I am new to this board, so any advice would be appreciated. My 19 month old son always seems to be sick, he has had numerous chest infections since he was 6 months old. Weight has always been average, so not really a concern. However he was hospitalised when he was about 14 months with what they thought was severe croup, was on steriods for about a week. He seems to always have a runny nose and a wheezy cough, mainly at night. Has had a cough on and off from the time he was about 3 weeks old. The doctor seems to think he may have asthma as it runs in our family, so is trying an asthma preventative at the moment. His bowel motions have always been extremely foul smelling, my two girls were never as bad as his and sometimes there will be a mucousy type texture about it. He suffers from constipation and at one time you could actually feel hard lumps in his abdomen. The doctor thought that it was more than likely constipation, but did warn me that it may be a tumour, thankfully it turned out to be a blockage and eventually passed. I am quite worried and don't know whether to have him tested for CF as his symptoms seem quite similar to what I have read on CF. I don't know much about this condition other than what I have read on this site. Any help would be appreciated.

A friend of mine's daughter was diagnosed at the age of 1 1/2 years. She had gotten RSV as an infant, but also had constipation and sinus issues. On a whim the doctor said, lets test for CF to rule it out. Turns out she did have CF.

When you kiss your son, do your lips come back tasting salty. DS was diagnosed at birth because of a bowel obstruction. Without enzymes he has nasty runny, sometimes greenish poo. And when he was formula fed, they smelled like strong cheese.

I'd suggest having your child tested, for peace of mind.

I totally agree--- the sweat test for CF does not hurt, no needles, no pain, just as a measure to rule it out-- definately have it done.

There's no point in wondering with CF, its yes or no. If it is CF, there are necessary meds he'll need to be on right away- and it will help him so much.

Thanks for responding so quickly. There doesn't seem to be any salty taste when I kiss him. Do most people with CF have this? Even still, I think I will still ask for a sweat test to be done to be on the safe side. Even now he is sick, runny nose, congested cough and he has been like this for the last 3 weeks. He has days where everything is ok, but then he seems to get sick again.

About the salty taste--my son has CF, he is 18 mo., and he rarely tastes salty when we kiss him. Maybe about 3 to 5 times in his whole life.