Even as dd has been struggling with eczema I have often wondered about our boys.
Ds 1 often has sneezing fits in the morning and in the past few years has complained incessantly about having pains in his neck. We have brought him to an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, an osteopath and a chiropractor since he was 9 or so. But no one has been able to help him resolve this matter. Part of it is his posture I am sure and the lack of consistent exercise. But like dd’s eczema case, we seem to be missing a piece (pieces?!) in the puzzle. A friend then shared with me that when her allergies act up, she aches and is in pain. Ding-ding-ding!
With our 3rd child, his issue was a non-productive, dry cough that won’t go away. It often starts after a bout of cold or flu. There is no phelgm, just an irritating dry cough (like a tic) throughout the day that worsens at night when he lies down to sleep. Yes, the dreaded post-nasal drip at work 🙁 There are some nights (like tonight) that has him coughing for hours and driving everyone nuts! And nothing “traditional” or “conventional” would work. The only helpful thing a cough mixture does is to knock him out. So unlike other parents, I would ask the pharmacist for a drowsy cough mixture 😀
I have taken him off wheat and dairy with great success (takes about 2 weeks to see an effect) previously. But with this current bout, even without wheat and dairy, he was still coughing his lungs out and annoying ds1 who shares a room with him. A clue that it is an allergic cough is when he was put on oral steriods, it subsided greatly! And yet it did not completely go away – again implying that the root cause has not been addressed.
So after much procrastination and doing the ostrich-in-the-sand thing, I finally brought both boys to be tested. And bingo! They too have mulitple food allergies 🙁 How fun – not!
Wheat, dairy and eggs are the common allergens for both (like dd). With ds1, soy and garlic are also culprits, and rice scores a 3 (like dd).
With 3 on a restricted diet, I have been busy the past weeks scouring the internet for grain-free and vegan recipes for breakfast and snacks. Main meals are much easier to handle IMO. It’s been trying and rather unproductive as most sites are gluten-free, not grain-free and they use a lot of eggs to make up for the lack of gluten. And vegan sites use a lot of soy and grains. And then of course there’s the matter of taste. We are so used to the taste of dairy and wheat flour that alternatives need much getting used to and some stuff are really too exotic for us 😀
However, it’s been 11 days and their condition has not changed a bit! How’s that for encouragement??? ;-(
The only culprit I can pin some (all?) blame on is the lift upgrading programme. You know what’s frustrating? Our block is not the one being upgraded since we already have lifts that stop at alternate floors (we live in a maisonette block) but the blocks around us! So we are being bombarded by construction work (think drilling generating LOADS of dust and noise daily!) all around and I am not exaggerating, for no good reason! Ugh! And I don’t know when this torture is going to end but as dh said, “Even if we sell now, we can’t move immediately.” 😀
I guess the next best option is to close all the windows and turn on the air-conditioning. But have you read that electricity tariffs are going up again??? Sigh.
So there you go, I now officially have 3 children with multiple allergies. 🙁
22 Comments on 2 more with allergies
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Remember when you were looking for a place here, I warned you that we have unending upgrading work? Haiz.
When #1 was little, he also had this dry cough that won’t go away. Yes, the post-nasal drip kind that is worst at night. Then someone gave us a chinese herbal recipe and it worked for him! If you want, I will email to you.
Yes please! But are the herbs difficult to find? And how long before effects are seen?
Upgrading work was non-existent till last year with the upgrading of Bishan Park and then now of course while that is almost completed the horrid LUP!
I just read your last 2 posts – so sad!! 🙁 I’m actually the one with allergies in the family, with MSG & food allergies, hives and post-nasal drip – but mine is due to preggp/breastfeeding hormones (read a medical article that we can actually be allergic to our own hormones!!).
My DS also has that horrible post-nasal drip coughing which got worse after we chemically cleaned our air-conditioners (???!!!). Like your son, he can wind up coughing for hours in the night giving my other kids no sleep (all kids sleep together). We just started him on the nasal spray + asthma syrup at night which has helped a lot these few weeks, but still can’t be the long-term solution. We’re still praying for wisdom and healing.
Eh the chemicals could be the trigger for his coughs leh! 🙁 Yes he was better on some steriodal nose spray but it all comes back once he is taken off it – root cause NOT identified 🙁 Sigh.
The thing is when we eliminate there is no difference BUT when we let him eat, it is worse! So still have to not let him eat lor.
Hi Serene, I had allergic rhinitis when I was young, all through secondary school. But then it was resolved through cod-liver oil and sun (yes, everytime I had a sneezing fit, I went out into the sun and it helped). It came back with a vengence in my 20s when my dad’s place underwent lift upgrading. And from then on, I had full-blown sinusitis. Docs pumped me with oral and nasal spray steriods, antihistamines and antibiotics, trying to stop the post-nasal drip.
The ENT that I saw then told me to do a nasal rinse with salt water. that’s the only thing that works for me. This rinse clears the post nasal drip, so it doesn’t develop further into sore throat and fever etc. Some people tells me it’s gross but I was really desperate. I haven’t taken any antibiotics in years when I started the rinse.
Recipe: use a teaspoon of table salt to a cup of warm water or 2. Buy a 10ml syringe from a pharmacy and rinse the nose slowly. Let it trickle the back of the throat and spit it out if there is post nasal drip.
Another thing I found during a detox is that I was still full of steriods after many years :(. that seemed to make me more sensitive somehow too.
hope this helps….
We were giving him the nasal wash but minimal effect. I could try again I guess. No harm. But I doubt that the pist nasal drip is the main cause tho coz he is coughing ALL day, not just when he lies down 🙁 David was on it too and once he finished, the symptoms all came back over time. SO again – root cause not addressed so only symptoms are treated.
