SO Tired of Being Sick!!!

[mjaclyn]

This year has been by FAR the worst year for my family and sickness. Since we returned from WDW at the beginning of October it seems like someone in my immediate family has been sick every couple of weeks. Last Wednesday my DD 3yrs came down with a high fever and terrible cough and only now is she just starting to get better. The cough is still bad, but at least the fever is coming down on it's own now without the help of Tylenol. The bad news is, she's passed it on to little DS 8 months. I noticed yesterday that he started coughing and, sure enough, today the fever started. DD's fevers have been as high as 103.5 this past week, and I'm really afraid for little DS. What am I doing wrong?? I am so vigilant about hand washing and I carry wet ones with me everywhere to wipe things like shopping carts down when we're out. DD goes to a dance class and we have a playgroup once a week (usually), so I expected they would get sick from other kids...but at what point do they start building immunity to these things? I have two friends who have refused to get their kids (around the same age as DD) any type of vaccinations. They give them natural supplements like Elderberry extract and Cod Liver Oil and the kids have hardly ever been sick. I personally, think certain vaccinations are very important so I keep my kids up-to-date with those, but what about all the natural remedies and supplements? Does anyone have any experience with those? A bunch of people have recommended that Elderberry stuff...I think it's called Sambucol. Has anyone tried it? Does it work? What exactly is it and is it safe for kids? I'm at my wits end with sickness and it isn't even January yet!!! I'm willing to try something new if it works...any help would be greatly appreciated!

[PirateLover]

First of all you are NOT doing anything wrong! I know it must stink as a parent to see your little ones suffering, but that's part of life. Kids have to get sick in order to build up immunity. I am not a parent and I don't know anything about those natural supplements, but I doubt they can take the place of vaccines. As a kid, I was sick a lot... I had life threatening pnemonia at 2 weeks old. When we watch family videos, I always seemed to have a deep cough or runny nose around Christmas. I caught a bad case of chicken pox when I was 2 years old. I used to get tons of ear infections and had to get my adenoids taken out and ear tubes put in at age 7... and here I am today, alive and well! Just hang in there, comfort the kiddos, keep in touch with the doctors and everything will work out. Some years you just seem to get hit harder than others.

[Disney4us2]

I hope your little ones get better soon. It seems bad all over. Kids will pass and share their germs, sneezes and coughs. Despite all we try to do as parents to keep our kids well, they will get sick.

We have been sick here since the day after Thanksgiving, My DD started with a sore throat/fever which turned into a cold. I kept her out of school off & on for over a week. The cough started and is lingering on to this day. She was kind enough to give me her cold.... thanks Jessica. I have been giving her Delsym for the cough, not that it helps much. I am also giving her Mucinex, and she is using an albuterol inhaler to keep the airway open. To top it all off, my 89yo father was in the hospital for 2 weeks while DD was sick. When it rains, it pours at our house. Luckly everyone is on the mend, except for Jessica's cough.

I haven't tried any of the natural/holistic remedies, so I don't know how they work. I hope your little ones are feeling better soon and enjoy the holidays.

[mjaclyn]

Well, I asked my pediatrician about the Elderberry Extract for kids and he doesn't recommend it. He said that it hasn't actually been proven to work and it also hasn't been proven that it's safe, so he said he wouldn't give it to his kids. I'll hold off on it for now with them, but since I bought two bottles of it last week I figured DH and I could try it and see what we thought. I've been taking two teaspoons a day since Sunday and I don't see a huge difference either way. I do have to say that when I started taking it I noticed that my throat was scratchy and I thought that I would get whatever the kids have... I still have the scratchy throat but nothing else has happened beyond that, so I'm not sure if that is related to the Sambucol or not. I just really hope DH and I don't catch this bug because we really can't afford to be out of commission for another two to three weeks!! DD got sick over a week ago and still isn't better yet. Poor DS is absolutely miserable and I really hope it clears up soon for them.

[Disney4us2]

Hope your children are feeling better and had a wonderful Christmas.

It is no fun being sick.:( It took my DD a month to get over a cold/cough. :ill:

[MickeyMousse]

I hear you!! I am so sick of being sick and having my family sick. No matter what I do: Lysol, Purell, washing hands,Vitamin C...name it, we do it...and like clockwork, Christmas morning we all woke up with stuffy noses and coughs, which have gotten worse as the days click by.
Hope all of you who are also suffering feel better soon!

[MNNHFLTX]

It's been one of those winters already, huh? I feel for you--sometimes those viruses just seem to keep coming through, one after the other.

It sounds as though you are trying to do all the right things, but kids can still pick things up. I don't know about some of the natural supplements you mention, but from what I have heard the best thing you can do for your child's immune system is focus on the basics--a well-balanced diet, plenty of sleep and exercise and keeping a constant routine that limits stress (which is a hard thing to do at this time of year with the holidays and all the get-togethers and travel). I was also a believer in a mist humidifier in the winter when my son was younger; heated air can be very drying to the nasal passages and make it easier for viruses to gain entry into a new host.

Did your kids ever end up getting the H1N1 vaccination? It's not too late for it, once they recover from this current bug, if you want and their pediatrician recommends it. Don't forget that the pattern for past flu viruses has been for a second wave of cases after the beginning of the year.

[Janmac]

I agree with the other posters - you're not doing anything wrong. I have come to think that these things go in phases. Some years our family is not sick while others are and other years we get everything that comes along. It might be that immune systems have ups and downs, same as we do.

Before I'd do the herbal type remedies I'd be sure that your kids are getting orange/yellow fruits/veggies. We tended to go with the green veggies mostly but now try to include more of the orange and yellow veggies, at least once a week. And we've discovered the little Clementine oranges which has increased our orange colored fruits. These colors are supposed to help boost immune systems.

This season seems to be one of our get everything that comes along times but we seem to be merely sniffling, or having a scratchy throat instead of being thoroughly miserable and stuck in bed. Maybe it's the yellow and orange fruits and veggies or maybe not.

There are ways to include the veggies when folks don't care for them. We like thick soups and mashed squash or pumpkin are great for that. The taste of the soup is subtley different but probably most kids wouldn't notice.

Your son is at an age when your cuddling can make him feel much better, even if he can't tell you that. And keeping hydrated helps alleviate symptoms. Good luck and be patient if you can.

Jan