual since it lasted more than 2 years now.

School starts tomorrow, I'm hoping for good health.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Originally Posted by Satori

wow a year before she got sick? Both my kids had there 1st pneumonia at 2 and 3 months old As for allergy meds different meds work for different people, my dd was on Zyrtec and it didn't work very well (and caused violent outbursts) but Claritian seems to work well for her. Have you tried Singulair? Thats a wonder drug for many people. I know I went on it the day it came out and I had severe uncontrolled asthma and that stuff was a miracle drug for me.

She has been on singular now since around 4yo the best I can remember. It works very well until she catches a cold or other respt. infection.

She was on claritan at one time but allergest switched her to zyrtec because it seems to work better for kids with eczema. I had her off it for about a year after she was on it a year because it was making her sick to her stomach. She was on the liquid now I have her on the pill started that back up about 6 months ago at the end of last school year.

The allergist has been pushing now for allergy shots since she turned 6y I am very reluctant to do them because I fear a bad reaction the thought is terrifying and knowing how my dd is going to react to havinga shot each time is enough to turn me gray overnight. and because she would need a shot a week and that would mean her having to miss a hour of school a week. Because of the school's very strict policy on missing I am very worried about her missing that much. They only have 12 days a year they can miss excused or not and they fail.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

The allergist has been pushing now for allergy shots since she turned 6y I am very reluctant to do them because I fear a bad reaction the thought is terrifying and knowing how my dd is going to react to havinga shot each time is enough to turn me gray overnight. and because she would need a shot a week and that would mean her having to miss a hour of school a week. Because of the school's very strict policy on missing I am very worried about her missing that much. They only have 12 days a year they can miss excused or not and they fail.

Allergy shots are done in the dr. office and then they wait a period of time (20 min. or so) to see if there is a reaction. It's a gradual process - They start slow and build up because the goal is to desensitize -- not overwhelm the system.

Have you looked into 504 plans -- or talked to your dr. about how to get the school to excuse her absences?

[Ravin]

My DD is in a PS enrichment program for homeschoolers 1 day/week this year. She went ONE DAY and came home with a cold! I feel your pain.

If homeschooling isn't an option for you, have you considered other schooling alternatives? In some places a district will let a chronically ill child go on homebound, where they are taught at home with a teacher/tutor provided by the district. A virtual-school might also be an option depending on where you live, which is basically public or charter school with teacher backup and curriculum and materials provided, but the student works from home.

Are there any other schools in your area, maybe a smaller charter school, where your DD would be exposed to fewer children (and, thus, germs)?

Have you tried simple solutions like having her wear a face mask? Can be uncomfortable, I know, but if it helps?

[Porcelain Interior]

Teach rigorous handwashing, and teach your kids NOT to touch their faces. My kids are both really good about this.

My oldest went through the asthma/sickness cycle for a several years until she was big enough to fight it off. It's so annoying that so many people send sick contagious kids to school. One of my oldest DD's friends has had perfect attendance for the last 7 years which she's super proud of, but it's because she goes to school sick.

You have to be on the defense with it. Purell in the lunch box etc.

We also wash our hands right when we get in the door. Everybody!

But the hands on the face thing is the way most stuff is transmitted so if you can break that habit of touching mucus membranes- eyes, nose, mouth you'll be in better shape. Also if your kids are chewers, like on pencils that's one habit to crack.

We even HS for a period of time with my oldest because the school was giving me beef for her being absent....even though it was their fault really for not cracking down on people sending really sick kids to school.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Face touching is a big problem Since she has the sniffles a lot with the allergies she often sticks her finger up her nose or wipes her nose with her shirt something I am working very hard to break her from. But I am not with her at school but I did send some hand sanitizer and klenex for her use.

[Porcelain Interior]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

Face touching is a big problem Since she has the sniffles a lot with the allergies she often sticks her finger up her nose or wipes her nose with her shirt something I am working very hard to break her from. But I am not with her at school but I did send some hand sanitizer and klenex for her use.

Oh yes, mine had the same habit. Is she on any of the nasal allergy meds? My DD wouldn't use them.

All you can do is pretty much give them a mini health lesson on how we get sick, and how to prevent it and do reminders at home and hope it clicks. Can she have her own tissues, and maybe a small bin for the used ones by her desk? I'd ask the school. It's so annoying to have nasal allergies.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

She has the klenex on her desk and I spoke with her teacher and she was fine with her having to get up and dispose of the klenex. I worry to that the other kids are going to start to shun her because of the allergies. Before now I wasnt to worried but the older she gets the odds go up that the kids will start to notice she is different.

We live in a very rural community and the school she is in is the only option really the others are just to far away.

[rhubarbarin]

I'm sorry, that sounds like a nightmare. Actually, that amount of illness sounds very excessive to me! Sick all year, with week breaks in between? I would talk to a doctor.. maybe there's some kind of deficiancy making their bodies vulnerable? Maybe they have food allergies which are weakening their ability to fight off viruses and bacteria..

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

The allergist was great today listened to what I had to say and we decided to try some different medications to try and get her allergies under control. The zyrtec just isnt doing it anymore.

For once she didnt ask me about allergy shots. That just isnt something I am willing to try yet.

As we were leaving a mom came in with her ds who looked to be around dd's age and she was litterally dragging him to the shot stations The boy was clearly terrified and the mom was very upset with him for as she put it "throwing such a fit and being a baby" I felt so bad for that boy.