DD Sick Again...How Much is Too Much?

[Indianamom2]

DD#1 is sick yet again. I thought she was finally succumbing to allergies as everything around here is finally blooming. She's been having trouble sleeping, saying her tummy hurt and now sneezing, coughing and a constant stuffy nose. (I think her tummy hurting is due to all the post nasal drip.)

I called the pedi and talked with her nurse about medicines I could give, and I asked how I would know whether we were dealing with a cold or allergies and she said the difference would be a fever. Well, low and behold, DD has a fever. Right before bed, it was 102.6.

We just got over a round of high fever for days with cold symptoms...and we had that a few weeks before that....and a few weeks before that....

It seems like DD is constantly sick. It's been like this for almost a solid year. When does that immunity start kicking in? And as strange as it might sound, could there be something else underlying going on that keeps making her so sick?

I just want my girl to be healthy and feel better. She is miserable and as strong-willed and challenging as she can be at her best, I hate seeing her feel so lousy so often. I miss my healthy, spunky girl.

[egoldber]

Could she have a sinus infection from the constant allergies? This happened to my older DD quite a bit.

[MamaKath]

Could the allergies be causing recurrent infections? Could there be allergies that you aren't recognizing contributing like food? Could something like Lyme be affecting her? Have you spoken to her ped about it?

I know when my dc's allergies are the worst, we have to majorly stay on top of it so dc stays out of the hospital. It turns into pneumonia otherwise.

[Indianamom2]

Beth,

I don't think it's a sinus infection because she seems fine in between illnesses. Everything will be great for a week or two...then we're right back at square one.

Mamakath,

I think I am going to call her pedi tomorrow if she still has a fever (and frankly, I assume she will). I don't think it's a food allergy because I wouldn't think a fever would be a part of that, but I might ask. She has been tested for environmental allergies and does have a bunch...but again, those shouldn't include rather persistent fevers.

She's not really an outdoor kind of girl, but Lyme disease is an interesting thought. I really doubt that's it, because I have never found a tick on her, but I suppose anything is possible.

[MamaKath]

I think I am going to call her pedi tomorrow if she still has a fever (and frankly, I assume she will). I don't think it's a food allergy because I wouldn't think a fever would be a part of that, but I might ask. She has been tested for environmental allergies and does have a bunch...but again, those shouldn't include rather persistent fevers.

Allergies can lead to infections. All the gunk get bacterial infection. So if you get the infection cleared up, then they gunk back up with allergies, it can come back.

I hope she feels better soon!!! It is no fun to not feel yourself.

[egoldber]

:yeahthat:

Older DD was getting persistent secondary infections from all the nasal drainage from her allergies.

[KpbS]

Could the allergies be causing recurrent infections? Could there be allergies that you aren't recognizing contributing like food?

That was my first thought as well.
DS1 had a really similar experience in late winter/early spring. I couldn't put my finger on what was causing it but he kept getting sick week after week for 4-5 weeks. Nuts. He had strep, gi bug, colds, ear infection, and virus w/ just fever as a symptom etc. I spoke w/ his ped who was wanting to test him for mono if his symptoms (recurring fevers) didn't go away. Thankfully it ended. In the meantime I decided to switch temporarily to antibacterial soap.

[catpagmo]

I saw an episode of Holmes on Homes where there was mold in the house, and the kids were always sick. Could it be mold? I dunno, that's the first thought I had when I read your post.

My DD has been sick a lot ever since she started preschool last September. I think the longest she's been well has been maybe a month. She's just getting over an illness now. It totally sucks. I hope your little one finds some relief soon.

[gatorsmom]

Do you have cats, dogs or birds? I had the same thing happen to me when I was about 6yo. I would get sick with a cold and have asthma and sinus problems then I'd heal up. But that cycle went on and on. The ped diagnosed me as being allergic to our cat. And our bird. Mom got rid of those (my cousin took our kitty :crying:) and we realized that the cat was the problem. But I only really developed the problem at about 6yo, maybe 7yo. We'd had a cat for a long time before the cat we gave to my cousin and i didn't have any problems.

