Q&A: baby with compromised immune system

This is going to be more of a reader call, because I'm at a loss. We really need help from anyone with experience with anything like this. Kim writes:

"I'm hoping you can help with an issue with my baby.  He was 11 months old on Friday and has been consistently sick throughout the first year.  Severe colic, acid reflux and after an anaphilactic reaction diagnosed with severe food allergies at 5 months.  Lately (since Christmas) he has been sick almost non-stop with several different things, one was a double ear infection but the others we more confusing.  He has had two viral infections (sores on the throat) and two fevers with vomiting a week apart.  The throat thing he has has about a half a dozen times in six months but twice in the last month.  When he has vomiting by itself we assume it's tied to the allergies but when it is accompanied by a fever it indicates some sort of infection......he has no other symptoms....just fever and vomiting.  We have a three-year-old that hasn't been sick since last summer.

My worry is that his immune system is somehow compromised......maybe because of the allergies.  He is allergic to beef, all dairy, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, celery, green beans and cantelope (also house dust & dogs).  He has no environmental allergies so spending time outside doesn't seem to effect him at all.  We live in a mild climate (Arizona).

I have tried some natural remedies for the viral stuff but the only thing that seems to give him any relief is Motrin.

He was 9 pounds at birth, breastfed until this past weekend (he weaned on his own) and is 26 pounds now.  He has a very hearty appetite and we buy all his food fresh from the natural food market and blend what he can't eat on his own."

I'm definitely out of my depth with this one.

It doesn't seem to be environmental, since the 3-year-old isn't affected.

It's not a reaction to his diet, since you've diagnosed the food allergies and are eating as clean as possible. And the viral infections wouldn't have anything to do with food allergies.

It sounds to me like you're right, and his immune system is weak. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what to do to help you improve it. I'd definitely start with probiotics and also cranio-sacral therapy. The probiotics will help him get good flora in his stomach, and the cranio-sacral therapy will help release anything blocking his nerve and lymphatic flow. But after that, I don't have any other suggestions.

Anyone else have any insights into this tough situation?

Comments

[bec 37]

Along the same lines as cranio-sacral, I would try chiropractic, but make sure that you know the practitioner you choose has a lot of experience working with kids.

I would also ask the pediatrician if there could be anything else going on that could be treated. If your doc just dismissed you and says that all kids get sick, I'd go to someone else. Best of luck!

[MomtoOne]

Actually, I would seek more testing, specifically for immune issues.

My mother found out in her 50s that her DNA is actually missing components that allow her to fight off sinus infections. They did some vaccine therapy with her and she uses the neti pot with water and steroids in it to control her infections. (A combo alternative with western medical treatment.)

My point is, it may take time and some specialist bouncing but you really want to try and identify the root cause of the problem if you can. The treatment needs to be specific to the problem.

Alternative therapies are great, but it's awfully hard to be specific with them when you don't really know what's wrong.

Good luck.

[Cat19]

As a mom of another multi-allergic kid, I have found the best resource for practically anything for an allergic kid is the forums at:
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org
the vast majority of the parents there have multi-allergic kids, and every time I've had a question on how my family and my son's health/well-being/emotional life was being affected, someone there had BTDT and had great info. Lots of parents there have dealt with highly intricate difficult-to-pin-down medical issues intertwined (is that even a word?) with food allergies. I wish I had knowledge to offer advice myself; I don't, but I am certain that some parents at that website have experienced similar situations. And you can get a free associate membership that lets you post in the main forum, though the paid membership is unbelievably worthwhile for how useful it is.

[ellen landrum]

Wow, poor kid! Poor family! This is less advice and just a what-I'd-do-if-it-were-me comment. It sounds like you have a good doctor. I'd also enlist a classical homeopath, and quick. I assume you haven't done vaccinations while he was sick, but I'd put them off for now, assuming he's not in daycare or a place with tons of exposure risk. There's a theory (just a theory!) that some of those antigens floating around in the bloodstream contribute to severe allergies.

Maybe take a trip to Florida! Get warm . . . Best of luck-

[Tess]

I second the chiropractic motion, and recommend talking to a healthcare professional about Standard Process immune support blends, like Thymex and Immunoplex. My father (a chiropractor) had my sister and I on daily Thymex while we were children to support optimal thymus development. The thymus matures in late adolescence and then begins to atrophy throughout adulthood, #1 reason why pediatric and geriatric populations suffer more illness. Best wishes!
http://www.standardprocess.com/lit/tabsheets/Thymex7925.pdf

[rachel]

i would get in touch with an endocrinologist who knows about celiac. celiac is an autoimmune disorder in which you immune system attacks your body when there is the presence of gluten-the protien found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. the most common reactions are intestinal disorders, however, there is a wide range of reactions including the ones you listed and others like seizures, skin disorders, failure to thrive, etc. you can find out more at celiac.com. researchers think that the disease is actuall very common with suffers numbering around 1 in 114 people. sometimes in takes years to get a diagnosis simply beacuse the symptoms vary so much and so few doctors really understand the disorder. i have celiac and it really isn't a big deal, as long as you have it under control.

