Saturday, September 08, 2007

Sick Kids














I was talking to my four year-old daughter a little earlier today and I remembered to ask her about her antibiotic.




Me- “So did Daddy give you your medicine this morning?”


Katie- “Let’s not talk about that right now.”



Claire and Katie have both been suffering with repeated episodes of Strep throat since the end of May. They both have had numerous rounds of antibiotics and it still keeps coming back. They recently finished 30 day of Amoxicillin and within a few days of that, Katie had it again. She is now on Augmentin (again) and she absolutely hates it. It must taste horrible because she frequently gags after taking it. She also hides when she knows it is time for her medicine.

Katie started running a fever a couple of days ago and also complained of her tummy hurting. She was also napping quite a bit and just not feeling well in general. I checked her throat and her tonsils were bright red with the characteristic white patches of Strep. So the Augmentin is not doing the trick and we have to do the Rocephin injection on Monday. She is not going to be happy with us. I really feel sorry for the poor kid.

They both are scheduled to see the ENT at the end of the month. That really means that the ENT will just look at their awful enlarged and infected tonsils and say that they need surgery. I have mixed feelings on that issue. I understand that tonsillectomies are becoming more common after a period of time when they were considered unnecessary. When I was a kid, it was unusual to escape childhood with all your parts.

Now there are new studies on children and obstructive sleep apnea that demonstrate the dangers to children that do not get enough sleep. It is not surprising that kids that become sleep deprived due to enlarged tonsils do not function as well as their peers in school. Their behavior can be problematic, frequently resulting in an inaccurate diagnosis of ADHD. Then you have a kid that is on Ritalin that really just needs some good sleep.

I have mentioned Katie’s wild behavior on here before and I can’t help but wonder if the days that she is out of control if it is really the result of not getting enough sleep. They both have regular bedtimes (7:30-8) but they both snore. Katie has noticeable apnea at times and Claire wakes in the night frequently.

The thought of my little girls having surgery worries me but the thought of letting the enlarged tonsils go worries me as well. At this point it seems that the tonsillectomy is going to be necessary. I’m sure that I will be freaking out when that gets close.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Snoring is often a sign of an IgG food sensitivity to caesin which is the primary offending protein in dairy products. Have you considered contacting The Great Plains Laboratory in Overland Park, KS, or The Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab in NC (the later need a doctor to sign off on oredered tests though)? In leiu of spending a few hundred dollars on testing (which is fast and comes with a complimentary consultation), you could try a theraputic trial of complete abstinance from ALL dairy products: cheese, milk, processed foods, ice cream, etc. It is certainly cheaper, but most people don't want to go through the trouble unless it is already clinically demonstrated to be necessary for the abatement of symptoms...I offer this as food for thought in light of your healthy reluctance to "butcher your kids for the sake of some sleep". Seriously, if you try this for a month, you may even see a marked improvement in behavior, and an increased resistence to recurring infection.

Lydia said...

It is frustrating and scary to have children sick especially over long periods of time. My who is now five, had sleep apnea along with frequent/ long bouts of illness. She had sugery when she was 3 and the change was amazing. Not only was she able to sleep soundly, she stopped getting sick all the time and she started eating! She had been a really picky eater and just thin. We all thought it was normal until her surgery for her tonsils and adnoids. She is now a healthy, active, sleeping 5 year old.