Just something to think about. If there were a mold issue, I'd think others in the house would be getting sick too. hth.

[Globetrotter]

I was sick a lot as a child and it turned out to be undiagnosed allergies and asthma. This could cause recurrent sinus infections, as others have said. I was treated with antibiotics countless times, and that could have been avoided :(

Some years are harder than others, like the first few years they are in school with lots of kids. It's all within the realm of normal, but do ask your doctor for reassurance.

[catpagmo]

Just something to think about. If there were a mold issue, I'd think others in the house would be getting sick too. hth.

Yes, I think in the episode I saw they were all sick, not just the kids. I should have put that in my post...sorry.

[s7714]

Definitely could be allergies. Both my older DD and I get one sinus infection after another because of allergies in the fall! This year (starting in about October) my DD had at least five or six infections over the course of two months before one ended up turning into pneumonia and I had a similar number which turned into bronchitis as well. The pattern was basically get an infection, treat it, feel better for a week or two then back to full blown infection again.

I'd also make sure you keep your house well dusted (don't take that the wrong way...I'm not saying you have a dirty house, LOL! ;) ) That is a huge allergy trigger for us. We have to stay really on top of keeping dust to a minimum in our house or it's pretty much a sure bet we'll develop sinus infections because of it.

[hillview]

Might also consider an ENT -- tonsils/adnoids.
/hillary

[Indianamom2]

Thanks everyone.

She definitely does have allergies to pollens, grasses, trees, mold (6-7 different kinds) and cats. The one thing she wasn't allergic too was dust! (and no, I definitely don't take offense to that! Who couldn't use a good dusting? :love-retry:)

We do have cats, but I really don't think she has much of a reaction to them. She's never seems to show any reaction to them when she pets them.

We live in a newer house that I don't think has mold. As others have said, I really think we'd all be sick if that were the issue.

I can certainly believe that allergies are causing recurrent infections, but wouldn't that be a pattern more like DD getting an allergy flare-up, then a week or so later start in with the fever from a follow-up infection? Her pattern is more like starting out with the fever along with all the upper respiratory symptoms, then being fine for a couple weeks, then repeat. There's usually not a period where there isn't a fever.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, I hope it doesn't come across this way, I'm just trying to sort through this and figure things out. I really appreciate all the suggestions. Maybe it is really just allergies causing all this havoc and we need to come to grips with it. (Her allergies were diagnosed late last fall, and she had a bit of an allergy respite over the winter, so this is still sort of new.) Part of my problem may be that I'm not entirely sure I trust/like the ENT/allergist (all in the same office) that we saw. Maybe I just need to ask for a different referral.

Allergies stink.:thumbsdown:

[gatorsmom]

Thanks everyone.

She definitely does have allergies to pollens, grasses, trees, mold (6-7 different kinds) and cats. The one thing she wasn't allergic too was dust! (and no, I definitely don't take offense to that! Who couldn't use a good dusting? :love-retry:)

We do have cats, but I really don't think she has much of a reaction to them. She's never seems to show any reaction to them when she pets them.





I dont' think you sound argumentative, you are just trying to piece the puzzle together.

The above quote caught my eye. If your daughter tested positive for an allergy to cats, she wouldn't have to touch them to get sick. I can walk into a room where a cat has been only occasionally and I can tell right away. It doesn't always manifest the same way, either. Most often I feel it in my lungs (I start to feel the constriction and with more and more exposure I start to wheeze really bad) with no itching of the eyes or nose, although that happens sometimes too. But I know lots of other people with cat allergies who have different reactions in the same situation.

Have you gone to stay somewhere else with no cats (like on a vacation or parent's house) for any length of time? Does her health improve? Is there someone who can watch your cats for a month maybe while you do your best to vacuum up all the hair and dander and see how that affects your daughter? I guess my thought is that if tests show she is allergic to something, then she shouldn't be exposed to it regularly, if at all possible.

Otoh, I may a little more sensitive to the cat allergy thing because it makes my lungs hurt just thinking of being around them. :loveeyes: