Why is My Child so Sick?

My daughter is four years old and she is allergic...to everything! Pollens, dander, mites, dust, foods, and medications-you name it, she is most likely allergic to it! It only took the better part of four years for the slew of doctors to figure it all out. Anyone with even a remotely similar experience may benefit from what I have learned over the last four years when it comes to allergies and asthma....and yes, they can be connected.

The first ear infection started at four months of age, which is fairly common. The second ear infection came only six weeks later, which led to the discovery that my daughter is allergic to penicillin and its derivatives. The next ear infection showed up about five weeks later, closely followed by the fourth ear infection, which led to the discovery that she was allergic to Zithromax. By the time my daughter was a year and a half old, she had been plagued by close to a dozen ear infections and at least half as many sinus infections. This was quite troubling, especially since it had also been discovered that she was allergic to sulfa type antibiotics as well. This left only one antibiotic class that she was able to take, and it was being severely over-used.

By this time, the pediatrician started to suspect that my daughter had a problem with her immune system and sent us to an immunity specialist. After vials and vials of blood were taken, I was told that her immune system was completely normal and that my child would 'grow out' of this illness phase. The question became 'what to do in the meantime', and the infections continued.

At the year and a half mark, the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor (ENT) finally agreed to place tubes into my daughter's ears to allow for better drainage. The tubes were supposed to fix whatever the problem may have been. Well, they did not fix the problem. Instead of getting ear infections, the sinus infections exploded into uncontrollable proportions.

Shortly before the placement of the ear tubes, my daughter began to develop a horrendous cough at night coupled with snoring and bouts of not breathing. I continued to rush her in to see the doctor, who would put her on antibiotics, oral steroids, and breathing treatments, but the problem never ceased. Instead, it continued to get worse.

I implored the ENT to start looking into a tonsil and adenoid issue, which he did. After performing a scope of her sinus area, he determined that her adenoids were so large that they were almost completely covering the drainage area for the sinus cavity. This was startling, but hopeful. However, this was not the only discovery. My daughter's tonsils were so large that she only had a small area in which to swallow and breathe.

It took three months from the tube placement to convince the ENT to remove my daughter's adenoids and tonsils. First, he tried back-to-back antibiotics, which failed miserably. Once the adenoids and tonsils were removed, my daughter was able to enjoy a six-month period with absolutely no ear or sinus infections. Even the cough seemed to have vanished. It seemed all the problems stemmed from the adenoids and tonsils, so I put that episode behind us and continued on with life.

At the six-month point, which was during the winter, my daughter caught a flu bug that attacked her lungs instead of her digestive system. The cough returned with a vengeance and she was placed on Pulmicort for asthma. The asthma diagnosis was crushing, but since she responded so well to the asthma medication, I felt that she would progress normally from that point.

I was wrong again. Within a month the sinus infections returned, worse than before. The sinus infections would get so bad within 24 hours that they would spread to her eyes, causing non-contagious pink eye. If she did not start on antibiotics within 48 hours of the initial infection, then she would start coughing uncontrollably and her chest would rattle with each breath. No matter how many times the doctor placed her on antibiotics, steroids, and eye drops, the sinus infections would simply not go away. The infections even progressed to the point where she was only able to be off the antibiotics for two weeks at the very most.

Frustration was so high at this point because I was getting nowhere with treating the sinus infections, and those infections kept my daughter's asthma so uncontrolled that we were back in the doctor's office on a weekly basis. The immunology office began running more tests. My daughter laid still for allergy skin testing every three to six months, and she tolerated the blood draws for allergies and immunity as well. The skin tests would show come out positive to certain allergens, but the blood tests would show that she was a non-allergic person. This conflicting information caused the doctor to flounder with answers.

Finally, after a year and a half of struggling to find an answer for my daughter's continued illness, I got angry enough to change doctors. I found a new allergy and immunology doctor that is reputed to be excellent. Putting my faith in someone I did not know, we traipsed in to see him. One of the first things he told me was that he would not have definite answers until he performed all of the blood work and skin testing, but by looking at her, he felt that my daughter was dealing with a severe allergic issue. He pointed out the dark circles under my daughter's eyes, the constant sniffing, and the hives. These all pointed to allergies.

