Antibiotics Again????

I have a friend who's little boy had constant ear and sinus infections from the time he was a baby, and he was always on antibiotics. She finally took him out of daycare and had him taken care of by her mother at home, just to keep him away from all the germs they get exposed to at daycare. Other than that, nothing really seemed to help until he just sort of started growing out of it around the age of 2. Good luck.

long term use of antibiotics at any age is not good,and they are useless against viruses anyway,one thing I would suggest is to go to a health food store and get some liquid echinachea and give her doses of that to help build up her immune system thisis also something you do not use constantly but rather for short time then take a break so like use it 7 days take a week or 2 off then again for 7 days,I would give a teaspoon twice a day for 2-3 days then once a day the rest of the week you should notice a difference by then,you could also go to www.mywellnessoils.com/heidikeitz.htm and I would recommmed a few oils,the immune support,breathe, and allergy relief,these can be used by all age groups and do not interfere with any medications you might be taking,if you would like further information feel free to email me at ____@____.com put oils in the subject
hope this helps
H.

HI L.,

Eventually the antibiotics will not be effective. My family and I went through the same thing. We would take the kids to the docs, get ab, and a week or two later we'd be back for the same thing. We found out it was what we were using to clean the house with. The bleach, phosphates, and other chemicals in the cleaners were making us ALL sick; yes me and my husband as well.

I'm not trying to promote here but I have to share; I found an online wellness store that has your everyday things with no toxins or chemicals in it and within the first week, we noticed the difference; the kids were not sick for the first time in a long time, and neither were me and my husband. We've been with this store for almost two years now.

I can give you the info if you like.

Give me a call.

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Hi L. ,
I know it can seem never ending . I have three daughters and we went thru a lot when they are in school . When you drop you daughter off at daycare , how many children are there with her ?
I do daycare out of my home . I do it part time for one lil one and I have rules that she can not bring him with a fever or intense infection . What does the place you do regarding sickness ? A lot of times people do not wash there hands enough when going from child to child .I use non toxic products in my home to help keep the environment clean from germs .
Also , since you work in environment with other people you could possibly be a carrier as well . I thought when my kids were little that I was a carrier for strep but figured out it was only during the school year . We can't protect our children from all germs but just know that eventually she will grow immune to a lot of the germs that are affecting her now .
Your child may be growing immune to the antibiotics . Do not be so quick to put her on them . I spoke to a pharmacist at CVS a couple of weeks ago and she mentioned trying the homeopathic route at health and nutrition store . This way you are not putting anything that is more toxic in your daughter . I know there is a great store on RT 71 near cardinal fitness (Oswego). I am not sure what town you live in but try looking into talking with someone from there.
Let me know how it all works out .

S.
www.youravon.com/sharonsnyder

L., I would look into a E.N.T at your doctors office. Antibiotics can sometimes lead to softened teeth and future resistance to drugs when needed in cases of emergency. There are plenty of questions to ask your local day care as well. How do they sanitize surfaces and toys? How often and what products are they using to do so?Good luck!

take her to a nose ear throat doctor. she may have allergies. she may have a problem with ear canal . or she been on the wrong antibotic and her infection never really clears up totally. sometimes they have to be on one for a good couple of weeks when it gets like this to totally clear. other doctor might suggest a saline solution nose spray that helps clear the sinuses so you don't get infection. my child when in tottler stage had alot of infections

Just wanted to add to the last person's response that the Happy bellies cereal is also sold at Target. I just bought it for my baby after researching the benefits of probiotics. My 3 year old has been on antibiotics SEVERAL times in her life, and I wish I had known then about giving the probiotics. They come like vitamins for toddlers and older kids, but I think cereal is the best bet for babies. If your daughter just has a VIRUS and not an infection, the doc should not be giving her antibiotics. Good luck and I hope she's feeling well soon!

Hi L.,
My daughter had a lot of ear and sinus infections which she received antibiotics for. She had the same symptoms as your dd. She has allergies. The doc finally figured it out and she is on Claritin once a day until the 1st frost. This has made a big difference. No more runny nose, cough etc...
Ask your doc if it could be allergies.

Hope this helps & let me know if you have any further questions.

R.

L.,

I think you have received very good advice so far.

