Am usually quite calm about minor illnesses but my DS's inability to shake off his virus is beginning to worry me. Am I being silly?

[DaphneHarvey]

DS (4.5) has been ill since 21st December. Temperatures up/down, persistent cough, loss of appetite etc. He was given a course of antibiotics after 6 weeks and seemed to improve. But he is now really poorly again, cough which will NOT go away, and now appears to have an ear infection. He has got through 1 bottle of medised, 1 bottle of nurofen, 1 bottle of calpol and 1 bottle of cough mixture in the past two months. Plus karvol, snuffle babe, soothers. If it weren't for the intervention of school holidays he would have been off nursery for at least 14 days in the past two months. Am taking him to the Dr tomorrow because I strongly suspect ear infection (he compains his ears are hurting and they do actually feel hot and burning).

Would GP scoff it I asked her to investiage further rather than just pass it off as another virus?

Really worried now.

Hi Daphne has he just started nursery. A lot of people seem to catch evrything going when they do and once run down with one thing it seems easy to pick up the next but worth asking the Dr what he thinks

Hello ineed [waves ] - no, he started nursery more than a year ago. Also he is my second child so has had plenty of exposure to bugs! I know little kids get unimaginable amounts of illness but with DS they have never been so persistent before. It is his inability to get better that worries me so much. He is even beginning to look thin now and his lack of appetite is worrying because normally he loves his food so much! My imagination is going into overdrive.

I would chat to the doctor then and express your worries. My ds who is my second child is 3.5 has been exposed to so much from his 5 year old sister so I kno what you mean about 2nd children

Antibiotics can kill the good bacteria in your gut, which then lowers your immune system and so the virus cycle starts. A good health shop can give you an appropriate pro-biotic supplement to give a boost.

Had similar problem recently with my DD. It was one sore throat after another. Also try Sambucol which is a Blackcurrant supplement which boosts their immune system (like Echinacea). You can buy that at a health food shop and at some Boots.