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My daughter is 14 years old and has been sick this year ...


Sent to Health Experts March 23, 2006 9:43 a.m.

My daughter is 14 years old and has been sick this year with sinus infections, bronchitus and ear infections. Her last bout with bronchitus was a bad one. She is now running a low-grade fever every night for the last 2 weeks. She has had a chest x-ray and that was normal. She is very tired and complaing with pain in her neck and lower back. She also has times when she says she hurts all over. She looks pale and has dark circles under her eyes. She just is not feeling well. Can you please give me some direction on what should be my next step to take. Thank you.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status: Closed   Value: $15   
Info Request
March 23, 2006 10:55 a.m. (1 hour and 11 minutes later)
REPLIED to Info Request Check Mark

Has your daughter had complete blood work done? Has she taken antibiotics for these problems? Has she seen an allergist or does she have any known allergies? This info will help me to help you.
Julie  -- mother/teacher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 139 Health Accepts
worked in health clinic, called "family doc" by all, will listen to your problem & try to help you
Reply to Julie
Sent March 23, 2006 2:04 p.m. (3 hours and 8 minutes later)

The doctor has not recomended for her to have blood work. She has been on 5 or more antibiotics in the past several months. She has seen an allergist and is allergic to trees, grass, dust, and mold. She has taken allergy medications to help her deal with her allergies better. But I still don't know what to do.

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on March 23 2006 at 2:07pm
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
March 23, 2006 4:01 p.m. (1 hour and 57 minutes later)
ACCEPTED Check Mark

I would recommend that you return to the doctor and request blood work including a complete blood count. It would be helpful to know at this point if you are dealing with something that is viral or bacterial. Usually with a viral infection the white blood cell count would be normal. But with a bacterial infection, it would be elevated. If she does have a bacterial infection then she would need another antibiotic as the ones that she has taken have not adequately killed of all the bacteria. But if it is viral, then an antibiotic will not help. The blood work will also show how her internal organs are functioning such as kidney, liver, etc. as well as her immune system. If she has not been checked for mono I would also advise that the doc tests for that as well. Blood work can tell a lot about one's health so I think you should get that done.

Sometimes kids, especially teens with all the work they have to do, have a rough year with illness. Encourage your daughter to eat well and get to bed at a decent hour. A good multivitamin would also help. Try to have her talk about any stress she may be experiencing. Make sure she has some down time in addition to all of her activities. All of this will help boost her immune system.

It would also help to educate her on how a person gets sick. Most often the virus or bacteria are on one's hands and are let into the body via the mouth, nose or eyes. So, in addition to frequent hand washing, simply not touching your face at all is a good habit to learn. It's hard to get used to this but well worth the effort!

Having gone through a bad bronchitis I would expect her to not feel herself for a few weeks while she gets her strength back. Sometimes after an illness one does continue to run a low grade fever in the evenings but usually only for a week or so. That's why I think the next step you should take is getting the blood work.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to ask.
If my reply helps you, click accept to close this question.
Julie  -- mother/teacher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 139 Health Accepts
worked in health clinic, called "family doc" by all, will listen to your problem & try to help you
Info Request
March 25, 2006 9:13 p.m. (2 days and 5 hours later)

Can I help you further with this? If you have more questions, let me know.
Julie  -- mother/teacher -- 100% Positive Feedback on 139 Health Accepts
worked in health clinic, called "family doc" by all, will listen to your problem & try to help you

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