[busterleroy]

I am not kidding, Joey was diagnosed with all of these within three days. Pediatrician says ER docs were wrong, no ear infections. Tonsils are huge, and he has adenoid problems as well, sinus infection as a result. She also suspects croup.

I am so confused. Anyone else have all sorts of upper respiratory probelsm when bring little one home? Is this normal? Did anyone have to have tonsils etc removed shortly after coming home?

[mac308]

We had respiratory problems (still do to an extent) with our daughter when we brought her home three years ago... but it was more along the lines of asthma. I just wanted to say that I hope Joey is feeling better soon. That croup can be pretty scary. Good luck.

Megan

[jnancynancy]

Maybe the huge change just zapped him making him more vulnerable.

My bio's have had all of the above so I don't think it is just those adopted.

My daughter had her tonsils....kissing tosils as they are called...and adnoids removed. She did great.

My youngest son has croup still to this day which is not usual for a 10yr old. Night air always seems to help us!

Hang on you are just getting everything over at once! Though it is hard to take all at once it is not uncommon in childhood.

[becky]

I was about to chime in that all of those are VERY normal childhood issues...I don't think they have anything to do with being adopted.

I would highly recommend getting the tonsils out if your insurance will pay for it. My daughter has had strep throat 4-5 per year all of her life and insurance has refused to pay for it until she had 6 documented cases in 12 months...well going off to college finally did it for her. We hope to have her tonsils out over Christmas break.

[Bug-n-Bears-Mommy]

Our oldest came straight from the hospital and in the begining seemed to be congested all the time. The pediatrician said due to the time of year (February) and the climate (Pacific Northwest) it was not uncommon, and to just run the humidifier. Other than that, healthy as a horse aside from a week in May when he caught an upper respitory infection. We are talking this little guy was in full time daycare too.

Now Bear came to live with us when he was 8 weeks old. I don't think we will ever know everything that he may have been exposed to before coming into care. Anyway, he too seemed to be congested. We thought it might be allergies to the cat because it was summer by then. (I know I am terrible...but it was a good excuse to find kitty a new home) But, sence the end of August he has caught every little bug that goes around. My husband's shift changed and the boys only go to daycare once a week now. BUT, two ear infections...one more in the next 4 months and they are going to suggest tubes. As a matter of fact, we were in the ER just last night because he caught something over the weekend and was vomiting and diahrrea ALL weekend. When I got home last night, and he puked again, I insisted we go to the ER. He was very dehydrated and had to have 2 IVs. My poor little man.
Anyway, he is doing much better now.

It just seems that some kids just get sicker than others. No matter how much Bear likes to share things with his brother, Bug doesn't seem to want to accept his sickies!

[rjvpmn]

We came home with ear infections and tried 3 different antibiotics and nothing touched it so they put in tubes. She has been better since the tubes were put in. I guess I just thought it might be due to laying in acrib with a bottle. I know it is also a childhood problem that is common now.
Best of luck to you.
Becky

[linda512]

All the problems you listed can be caused by a virus, so could all be attributed to one thing. Hopefully he will get better quickly. Good luck!

[cobblehil]

Those are all pretty common in any kid. Sounds like you were just (temporarily) unlucky!

[melgrant]

Yikes! no wonder Joey is cranky!! I´d be hiding under the covers and telling everyone in my household to get their OWN darn dinners!!


So sorry you are going through this -- hope Joey feels better real soon!

[soon2bemom]

Ear infections are very, very common in infants fed with propped bottles and lying down. Middle ear infections commonly also occur on the 3rd or 4th day of a cold due to swelling of the eustachian tubes. The baby cries more at night because the ears throb more when they are lying down, and the pain is less when they are sitting up. So the baby cries, you pick the baby up, and the ear stops hurting. See how smart babies are? While ear infections may not go away entirely from changing feeding practices, feeding babies sitting up straight will decrease the frequency of ear infections, and converting to a sippy cup after the age of 1 will also help. It is a good idea to feed your baby sitting on your lap to increase bonding and attachment.

It is not difficult to get many different opinions if you go to many different doctors. You can decrease your anxiety by trying to go to a single doctor in whom you have confidence. As a general rule sticking to one pediatrician or family practice doctor is a good thing. Having said that if your doctor does not inspire confidence in you, then you should switch. It is better to go to one doctor that you trust then to get multiple opinions which frighten you.

Croup is a five day illness commonly seen in ages 18 months through 6 years where the child has a loud cough that sounds like a barking sea lion. It sounds scary but rarely causes serious problems, and it goes away. When they really get going you will hear a small whoop when they breath in. This is called stridor.

Adenoids rarely cause trouble in infancy, much less tonsils. These are more commonly problems in slightly older children, especially if the children are significantly overweight. All children between the age of 3 and 9 years have relatively large tonsils and almost never do they need to be removed. They are usually removed only if there is a problem with severe snoring and apnea while asleep, after a test called a sleep study. Again this is unlikely to be a problem in infancy.