Hi all! Has anyone gone through a recent bout of neverending viruses with their kids? My daughter (age 7) keeps getting sick! She’s in 2nd grade, so she’s not new to the whole “being exposed to germs” thing. For the past couple of months, she’s been getting respiratory illnesses with fevers. Every time I’ve brought her to the doctor, they’ve said it’s a virus. Last month we even went to the ER because the fever was really high, and they tested for strep and flu but it was negative. Now, less than a month later, she’s sick again: congestion, coughing, headache, fever.
At first, I thought it could be allergies, but the fever rules that out. I’ve read through old posts/responses on Mamapedia where a lot of people are suggesting allergies as causes for continual illness. Pretty sure that’s not our case.
We have an air purifier in the home, I frequently wash my kids’ bedding, keep a clean home, we practice frequent hand-washing. Even did some deep spring cleaning last week to make sure all blinds and curtains were dust-free, etc. My kids eat well, and I give them multi-vitamins.
I’m just wondering if this is normal for a 7 year old! I thought kids got sick less often as they get older. Has this season been worse than others???
G.
My (as of March) 18 year old son - started 2018 off sick. No kidding - 1 January - in the doctor's office (Patients First) for fever......
For the first 3 months - it was one thing after another....just now, he's FINALLY getting better.
Yes, fevers CAN happen with allergies. As her body is introduced to new allergens, her body can get a fever trying to fight them. Get her checked for allergies.
Good luck!
I'm so sorry she's been having such a rough time.
There's a lot of viruses out there.
Hopefully she's building up her immunity and will not get sick as much in the future.
She's old enough to be able to use a neti pot.
Maybe she should rinse her sinuses out every day - some people just make it part of their routine.
Ask your doctor if that would be alright.
My mom is prone to respiratory illnesses.
When she was 6 months old she had whooping cough - wasn't expected to live (but did).
It left her with lungs that just seem to come down with everything.
She's repeatedly had bronchitis, pleurisy, walking pneumonia, pneumonia - when she comes down with something it's always serious.
2 thoughts. One is that this is a common theme this year. I know so many families whose kids are catching one virus after another since January. It's been a rough year for illness so it could just be that.
It is still possible for allergies to play a role. Allergies make the nose stuffy or makes kids rub eyes. So they touch their face more often. And that gives viruses more opportunities to get into the body through those noses and eyes. And the stuffy nose disrupts the bodies natural defenses. So, allergies don't typically cause fevers in my experience, but allergies can make people more susceptible to viruses. If her nose never seems to get un-stuffy in between viruses, it might be playing a role. Something to keep in mind.
Actually allergies could be exactly the cause. Cleaning is great but if someone is allergic to something, cleaning alone won't deter the condition. Has your daughter been tested for allergies? If not, I recommend you do so. My husband was sick most of last year, sinus issues. Well, it did turn out to be sinus and allergies. He had to have sinus surgery to get rid of the polyp he had in his sinus cavities. Then he started on his shots.
Our daughter had ear issues. Come to find out anytime she got off the medicine she got sick again. Her adenoids were very large and loaded with infection. She was NEVER going to get better until they were removed.
What does her doctor say? Again, I would ask about allergy testing. If its not allergies, you have eliminated that. Good luck! It is miserable when our kiddos are miserable!
Times are changing and so are we, our bodies need to adjust to new “events” . Even us adults can develop allergies of some type in the weirdest ways, Imagine little ones !
Oh my gosh, I don't have a lot of time but I wanted to answer your question as I am here also being a worried mama. My son is six and is very rarely ever sick. He had a bout of sickness this winter in February/March where he had the flu, and then possible pneumonia. It was really hard to deal with and scary. I thought it would never end. He just kept catching virus after virus. Knock on wood all seems well now. I've heard it was a terrible winter for sickness for a lot of people. Hang in there I'm sure it will get better! Ps I do find that probiotics usually seem to help. I give these all fall through early spring
