There is a pox upon my house

[punkrockmama]

Since school started in September Peyton has had:

Pink eye three times
Bronchitis twice
Croup three times
Four ear infections (one more and we have to see the ENT-again)
A consistant runny nose with tons of runny green & yellow goodness

Layla got about 85% of this stuff passed down to her. I got around 25%.

I keep telling myself that germs are good and they're building their immunity and all that jazz.

But at this point I just want to take him out of school, stay at home and cover us all in lavender softsoap.

[LarsMal]

That sucks!

I know a lot of that is from germs, especially since it's passing around the house, but have you taken him to an allergist yet? The constant runny nose could be a sign of allergies, too.

Just a thought!

Hope you all get and stay well soon!

[maestramommy]

:hug: It really sucks when the kids get over something, only to get it again! I finally stopped taking the girls to the Y after they got the flu twice in one month. I want to start up again soon; hopefully flu season is on the wane, or maybe parents will stop bringing their sick kids to the childcare:32:

[ShanaMama]

So frustrating!! It feels like there isn't anything you can do but hide under the blakents, doesn't it? Besides commiseration I do have one tip to offer you. DD's ped suggested spraying homemade saline solution in her nose twice a day whether or not she has a runny nose/congestion. I'm not that vigilant, but at the first sign of a runny nose I arm myself with that shpritzer. I find that the runny noses clear up much more quickly and I see a tremendous decrease in EI's since I started this. (Her EIs always followed colds). DD hates it but she understands that it helps when her "nosy doesn't stop running!" It's basically kosher salt and baking soda in water but I can post the exact 'recipe' if you want to try it.

[nrp]

My DD has had a runny nose for going on three weeks, with few other symptoms. I just figured it was a mild cold that was going on forever, but finally a pediatrician friend suggested I give her a trial of claritin. It definitely helped, so I'm thinking it may be allergies after all. We're off to the ped tomorrow for her well visit, so I'll get to follow up then. So, check with your ped first, of course, but as the PP suggested, the constant runny nose could be allergies. It's a bad month for them (at least in Texas).

Oh, and on an aside, the yellow/green mucus just means that the stuff has been hanging out in their sinuses for awhile. It doesn't have anything to do with viral v. bacterial v. allergies, etc. I didn't know that until recently, and lots of the nurseries/child care options at church, gym, etc. have policies that kids are only turned away with green or yellow mucus. Those are stupid rules, IMO, and seem to encourage parents of kids with runny noses to feel fine about dropping them off if it's "just clear."

[gatorsmom]

Since I knew I'd have 2 tiny babies in the house this fall, I got militant about handwashing. I put up signs everywhere and threatened anyone who came into my house and didn't immediately wash their hands. Husband, and 2 children MUST WASH HANDS IMMEDIATELY UPON ENTRY. And believe it or not, until this past week, we haven't had so much as a SNIFFLE since last November. I also make them wash their hands before and after lunch.

I'm not sure if my crazy handwashing laws are the reason for no illnesses around here this year, but I can't believe we just got lucky!?

[punkrockmama]

Say what now? I suck at the game of life. It never occured to me that it could be anything more than just a constant cold since he's been sick so much.

It could be allergies. My mom had seasonal allergies the whole time I was growing up and it always looked like she had a cold.

Boo. Hiss.

[punkrockmama]

Melinda, it's funny 'cause Peyton has missed a ton of school. I figure, I'm home so why not keep him home. I mean I know it's important for routine and for them to get into the spirit of schools important, gotta go everyday. But he'll be in school for the rest of his life and it's not like he's gonna miss stuff he needs to know for a midterm or something, right?

The teachers tell me I'm like the only one that does keep their kid home when they're sick. I understand sometimes you have just no choice, and it can be SO hard to find childcare but if they're leaking out of more than one orifice, perhaps you should take the day off, eh?

[punkrockmama]

Shanamama. Yes, please. Lay it one me and I will try it. Thanks. :)

Thanks for commiserating with me guys. It puts me so far down in the dumps to see my kids sick so much. And I get sick too, which makes me feel even crappier.


Lisa. Girl, I'll tell ya. I've said before that I'm a slight germophobe. When I say that I am only half kidding. The first thing we do when we come home is wash our hands and I'm loving that new hand sanitizer from Target. We used to use the children's stuff from Bath and Body but they stopped making it.

I know Jim isn't as vigilant as we are and it kinda grosses me out. I harp on him as much as I can though. And there's nothing more lovely as watching your mom sneeze into her elbow then cuddle with your kid. lol

[ShanaMama]

Shanamama. Yes, please. Lay it one me and I will try it. Thanks. :)


Here you go:
Fill one quart container with tap or bottled water (no need to boil it).
Add 2-3 heaping tsp of pickling or canning salt, aka kosher salt. (DO NOT use table salt.) Add 1 tsp of baking soda.
I just store it in a tupperware & shake it before each use. You should make a new batch periodically so it doesn't get germy.
Use one of those nasal bulb syringes that are meant to clean out infants' noses to squirt it into each nostril twice a day. Just make sure not to suck out any gook on your way out cuz that's just plain gross. I try to wash the syringe in hot water before putting it back into the big container, but it's probably better to sterilize it.

Hope this helps you. I've heard about this from DD's ped as well as my ENT & they both call it Grandma's recipe, LOL. I swear by it now, because it seriously works. If you're using any nasal sprays like Nasonex or Flonase you should do the saline spray first & then the medication. HTH

ETA: just re-read the long winded recipe from the doctor. It says to squirt many times into each nostril but do NOT force DC to lie down. It's easier to do it when sitting or standing if you can get your kid to cooperate.

[punkrockmama]

Thanks sister!

Oh, and guess what I found today in his cubby? Another note saying there's something going around school...Fifth's disease. Anyone care to take bets on how soon that comes to visit my house?

[ShanaMama]

Omigosh. Can you talk to someone about enforcing their sick child policy (do they have one?) and germ control?
OT but kinda related: When DD was potty training I called DD's school director and asked her how many times a day they clean the toilets. I saw the classroom bathroom and was so icked out that I just had to call & ask for it to be cleaned. I understood that the teachers weren't going to do that! I'm probably the only mother who calls the director to discuss the toilets.... LOL

[punkrockmama]

Girl, I have,lol. They say they clean regularly and then super deep clean when somebody gets sick.

The place *looks* nice, it's a brand new building, and everything looks bright and shiny. But for some reason, it's become a flop house for any ol' germ that's wandering the streets.