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Post by leslie132 on Aug 11, 2017 3:44:55 GMT
Ok. First off he has seen a doctor and will be seeing one tomorrow as well. I realize this may not hit on everyone's radar, but I have stress for this little guy as it is, so now I'm just getting more worried.
He is a twin. For the first 4 years the only time the twins have gone to the doctor is for well checks. They never get sick. Well in March "C" caught a cold. It was one that lasted forever. It started out mild, but when it hooked in the cough was impossible to get rid off. He had symptoms for close to a month.
Since then he seems to catch every little bug going. Not stomach bugs, just the variety that gives him a few days of fever and then a cough for a week or two. In June, I had him to the doctor no less than 5 times. He would have the fever, get a cough, lose the fever and then start wheezing. He at one point was on 4 meds. One for allergy( he scratches his skin a lot), one for ear infection, one for nebulizer and one for inhaler. The doctor (not his regular doctor but the doctor doing walk ins) was brilliant, and very hard to understand. He talked in medical jargon and went on in ways I just couldn't understand. When filling the prescription one of the pharmacists was talking me through how to use the inhaler. She actually said that while the doctor is brilliant, he is impossible to keep up with and she has medical knowledge. Her child went to him and she always left appointments with her mind spinning.
Regardless, he put him on a medicine to help with asthma. We aren't sure if he has asthma, but I was to give him this medicine 2times a day. I won't lie.... I don't feel comfortable giving a small child medicine 2 times a day for something he may or may not have.
Well today i heard the dreaded "Mommy im so cold" and knew he was getting a fever again. Within the hour you could feel his body with the fever. I'm worried that this is all related, and not separate viruses. I'm thinking he isn't completely recovering from the first virus it is just laying dormant, and the slights virus that he comes in contact with sets him off in a wicked way. I'm worried this is weakening his lungs.
I will also say that brother K is always around him and never catches any of these viruses. Just C does.
Husband doesn't think he needs to be seen tomorrow. Mom friends do (could be something as simple as swimmers ear or ear infection). I'm just worried that it's something we are missing. I know it's not a BIG deal....but to me it is.
Anything for me??
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 11, 2017 3:50:31 GMT
Are you following the other medical advice? Does he have trouble breathing?
Have you seen his regular doctor all this time? My kids gp is awesome and he knows the boys history and is great at diagnosing. I don't think you get that with an urgent care doctor.
I hope you find answers soon.
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 11, 2017 3:52:04 GMT
If youvare worried about his lungs, why aren't your following the doctors orders for the 2x per day medicine. I am sure it is something like flovent which needs to be taken daily ti be preventive.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Aug 11, 2017 3:53:38 GMT
I had a sick child. He was sick all the time. Anything we were in the hospital, on a nebulizer, PediPred, Zithromax, you name it we had it. He had hand, foot and mouth disease at least 5 times or more. He outgrew it all. This teenager never got sick. He threw up in grade 8 I think and was at school the next day. He didn't miss a day of high school. He is a young adult now and he is never ever sick. He has had surgery 3x. (Teeth, eye and eye) and was back at work as soon as the eye surgeon told him he was ok. He never gets sick.
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Marina
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by Marina on Aug 11, 2017 3:56:00 GMT
You might want to consider having him see a pediatric allergist. They can do various tests for asthma though it's hard at 4.5 years old. They blow in a tube while watching a video and measure their lung function.
Kids with asthma are more susceptible to the flu.
What kind of medicine is it?
Hugs to you. It's hard to watch little guys deal with asthma and the flu! Trust your own instincts and don't feel badly calling the advice line or taking him in.
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Post by leslie132 on Aug 11, 2017 3:59:41 GMT
If youvare worried about his lungs, why aren't your following the doctors orders for the 2x per day medicine. I am sure it is something like flovent which needs to be taken daily ti be preventive. I am worried about his lungs. I'm also worried about the fact that they don't know if it's allergy or asthma. I want to do more to find out what's wrong instead of medicate for what might be wrong.. No snark here..... will you tell me if you are familiar with the medicine you listed? I have a question for you if you are. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:24:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2017 4:00:07 GMT
I would find a less brilliant doc that can explain in terms you understand about your son's condition. To me a doc isn't brilliant if I can't understand him...
But, you must also trust the doc and administer meds as prescribed instead of doing your own thing.
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Post by berty on Aug 11, 2017 4:01:33 GMT
I'd try to get him an appointment with his regular doctor. He/she is the one who should know your child best. I'd also be upfront about wanting an answer for why your son keeps cycling through these episodes of illness vs the doctor focusing on just treating the current symptoms. Good luck! It's so upsetting when a loved one is sick and you feel helpless - especially when the sick one is a child.
