I was on immune suppressants during pregnancy too (I had recurrent miscarriages). My son did not go to daycare and when he started preschool he got sick quite a bit. That started winding down in kindergarten and over the course of 1st grade he’s had very few absences. This is just to say: OP’s son’s illnesses are not just having taken immune suppressants or not sending her kid to daycare.

OP, hoping you get some answers and your child’s health improves.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the excellent suggestions - I do have pets, the house gets deep-cleaned once per month, but our carpets definitely need to be replaced. We don't mask at stores, but that's a good idea. I might try to start doing that. My son does have a very good social life, but getting sick every two weeks is really, really dragging me down. I've asked his doctor, and she said: "Kids get sick in September and get better sometime in May."

Absurd. Time for a new doctor.

Anonymous wrote:Not being in daycare delayed his immunity.

Neither of my kids were in daycare and made it through high school with a total of about 10 absences each.

Did the gastroenterologist run a celiac disease screener? That blood test will include IgA levels, and give you a first clue about IgA deficiency. Look back over the blood work that was done.

A pediatric immunologist can run bloodwork for similar deficiencies. We saw one at an allergist office. There was none available in the Inova network, but we saw an allergist with an independent practice and licensed not only in immunology but pediatric immunology specifically.

My child's IgA deficiency is included in a 504 plan at school. That can be really important with explaining absences due to illness to the public school.

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the stomach bugs aren't some sort of food intolerance?

This. Do allergy testing

If you're just keeping your child home whenever his nose is runny, stop doing that. But assuming he is sick enough that school policy forbids him from attending, I would definitely follow up with the doctor to clarify the level of illness you're talking about. When people say "little kids are sick all the time" they are usually talking about the constant runny nose, coughing on stuff kind of illness. If your child is actually too sick for school for 40 out of 180 days, that's not typical at all.

Do you have Crohn's disease?

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the stomach bugs aren't some sort of food intolerance?

This.

Someone earlier also mentioned looking at food intolerances. I think that's a really good idea. For example if he has some intolerance to Lactaid or has something like Crohn's disease that could really impact him and cause the stomach issues

Have your child seen At Children’s Hospital in DC - if you’re local.

Maybe also ask your school what additional resources are available as a result of your child’s non atop illness.

Provide them with doctors notes as well so they know this is really what’s going on.

Best of luck to you and your family

Kids in DayCare get sick more often because of the pathogen load.

Some pathogen (a light load) is good for your immune system. A constant barrage of heavy dose of various pathogens at daycare is not good for your immune system.

Mainly, children at daycare get sick more, because more parents dose their sick kids with Tylenol and send them to daycare. It is that there are more desperate and negligent parents who need to use the daycare. Your kid is suffering because of that.

My kids rarely fell sick as babies, in school, as teens. Even now, they are quite healthy. But, they do use masks in public places, carry hand sanitizer, maintain good hygiene, get immunized, get adequate rest etc. And if they feel that they are about to fall sick, they rest up and do whatever they can to recover.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the excellent suggestions - I do have pets, the house gets deep-cleaned once per month, but our carpets definitely need to be replaced. We don't mask at stores, but that's a good idea. I might try to start doing that. My son does have a very good social life, but getting sick every two weeks is really, really dragging me down. I've asked his doctor, and she said: "Kids get sick in September and get better sometime in May."

So your doc dismissed you out of hand?! Fire the doc and get a new one.

We never stopped masking at the grocery store, on transit, in crowded places, just because it seems smart to us. Just do it. It's really not a big deal.

Monthly cleanings are not enough either.

But more than anything, find a new doctor, insist on some blood work and getting to the bottom of why he's sick all the time.

Or, to play devils advocate, it could mean the doctor has seen him for each illness and for each illness (except the active vomiting or the active fever) has said “yeah; he’s got a cough and some congestion but he is ok to go to school” and OP is keeping him home for 4-5 days with every bad cold. And so the doctor knows about the absences but doesn’t agree the kid should be absent that much

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the excellent suggestions - I do have pets, the house gets deep-cleaned once per month, but our carpets definitely need to be replaced. We don't mask at stores, but that's a good idea. I might try to start doing that. My son does have a very good social life, but getting sick every two weeks is really, really dragging me down. I've asked his doctor, and she said: "Kids get sick in September and get better sometime in May."

So your doc dismissed you out of hand?! Fire the doc and get a new one.

We never stopped masking at the grocery store, on transit, in crowded places, just because it seems smart to us. Just do it. It's really not a big deal.

Monthly cleanings are not enough either.

But more than anything, find a new doctor, insist on some blood work and getting to the bottom of why he's sick all the time.

Think you need to bring your doc a record of the absences, so it doesn’t sound like you’re being dramatic saying “he is always sick!”

I have noticed with my kids that one illness that impacts their gut (stomach virus or something where they need to take antibiotics), then I think they catch other stuff more easily.

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions - I do have pets, the house gets deep-cleaned once per month, but our carpets definitely need to be replaced. We don't mask at stores, but that's a good idea. I might try to start doing that. My son does have a very good social life, but getting sick every two weeks is really, really dragging me down. I've asked his doctor, and she said: "Kids get sick in September and get better sometime in May."