[mommyjamieof2]

My 6 year old has had this problem for 2 months now he constantly is clearing his throat I took him to the doctor he said he thought he may have a sinus infection and he gave him 3 rounds of zithromax 5 days on 5 days off now the clearing throat is not as often but still there all day every day and has turned into more of a cough. Some other things he has been doing is he will run his finger nails down his forhead and nose alot through out the day he has scratched his forehead he does it so often, and he has a spot on his arm next to his wrist that I was thinking maybe it was excema? But that is the only spot. It gets worse if he is running and playing. I have tried benedryl and zyrtec but does not help.
I called and told the doctor that it has not gone away and they prescribed him more antibiotics

I was already concerned with the amount he had to take the first time but he is miserable and cranky. I feel bad because nothing I do for him seems to relieve him of it. I have also tried ignoring it thinking maybe it was just habit but I really believe he is not doing it willingly and if he could stop he would. He doesn't like it. He says "it" just doesn't want to go away he can't get it out of his throat. He will snort also so I am thinking post nasal drip?
Before this started he had caught a cold his sister tested positive for strep shortly before he became sick but he did not complain of a sore throat so I thought it was not strep and did not give him the antibiotics. Could this be Pandas? If so what do I do?
Could this be candidia? Could it be a yeast infection on his arm? If so how do I treat that?
What about tic's?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to put him on more antibiotics.

 

[FrannieP]

I don't blame you for not wanting to do more antibiotics.
Maybe it's just some combination of viral symptoms/allergies etc.
Does he have any symptoms of PANDAS?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...of_pandas.html
Does he have tics? Obsess a lot?

If not, I would probably do a round of olive leaf.

fp

 

[mommyjamieof2]

You may also notice that the child has highly fluctuating swings in their moods, and in some of these moods, they may even start to engage in temper tantrums that are out of the normal scope of anger for them.

but

This could come along with just being sick.

I can't think of anything he is obsesive with other then this.

 

[FondestBianca]

dh started doing both of those things about 5 years ago. It was almost constant, every day, all day, and really effecting him at work and at home. After seeing a few specialist we found out it was allergies that were introduced around the time when the symptoms began. Dh has several allergies but, these problems started when he began living with me full time. It didn't stop when we bought our first home and moved into it. The common denominator was cats. Yup, dh just happens to be allergic to the animals I'm obsessed with. The allergies were casing a constant nasal drip which was in turn causing the constant need to clear his throat and cough. It was always worse when he ate or drank as well. He'd often times choke.

Dh takes a daily, over the counter, allery med and it has helped quite a bit. Dh now rarely coughs or clears his throat. He does still sneeze quite a bit but, he isn't miserable anymore. We still have cats... and always will...... I tell dh thats why allery meds were invented

 

[kjbrown92]

It sounds more like environmental allergies, could be compounded by food allergies/intolerances (with the eczema) and his allergy bucket being overloaded (dairy and gluten seem to be the most probable trigger for mucous production).

The doctor should be able to look up his nose and tell whether he has allergies (pink/red for colds/viruses and blue tinge for allergies). And abx are only going to help if he truly has a sinus infection (and I've gotten through them with no abx).

 

[circlemama]

could it be reflux?

 

[mommyjamieof2]

I have always been asked if he has allergies by the doctors because he has dark circles under his eyes and they say that indicates allergies. But he is not responding to antihistimines. It does seem to help if he uses triaminic nose spray.

We have strong family histories of allergies and asthma.

I think he had reflux when he was a baby they treated him then with zantac I think it was. But he has not shown any symptoms since then.

 

[lightheart]

Did they prescribe zithromax again or did they try something different?
I'd be asking them to change the type of antibiotic, 3 rounds of zithro not getting rid of it, I'd try a different something.

Zithromax could be causing the skin issue, it can be one of the side effects.
http://www.rxlist.com/zithromax-drug.htm

Quote:

Skin and Appendages: Eczema, fungal dermatitis, pruritus, sweating, urticaria and vesiculobullous rash.

post marketing reactions can include

Quote:

Psychiatric: Aggressive reaction and anxiety.

that may explain his tantrums

Is your son taking antacids?

from the same site, page 8 under how to take

Quote:

Antacids may decrease the absorption of azithromycin. If you take an antacid, wait at least 2 hours after taking this medication.

 

[circlemama]

called silent reflux, two weeks on singulair could help, or nasal irrigation and remove environmental and/or food allergens.

 

[lindberg99]

My nephew cleared his throat a lot for a while. It got hard to understand what he was saying because of the constant throat clearing. He would kind of say two words, clear his throat, say another couple words, clear his throat, etc. SIL asked the doctor about it and she said it was probably from allergies but as far as I know, they didn't do anything for it. It just kind of went away on it's own. So maybe it can be a kind of tic, I don't know.

I hope you can figure out what is going on.

 

[kjbrown92]

reflux as a baby and now this? I'd say food intolerances possibly with seasonal allergies on top of it. Dairy is a big mucous producer. So I'd start by eliminating that (it can also cause mood swings). You may have a whole new kid under there.

 

[earthmama369]

DD has been doing this for about two months, too. For her it's allergies. Antihistamines can help a bit, but really, figuring out what the allergen is and removing it or reducing it is really the only thing that's going to bring a major change. We're still nailing hers down. We know cat dander is one, dogs might be another, and because the coughing and throat clearing really kicked 2 months ago, seasonal allergies are a strong possibility as well. We'll have a better idea on that front as the seasons change and we see if her symptoms change with the season. She's still little, so we're holding off on allergy testing for observation and elimination/exposure tests on our own, but we'll be doing the tests when she's older and they'll be more accurate.

Honestly, the fact that your doctor was so quick to prescribe antibiotics and hasn't looked at allergies, when that seems to be a really DUH thing to look at first given his symptoms, would have me shopping for a new doctor.

 

[lightheart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommyjamieof2 Before this started he had caught a cold his sister tested positive for strep shortly before he became sick but he did not complain of a sore throat so I thought it was not strep and did not give him the antibiotics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by earthmama369 Honestly, the fact that your doctor was so quick to prescribe antibiotics and hasn't looked at allergies, when that seems to be a really DUH thing to look at first given his symptoms, would have me shopping for a new doctor.

I wouldn't think that the doctor should of been looking at the boys symptoms as allergies as the 1st possible cause becaue the OP said that his sister had tested positive for strep... that would of been the most likely thing, even without the complaint of sore throat. The doctor should have tested for strep though before prescribing the antibiotic, it's a simple swab test, so either way in the same boat... reality is - can't change what the doctor should of been looking for when everything first started, what was done is done but the little fellow is still uncomfortable.

Have you tried an antifugal cream on the patch of skin? something like that would be used for athletes foot? what about a cortozone based cream?

With the cough is anything coming up? dry or wet, raspy? Have you tried lemon juice and honey? something to soothe.

What's the humidity like? inside and out? a huge difference between the 2? What about a cool mist vaporizer, tried that yet? did it help or make no difference?

OP, you said 3 rounds of zithromax, 5 days on 5 days off... did he actually take all those? Trying to understand a little more becuase the part that I quoted from your orig post says that you didn't give him the antibiotics... so does that mean the dr actually prescribed 4 rounds or did your son not actually take all 3 rounds?