Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
17 year old girl who has been healthy her entire life, gets strep throat 8 times in a 9 month period. During those same 9 months she also developes an external flare-up of MRSA (we have it in the house, but have not had any active infections in over a year). She moved on to having Mono a couple months later. After the mono is cleared up sufficiently, we had her tonsils removed because the strep infection was in them and couldn't be removed with meds. Insert a difficult recovery here that included 2 nights in the hospital due to dehydration and fever, and I'm thinking we are finally on the up-side of her getting healthy again.
We got 3 glorious weeks of healthy... she was job hunting and feeling good (she lost her job many months ago during all the strep / mono / MRSA infections), and then she got a bladder infection. We went through a total of 4 bladder infections in a short period of time. Labs revealed that her sodium was elevated (dehydration?), her white blood cell counts were elevated, and her thyroid was on the low side but still within the normal range. She has lost 23 pounds since the beginning of all this.
In the last few weeks, she has gotten Coxsackie virus (commonly called hand, foot and mouth disease). She had this as a toddler and the Dr. was surprised that it manifested itself again. As of right now, she has a vaginal yeast infection.
Sorry this is so long... guess I really needed to get this all off my chest. We are seeing a Dr. - we're on a waiting list to get into an immunologist because they know that her immune system is basically gone, but they don't know why. We are guessing that the bladder infections and yeast infection may be a result of her body chemistry being out-of-whack from everything else. She has been tested for many things that would affect her immune system (Hep. B / C and HIV included). She has been negative on everything.
We have her on multivitamins, a cranberry supplement for her bladder, vitamin C, a probiotic to replace the "good" bacteria that all the antibiotics have killed and an accidophilis (sp?) supplement.
Guess I'm just looking for any thoughts about how to boost her immune system? Any ideas we haven't thought of that could be causing all this?
I'm so sorry to hear your daughter is struggling like this. Definately sounds like her immune system is compromised for some reason. Hand, Foot and Mouth we get immunity from after the first time.
I can't venture a guess as to what's causing this in your daughter because the possibilities are almost endless.
You're going to see an immunologist. They'll be able to identify or rule out autoimmune diseases. You'll eventually get to the bottom of this. It might take time. My girlfriend had symptoms for a few years before the test proved lupus because lupus doesn't produce positive results in the beginning.
Of all the things mentioned, I'd ask her GP to focus on that elevated white blood cell count to rule out things that cause elevated white blood cell counts while you are also pursuing a diagnosis from the immunologist. That white blood cell count would be my main concern and I'd want that ruled out first, instead of just assumping it was elevated due to infection.
While boosting her immune system is a worthy effort, it's best to identify and treat the cause of the weakened immune system.
What type of diet do you have at home? Do you consume a lot of wheat?
Also vit e vit c ,zinc ~most meat is high in it as are beans~,garlic,selenium, green tea,spinach,broccoli,cirtrus fruits,red bell peppers,carrots,and anything with omega 3's will work to bolster the immune system. Also you can treat yeast infections with yogurt. Yes you heard me...yorgurt plain old yogurt. But make sure its plain without sugar, and no you don't eat it either :-P.
How much stress does she have? You said she's 17. Is she in school? School plus working can be a lot of pressure on a 17-year old.
If she is stressed, and under pressure, her body is not going to recover normally. She's been through a lot, including surgery. To be honest, if she's in school I wouldn't let her work unless it's a financial necessity. She needs rest and a very healthy diet. Which includes staying hydrated. No alcohol, no late nights.
Funisart - I hadn't thought of Lyme disease... and we do live in an area with a high deer density. We will pursue that right away.
Lucidkitty - We eat a lot of wheat (bread) products in our house. Are you thinking an allergy of some sort? I will be adding Omega 3's to her diet, as well as some of the other items you recomended. She is willing to try anything at this point.
Zimbochick - MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is an antibiotic resistant Staph infection. Most people assume they have a spider bite or an infected bug bite on their skin when it manifests itself.
Dew - She is not in school any longer. She graduated early last year. Her plan was to work for a year and then enroll in the local university, but the working thing hasn't panned out because of all the illnesses. She seems like a normal, happy teenager (if there is such a thing...lol) - I don't get the impression that she is super stressed over anything in particular, but you never know. Something for me to keep watch on - thanks for the thought.
Hopes - Her white count was something that the Dr. downplayed. Basically along the lines of "it doesn't surprise me that it's elevated because she's had one infection after another". When I call on Monday about testing for Lyme disease, I will definately ask about double checking those numbers and what the causes may be.
Thank again everyone! I appreciate everyone here on CD .
Zimbochick - MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is an antibiotic resistant Staph infection. Most people assume they have a spider bite or an infected bug bite on their skin when it manifests itself.
Hi Sabinerose - sorry my question was poorly worded. I know what MRSA is, I have had it myself, and it is brutal. My question was in response to your statement that you "had it in the house". I didn't understand what you meant by that.
Sabinrose, I am especially interested in your daughter's case, because my son exhibited the same symptoms at the same age. He also had his tonsils out to deal with recurrent strep, and had mono at the same time.
I think the suggestions to test for Lyme are excellent. A lot of doctors don't think to do it, and we have seen what happens when a case of it runs amok.
Best of luck to you and your daughter to find a cause and a cure.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
.
