Home › Forums › Infant Reflux Support › HELP!!! › Compromised Immunity in Refluxers???
- This topic has 7 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 20 years, 7 months ago by
Anonymous.
-
AuthorPosts
-
March 4, 2006 at 2:11 pm #3024
Anonymous
InactiveJust wondering if anyone else’s baby is continually ill (as well as refluxing) that they have a difficult time getting over? Is reduced immunity a part of GERD? None of our medical professionals seem to think so but we can’t figure out what is going on.
Alex has practically been sick his entire life since he caught chicken pox at 4 months old, we think we’ve had one run of one month time span when he wasn’t really sick. Now if he catches gastroenteritis (vomiting, diahrreah bug) for example, it can take him up to 30 days to get over it and I have to fight to keep him hydrated, etc. A cold can set him back for weeks and makes him very tired, feverish and cranky.
Right now he has tonsilitis and it has lingered for 4 weeks and he’s had convulsive shaking from the fever which has been as high as 106 at times. He doesn’t seem to be able to fight off any infections or viruses very well at all.
Our doctor seems to brush this aside but we are getting quite desperate. The combination of him still going strong on the refluxing as well as being chronically ill is pretty rotten for him and he spends a lot of time resting and doesn’t have much energy to run around and I keep him away from other kids so he isn’t exposed to as many germs.
I know his diet isn’t the greatest but he’s got over his texture/temperature aversions to food but I can’t get him on any routine to build up his appetite for solids when he is so sick he can’t sit up a lot of the time!! (He lives on 6 to 10 bottles of infant formula a day and his weight is fine.)
Thanks for any comments, we are getting desperate to figure out how to help him.
March 4, 2006 at 3:03 pm #3028hellbennt
KeymasterI think it compromises the immune system-
I think this is because uncontrolled reflux (or even controlled reflux) gets up into the upper respiratory system, & then it gets everything all ‘wet’ up there and, well, how can anything heal or be ‘normal’ with all that acid up there? check out this animation of what I think is the ‘problem’ : http://www.marci-kids.com/eeranimated.html
this doesn’t explain getting all kinds of other illnesses, but maybe if your body is constantly in ‘fight’ mode (trying to fight all that liquid/acid in the upper respiratory system) then it can’t fight other viruses and bacterias that come along?
~laura
hellbennt2006-3-4 15:6:24
March 4, 2006 at 4:14 pm #3031InactiveDarla,
I think that some children, whether refluxers or not, just have a stronger immune system than others. My older daughter is also always sick with something. It can take her a month to get over a cold, only to catch something else right after. I don’t know why that is, but because she also has febrile seizures, we are often avoiding many fun spots in the winter where she might pick things up. In fact she was so sick last winter when she started daycare that she had 3 febrile seizures in a month. I’m sorry to hear that your son went through this (and you as well). My older one also had a neverending bout of tonsilitis, and a fever of 106- it was awful, but she seized at 102, so well before we got up there.
I agree with Laura’s response, but also wanted to add that in terms of gastroenteretis, the acidic pH of the stomach is responsible for killing bacteria and viruses that attempt to colonize in the gut. I don’t want to start rumors, because it’s just a hypothesis really, but I’ve often wondered if being on a PPI will decrease this immunity by stopping acid production. That is why I’ve been thinking about giving my gerdling acidophilus to create a second line of defense. Even if that was true, I know we do what we have to in order to control the reflux monster, but maybe Joel will be able to comment more about this.
When my older one is sick, we give lots of pedialyte pops (freezies) to help with hydration (she’s not a refluxer, so she doesn’t have the oral and feeding issues). We also spoke to a naturopath who suggested a daily multivitamin and zinc supplement (we haven’t done the zinc) to keep her healthy. Maybe a naturopath could help your little one as well.
I’m so sorry that you are going through this with Alex, and I hope that he fights this off this illness soon. Good luck to you.
March 6, 2006 at 10:31 am #3093Inactiveyou can have his immunities checked—that would tell you if he is lacking in that area. my son is IgA deficient, which is the part of the immune system that is involved with the mucous membranes. he had numerous ear infections when he was little—now i know why.
March 6, 2006 at 11:00 am #3099InactiveThanks so much for the info ladies.
Laura, the diagram is excellent and I agree, he is constantly having ear infections that clear up pretty quickly without antibiotics so his body must be in fight mode all the time as you say, I hadn’t really thought of that. After seeing that diagram I’m wondering if some of the times that I’ve thought he was teething he hasn’t been fighting off ear or sinus infections. He’s got most of his teeth so it seems that using that explanation isn’t very reasonable anymore.