While it can be tough to continually deal with sickness now, you will be wholly thankful when these illnesses will mean days missed from school. I know that's no comfort, but I wanted to reiterate that point.

Secondly, I 100% agree with all the other posts about antibiotics. I am, frankly, very surprised your doctor is prescribing so frequently. My son at 17 months has had a couple colds, nothing too major, but has never had antibiotics. Our Ped. doesn't even prescribe antibiotics for ear infections unless it is prolonged. Studies show that most ear infections resolve without meds, and not prescribing can definitely get you one step further away from having resistance to meds, when you REALLY need them.

You will want to keep an eye on her definitely, but I wouldn't run to the doc just yet. If she sounds wheezy, or has an overly productive cough that she gags on, maybe something like benedryl or a prescription med for that single symptom would be beneficial. My daughter has had pnuemonia 3 times, and I always knew when her bronchitis-like cold slipped into pnuemonia because she would start vomiting several days after showing symptoms.

If anything, ask the doc for something to help treat her symptoms, if they're severe (like benedryl, to help dry her up a bit for nightime so she can sleep. It is also entirely possible that her symptoms are aggravated by the very high pollen count right now...and she may very well have allergies... and... she could be teething - all of which are bound to cause the symptoms you describe.

I also agree with other posts about using PROBIOTICS - whatever form you choose, they are so very beneficial in helping your body fight infections... they can even be taken with antibiotics... I take them to prevent yeast infections post antibiotic use.

I hope that your little girl finds a little break from feeling yucky...

Good luck!

Hi L.:

You should discuss alternative treatments with your baby's doctor. Instead of antibiotics, our doctor recommended getting a nebulizer. Everytime our son came back from daycare with a runny nose and a cough, we would start his breathing treatments so that he could sleep better at night and get better quicker. If we started right away, we only needed to do them 2-3 days, usually in the morning and before bedtime, and they worked. Our insurance paid for the nebulizer which was a great plus. You do need to get a prescription for the medication used in the nebulizer. I think it is a steroid which helps open up air passages but so very little is used for such a short time. As a result, we have only gone to the doctor lately for wellness checks and shots.

Good luck.
J.

My first question would be "Are you supplementing". Also is she breast or bottle fed? I had this problem with my school age child carrying it home to the baby. The older one would not get sick but we would. Over the winter I discovered a wonderful new supplement that is great for the whole family, even the younger ones. We have had no problems since and have also had amazing improvements is non-related issues like ecxema, stomach problems, and even my periods have improved. Let me know if you'd like more info, ____@____.com luck, G. Chambers

Boy, been there done that. Hind site is 20/20, they say and that was true in my case. I did that same scenario for 8 years...... the cause was the household cleaners and laundry products I was using. He was extrememly allergic to the chemicals in all those cleaners.

I switched to "all natural" cleaners that actually worked better than the chemicals stuff I was using. Next step is that I had to build his weakened immune system because he was compromised each time I put him on the sheets, in the blankets or put a onezie on him. I added "Natural" vitamins for children to build him up. ( NOT Flintstones etc.....)

You have nothing to lose if it works. Want to know what products I used, email me back..... I tried them because they came with a guarantee.

Overuse of antibiotics devastates the immune system. If its a virus this wont help anyway. Antibiotics also disrupt calcium absorbtion so should be used with care. Anytime you have your child on antibiotics I would follow it up with probiotics. Increasing your childs sodium ascorbate intake this is vit c that unlike ascorbic acid is readily absorbed should help.Both are available at Fruitfull Yield in Downers Grove mall by Home Depot and Walmart on 75th street Hope this helps Dr. Meyer

If she is catching viruses, then antibiotics don't work on viruses. they work on bacteria. you may want to discuss this with your doctor. Long term use of antibiotics can produce resistance, though she is still quite young and so doctors may be inclined to be overcautious. This is definitely a conversation worth having with your doctor.

