7 Month Old Has Allergies

HI-
This is such a difficult thing. My daughter, now 2, was chronically congested, runny nose and chronic ear infections. It seemed like we did every single test, etc. We did end up doing a blood allergy test and a skin test. One is more accurate for food allergies and the other is more accurate for environmental (unfortunatley I've forgotten which is which). Irregardless, she was diagnossed with food allergies at 8 months old (dairy, oat, peanut). We did a very strict diet and were able to eliminate those items from her diet. Unfortunately, it didn't completely solve the problem. SHe still had ear infections and the congestion. She was so congested she never breathed through her nose - always through her mouth. Anyway, we ended up putting ear tubes in which helped but then the infections moved to sinus infections. We did a cat scan to make sure her sinuses were anatomically correct. They were, however it showed chronic sinusitis (duh) and HUGE adenoids. At the same time they did blood tests to make sure her immune system was ok. Well, we ended up having the adenoids (and tonsils) out becuase they were both SO HUGE. Her ENT said both were some of the biggest he had ever seen. Well, since that (traumatic for me) surgery she is a completely different child. I can barely hear her breath and has not had an infection for over 6 months. I would highly recommend Dr. Beste (ENT) and Dr. Zachariahson (Allergist). The both work out of CHildren's hospital and are WONDERFUL with the kids AND the moms who ask a TON of questions.

Good Luck!

L. M.

CT,
My daughter's regular PCP was the one who recommended allergy testing and seeing an ENT. It was also being pushed by her dad and his new wife. The results were yes she has bigger tonsils than most children her age but it does not interfere with her daily activities and she is now at the age where they start to shrink. The allergy testing came up negative and it was a scratch test. She continues to take Zyrtec though because she does have environmental allergies. I did take her off of the Singular because she was still having ear infections and sinus/respiratory infections, which are side effects of Singular. Being that she also has asthma, I didn't want her to have more infections than normal. I took her off of Singular in April and she has not had a ear/sinus infection since. She has been to the doctor for a sprained ankle, a UTI and a well baby check up. Also a check up for her breathing because she was starting to cough at night, in which we started with nebulizer treatments due to her asthma. I also feel that dairy plays a role with her behavior and I have limited it as much as I can while encouraging yogurt and cheese instead of milk. When she was about 2 or 3 I had to give her liquid iron because of too much milk intake. You can do some of the food elimination on your own without going to doctors however it may not be all allergies either. Any questions just contact me!
J.

Hi C T,

Because your 7 month old's allergies sound very respiratory related versus like food allergies, I as a mother of 10, 6 still living at home; would like to share what I found 4 years ago to solve all our respiratory-ill related problems. It was a wholehouse portable air purifier that doesn't make all the air in your house come through some sort of filter; but it electronically generates the same purifiers indoors as has purified the air outdoors since the beginning of time. Ionizations, a uv lamp purifes like outdoor sunshine, hydroxils (which are vacuum cleaner type molecules), and very controllable nice ozone (a better sanitizer than chlorine & healthier too). Care to study up on the different reasons for needing air purification and our different models go to http://www.yourbestair.com/aawp.
By registering in on this website...it just sends me an email letting me know you were there...nothing more.
Allergens, odors, dust, mold spores, smoke are all purified away 24/7/365 just by running the purifier...there are models that cover 2,200 to 3,000 sq. ft.

Oh, after I tried an air purifier in Nov. of 2002 for 10 days, I kept it and became a distributor of them ... never have done anything like this before; but I sure like solving problems with air & water quality.

Let me know what you think,

B. in Eau Claire, WI

CT - My daughter was on the same meds, along with Nasonex and 3 different steroids and hospitalized several times with severe asthma between 1 1/2 and 2. They wouldn't test her for allergies until she was 2 because their bodies change so much. She was also very prone to pneumonia. I now have her on two all natural antioxidant with anti-inflammitory properties because I was sick of the side effects of all these meds. It has worked wonders and she no longer has to take any other meds. If you would like more info, please let me know.