What detox programme were you on? Be careful if you are still breastfeeding! And I must say that long term steriod usage is harmful. But no one ever tells us this except the alternative healers and they are often dismissed as quacks 🙁
No worries, that detox was done before I got pregnant 🙂 Now I’m waiting for the 1yr to self wean before the next detox :)) actually, even long term antihistamine use is harmful but no one says that either. I was on a lot of antihistamines andmy nose was sooo sensitive to everything. it only got better after detox and nasal rinses.
Can you share how you detox?
Haha… I sent you a separate email. it’s too long 🙂
Hi, 2 of my 3 kids n myself hv allergic rhinitis. The kids take antihistamin like Adezio/Zyrtec almost everyday. The older one has nasal spray too. What long term effect r we talking bt here? Thanks v much 🙂
Google the side effects and I believe you will find lots of info. The thing is these meds work by suppressing our immune system. The very system that is needed to fight illnesses. Think about it. In the long term our immune system will be weakened, thus unable to fight even common illnesses like coughs and colds. ALso it is believed that if you suppress the illness (in this case allergies) it will manifest itself in other ways. But of course if you listen to conventional doctors and their followers they will pooh-pooh you and say all these are nonsense. That is only because they have no other solutions for us except meds and more meds.:(
Of course I am not saying we never use meds but it should not be a long term solution, kwim? Steroids and antihistamines can be very helpful in stopping a bad outbreak but notice that once you stop the meds, all the symptoms come back? That just proves that it hasn’t cured anything but suppressed it.
Tat is y I try to not give them regular doses.. Like slowly weaning them off… As for myself, after “suffering” from regular cough n cold, nightly nasal congestion n sinusitis for nearly 20 yrs, my nose suddenly stopped being sensitive. I’ve hardly any cold or nightly nasal congestion for a year, but my hands are now suffering fr dermatitis – housewife’s problem! So i’m back to using steroids on my hands now.
Anyway, I am very glad I chanced upon ur blog. It is great to know that I m not alone in my struggles in bringing up d kids w/out any help. But I really salute u! With 7 kids, ur threshold for fatigue, stress n noise must be a thousand times higher than mine!
I too, long for more kids, but my other half thinks 3 is enough. Continue to pray until something happens, or to submit to the head of the household’s decision, that is the question…
Looking fwd to more of ur posts 🙂
I got so used to having a slightly congested nose that when I went off wheat, dairy and meat, I was so shocked that I no longer had any post nasal drip that would often result in me coughing when I lie down to sleep!
Oh be careful when using steroids on your hand! The skin on mine are now so thin that just rubbing moisturiser on it will cause pus to ooze out! ANd I don’t even use the creams for more than 3 days. And only when I am super desperate 🙁
Oh dear, tat must be agonizing cos u hv to wash ur hands all d time – to prepare food, to clean d toddlers, to wash dishes, clean after d toddlers after they go to d loo…. I tried not to use d steroids but to moisturizer more frequently, but the skin will itch n crack n bleed, making washing hands a very painful affair. So in d end, I gave up n apply steroids whenever I see tat d skin is flaring up angrily
Yep! It stings like crazy 🙁 And it is super inconvenient to always wear gloves to wash/prepare food.
Hi,
Anyone has the chinese herbal soup for post nasal drip? I need it. ds also having post nasal drip for weeks.
Does anyone heard of nasal irrigation for a 2.5 year old?
Hi hi,
Anyone has the chinese herb receipe for post nasal drip to share?
DS has been on medication for 2 months… really desperate. TIA
Sorry I don’t have any Chinese herb recipe to share. What you should do is immediately stop all wheat and dairy products and make sure his bed/cot is as dust free as possible.
There is a natural sea salt spray for nasal irrigation. It’s called Sterimar. The adult version you can get it at any pharmacy whereas the one for babies I only saw at the PD office (Kinderclinic). The one for babies is more gentle.
Another thing to try is to up his outdoor activites – get some sun.
Hi Weiwei and Buildingupmoms,
My son has very bad rhinitis and post nasal drip. It causes him to have sore throat and fever. He has been waking up in the middle of the night screaming and crying. Can you share with me the detox method? I really need it badly.
Hi!
If he has fever then it is more than a post nasal drip. There is an infection probably in his sinuses. How old is he? How high is his fever? I am NO doctor and what I am going to say is NOT medical advice. I am just sharing what I would do for my family. If you are worried, please see a doctor to assess his infection first then deal with the allergies later.
The first thing I would do is dose him with Vit C and garlic. This will help build his immune system. The eliminate all forms of dairy and wheat from his diet. You would also want to keep his room as dust free as possible. Note that I said “as possible” coz dust is impossible to eliminate. Stuff toys are a no-no to sleep with. If he likes them, they need to be washed at 60 degree Celsius regularly. You may wish to look into an antihistamine for him while waiting for the dairy and wheat to be eliminated from his system. In our experience, it can take up to 1 month to see any effects especially if he eats a lot of wheat and dairy.
All the best!
I would not do any kind of detox when the person is in the middle of sickness. It will only aggravate things in the immediate term. If the child is crying in pain at night and having fever and is really young, I would check it out with a doctor. Get that treated first. I usually start nasal irrigation on my daughter and give echinacea, and lots of warm liquids and lemons. As for persistent rhinitis, agree with Serene, I would try eliminating dairy and wheat for a couple of weeks to see if that’s the reason for chronic allergies. In any case, any kind of detox starts from elimination of potential allergic foods and also processed foods, ie, give fresh and whole food 🙂