[rachel]

also, gluten is found in more food than we realize because of production and food additives. sometimes people think they are gluten free when it is sneaking in somewhere-like sald dressin gor soy sauce or even food coloring. it can't hurt to investigate it.

[Melanie]

Could be THI - our DD had this, but thankfully grew out of it. We were dealing with fever/infection every couple of weeks and she was hospitalized twice for a fever of unknown origin.

http://www.madisonsfoundation.org/content/3/1/display.asp?did=234

The good news is that if it is THI, it goes away on its own.

HTH, Mel.

[AV]

On the weaning front... babies under 12 months pretty much never self wean. There is an excellent change it was/is a nursing strike. If this just happened there are a lot of things you can do to get him back to the breast and get your supply back up. Really, really, really encourage you to see an LC or go to www.kellymom.com (check the message boards for specific help). With so many allergies/immune issues, breastmilk will be a tremendous help to your little one.

[Jo-Ann]

I also have a multi allergic child. He is allergic to dairy, beef, eggs, pork and peanuts. Alot of what you write describes my guy to a T. I found that a few months ago I had him retested at the allergist and found that he was actually allergic to more than we thought and some of the issues were brought on by an allergic reaction. My guy has even had fevers with an allergy.
He is prone to ear infections and has had ear tubes but then again so has his non allergic brother. That seems to run in our family.
After the new round of food testing we pinpointed the pork and beef allergy. He is happier and having less allergic symptoms for him. (he usually get ezcema, cranky, fevers, and becomes shy)
Allegies tend to come on when an allergic kid eats alot of one thing. Think about having him tested for his commonly eaten foods.

GOOD LUCK I can understand your frustration. Food Allergies SUCK

[Meg]

De-lurking to say: ditto AV. It would be a great benefit to your little one to nurse as long as possible. It is probably the single best thing you can do for him to bring him back to the breast. I second the suggestion to visit kellymom.com for excellent information. Many babies go through a nursing lull (or an all-out strike) at this age and then come back to the breast in earnest around the time that they begin walking. Best wishes to you! Your son's illnesses sound very difficult to deal with, and I hope you can find some resolution soon!

[lydia]

Seconding the suggestions for homeopathy, which claims to be best at resolving cases of long-term compromised health. Paul Herscu and Henny Heudens-Mast are two practitioners very well respected for their treatment of children, in particular. Not sure if they will take new cases or do them remotely but they may be able to recommend someone more local.

Also, someone recommended the Standard Process supplements. I take these myself. I tend to be skeptical of alternative medicine but I have a naturopath friend and I really have to admit I feel better on these than off.

Good luck - your situation sounds really grueling for everybody.

[Jo-Ann]

Also piping in to say that all the allergists I have spoken to all have asked if I was in for nursing "the long haul". all reccomeneded I not nurse. Nursing has a way of helping a food allergic child grow out of the allergy.
My guy is 19 months and still nursing 6-8 times a day.

[Jo-Ann]

opps I meant to say not stop nursing

[Meg]

I asked my husband about this yesterday (he's an infectious diseases physician, but for grown ups, not kids). He confirms what another commenter experienced, which is that fevers can be caused by allergies. Also allergies signify an active immune system rather than an immune deficiency.

But I would ask your allergist about the immunological questions you have. They are technically allergy and immunology trained. In fact my first trip (well... technically the second trip to go over the results of the bloodwork) to an allergist found out that I had an immune deficiency disorder which explained my chronic sinus infections, bronchitis and my irritable bowel (you knew you needed to know about that).

Good luck, I hope your little boy feels better soon!

[Meg]

Sorry, that was my first time posting and turns out i'm not the only Meg in the world. Whoda thunk it? If I post again, I'll call myself something else! :)

[Channing]

I would also recommmend finding a chiropractor and craniosacral therapist that have specialized training with children. Check out www.icpa4kids.com for a chiropractor in your area certified in pediatrics and www.upledger.com for a craniosacral therapist. You'll have to ask the craniosacral therapists individually their experiences with children as not all specialize in kids. This is all espcially true if your son was in a poor position while inutero, you had a long labor or one with many interventions - especially vacuum or forceps extraction or c-section. All of which can cause tightness and restrictions to the baby's nervous system. Hope this is helpful, hang in there - I know how hard it is to watch your child suffer so much.

[kathleen999]

I was a child just like yours, and suffered from allergies my whole life. I did NAET with a really good practitioner and now, no more allergies. I really suffered with them, both food allergies and environmental. Sounds like a miracle, I know, but it worked for me. Before I went to treatment, my allergies had gotten so bad that they had crossed over to asthma and I was on a lot of medication.

Go to www.naet.com to find a trained practitioner. It sounds like voodoo, but it is based on acupuncture and it works. My practitioner works with a lot of children and has had a lot of success. I found out about this therapy through my physician's assistant, whose son was helped it. She was skeptical too, but it worked for her son in about 10 sessions. I was such a mess it took me a year to complete, but for many people it is not a long process.

I should say that I am not a practitioner and have absolutely no ties to NAET other than being a patient previously.

