My child has been ill for a year and no one will help

[SickySickSick]

Name change because I’ve talked this through with friends/family

I have a three year old. For the last year, she has been ill with multiple chest infections, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, ear infections and now a skin infection. She’s had antibiotics 10 times over the last 12 months, sometimes several courses to clear the issue. In between the infections, she regularly gets viral tonsillitis and viruses meaning she coughs until she throws up every few weeks. We’ve not had more than two weeks without her being ill since last summer. I’ve started taking her to see a doctor even when it is viral (only difference I can tell is no temperature) because I want it logged by them that she’s ill. Again. The problem is that we see a different doctor every time, and even though I say she’s been ill a lot recently, they seem to just nod and ignore it.

So am I overreacting? Is this just normal three year old at nursery sickness, or should I start trying to push for more investigations into why she is getting so many infections so frequently?

YABU- it’s normal, calm down and leave the doctors alone
YANBU- listen to your instincts and push the doctor for more help

Thanks for the advice, I saw the doctor again today and got shot down. She has viral tonsillitis again, but he said there’s no infection so no point in a referral this time.

Are you giving her vitamins? What’s her diet like generally?

@5zeds she has a great diet (from choice!) she lives on meat, fruit and veg. Doesn’t like sweet stuff, doesn’t like crisps or snacks. Loves a kitkat :) she doesn’t like fizzy drinks or quash so only drinks water/milk and apple juice. Complete opposite to my older child, it’s just what she likes to eat

My DS had his tonsils removed when he was 8. He needed to have 7 infections in 12 months which he easily accomplished. It revolutionised his health. Looking back he had so many chest infections as a toddler/ young child and ear infections and post viral rashes. He always looked sickly, dark circles under his eyes, very pale. Tonsillectomy sorted it all.

Viral tonsillitis but no infection surely means there IS an infection, just not a bacterial one? I think you're being fobbed off - what does the doctor say about having tonsils out? So many stories on here of that solving the issue of repeated infections (even viral ones!!)

She should still be taking supplements really.

Ah yes, the Justavirus. 🙄 Many years ago when the kids were little DH got completely knocked out by one of those. He had a cough that went on for weeks, he lost over a stone in weight and wasn’t himself for nearly a year. He still has a bit of a ‘smoker’s cough’ in the mornings even though he doesn’t smoke. Nobody was interested. We changed GP practice soon after that.

How can he say it's viral without a swab being analysed? Both my DDs were constantly ill. After having had their tonsils out, they were so different. Instead of being pale and thin, they looked robust. I met a friend in the supermarket a few months after DD1 had hers out and she asked me where DD was as she didn't recognise her because she looked so different.

My son has multiple chest infections - bronchilitis at least 8 times before he was 4 and croup so often we were prescribed the steroid to have in the house. That lasted until his last bout at nearly 9 years old. His immunity was low in early life and this had an impact as he didn't seem to gain a resistance to throat and chest infections until he was older than most children.

My GP told me that children who tend to have sickness bugs when little develop their immunity much quicker than those who tend to develop throat and chest infections. This was definitely the case with my daughter who was a boffer rather than a cougher.

I also worked in a nursery for 5 years and children definitely tended to be boffers or coughers!

It's knackering and it's worrying, but I would hold in there - it could just be that because your daughter's a cougher, she could be building her immunity up more slowly. I've been there - you have my sympathy.

Op, I'm an adult but I had a string of symptoms like your kids laying for 2-3 years and it ash cake clear when they did a sinus swab. I had a Really bad recurrent MRSA infection that started my sinuses, then would go to my chest/throat then cause pneumonia and skin rashes. I couldn't believe it was something so simple that a sinus swab would get to the bottom of it. I'm not saying it's 100% what your kiddo has but more that the care can be very and unexpected.

Removing tonsils won’t help reduce viral infections. You remove tonsils when they harbour bacterial infection and repeatedly cause illness. Your tonsils are part of the bodies defence against infection. You need to boost your child immune system (nutrition, rest, hydration, etc) and reduce exposure to infection (hygiene, contact etc).

Chopping bits off only works if the bits you remove are causing the problem not a symptom.