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Post by worrywart on Aug 11, 2017 4:03:04 GMT
I highly recommend a pediatric allergist/asthma specialist. If he is really having asthma problems, he probably needs to be on an inhaled steroid to stabilize him. He is also getting old enough to blow in a peak flow meter to at least kind of keep track of his status. (((hugs)))
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Post by leslie132 on Aug 11, 2017 4:03:23 GMT
Are you following the other medical advice? Does he have trouble breathing? Have you seen his regular doctor all this time? My kids gp is awesome and he knows the boys history and is great at diagnosing. I don't think you get that with an urgent care doctor. I hope you find answers soon. Yes. I'm following the other medicines. He gets his allergy medicine daily as we have seen him stop itching, and the nebulizer and inhaler are to be used if we see him start to get in a coughing pattern. I go to his regular doctors office, but they rotate as to who is working the walk in appointments. If his doctor isn't there for the day we do walk in and take someone I. The practice. We love his regular doctor! |
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 11, 2017 4:54:37 GMT
If youvare worried about his lungs, why aren't your following the doctors orders for the 2x per day medicine. I am sure it is something like flovent which needs to be taken daily ti be preventive. I am worried about his lungs. I'm also worried about the fact that they don't know if it's allergy or asthma. I want to do more to find out what's wrong instead of medicate for what might be wrong.. No snark here..... will you tell me if you are familiar with the medicine you listed? I have a question for you if you are. my oldest was younger than yours when they first decided he might have asthma, but they couldn't or wouldn't say definitively at that age. He has been on singular and some form of preventative most of his life with albuterol for attacks. We did rounds of prednisone when it was really bad and he was hospitalized multiple times before he was 6 (but not since thank goodness). He also has allergies (which can bring on an asthma attack) and has done shots for them. Singular (the nighttime med is also given for allergies) Now he is a teen and only does his meds half assed unless there is a trigger. Dh became a respiratory therapist, partially in response to ds. Ask away. I will try to answer. |
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 11, 2017 4:56:56 GMT
Are you following the other medical advice? Does he have trouble breathing? Have you seen his regular doctor all this time? My kids gp is awesome and he knows the boys history and is great at diagnosing. I don't think you get that with an urgent care doctor. I hope you find answers soon. Yes. I'm following the other medicines. He gets his allergy medicine daily as we have seen him stop itching, and the nebulizer and inhaler are to be used if we see him start to get in a coughing pattern. I go to his regular doctors office, but they rotate as to who is working the walk in appointments. If his doctor isn't there for the day we do walk in and take someone I. The practice. We love his regular doctor! is the one you are seeing tomorrow his regular doctor or a walk in one? I've watched my baby struggle to breathe and it is so hard because you feel like you can't help them. Dr didn't have the fevers though. That would concern me as well. |
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Post by leslie132 on Aug 11, 2017 5:43:37 GMT
I am worried about his lungs. I'm also worried about the fact that they don't know if it's allergy or asthma. I want to do more to find out what's wrong instead of medicate for what might be wrong.. No snark here..... will you tell me if you are familiar with the medicine you listed? I have a question for you if you are. my oldest was younger than yours when they first decided he might have asthma, but they couldn't or wouldn't say definitively at that age. He has been on singular and some form of preventative most of his life with albuterol for attacks. We did rounds of prednisone when it was really bad and he was hospitalized multiple times before he was 6 (but not since thank goodness). He also has allergies (which can bring on an asthma attack) and has done shots for them. Singular (the nighttime med is also given for allergies) Now he is a teen and only does his meds half assed unless there is a trigger. Dh became a respiratory therapist, partially in response to ds. Ask away. I will try to answer. Thank you  You have experience dealing with all of this. I know they said a few times it is hard to tell which it iis as they can have similar traits. No one really said at this age it's very hard to telll. Or if the doctor did it was wrapped in with a million other thoughts. I'm in bed and can't remember the exact name of the medicine. Flovent is ringing a bell though. It is a powder in a little canister that he is supposed to suck/inhale into his lungs. He was adamant that I had to be certain that he wasn't exhaling even a little as he could disturb the powder and need to take the dose again. At 4.5 getting him to release all his air, put his lips on the canister and inhale in a fast and deep way was almost impossible. My question was if you are familiar do you have any tips? As hard as I tried I couldn't be certain that he was getting any of the medicine in his lungs. |
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snyder
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Post by snyder on Aug 11, 2017 6:06:25 GMT
Not at all experienced in allergies or asthma as that has not really been problems any of my family has experienced, but just reading through, I would tend to believe it is something more than allergies or asthma because I do not believe either of those carry temps. I could be very wrong on that, but that struck as being odd as I don't recall other people I know getting fevers unless their allergies caused their passages to clog to the point it turns into an infection.
