Immune Issue in My Toddler?

Yes I know what you are going through. It took them 15 years to diagnose my daughter who is now 16. From that we realized my other 2 kids have more minor immune deficiencies. He is so young. My daughter had to be given the pnuemo vaccine. She has now had it three times and it has not helped her pneumo titers. It actually caused them to drop. The two titers they were most worried about , one was better but the other was worse. SO they gave her the prevnar vaccine and told me she is no longer to have the pneumo vaccine. I now question whether I should have done the vaccines at all. They seemed to make her worse. Because IGA,IGG AND IGM levels were low she was diagnosed with CVID (common variable immune deficiency) From what I have read and researched on my own, a child's immune system is not fully developed until age 12. So he might have the IGA deficient immune disorder because you only mentioned the low IGA. For my daughter I thought they would recommend IVIG which is where they give you antibody(IG) replacement but they said they do not recommend it for her. My daughter also has dysautonomia which has to do with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. I guess many patients with dysautonomia have immune issues. I am assuming they will start with recommending vaccines. They also may recommend a maintenance dose of antibiotics. My daughter had this to get her through the winter and flu season. Please let me know what happens. I am very interested in what treatments work for others. I have had to pull my daughter out of school and have her do online schooling. She caught mono in the spring from her classmates. I also rely on an osteopathic doctor in Richfield to help us. I want to keep her off as many prescription drugs as I can. Best wishes to you. If you need anything please write back.

I know exactly what you are going thru! My son was diagnosed with low IgA around 12 months. Around two his IgG was also low. He is now three and his latest bloodwork showed an improvement in both levels, but now we have low iron.
Do you live in the Columbus area? If yes, then I would highly recommend my pediatrician - she is wonderful! Dr. Ali Carine (she has a facebook page)We immediately put Evan on supplements, that made a world of difference!
Here is what he takes daily
Kirkman Labs, Super Pro-Bio, Bio-Max Series
Zinc (his zinc levels were also low, and zinc plays a big role in immune function)
Nordic Naturals Artic-D Cod Liver Oil
Multi-vitamin

I would be VERY cautious about what vaccines you give him! There are some that believe that children with low IgA levels react differently to vaccines. As a result we have made the decision to NOT give our son any live vaccines (MMR, Chickenpox, Polio). For the vaccines he has had, he has only had 1 @ a time!

Regarding allergies- my son also tests negative to allergies, however we have LOTS of sensitivities to foods - milk, apples, citrus & anything with perservatives. He had eczema as a baby, but it has basically disappeared at this point - but if he has any of these items we get a rash & severe mood changes.
He also experiences a lot of seasonal allergy symptoms (which he also tests negative to) - I give him Allegra when they flare up and that really helps.
I also don't agree that young children don't get sinus infections - my son has had several!

When I stopped nursing we switched to Hemp Milk & he does great with that and it also gives a lot of extra vitamins! He can tolerate cheese/yogurt, but not dairy milk.

The first two years we were very cautious and didn't put him in group childcare, not even the nursery @ church.

Please let me know if you have additional questions!!

P.S. - I was just reading the other responses about the pnuemo vaccine - our allergist also recommending doing that to see how his immune system responded, but my pediatricain and I decided against it. I didn't want to risk another vaccine just to see what was happening.

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I do have some food for thought for you. Have you looked into a Pediatric Chiropractor for your son and possible a regular one for you? You might want to look into it.

This sounds jsut like my daughter who is now 2. She had seen EVERYONE, allergists, GI docs, you name it! Finally they found that she is IGA defficient. She gets sick VERY easy and seems to always be sick. Her main problem is her GI tract. I have to watch how much acidic food she gets and I give her a probiotic,acidophelous tablet daily. (found it at better health). Stay on top of it, I have AI issues as well as my others, she just seems to be having a harder time. See specialist, like the GI doc, and have them check everyhting!! God Bless!

.

do they have a name or suggestions for your condition? I was born with Steven Johnson Syndrome. It was also an Immune deficiency. It was so rare in the 70's they couldnt tell my parents anything, give me anything, or even say that I would live or die. Every other person with it at that time had died. I eventually recovered, never had side effects and to the day NO one can tell me will it come back, can I give it to my kids, why did it happen. NOTHING. I sit and worry about time to time but so far my 3 are healthy with no issues, well pertaining to immune system. However my 2nd daughter was born with Craniostenosis. That is a story in itself. Not much words of wisdom, only that dont stick with one doctor. If you feel your being swept under the rug I'd go to someone else. Look into safe home remedies that might help. I had bad ear infections in high school that resulted in one ruptured ear drum and slight hearing loss in that ear. After going through allergy testing 3 times, I went to a specialist in a city 100 miles away. They finally found out it was incense. Which our foreign exchange student burned day and night to cover the pot smells. LOL

Find a traditional chiropractor--not just one who works on hurting backs. One who believes in the power of chiropractic to help the body heal itself. This sounds looney, I know, but give it a shot.

I am so sorry you have to go through this. I can recommend some supplements that will help if you are interested.

First let me tell you there is light at the end of the tunnel. I went through a similar situation with my son. He had his adnoids removed at age 2 because they were so large they were blocking his airway. That did not resolve his chronic sinus problems. He was on steroids and long term antibiotics after his CT scan was completely impacted with infection. Dr Panuto then ran the titers and we found out he had no immunity to pneumoccocal. I did have to pull him from a large daycare and keep him out of stores the best I could ( thank goodness for grandparents so I could grocery shop!) He received a pneumovax and a year later we had positive titers and he was able to return to a larger daycare. He went from a child with a constant snotty nose to only having 1 sinus infection so far this year which is amazing. Going to an allergist/immunolist is definitely the first step. I don't know the area you live in, but Dr Panuto is awesome and he is in Cuyahoga and Lorain County. Best of luck to you, I understand your fears for your child and frustration, but there is hope. Best of luck to you and your child. Hopefully you will have a great outcome like I did.
A.

I haven't experienced this but I second the advice from Angela H. I would try to find a Dr. who believes in supplements and find high quality products. Simple things like Vitamin C and Vitamin D and Omega 3-6-9 are so important for our bodies and most of modern medicine overlooks them or doesn't recommend dosages high enough for the body to heal itself. I also agree with doing some very intense research before giving any more vaccines. I wish you the best of luck for both you and your child in finding answers and becoming healthy. Don't be afraid to look outside of the traditional medicine model and be an advocate for your child.