Am I just a paranoid mom??? - Immune Disorders Message Board

Aydans_Mommy · 08-01-2006, 08:37 AM

My son is 18 months old and starting at 11 months it was one sickness after another. It started with a 4 month ear infection with about 8 antibiotics. Finally in April he had tubes put in. Then because of all the antibiotics he got an "internal yeast infection". After 2 weeks it finnally went away. But then he had a bug bite that got infected-used topical atibiotic and that went away in about 10 days. Then...in June my son got MRSA (Staph) where he was in the hospital and had surgury to drain the 2 baseball size abcess that poped up over night. We were released from the hospital but then another yeast infection came. That also took about 2 weeks to go away. Now my son has a mild case of Roder Virus. He hasn't had solid stool since he was born and always seems sick. On top of the Roder Virus he had an eye infection associated with his cold. Now the daycare is telling me that he bairly bites his lip or something and it bleeds alot longer than most kids. He has had blood work to check his blood count and immune system and everything was "normal". The doctor said he was just "unlucky". Am I paranoid or should I get a second opinion?? What should I do???

charleyhorse · 08-03-2006, 08:44 PM

Hi there .... I am sorry your son is having such a rought time at such a young age. That is so hard on everyone, includuing Mommies. It may well be that your son is just 'unlucky' - it is amazing how many infections fall within the 'normal' range for young children. It is also possible that he has an immature immune system and will improve soon on his own. However, I would suggest having a really good heart to heart discussion with your dr about the state of your son's immune system, especially if these problems continue at this pace. There is an international primary immune deficiency organization. It spends a lot of energy educating drs and parents on the 10 warning signs of a primary immune deficiency. The are
1. Eight or more ear infections within 1 year
2. Two or more serious sinus infections within 1 year
3. Two or more months on antibiotics with little or no affect
4. Two or more pneumonias within 1 year
5. Failure of an infant to gain weight or grow normally.
6. Recurrent, deep skin or organ abscesses.
7. Persistent thrush in mouth or elsewhere on skin, after age 1.
8. Need for intravenous antibiotics to clear infections.
9. Two or more deep seated infections
10. A family history of primary immune deficiency.

Please remember that many, many people experience some of these problems without having a primary immune deficiency. The list is just meant to raise awareness and give parents and drs a starting point for considering further testing. I hope that your son's problems are just temporary and will improve greatly as his immune system naturally develops. all the best
Barb

dazedandconfused10 · 08-11-2006, 08:05 PM

Is he in daycare? We had a very rough period just around 2 where he got everythign and everhting led to ear infections. They get exposed to way more stuff in daycare.

BarbaraH · 08-13-2006, 08:20 PM

Hi -

You're not being paranoid. You're trying to be a good mom. If your instincts tell you to keep looking for an answer, then do that until a reasonable answer is found. It may be that your son just happens to catch everything that comes down the pike, but a 2nd opinion that tells you that will make you more certain you've done what you should for your son.

If your city has a children's hospital, perhaps taking your son to see a pediatirican there would lead to a better work-up and one that takes a broad look at all the possibilities. Of course, I hope this is just a situation where one antibiotic made him suseptable to another opportunistic germ and such, but he's had so many in sequence, I'd get another opinion if I were you, just for my own peace of mind.

Ask your son's current doctor's office for copies of all of his lab work from the time he was newborn so you have that to show the next doctor. Seeing all the lab results will give the new doctor a more complete overview of your son's health. Your current doctor should not be offended either.

Wishing you well - Barbara

Aydans_Mommy · 08-23-2006, 10:56 AM

I wanted to update everyone on my son. Since I posted this, Aydan has still had diarrhea, and congestion. Yes he is in daycare and that probably is some of the problem. But since then his daycare has been asking us if he had a bleeding disorder-they say he bleeds more than most kids. We talked to our doctor and she said he was fine-again. But we aren't taking that answer. On September 13th Aydan and I are flying to Idaho for a second opinion. My mom has a pediatrician up there that her husband has used for 23 years. She said she would get to the bottom of everything. Another good part is that we will be getting everything done a Shriner's Children's Hospital (the ones that do the circus) where it will all be FREE!!! We are going to do everything from Allergy testing to CAT Scans!!! Whatever it takes to figure this out!! Everything will finally be ok. When we get an answer I will let all of you know!!! Thanks so much to everyone!!

Heidi