Lori, I’ve just started him on acidophilus about a week ago! But I’m having difficulty finding out if the bacteria is still viable in the way that I am giving it to him. Since acidophilus has to be refrigerated I’m assuming it is unstable if it is warmed before consumption. I’ve bought gelatin capsules with powder in them and I’m breaking open the capsule and sprinkling some into his formula after it has been heated. Fortunately he doesn’t notice any change in texture or flavour so he’s taking it but I wonder if the heat from the milk destroys the bacteria before it gets into his stomach?
His oral defensiveness is so high that I don’t really have any other way of getting it down him so I guess there is nothing to loose but I don’t want to waste my time if it’s not a viable way of using the acidophilus! Anybody else found a way to get their averter to take it?
It is good to hear that your non-refluxer daughter was ill a lot as well (although not for you, obviously!), it is reassuring to me. I have yet to meet another kid around here as sickly as Alex so I was beginning to get a bit paranoid. I was really sickly as a kid so we’ve kind of blamed my genetics as well… It is just such a crappy gig for one so little.
Interesting about the PPI hypothesis, it certainly sounds reasonable to me. I wish he could come off of the PPI but when he does (he recently had a ph study) he just stops eating completely. I guess the PPI is definitely the lesser of two evils.
He won’t drink ANYTHING except formula so pedialyte/water/juice is out of the question and when kids get gastroenteritis they can loose the enzymes needed to digest the milk and therefore vomit it all back up so he gets dehydrated pretty quickly and has to go into the hospital. He gets it so badly that even the sight of his bottle makes him retch and vomit. It is amazing.
Christine, I think we’ve just had his immunities checked as the pediatrician just did a *serious* round of tests on him. Is that done through a blood test? The tests didn’t show up any abnormalities.
Thanks so much for your replies. Sorry I couldn’t get to reply sooner.
Darla
March 6, 2006 at 11:12 am #3100InactiveI agree with what one of the moms said above about how some babies/kids just have a reduced immune system and there really isn’t anything to explain it.
What Christine said about the IgA is true, find out if he’s had his IgA tested and what the result was. It is a blood test. It could possibly be slightly low and his doctor told you it was normal. I’ve read that some babies just have a low IgA and grow out of it by the time they are 4 years old. It could explain his reduced immunity right now though. On the other hand, my daughter has a low IgA, although it’s still in the normal range (just barely) and has rarely been sick. Regardless, if his IgA is low or not – there is no treatment. It’s just something to be aware of.
March 6, 2006 at 1:36 pm #3106InactiveACIDOPHILUS. I have reflux as well as my son. (mine however is much less severe). I take acidophilus every day in pill form. I started taking if for cronic re-occuring yeast infections (sorry if TMI), but then I noticed that my reflux was gone and my gums no longer bled when I brushed my teeth. I think sometimes that having your PH off wack can cause the reflux. Therefore I give my son milk with acidophilus added to it everyday (comes in half gallons). Here is some links explaining that if you ph is off balance your immune system will be comprimised:
http://www.souzaoenterprises.com/pH.html water is a +7 on the PH scale
“Lactic acid-producing microorganisms, such as L. acidophilus, have been called a “second immune system” because they put the brakes on growth of disease-causing bacteria, such as salmonella and shigella-caused dysentery, various types of diarrhea, and even virus-caused flu. Yogurt with acidophilus culture and acidophilus on its own has been shown to clear up yeast infections and vaginitis in children and adults. However, L. acidophilus is not present in all brands of yogurt (check the labels). ” http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/7/main.html#QuestionsToAs kYourDoctorAboutAcidophilus
Ask your pharmacist about suggestions on how to get acidophilus to your son. I think warming it up would kill it. (I never warmed my son’s bottles, I figures it would feel better “coming up” if it were cool.) Plus, I think it has to dissolve in the stomach to work, not in milk.
March 7, 2006 at 9:45 am #3140InactiveThanks, Marsha! I’ve quit giving him the acidophilus in his milk as I think you are right, it probably isn’t a viable way of administering it. His texture/temperature sensitivities are still so high that he generally won’t take milk unless it is warmed up. He definitely won’t take milk if it is cold but sometimes will if it is only tepid… makes me feel like quite an idiot running around with a huge toddler warming up bottle of milk for him like he’s an infant….and he’s only just started holding his own bottle!! for ages I had to hold him like an infant and hold the bottle….raises some eyebrows in public, I tell you….I don’t care though, I know he’s had a rough time so I just do what he needs to get by.
I’ve got reflux as well so I’ll take the rest of the acidophilus tablets and see what happens! Thanks for the links, you’ve inspired me to persist with trying to get it down him.
-
AuthorPosts
- The forum ‘HELP!!!’ is closed to new topics and replies.
