Please help, permanently ill baby, can't seen an end to it

[wellieboot]

Sorry for miserable thread. My 10 month old has been constantly ill since the end of September - cold after cold which never goes away and we got back yesterday from being hospitalized with a bad case of croup. Today she has started sneezing again with a really bad runny nose, I can't believe it's another cold. I have had to cancel all our plans for the last few weeks and when we do go out to playgroup or whatever she just gets ill again a few days later. She is permanently miserable and grouchy and cries all the time and I'm starting to struggle to cope plus the nights are appalling. Is anyone else having similar probs? I know it's the time of year for illnesses and would be good to know I am not alone and please please tell me it will end soon!

Have you spoken to your doctor about allergies?

How about trying a naturopath to build up her immune system. How is her eating? It seemed my DS2 was a bit like that during our last winter, but it was also his first year of childcare so they pick up everything. Add that to DS1 catching things and both of them passing it on to DH and I and it can be a pretty miserable season. I was trying to work 3 days a week and in the end the guilt of staying home from work to look after us forced me to give it up! No you are not alone.

Poor you - it's really hard work when they're ill isn't it. DS1 had cold after cold from about 1month old to 6 months old (this time last year) - permanently running eyes (blocked tear ducts)and of course a lovely blocked nose. He was probably exposed to lots of bugs that my DDs brought home from school - so unavoidable.

Since then (Spring) - he's now 13 months - he's barely had a cold, even when the rest of us are suffering, so I think he's probably developed quite a good immune system. It's probably just exposure to lots of different germs which her body is learning to deal with. You could try skipping playgroup for a week or 2 if she's getting very run down with it.

Croup is nasty - I remember having it as a child although none of mine have had it thankfully. The important thing is that your Health visitor/doctor is happy that your DD is in good health otherwise, so try not to worry. Also try getting her to eat as much veg as possible as that will help.

I found Olbas oil drops on a tissue near the bed helped a lot at night.

It will get better - hang in there...

If there is no reason for them (ie just started Nursery and mixing with lots of bugs!) then I think Lil is right and you should consider an allergy. Do you have Pets? It's just the way you said it started again as soon as you got home, perhaps there is something in the house causing the symptoms?

Appart from that I use the following which help a little:

Snufflebabe chest rub - like Vicks but for Babies. Olbas oil or Karvol on a tissue near the head end of the cot (I also pop it near her head while she has a BF to make it easier to feed) Keep it out of reach though!

If she is very conjested and can't settle at night try some Medised. It is a decongestent and mild seditive that just relaxes them enough to drop off but they still wake if they really need something.

Also a warm bath before bed to help clear the nose sometimes helps.

Hope you get it sorted out soon, we are having similar problems but I know it is just the new Nursery environment and there must be an end to it soon

She isn't at nursery but does have quite a bit of contact with other babies and toddlers, several times a week so that is probably where she is picking everything up.

Allergies is a good point although we don't have any pets. I'll investigate that one.

I have been using Medised but stopped as I started feeling like I was using it all the time. I am giving it once a day at bedtime and doing 3 nights on 3 nights off, also using Karvol and Snufflebabe.

Thanks everyone, some good advice! The thing keeping me sane is that she is hopefully building up lots of immunity!

The other common allergy is to dustmites. If you google it there are loads of threads that explain how to reduce them in the home. Including freezing cuddly toys

But then again it could just be a series of colds like mine has been getting. Remember - they will get better

Can just picture dh's face when he goes into the freezer for ice cream and finds all dd's cuddly teddys and rabbits!!!

Thanks, I'll have a look at dust mite allergies but I'm pretty sure it's just a series of colds.

I know some one else already mentioned it but have a look at this site Would be very interested to know. Didi your DD croup calm down and how was she at the hospital and on the way home? I suppose what I am trying to ask is how quickly did she come down with another cold?

Poor Her and Poor YOu.

That website is very interesting, only had a quick look so far but she is definitely always rubbing her nose, has dark circles and sneezes and has had a runny nose for weeks. The cough has only come with the croup though.

Yes the croup calmed down quite quickly as she had steroid treatment at the hospital which sorted it almost straight away. She is still coughing but it's gradually getting better and is not the painful 'barking' cough any more. Her fever is also gone. However this morning (the day after getting back from hospital) she is sneezing again and has developed a very 'thick' runny nose (IYSWIM!). Do you mean are her cold symptoms related to being at home ie is she allergic to something here ie dust mites? It could be, although she has been living here since April and only had any cold symptoms for the past month or so - can it develop suddenly like that?

It can do.

Its like an allergy to peanuts the first exposure is normally fine, but the allergy is seen on the 2nd exposure and often gets more severe with each exposure. IYSWIM Could also be that the concentration of Mites has reached a leave that she finds toxic.

The good news is that if that is it, its really easy to help keep her relatively sympton free.

Its not the mites that people are normally allergic too but the fecal matter. (sorry it TMI). Wash all the items that she would come into contact with toys etc. Let the dry and then put them in the freezer over night. Unfortuantely you kind of need to do a swat strike and do everything in the course of a day so there is no cross contanimation.

The other thing that helps so allergy suffers is an air treatment in their bedroom. You can probably use a humidifier and see if that helps. Will help with the croup anyway!!!

There is also the possiblity of a food allergy.

Oh my goodness, so much to consider! Thanks Stary!

KerryMum your poor poor DS - sounds like a nightmare. Thankfully DD was never ill atall until she was 9 months so is a little bit stronger than when really tiny. I guess I have that to be thankful for. She is on bottles (Aptamil) and I'm trying to give her a really healthy diet with lots of fruit and veg especially at the mo. I like the sound of baby echinacea, I'm guessing you get it from somewhere like Holland & Barratt? Also where do you get the probiotics?

hi wellieboot - there is light at the end of the tunnel!! been there and got the t-shirt! it can be sooooo hard. my DD1 had cold after cold after illness from about the age of 8 months till about 15 months when she was eventually diagnosed with asthma (obviously i'm not saying your wee one has asthma). she was hospitalised twice with her breathing very scary! it's well controlled now with inhalers which we increase and decrease the dose as required.

it really didn't help (although it's true in a way) when every health professional told us that by getting all the illnesses just now it will help her build up her immune system.

has she been checked for RSV? which is very common. they take a nasal swab to see if it is there.

we used to have to sit with a towel over us when giving a bottle as one wee cough and the whole lot would be brought straight back up.

i felt like for 7 months i was doping her up at night - what with colds and teething. i used medised as the antihistamine in it both helped her get some sleep and helped clear her nose. and baby neurofen when really bad - other things that helped (i think);

-we put laminate flooring in her room,
-anti allergy bedding,
-damp cloth dust etc etc.
-if she was really stuffed up then to sit in bathroom with hot tap so that the steam helps clear it up.
-used karvol at the side of her cot

• lots of fluids

hope some of this helps...

KM - sorry to hijack but what do you mean by an infants probiotic? Where can I buy them? DD 10m also suffers from one thing after another...

x

You can buy it online - I googled it and found this:

www.health4youonline.com/health_supplements_flora_udo_infant_probi_fmd039.htm

Als o has further info on what exactly it is, and what it contains

thanks guys - as opposed to buying online shall I try my local health store then?

I have been thinking about this and I don't want to be a scaremonger, but it might be worthwhile taking her to the GP to have her bloods done and test whether her immunity is being compromised. HTH