Bad breath?

[Teri]

Hi folks

Just recently I have noticed that my daughter's breath is smelling bad. This is a relatively new development for her. She finished a steroid taper about 10 days ago. She takes Azithromycin , Cipro, & generic Lamisil daily. We added in some Motrin a few days ago as she was flaring. I am a little worried as to what this could indicate. She has no cavities/fillings or signs of tooth decay. She is about to lose her 2nd tooth. Anyone else's child experience this ? Any advice ?

 

Thanks,

Teri

[peglem]

Sinus infection? Adenoids? When I taught kindergarten there was a little boy who's breath smelled like poop- really, I spent days trying to find out who was having accidents in their pants. Turns out it was infected adenoids and the child's behavior improved immensely after T&A.

[Teri]

Thx for your reply. She has long had issues with swollen adenoids & sinus infections. Less than 3 weeks ago she saw Dr.B & he thought there was a sinus infection brewing. He put her on a 13 day steroid taper which according to our local allergist opened up her sinuses. She has been off steroids for 10 days now. She had elevated titres and we were seeing symptoms begin to resurface. So surprising though bc she is on two fairly strong abx. .. Not sure what I should do .?

 

Any words of wisdom for me?

Edited February 7, 2013 by Teri

[Haileymadison]

Thx for your reply. She has long had issues with swollen adenoids & sinus infections. Less than 3 weeks ago she saw Dr.B & he thought there was a sinus infection brewing. He put her on a 13 day steroid taper which according to our local allergist opened up her sinuses. She has been off steroids for 10 days now. She had elevated titres and we were seeing symptoms begin to resurface. So surprising though bc she is on two fairly strong abx. .. Not sure what I should do .?

 

Any words of wisdom for me?

 

 

 

 

My dd8 gets a sinus infection within 3 weeks of going off antibiotics. From what I have read, a lot of sinus infections are caused by fungus and not bacteria, so maybe the antibiotics caused the fungal overgrowth. My daughter never flares with these sinus infections, but her breath becomes horrid!

 

My daughter was on antibiotics a few weeks ago and her breath is starting to get that smell, but she is showing no sinus symptoms. I am going to try some grape seed extract or OLE and see if that helps.

 

Peg, "poop" is a pretty accurate way to describe this smell, lol.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Haileymadison

[philamom]

Some folks here have sai there child has a distinct bad breath smell when they have strep. Have you had a throat culture done recently? May be a good idea (of course, a negative doesn't rule out strep).

 

When my daughter was younger (before I knew about PANDAS) she at times would have distinct bad breath. The ped office always had an excuse for it- she's a kid, something she ate... Thinking back I realized it happened during times when she had strep. She also had numerous sinus infections when younger, but the breath smell wasn't always apparent during the sinus infections.

 

Just something to consider.

[Ebersolk]

Prior to our diagnosis, my daughter also always had really bad breath. Doctors had same responses as Philamom. It was only after the diagnosis and we began treatment (steroids and antibiotics), that the smell went away.

[Hopeny]

Can an ent see the adenoids or do they need a type of scan to confirm an issue?

[Teri]

Dd is still on daily antibiotics - Azithromycin & Cipro. We have been doing that combo since August so that is not new. The steroid was new and the bad breath issue has cropped up since completing the steroid taper. Dd has never cultured positive for strep, had a sore throat, and was asymptomatic when her initial ASO titres came up sky high. Dr. B suspects her strep hides in her sinuses or adenoids.

She was last seen by ENT in October and he is able to see her adenoids . At that time they were 2x the normal size but it wasnt cause for concern - typical for her age. To put things on perspective - at 7 months she had a 90% blockage of her airway from swollen T&A so we know it is an ongoing issue. (She spent the first 6 months of her life in an orphanage). With all that swelling - she was not sick & didn't run a fever until sometime after 18 months of age. ENT felt that the swelling was from an immune response to being exposed to infection after infection.

 

My gut is telling me that the "poop" breath is a sign of something for sure. I think I will email Dr. B.

[ThinkGutBacteria]

All "body odor" comes from the action of microbes. Bad breath, underarm odor, foul smelling stools, etc. all signal an infection of some kind, a very common side effect of steroids. Maybe overgrowth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, maybe thrush (yeast). Is she old enough to gargle?

 

Also, when she sleeps, does she snore or stop breathing for a few seconds? Or did she when she was younger? It's true that many tonsils/adenoids swell (peaking around age 7) before returning to a more normal size, but if she's got sleep-disordered breathing, I strongly recommend researching tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. Some of the risks include post-op bleeding and weight gain (if she's already overweight or vitamin D deficient) Some of the benefits include lowered anxiety, depression, and aggression.

[Haileymadison]

All "body odor" comes from the action of microbes. Bad breath, underarm odor, foul smelling stools, etc. all signal an infection of some kind, a very common side effect of steroids. Maybe overgrowth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, maybe thrush (yeast). Is she old enough to gargle?

 

Also, when she sleeps, does she snore or stop breathing for a few seconds? Or did she when she was younger? It's true that many tonsils/adenoids swell (peaking around age 7) before returning to a more normal size, but if she's got sleep-disordered breathing, I strongly recommend researching tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. Some of the risks include post-op bleeding and weight gain (if she's already overweight or vitamin D deficient) Some of the benefits include lowered anxiety, depression, and aggression.

 

 

My daughters breath odor does not smell like strep. I suspect possible yeast due to antibiotics a couple of weeks ago. Any suggestions on what to gargle with? I have been making my dd gargle with scope before school. I sure don't want her known as the girl with the poop breath. It does appear to help, but usually comes back within a few hours. She won't use Listerine, it burns her mouth. I may do a home strep test when she gets home to to rule out strep, but I haven't noticed any odd behaviors, as a matter of fact she has been in a great mood.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I was going to ask this same question. This is not the first time my daughter has had this same breath smell. I would love to figure out what is causing it. My dd has great oral hygiene, never had a cavity and goes to the dentist every 6 months for cleaning. She doesn't snore, not stuffy, no allergies at the moment. This has me baffled.

 

I forgot to mention that she has complained of acid reflux, which is very uncommon for her. The only other time she complained of acid coming up in her throat was during her 1 and only exacerbation with strep in 2010.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Haileymadison