Feeling really awful about myself and my son.

[Hope54321]

Hello guys,

Hope you’re all having a wonderful day. I am currently struggling with my self esteem and confidence because I am a sufferer of chronic bad breath since about 8 years old. My eldest son was born with bad breath. Doctors are so confused and just throw the usual “it’s acid reflux”. Dentists say we have lovely teeth and a clean mouth. We still stink so bad. My bad breath is at a point where I can no longer mask it with chewing gum. I floss, brush and use mouthwash before I leave the house and I still get reactions from people.

I feel guilty that I passed this horrible disease onto my son. He is only 4 yeas old, he should be enjoying his life. He also has eczema, severe allergies, asthma and autism. Poor kid has a lot going on.

I just can’t take it anymore. The doctors have no idea and I don’t have tonsil stones. I’m really struggling with the bad breath, especially because now my son is suffering. He is repeating what the kids have said to him. After school he kept repeating “you’re stinky”. It breaks my heart to watch him go through what I went through as a kid. I really worry about his future.

People avoid talking to me at his school because of this disease. I’m not sure how much longer I can go on for like this. Thank you for reading. I can’t speak about this to anyone in real life so thanks for reading.

It’s much worse when we have a cold.

Yes i have consistently and many different brands.

Did she ever get cured? Could she be smelled from meters away?

it improved but i think it was a mouthwash she used and no absolutely not you needed to be within 30 cm of her face

I will ask you be referred to an ENT.

Mine can be smelled from meters away.

OP, you need to push for a referral to the ENT clinic. I’m really surprised you haven’t already done this. I would not stop now, move hell or high water, this is absolutely no way to live. This is seriously affecting yours and now your sons everyday life and needs to be properly investigated asap. Could you afford to go private? Even if it’s just the initial £250 consultation or whatever, if so, I would be doing that.

I really feel for you re your little boy, heartbreaking. If the bullying or whatever carries on, I’d be looking to try and home school him until you can find the cause/ solution. Appreciate that is all very much easier said than done but a 4 year old should not be having to deal with bullying like this.

Sorry, I don't have time to read through the entire thread but have you tried oral probiotics? Try lozenges/tablets with "Streptococcus salivarius K12". I only found out about it as I was using a probiotic lozenge as a way to help prevent covid. Search for something on iHerb. I personally have used the Now Foods brand. My mouth definitely felt fresher longer but I didn't use it as a breath help, just for covid. There's plenty online about probiotics and oral hygiene.

Also, use a water flosser in addition to normal flossing. I use Philips but there's plenty of options out there.

I just had a quick search online.

Have you had your liver and kidneys checked thoroughly? Perhaps your body is having a hard time filtering your blood. Could the smell be literally coming from your lungs? Does your urine/stools/ smell how you would expect?

Could be an avenue worth researching if everything 'superficial' has not worked.

I hope you find an answer. I would be going back to the doctor for more in depth testing though x

I think you should try a course of amoxicillin and then if that helps even short term you will know it's a bacterial thing or not

Tonsils removed?

I’d probably have my tonsils removed just to completely 100% rule it out

Sounds like you have explored so many routes and have the basic and obvious routines very much in place.

Has there been any time in your life when the breath has been better?

There must be specialist doctors or scientists who can help throw some light on this. I would try looking into who is writing research papers on the topic and try to make contact with them.

I read that bad breath can be a sign of kidney disease. I hope you both manage to solve the mystery. It sounds miserable.

Consider looking at hair mineral analysis and taking the recommended vitamins/minerals to rebalance any deficiencies or excess. My husband had bad breath when we first got together but on part of the infertility journey we tried this and I believe it cured his bad breath.

Has anybody discussed pku with you. It is very rare but worth some research.

The SELENBP1 mutation is rare but not super-rare (1 in 80,000). It is more likely to be genetic given that your son had it from birth. There may be a urine test mentioned here: https://omim.org/entry/618148

This is interesting.

https://www.radboudumc.nl/en/news/2017/gene-mutation-causes-chronic-bad-breath

Not surprised. No-one w reflux should be drinking apple cider vinegar.
So you do have reflux? And it can be hereditary- most of my family suffer to some degree - me, dh, ds and my BIL and his DC.
Have you had an endoscopy?

Op. Omezarapole won't do much for LPR no, it's a vert strict diet and if your persist with it it does help. There's also a surgical option.

I too have the chronic bad breath, it can be smelt from meters away, I won't even get taxis anymore after a driver opened his window because of the smell.....mine is up and down with management but when I stick to it the smell does go, itsl flared up at the mo because I stupidly ate a piece of Christmas cake 🙄. It's a miserable way to eat but it's worth it.

Do you think the smell comes from your breath (as in the air you are breathing out) or your mouth? Most bad breath is caused in the mouth, but less commonly its the smell of something being excreted in the breath itself. You could try to tackle one until you're blue in the face if the root cause is the other.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/metabolic-disorders-that-cause-bad-breath#treatment

Oil pulling isn't part of Dr Ellie's system, there are 3 mouthwashes along with xylitol aimed at feeding the good bacteria and killing the bad bacteria that will cause bad breath.

Xylitol mints are much better than gum so you don't chew for too long. Chewing xylitol for a few minutes produces the mineral rich saliva that you need, chewing for longer creates digestive saliva. So chewing xylitol gum for too long won't help at all. It's best to consume xylitol after every drink or meal

Listerine original will help with killing the bad bacteria.

If the smell becomes significantly worse during colds, then it could be a sinus-related drainage issue (including adenoids in children), possibly made worse by reflux. This would fit why it affects your son as well, because nasal/sinus shape is inherited.

Your sinus anatomy or enlarged adenoids could be causing it (See ENT to diagnose)

Stagnant mucus smells faecal.

You could try a daily saline nasal care to remove old infected mucus before it can smell.

You could ask your GP for a nasal steroid spray (fluticasone, mometasone) to reduce swelling and improve drainage.

Steaming to prevent mucus from thickening and rotting, and drinking lots of water, would also help if it is the mucus.

Even mild silent reflux increases inflammation in the nose and throat, so take steps to avoid reflux, like not lying down after food, avoiding trigger foods etc.

My daughter had bad breath. The doctor prescribed pepto, which we thought was going to be a waste of time as she doesn’t have any acid reflux. Turns out it worked!! You can buy it over the counter, nothing to loose if you haven’t tried it.