Government advice is all children under 5 are given vitamins containing a, c and d every day.
In fact everyone is urged to supplement in the winter months. You make zero vitamin d between October and early March from sunshine in the U.K. you’d have to have high levels to get through a winter without depletion your stores. Furthermore infections deplete vitamin d so there is a strong possibility she is vitamin d deficient. If she has darker skin she is also more likely to be vitamin d deficient as melanin reduces vitamin d production.
Vitamin c will also boost her immune system. Ten courses of antibiotics will definitely have affected gut bacteria which are crucial for your immune system.
I would start supplements and also get an ENT referral. I would say that many infections a year are normal at that age in nursery but not that number of ear infections and tonsillitis. She must be susceptible to respiratory infections spreading to tonsils and ears.

My ds was similar but he does have a primary immunodeficiency pid uk are brilliant they are the uk charity for immunodeficiencys have a look on there website I’m sorry you are going through this it’s very hard but at 7 on the right medication he’s doing a lot better.

Oh what nonsense.

To be fair, the overuse of antibiotics and it leading to antibiotic resistance problems isn’t nonsense.

So you'd leave the infections untreated to rampage through her body? THAT would make her weaker.

There are other medical courses of action which I would have expected a decent GP to explore.

I agree with pushing it with the DR

My eldest has asthma and he had constant 'chest infections' It wasn't until he reached 3 that got diagnosed, given steroids and hasn't had a chest infection since.

Sorry people keep mentioning- yes I give her chewable vitamins every day. I can’t get them for free so spend a fortune getting the gummy ones from the supermarket

My DS was like this, but not as bad. We had one summer with almost non stop antibiotics for a range of different things.

He did get a lot better as he got older but he does seem prone to Strep / staph infections.

I actually give him Ceterezine for spring / summer. Not sure if it helps.

He's at school now but I have noticed a difference in the last 6 months. He's had Tonsillitis & 2 skin infections. I wonder if his immune system needs a boost.

For him, I don't think there were underlying reasons but definitely keep going to Dr's. Mum knows best.

Its the usual thing at nursery.

I feel like a lot of posters on this thread have mentioned their children are now teenagers or older. And yes, in typical child development it does seem like your DD has maybe been more ill than normal...but, I am another with a lockdown toddler and I believe it is unfortunately the norm for this age group currently! My son has had back to back illness since starting nursery a year ago, and particularly chest related things. Quite a few courses of antibiotics and also inhalers. The couple of GPs we have seen have said that this is typical of 'lockdown babies' and that respiratory illness is also higher than normal. I've read this in articles too!

@SickySickSick

Thanks for all the advice. I’ll ask the doctor about celiacs when I ask for the referral and I’ll try and get some child friendly bacteria for her to eat

If it is reflux, what works to stop it? Thanks!

You can get prescribed gaviscon first but it can constripate. Then you can try omeprozole or Lansoprozole, and we try not to have too many acidic foods or drinks x

@SickySickSick

Thanks for the advice, I saw the doctor again today and got shot down. She has viral tonsillitis again, but he said there’s no infection so no point in a referral this time.

It took me a year to get the paediatric appointment then another 6 months for ENT. But had ENT appointment in Feb and now 2.5 year old DD is getting tonsils out and grommets in. It's well worth pushing to be seen

I would be asking for a second opinion OP. The fact that it isn’t bacterial this time (he thinks) doesn’t mean the reason for so many infections doesn’t need investigating.
I’m surprised they haven’t already done bloods without you asking after so many course of antibiotics. I know you’ve seen different GP’s each time but they should be reviewing the history before prescribing.
Could you afford an initial consultation with a General or ENT Paediatrician privately, they’re usually about £250 and they generally then refer you back into the NHS if that’s what you’re happy doing.

@BoredZelda

Oh what nonsense.

To be fair, the overuse of antibiotics and it leading to antibiotic resistance problems isn’t nonsense.

So you'd leave the infections untreated to rampage through her body? THAT would make her weaker.

There are other medical courses of action which I would have expected a decent GP to explore.

Overuse can be a problem, I agree with you. But you have to assess this on a case by case basis and the antibiotic use here appears necessary. And without them it could quite easily become something a lot more serious, sepsis for example.

How do you know the GP didn't?

Telling someone random on the internet they're risking their child's long term health by following GP advice is ridiculous and damaging.

I'd agree with other posters that the immune system angle is worth a look.

There was an episode of Embarrassing Bodies once with a girl with verrucas. Her GP had apparently kept saying "All kids get verrucas, keep applying the ointment, they'll clear up "- even when the verrucas had been there for months and basically taken over her feet . One of the TV doc ordered a blood test and showed that the kid's immune system was a fraction of normal.

I can’t afford to go private, with the living crisis at the moment I’m worried about putting the heating on, so definitely can’t afford private medical treatments :(