My daughter has the same thing stuffy all the time. Rubs her eyes dr said she has allergies but i also took her to an ear nose an throat dr who did x rays an found enlarged adnoids. My daughter is 5 months old aN basicly i was told not much can be done because her age. He said i was to keep her proped up, benadrly , an keep an eye on her, good luck to any more searching for answers.

CT
I have a son that also has allergies. He cried for the first 10 months of his life until I stopped nursing him. He also has always had really swollen tonsils. Not knowing what was wrong with him, I spent the next 4 years thinking he wasn't going to live through the night at times. He always slept propped up in bed and had a hard breathing especially through his nose. It wasn't until about a year ago that a friend of mine was going through allergy problems of her own that she suggested an elimination diet. I found out that he is allergic to milk this way and it really helped him and didn't cost anything but time on my part. I recently went to Dr. Bircher, a chiroprator in Eau Claire, WI., that told me he is also allergic to corn. Since eliminating these things out of his diet, it has really helped him. I think it would be something for you to consider and I hope it helps you.

CT,

My son had the same type of symptoms when he was about 5 months old. He was always conjested, coughing, sneezing. It was so awful to see. I took him in and he had the blood test (which was awful for me to watch) and it was positive for a dairy allergy. I was also referred to an allergist, who confirmed the dairy allergy and offered some good suggestions for us. They also say that this may be why he couldn't handle regular formula and I had to give him the soy when he was an infant. When he eats dairy he gets so conjested. When I cut out the dairy he is 95% better. He still has some conjestion and for that I use Singulair, which for him works well. The food that seem to bother him the most is milk; cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese do not give him the symptoms at all. He drinks Silk soy milk and loves it. I buy the vanilla for his cereal and the chocolate for him to drink.

Another thing we did was buy a high quality air purifier and put one in his room and one in our living room. With that I have noticed that none of us get ill and on a cleaning note my house is not dusty at all.

I hope this helps. I would have him tested with the blood test fist and see what it turns up and if you still have concerns, go the allergist. The allergist will do the scratch test, which is unpleasant also but is more accurate than the blood draw.

Have a great weekend.

S.

My son has seasonal allergies and I don't like to medicate either. Sometimes you have to. I use over the counter claritin. I also spray prescription Nasonex in his nose before bed. I think the Nasonex works the best. You may also want to try Black Elderberry syrup and vitamin C regimen but you can only get that at a health food store. Also, you may want to divide the dosage of the meds you are trying. 1/2 in the morn. and 1/2 at lunch or so.
Your child is pretty young for meds so you may just need to close up your house and turn on your A/C.
Good luck!!

My little guy had some allergy testing done when he was about 11 months. He didn't have the respiratory problems - his is all skin related but I highly recommend seeing an allergist. It helped us so much. I have asthma/allergies too and I have problems similar to your little girl's right now - I don't know if it is mold, ragweed, etc. It doesn't bother me a lot during the day but I am miserable at night. Good luck!!

First of all, it's Zyrtec and Benadryl. Was the humidifier a cool mist humidifier? If none of those things are helping, try putting her in the bathroom with a hot shower running and see if the steam helps. It clears my son and myself up. As far as the congestion goes, all you can do is keep her nose clear when it builds up. If the antihistamines aren't helping then there really isn't much else you can do. My son and I both suffer from indoor allergies, mostly mold, dust and mildew. Just keep your house extra clean if those are your daughters triggers. Try changing your homes air filters more frequently to cut down on the amount of allergens that are circulating through your home. (We change ours a minimum of once a month.) Try doing a saline rinse and that should help for a few hours. Other than that, there really isn't much you can do. Treat the symptoms and keep her comfortable. Good luck! I hope your doctor can help you more!

Many common household products contain chemicals that are irritating & may bring on allergies! I would love to share my business with you! There are over 300 products that are safer for your home. People simply switch stores, get better products that cost less money. Many people that have switched to using these products have seen great results. I have used them for many years and they are wonderful. The presentation takes about an hour. And if it's not for you, maybe you would know someone that might want safer products in their home. This is worth checking out! Let me know if you or anyone you know might be interested! There is also a business that is so easy to do if you are interested in earning an extra $100, $500, $1000 or even $10,000 & more a month!

S.