Antibiotics Didn't Work on Child's "Sinus Infection"????

My daughter and I both have had to have several rounds of antibotics to clear up sinus infections. Either it wasn't the right antibotic or she she just needs another round.

Could just be a stubborn infection, but it sounds like you probably need to treat allergies and infection together. When you get allergies, the tissues become inflamed, which traps bacteria, so it can be a viscious cycle!! I've dealt with it myself for years, and it is very important to treat both aspects.

it could be a viral infection, in that instance, antibiotics aren't gonna work... did she get better during the time she was on the antibiotics? if so, she may truly need another round or a stronger dose. how long ago was she allergy tested? she may have seasonal allergies that are just now kicking up, also - you can develop an allergy to anything at anytime... i wouldn't be opposed to trying an antihistamine to see if it gives her some relief, once some of the gunk gets dried up, the "infection" may cease. hope she feels better soon!

edited to say: i missed the humidifier part when i first read it. there's some discord among the medical professionals about humidifier(i accidentally said antibiotic a minute ago, oops!) use. many don't recommend using one, ever. just had this discussion with a family that has a child with heart/lung problems at church yesterday, their pulmonologist told them to discontinue the humidifier that their pedi recommended, she says they often end up being mold factories, even the cool mist ones. so, consider that angle as well...

Go to see an ENT. ENTs are the best! They will look inside and will know if it's a sinus problem of if she needs to go to an allergist for testing.

Yep. My daughter is doing the same thing unfortunately. Did you miss any of the dosages during the 10 days? We missed one day, left the house for church one morning and completely forgot to give it to her. Watch your daughter's symptoms for a few days and see if it clears up. The meds continue to work in their little bodies for an additional 7-10 days after finishing the antiobiotic and this may be what you are seeing. If her symptoms continue or the mucus starts to turn color again then you may have to do another round of antiobiotic. I am hoping we don't have to, but this is my plan of action for my daughter too since we missed that one dose! Weird how medicines can be so temperamental!
My kids are prone to allergies too, so playing outside this time of year and in the fall wreaks havoc on their sinuses. I give them zyrtec on an as needed basis, so talk to your doctor about it. This may be something your daughter needs as well. Good luck!
A.

Sinus infection is often misdiagnosed allergies.

have her tested again for allergies and find out what she's allergic to. If she doesn't have her tonsils and adenoids - then it's most likely allergies or she has a problem with her sinuses...you may request a sinus MRI to find out what is going on up there!!

Use the NeilMed sinus rinse EVERY night before she goes to bed. NOT THE NETTY POT - it's messy!!

While I agree with the humidifier - it may be too much moisture for her and is causing excess mucus. Do you have a gauge in her room? We have one that tells us the temp of the house, the moisture in the air, etc. so we know we're where we need to be.

If the goop is green - she's got an infection SOMEWHERE up there that's not going away. That's where the sinus rinse comes in handy - it's not an antibiotic - and it's "natural"...talk to her ENT to find out if she should use it.

Best of luck!!

SHe may need a 2nd, even a 3rd dose of them, or perhaps a different antibiotic altogether. My niece & nephew have each been on 3 different prescriptions for sinus infections in the last 7 weeks.

Some bacterial infections take very specific antibiotics. If it's a virus, the antibiotics are not going to help. At 4 1/2 she can use a nasal irrigator called Nasaline. I got ours at the health food store and I saw that Amazon.com has them. There is a Nasaline Jr. Same premise as a Netti Pot but you squeeze the water into the nose. With a child you need to start slowly, and explain what will happen and always be gentle. Sometimes just getting that gook out of your nose is so helpful. I LOVE my Netti pot for allergies and colds!

It sounds like you had allergies looked into but maybe try a few things just to make sure. One is to put a little bit of vaseline on the inside of your nose (not deep) this will help trap allergens going in if that is an issue.

Great that you are using the humidifier and focus on the fluids.

Take care, hope your daughter is well soon!

If your doctor did not do a swab to find out the kind of bacteria that was growing it may not have been the right antibiotic for her. My daughter went through 3 antibiotics before curing her of her infection. she went through her first dose which did nothing so then we did the swab and he found several different strains of bacteria and then from there he was able to prescribe a more specific antibiotic (2 in fact) for the certain bacterias that she had. She went on a second oral one and then a nose spray with an antibiotic as well.

Hello
I've had sinus issues now for over 4 years, when previously in my life, they were NEVER a problem. That said, from all that I have read and experienced when it comes to antibiotics in which I had to take a month's worth and still, my sinuses never properly cleared up. It can take a VERY long time for the drugs to work IF at all. In my case, the antibiotics ,for which I have taken at least 3 different times, cleared my sinuses but only somewhat.. It's been a true battle trying to get rid of the ever present stuffy sinuses.. From what I have read, some people have remained on meds for a year, yes that is right, a year. However, I don't believe in being on meds for that long and frankly, I just don't think it's necessarily good for a person. My son also seems to have sinus problems (he is 9) .. we were told my his Pediatrician that he is allergic to dust mites.. which apparently, MANY kids and adults are.. Since the diagnosis, we lined his mattress and boxsprings with plastic and in our case, we use Zyrtec. We have attempted to take him off the Zyrtec to see if he wouldn't have a runny nose all the time,but after a day, it was back.. Has your doctor considered having your child take some of it? why not give it a try.. (I suggest at night) it says won't cause drowsiness, but I beg to differ in that I think it does. Anyway, give that a try for a few nights and see IF it clears her up.. then IF it does, perhaps dust bites are the problem.. which a humidifier would make even worse. (the dust mites like humid , damp and cold weather) hence, the room might be too humid for your daughter.. not too mention, mold in general like moist temps, again the humidifier might be making matters worse than you think. I know you mentioned she tested negative for allergies, but from all that I read, at that age, a child's body is still growing and changing and hence, so are possible allergic reactions to things. in other words, one season they have no allergies and or outgrow them and then all of a sudden. BAM... they are allergic to something else, could even be something they previously showed no signs of being allergic to.. I would try Zyrtec, shut off the humidifier and see if she shows signs of improvement..

best of luck to you

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Sinusitis can be caused by bacteria, virus or fungi. So if antibiotics didn't work it would make sense that it's one of the other two.
I would also look at her diet and would probably remove dairy for at least a short time just to see if it makes a difference. Dairy will often rev up mucus production.

I could be that she just has a nasty bug, there are all sorts of hard to kick bugs out her on the southeast side of CO. It may not of been the right antibiotics. I have had sinus infections for years and the rule of thumb is if its green there is a bacteria infection so it should be treatable, clear is virus or allergy. Don't worry if you have to give her another round of antibiotics, sometimes we catch something that is resistant to the antibiotic that is being used and different type makes all the difference. If she is constantly stuffy after this you may want to check out a specialist. Also check with her doctor, but I know what has help me in the past is a saline spray that would help flush out the gunk. Good luck and hope your little girl feels better soon.