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Post by finally~a~mama on Aug 11, 2017 6:08:08 GMT
This may sound a little "out there" but I would have them check for MRSA. There was a little girl at the daycare my DD attended that kept getting sick. I don't remember exactly what all she had done, but it seems like tubes put in and adenoids removed. Poor little one was still getting sick. Her pediatrician thought to do a nose swab to check for MRSA. She had it. They did a round of antibiotics for that and her illnesses drastically decreased. The little girl never had any visible signs of MRSA.
I know it sounds a little strange, but thought I'd mention it just in case. I would be worried too and wouldn't want to just manage symptoms without knowing a cause.
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Post by leslie132 on Aug 11, 2017 6:28:01 GMT
Not at all experienced in allergies or asthma as that has not really been problems any of my family has experienced, but just reading through, I would tend to believe it is something more than allergies or asthma because I do not believe either of those carry temps. I could be very wrong on that, but that struck as being odd as I don't recall other people I know getting fevers unless their allergies caused their passages to clog to the point it turns into an infection. The fever is why im worrying about this!!! It is always the start of his sickness. The dreaded words of "Mommy im so cold" have been the start to 3 rounds of his fighting off something. I don't think either allergies or asthma start off with a fever. They keep asking if he gets winded if he is active and is he in fact active. I can gladly reply that he is the energizer bunny who never stops and he never gets winded or struggles for his breath! |
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Post by leslie132 on Aug 11, 2017 6:28:59 GMT
This may sound a little "out there" but I would have them check for MRSA. There was a little girl at the daycare my DD attended that kept getting sick. I don't remember exactly what all she had done, but it seems like tubes put in and adenoids removed. Poor little one was still getting sick. Her pediatrician thought to do a nose swab to check for MRSA. She had it. They did a round of antibiotics for that and her illnesses drastically decreased. The little girl never had any visible signs of MRSA. I know it sounds a little strange, but thought I'd mention it just in case. I would be worried too and wouldn't want to just manage symptoms without knowing a cause. Thank you! I will ask about this tomorrow! |
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Marina
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Post by Marina on Aug 11, 2017 7:05:20 GMT
<<They keep asking if he gets winded if he is active and is he in fact active. I can gladly reply that he is the energizer bunny who never stops and he never gets winded or struggles for his breath!>>
My son had asthma and it didn't present this way either. He had a lot of coughing. Some kids I know only really present their asthma with being sick or with allergies not from exercise.
When starting a new medication I do recommend watching for any changes in behavior. We did have that with one medication that is commonly used and had to change.
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momto4kiddos
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Post by momto4kiddos on Aug 11, 2017 11:19:34 GMT
You should be able to ask for another MD when you make appt/walk in. We had an MD we didn't mesh well with and I always asked when I called and our regular wasn't in that we get whoever else was in besides this one. I had similar thing go on with my dd when she was about that age. She was very healthy until she got to kindergarten. Then she was sick all the darn time. Every cold/fever that came along she had. It seemed like she may have asthma so we saw an allergy/asthma specialist who allergy tested (nothing significant there), put her on asthma meds. He saw her when she was well and sick and followed her for awhile. Oddly the meds never made her significantly better imo or (I keep the cycle from happening again.) So in talking to her regular MD he finally said he thought she was just one those kids who when she got something it settled in her throat making her phlegmy (as well as some other symptoms.) With that new info we watched with that in mind, saw the pediatrician when sick and luckily the phase seemed to pass by the end of 1st grade. To be honest she's sick now, she's 18, her throat is phlegmy is what I notice. Get a referral to asthma/allergy MD and see what answer they can give you. |
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Post by littlemama on Aug 11, 2017 11:26:48 GMT
Our ped put everyone in a queue for the sick appointments and the doctors grabbed them in between other appointments, but you could always ask for someone specific. If our Dr was in that day, we always asked for him. If he wasn't, then we asked for anyone except one particular doctor. They got that a lot there.
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Post by Really Red on Aug 11, 2017 11:38:38 GMT
I understand your worry. I had a medically fragile child, but I knew it. She is a twin as well. When my girls first went to school, it was literally one thing after another for her, but by then I had a baby who was sick every day for the first 5 months of his life. It was exhausting, because I caught everything, too.
My twin who was so sick got a lot of sicknesses in her young life and by the time she was 7, the doctors wanted to take out her tonsils and said there were no other options. We drove a couple hours away to see a ENT specialist who said there are ALWAYS options and put her on some more serious antibiotics for 6 weeks, then something less serious for another 6 weeks. He said the sickness is just not ever leaving her system. The megadose of antibiotics killed everything and she literally never had another problem (minor sicknesses, but nothing like before).
So you may be right - the original sickness is just not going away. Or his immune system has been so weakened, that he can't fight anything off. I hope that you say you need answers now, because I agree with you, this doesn't sound normal.