One of my children was on antibiotics frequently as a child. I think it has contributed to some of her health problems as an adult, so I am against using them unless absolutely necessary. My granddaughter ended up getting ear infections when she started daycare, and my daughter listened to the dr. who prescribed antiobiotics like there was no alternative. It made me quite angry, because I knew there were alternative options that were quite effective without side effects, but new moms rely on their pediatrician to give the right advice. I feel any pediatrician prescribing antiobiotics as a first line of attack doesn't read current medical journals. My daughter let me give her some Shaklee supplements when I took care of her, but she wasn't consistent when I wasn't there. Finally, she agreed to let me take her to my chiropractor who also works with children. Chiropractic care seems to be helping to drain the fluid from her ears. She had an appointment with an ear specialist a week after starting chiropractic treatments and her ears were free of infection. She is 10 months old and goes 2 days a week for treatment. It's been over a month now and even though she got a cold she hasn't had an ear infection. If it keeps her off antibiotics, I will adjust my schedule to get her there and also pay for it. My daughter has become a believer and asked me to take her a day early last week, because she thought she was getting sick. If you contact me, I can refer you to the chiropractor I use. She is in the Oak Brook area.

Continual use of antibiotics is not good, and can definitely have long term effects. My friend's baby went through constant ear infections, as a baby, and then again as a toddler. The doctor just kept giving him antibiotics. He now has problems with his liver, and his body cannot handle any more antibiotics! I am serious! He is a very sick little boy, constantly in and out of the hospitals, and when he is at his peak of sickness, he has to remain in the house, away from germs. It is very sad. He is now a teenager, and has never recouped. I would first, find out if the daycare is using a antibacterial cleanser to clean up after the children ( such as a bleach substance), to eliminate the germs that are left there on the surfaces and toys that children are playing with. I am not a doctor, but, I would definitely be very careful on how many times you give your baby/toddler antibiotics. It can cause much harm. My friend, Monica will tell you the long term effects of doing so!

Ugh. No fun. Have you tried probiotics? They are great to boost the immunity, but also to keep the good bacteria around while your child is on an antibiotic (which gets rid of all bacteria...even the good ones we need). I use Nature's Sunshine's acidophilus. You can get it on their website or I get mine at the Village Herbalist in downtown Glen Ellyn. If you called there, they are very helpful and may know some other natural ways to take care of things.

Sorry to hear that your little one seems to be sick all of the time. That must be rough on everyone! I hate it when our little guy is sick- he's 3.5. He was born in mid November and I had to return to work from Feb-June (teacher- had to go back and finish the year). However, I'm a private piano teacher now and have about 20 kids in my home per week- not to mention all of our playgroup friends- so he's around a lot of kids even though I'm now a SAHM. He seems to get a nasty cold (boogies, chest cough, and low temp) every two to three months so I know what you're talking about. However, he's only been on antibiotics TWICE- ever. I'm NOT anit meds or anti dr. and just think that it's OK to let his body fight the infection(s). As long as he's not miserable and he's fever isn't high, I don't even call the dr. I figure that I'm alive and "suffered" through a zillion colds when I was little, so he'll be fine. I do encourage lots of rest (we read a lot of books, play with legos, do puzzles, and stay home) push fluids, and use a cool mist humidifier. He usually is over "the bug" in 3-7 days. Lately, he's been getting sick less often too. I've spoken to his ped. about not calling or delaying my calls to the office and he says that if I'm not worried then it's not a problem. I'd let your child work a few bugs out on her own and see how it goes. I bet you'll be surprised! Good luck!

When my children were young, I went through the very same cycle: round of antibiotics, then after 10- weeks off, and the same symptons again, same cycle again. Until, a friend (not the pediatrician mind you) recommended an allergist. Sure enough, it was allergies, even leading to a bit of asthma. Once on the allergy medication, all was fine. Good luck
J.

I can only respond from my persoinal experience of being given non stop antibiotics when I was a very small child. The pediatrician my mom had for me handed out meds like candy. I guess it made it easier when I was tiny, but the in the long run as I got older it proved to have been not a good thing. I developed little or no natural resistance to any germ and by the time I was in 3rd grade I caught any and everything that came around. At that point my parents switched doctors and I came off all antibiotics and spend most of my 3rd and 4th grade years at home. My new doctor felt I had been way over medicated and my body needed to develop its own defenses. It made for a miserable and probably more miserable 2 years that needed to be had the original pediatrician not been so generous with the drugs. I did develop my own immune system and thankfully have been healthy since.