Endless antibiotics for my kid | ExpatWoman.com
 

Endless antibiotics for my kid

5
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 00:16

Please help: my 3 yo child has been ill EVERY month since last September. Seems that he is overly sensitive to streptococcal bacteria: first it was strep A (throat infections), now for the past 2 months it's been streptococcus pneumoniae (sinus infections). His tonsils are tiny, adenoids as well, so ENT doc says surgery won't help. Paediatricians and ENT say he'll grow out of it, but how much longer can i keep giving him antibiotics EVERY month?! The antibiotics can't be good this often: while killing off the bacteria, they weaken the body in other aspects. I feel so helpless... How do i make him more resistant to infections? Maybe some of you know some effective alternative ways of getting rid of infections. Homeopathy? Any other type of medicine? I'll be immensely grateful for any advice!

5
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 23:43
Dear each and every one of you who replied, Huge thank you for taking time to write, i am really grateful! My son does go to nursery, so that is always a possibility for infection. Have heard now from several docs that educational facilities, esp. nurseries and kindergartens here are absolutely infested with strep. Good luck to us all... Just need to figure out what will make the kids resistant to it, or move:). His doc always tests him before giving antibiotics, and always does culutre test afterwards to see if they worked. They always work-at least that's a plus. But i haven't tested him for carrier, though. Will definitely buy manuka and give to him, hopefully it will help with resistance. And gargling with salt water-will do as well. He doesn't know yet how to gargle yet, but will just have to learn:). Have a great day tomorrow, brightened by healthy kids:)!
228
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 22:29
HI, Carrie has made a good point about having your son tested to see if he is a carrier, but I would suggest that you have everyone in the family tested. We had a similar situation in our family and it turns out 2 of our 3 kids were carriers. Good luck.
11
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 21:19
Hi..my son has the same problem. Last year he got strep 4 times and each I had to give him antibiotics..which I really hated but there is no other choice when you get strep. My doc adviced me to give a salt water gurgle esp when he comes from swimminh( don't know if your 3 year old can manage to gurgle though) I also got my child tested if he is a carrier but it came as negative. Maybe you should get this culture and blood test done to rule out if he is a carrier. Hopefully he will outgrow it ..at least that's what my doc said. Also Manuka honey is very good ..you can try it Hope he gets well soon
134
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 13:38
Overuse of antibiotics will damage your kid's gut flora and possibly weaken the immune system. I would avoid if possible, and if not, look into using natural and manufactured probiotics. The gaps diet would also be very good but isn't easy to implement and quite a commitment.
2264
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 08:20
Sorry I disagree that antibiotics aren't damaging - constantly using them weakens the immune system. I constantly had tonsillitis as a child and the docs gave us antibiotics 'just because' where we were living. My immune system is now shot to pieces, I have high resistance to antibiotics and some don't even work. They destroy all the good bacteria in the body and then you can have side effects alongside, so you need to be giving him probiotics as well, to boost the good bacteria in the gut and also in the rest of the body. If it's Strep throat, I assume they swabbed and diagnosed it? It's VERY contagious and is passed from one person to another. Given his age, is he in kindergarten or nursery school? If so, he could well be picking it up from other infected children. Might be worth keeping him away until it's all cleared up. Use Manuka honey - the highest UMF you can find, anything around 20+ - it's excellent at killing bacteria and soothing the throat, as a natural alternative. You need to keep him hydrated with lots of fluids. To help the throat, lots of warm liquids, hot honey with lemon and ginger - this is also an amazing remedy that's helps. If it IS Strep, then you need to disinfect EVERYTHING! Everything you all share, plates, cups, utensils. Because it keeps recurring, the bacteria is hanging around somewhere, so either in your home or places where he's coming into contact with it. Hope he gets better soon. But in personal experience, lay off the antibiotics, they're not good for long term use and shouldn't be used long term. Trust me on that from personal experience.
147
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 00:57
It is difficult but he will grow out of it. Antibiotics won't hurt or weaken body except by increasing risk of community resistance and possibly upsetting gut flora. Things to consider might be whether it is correct antibiotic - have they swabbed and cultured? Then might be worth a longer course to 'knock it on the head'. Good idea to reduce risks of further infection for a while by avoiding crowds, no sharing cups or ice lollies etc with others including family and good home ventilation. Luckily you have lots of sunshine in Dubai which is a good natural disinfectant for strep bugs. Avoid underwater swimming. Meanwhile live yoghurt is good at maintaining gut flora. Homeopathy has been proven to be ineffective. There is some evidence that vitamin c helps so lots of citrus fruit and also echinacea.
 
 

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