I wish you the best no matter what path you take. I have two little ones and thank God they didn't inherit my allergies. Probably because halfway through the treatments I became pregnant with them.

[Carol]

Hi. I'm a new mom. I was a pediatric nurse before I stopped working to stay at home. I'm going to ask the obvious. Have you been checking with your pediatrician? I bet that you have and he has been saying that it is just viral but anytime a kid has an extended period of intermittent fevers you should get a lab drawn called a CBC with a differential (complete blood cell count)to make sure his cells are working properly. If you have a feeling that something is not right with your kid than there probably is something wrong. The moms always know. If your doctor is blowing you off than ask to speak to the head pediatrician and demand a CBC. You are your child's advocate. Good luck and best wishes.

[hedra]

So, the things I miss when I'm not able to get on during the week... sigh.

My kids have had multiple allergies (mostly outgrown), THI (outgrown), carbohydrate intolerance (likely never outgrown), etc., etc., etc.

I'll list the things (mainly summation of above info) that have helped us:

1) A good allergist/immunologist. Immune function is normally lowest between about 9 months and 2-3 (improving toward 5-6) years old. They've run out of the IgG they got from you in utero, and they aren't making it themselves at quite the rate they will later. This is NORMAL, but it in some kids may drop quite low and make them prone to 'too many' infections. Or, they can have kickin' immune function all directed at allergy reactions... and get similar symptoms (not only can the allergic reaction trigger fevers, it can set up inflammation that makes it much easier for them to get sick the typical ways). So, double-check with the doc. And yes, a CBC should always be run first when things look 'odd'. That and a full immune function check will give you a really good picture.

2) Celiac check. So far, we're clear. And it looks like celiac disease is delayed or suppressed by breastfeeding, the longer you go, the less likely they'll get it (celiac turns out to be triggered by repeat GI infections in a LOT of individuals... another reason to despise Rotavirus...).

3) POFAK.org (kidswithfoodallergies.org). For $25/year, you get full access to people like you with kids like yours. It is NOT a for-profit group, but message boards cost. Theirs are excellent, and includes a board for breastfeeding food allergic kids. Really useful, saved my bacon, helped me track down the issues with my second son, even though they turned out to be mainly not allergy.

4) Alternative/Energy/NAET allergy work. The stuff should not have any impact at all. Shouldn't work. But for us, makes a huge difference. Plus, the energy worker we use (who doesn't do NAET, but does a very similar approach) has found the issues usually 3 months before the doctors. BUT, she doesn't do diagnosis, only management and helping the system 'cope' - so she could tell me that my son could not tolerate sugars, certain fruits, certain vegetables, etc., but could not tell me that he was fructose malabsorbing per se. Very good for helping spot the foods that were bothering him for diet trials, and also for reducing reactions. Totally out there weird stuff from the intellectual side, but :shrug: whatever works.

5) Chiropractic/cranial-sacral, etc. Anything that helps the body function optimally will make a much bigger difference for a child whose body is working overtime to function at all.

6) Probiotic therapy. Infacol is a drops form of probiotic that even infants can take (reduces colic dramatically in trials, may protect the lining of the GI tract, reduce open-gut issues, etc.). We're using VSL3 at the moment, which is one of the super-powers (with super-cost to go with) of probiotic therapy. It is amazing how much of our immune function is run through the intestines. If there's anything messing with the GI tract, DEFINITELY look at probiotics. Kirkman labs has probiotics that are not grown on dairy, also. If you want to know what strains, look up 'probiotics' on wikipedia. We've got six strains we generally try to get in, including one that helps the kids digest lactose, one that protects the gut from viruses, a couple that improve general immune function, and a couple that do other GI protection (preventing infections from even taking root). Really really powerful stuff. AND, may help with allergies by reducing how much gut leakage there is (less exposure in fewer systems even with an exposure).

Good luck! I'm coming out the far side of the main issues, and I so would not go back... all of the above have been part of our arsenal, and all are important, IMHO.

[mommaknows]

PLEASE tell the one with the immunecompromised worry to STOP having them spray for pests at the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tell all mothers this.
My baby is very healthy NEVER SPIT UP, except for 3 DAYS STRAIGHT each time the man came. I had no control over this issue of my living arrangement. He only sprayed outside and the basement fyi!
Pest control in my opinion and research leads to asthma and allergies, etc are all linked.

[twinmom]

Everyone else has responded regarding allergies but what stood out for me was the reflux. If a baby has a lot of reflux, it can irritate the mucosal lining over time and cause an excess of mucous and fluid build up in the ear, making the baby more vulnerable to infection.

My babies are 9 months old. They have been through more than their share of colds and infections. I took them to a really good pediatric ENT. This is what he said. We are cutting back milk and increasing solids. It's helping. Go see an ENT if you haven't already. You may get some more answers.

[Charity]

I would strongly recommend taking him to a chiropractor too. They tend to think more outside the box. But I would look for a pediatric chiropractor, you can find one through http://www.icpa4kids.com/ these are doctors who specifically focus on kids.

[pediatric ENT]

Why don't you try to take him in specialist in that kind of filed,they can help you a lot.Because they know what is the best for your child.

-Kaylee