The first step was to skin test my daughter to determine if she still reacted negatively to penicillin and its derivatives. As soon as they started the scratch test on her arms, my daughter began scratching elsewhere on her body. Pulling up her shirt, the nurse and I discovered that my daughter had already begun to get hives. The doctor stopped the penicillin testing right there and stated that she is definitely allergic to penicillin. That was a frustrating diagnosis simply because there was only one antibiotic she was able to take, and it was no longer working.

The allergist asked to wait a week and then see my daughter again for skin testing to allergens. Two days before the skin test, she broke out in hives so bad that it was necessary to medicate her with steroids and Benadryl to stop the reaction. This pushed back her skin test for several more days since it is important to have all antihistamines out of the system for at least three days.

On the day of the skin test, my daughter lifted her shirt and the left side of her back was covered in hives, but the right side was completely clear. The allergist decided to take a chance and perform the skin testing on the right side of my daughter's back because he did not think it was going to get any better at any time in the future. Instead of testing her for the typical 24 items, this allergist decided to test my daughter for 36 items, all of which created hives. This meant she was allergic to every item that she was tested for. She was tested for trees, grasses, weeds, animal dander, mites, and even dust. Finally, an answer? Perhaps.

The doctor was able to use the allergy test to explain that the reason my daughter has always fought with sinus infections is simply because her sinus tissue is quite swollen in response to all of the items she is allergic to. At this time, she was on an antibiotic for a sinus infection and he asked me to stop the antibiotic, but to start a nasal rinse that he was prescribing that contained a mild antibiotic and a very low dose of steroids. He explained that since it was only her sinus area that was infected we needed to treat that actual area instead of her entire body. This nasal rinse was mild enough that it should not enter her blood stream at all. I was in total agreement since this meant less medication going in her.

The doctor discussed the need for immunotherapy, or allergy shots. Allergy shots entail introducing extremely diluted amounts of the allergen to help the body develop an immunity to the offending item. Since I needed allergy shots in the past, I had a pretty good idea of what this would entail and how helpful it could be. I immediately agreed to the shots for my daughter. It took several weeks for the doctor's office to obtain the serum for the allergy shots. Once they did, it was explained to me that instead of starting my daughter at the normal level, it was necessary to start her at a more diluted level in order to avoid anaphylactic reactions to the shots.

The doctor and nurse discussed avoidance of the offending allergens with me. Because this is such an important step, I have made major changes in our home. Our cat has been moved out of the home, we do not open doors at just any time of the day, vacuuming often is essential, and there is always plenty of Benadryl on stand-by.

Currently we are at the six-week mark of my daughter's allergy shots and I have noticed that she no longer breaks out in hives on a daily basis. The hives are not gone yet, but I am happy to bid them farewell. The nasal rinse with antibiotics has been continued due to its success. My daughter has only needed antibiotics once in the past eight weeks, and that was for strep throat. The nasal rinse has been a miracle worker. The lack of sinus infections seems to be helping with asthma symptoms as well. While she is still having breathing troubles on high pollution and high pollen days, the cough and wheeze is nowhere near as bad as it had been. We have not yet done a new food allergy test since my daughter has not been able to come off her antihistamines for more than a day and a half without hives, but this is the next step. At this point, I have very high hopes that we are finally on the right track.

My advice to anyone fighting with health issues, whether the problems are yours or your children's, if you are not happy with the current treatment plan.....find another doctor. Unless the doctor you are currently seeing is a family member or spouse, you do not actually have a loyalty to them unless they are helping you. If you have any questions about what is happening or you do not feel you are getting help, get a second opinion, search for answers on the internet via medical sites like webmd.com or mayoclinic.com. Never just assume that you are stuck being sick forever. Unless you have an incurable disease, then there may be answers out there. It is your job to find them! Good luck!