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Post by Tammiem2pnc1 on Aug 11, 2017 12:46:24 GMT
I have one son who has asthma and one who doesn't but they both use inhalers on occasion. When your son is actually able to get the medicine in his lungs does it help his coughing or does nothing at all? If it's helping then he needs it. Our youngest doesn't have asthma but does get asthma symptoms when he is fighting an illness, therefore generally needs an inhaler and/or nebulizer treatments. The oldest has had asthma since he was little, he's now 13. He symptoms have changed several times over the years. When he was 2, he would wheeze, when he was about your sons age he would cough like crazy, most of the times his asthma was also illness driver. As he got older he still coughs but the triggers are different. Now it's more environmental (sudden drop in air temperature or high humidity) and activity driven.
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suzastampin
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Post by suzastampin on Aug 11, 2017 14:44:29 GMT
Regardless, he put him on a medicine to help with asthma. We aren't sure if he has asthma, but I was to give him this medicine 2times a day. I won't lie.... I don't feel comfortable giving a small child medicine 2 times a day for something he may or may not have. Well today i heard the dreaded "Mommy im so cold" and knew he was getting a fever again. Within the hour you could feel his body with the fever. I'm worried that this is all related, and not separate viruses. I'm thinking he isn't completely recovering from the first virus it is just laying dormant, and the slights virus that he comes in contact with sets him off in a wicked way. I'm worried this is weakening hiis lungs Whether you want to call it asthma or wheezing, his lungs are being affected and the longer you don't give him the inhaler or nebulizer, the more you are damaging his lungs. Whether you want to believe he has asthma, or not, not giving him the drugs also puts a strain on his heart. When you can't breathe your heart works harder trying to get oxygenated blood to his lungs. I understand it's tough getting to get a kid to use an inhaler correctly. But, make a game out of it. You get him to breathe out heavily by doing it with him, and then inhale with him. You can play with seeing who can hold their breath the longest. Do a few reps with him without the inhaler, then use it. Kids learn quickly, especially when they see how much better they feel. inhalers are used by people who don't necessarily have asthma, but are short of breath with a cold. Both of my kids, at one time or another, were prescribed inhalers with colds. Being someone with asthma, I know how critical it is to get things lossened up quickly. |
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Aug 11, 2017 15:17:45 GMT
I haven't read all of the replies, but the recurring fevers make me wonder if something less common is going on, such as a mosquito or tick borne virus? It may not be likely, but I would ask that it be ruled out just to be sure.
Frequent fevers suggests the doctor, brilliant or not, may have overlooked other possible causes. Asthma doesn't have recurring fevers.
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Post by idahopea on Aug 11, 2017 15:30:32 GMT
Could it be strep? I know some people are carriers of strep. Fever can go with that. Make sure you are changing/sterilizing his toothbrush often so he doesn't re-contaminate himself.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2017 16:03:58 GMT
This was my first instinct as well. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2017 16:22:01 GMT
Have you been to a pulmonologist yet? I would take him asap.
And yes the brilliant doctors do miss things. I had a friend who went to a specialist for her illness. She spent thousands of dollars and took tons of meds. Turned out she had Lyme disease. Even though she had all the symptoms the doctor never tested her for it. Sadly she saw him for over a year until she finally listened to me and got a Lyme test. I'm not saying your ds has lyme, just that even brilliant doctors can miss a diagnosis. I would get a second or third opinion at the least.
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Post by agengr2004 on Aug 11, 2017 16:23:06 GMT
My 2 year old son has been on an inhaler for about a year. He takes Qvar 40 microgram 2 puffs, twice daily. I initially took him because he was sick all the time, coughing, wheezing, and couldn't stop his coughing without throwing up.
Since starting the inhaler all of that has pretty much stopped. He still gets an occasional cough, runny nose, low fever, etc. like any other kid and it's typically when the allergens are high in our area.
Our peditrician did give us a vortex chamber that we puff the medicine into and then DS breathes it in through that. If you don't have one, I'd recommend it. He still fights us every now and then but it's manageable.
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Post by hop2 on Aug 11, 2017 17:01:22 GMT
Has anyone done Blood tests? Especially during an episode? Cultures?
There are so many things that could cause those symptoms, as previous posters have said tick born illnesses. Recurring viral issues, recurring bacterial infections, weird and rare things like PFAPA, CMV even TB. List is kind of endless, I'd push for a panel of diagnostics during an episode to see what causes it. Can the write the lab prescription so you can take him during the next episode?
Regular Asthma alone does not cause recurring fever. There's something else in conjunction with it that is doing that
Hope you find out the issues and get it treated and your little one feels better soon!
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Post by scrappychick on Aug 11, 2017 20:15:54 GMT
Blood test, allergist, pulmonary specialist. I have allergies and asthma, and it sucked for years because my parents didn't medicate me properly. Give your kid the breathing treatments for a few weeks and see if it helps.
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