Worried about my DD - advice please

[sandyballs]

She is 3.9 and has always been an extremely lively, active girl and in general good health.
However, over the last 6-8 weeks:

• she has become very lethargic, (doesn't want to go to park or walk anywhere - very unusual), cries saying she is so tired.
  
  
• she has had blood in her stools on about five separate occasions,
  
  
• has vomited violently on about five separate occasions (but felt OK afterwards),
  
  
• she has molluscum warts down one side of her body from armpit to naval,
  
  
• her scalp is covered in cradle cap, which isn't responding to any treatment - her hair is coming out in clumps where the cradle cap is.
  
  
• has very enlarged lymph nodes behind/below ears.
  
  She just seems very run down and pale with dark rings under her eyes, poor little mite, and I don't know how to help her. She eats fairly well, bit fussy but loves fruit, not so good on protein but we're getting there. I also give her a multi-vitamin. I can't help but compare her to her twin sister who simply glows with health - shiny hair, skin, eyes, tons of energy. It just emphasises how poorly she looks.
  
  I have been to the doctor three times who just tells me to keep an eye on things! Went back last night with her and he has finally referred her to the hospital for a blood test. He has simply written on the form "tiredness". Does anyone know what they will test for - will it just be iron levels or will it hopefully be more extensive.

[SantaFio2]

they will most probably check she isnt diabetic aswell or if there is any infection

poor thing

[Podmog]

Message withdrawn

[sandyballs]

I was wondering whether to do that Podmog. The doctor seems to think it is just coincidence that she has all these issues at once but I can't help worrying there is more to it.

[zephyrcat]

Can you ask your HV or hospital to refer you to a paediatritician (not sure of that spelling!) I wouldn't wait around for the doctor. Hope she gets better soon ((((((((hugs)))))))

[Petall]

Sandyballs I agree you should push to get your daughter seen by a paediatrician, not just have the blood tests and wait to be referred after the results get back. Does your local casualty have a children's department you could take her to? A paediatrician or children's nurse will take your concerns seriously and you will at least have some investigations to find the cause of your daughters symptoms. Please don't ever go along with what your GP says if your gut instinct is telling you otherwise. You have to be your daughters advocate and get her the care she deserves.
I was a sick childrens nurse in my life before children and know that if the mother is concerned she is usually right. As a mother I find the whole GP/ NHS direct system sooooooooo frustrating. ( I'll spare you a rant on that one!)
Good Luck though and I truly hope your daughter is back to her normal self very soon.
Petall

[noddy5]

Went to a&e once as I couldn't wait for the appointment and turned out I had a heart condition not the heartburn or anxiety originally suggested It is sometimes the only way to jump up the queue and you sound like you need to be seen Go asap you will be glad of the peace of mind

[sandyballs]

Thanks for all your advice. She seemed much brighter over the weekend, although slightly sick again on Sat night. She was much livelier and wanted to go and out and do things Sat and Sun.
Blood test booked for this Wednesday, hopefully results soon after. If the results are ok, I will ask doc for a referral to paedatrician to investigate further.

[Petall]

Sandyballs- Really pleased to read your daughter was brighter over the weekend, I've been thinking about you both and was wondering how she was.Good luck with the blood test.

[Nutcracker]

Hi sandyballs, we have recently been through a simliar thing with Dd2 (nearly 5).

In about march of last year her nursery raised concerns about her looking very tired all the time and not concentrating, staring into space etc. We had also noticed but as she is generally very laid back, the penny hadn't dropped.

I took her to the doctors and she did a blood test which revealed low iron reserves and one of her liver enzymes was a higher result than it should of been, indicating infection.
Because of those two things we were reffered to hospital. They just basically asked us lots of questions about diet and her general health etc and asked us to come back a month or so later.

Anyway to cut a long story short, dd did slowley start to improve and the hospitals eventual diagnosis was post viral fatigue syndrome. They think they when she was ill with the general winter illnesses, one particular one had taken it's toll and she had taken longer than normal to recover.

The hospital have given her another appointment for Jan but have told us we can cancell if we thnk there is no need, which we do.
Apart from a blip in Sept when she started school and fell asleep a couple of times, she has improved alot. She still prefers to sit down rather than run round and round but then she has always been like that, so we aren't worried.

Sorry also meant to say that upon examination at the hospital dd's lymph glands were also swollen indicating an infection.

I found it helped to keep a general diary of dd's day, how she was, what she ate etc, so that i couls show it to the doctors when i went cos i always forgot what i wanted to say.

Good luck with the blood test, hope all is well.

[sandyballs]

Thanks Petal and Nutcracker - interesting to read about your daughter Nutcracker. Sounds very similar - it's horrible to see them so washed out isn't it. I'll let you know how the blood test goes.

[birdsong]

Hello Sandyballs , my dd7 sounds similar to your dd apart from the vomiting and warts. She looks so tired and washed out etc etc . Anyway my mum has coeliac disease and she kept on at me saying how much my dd was like her before she was diagnosed. Anyway I went to doctors and he agreed to do blood test and I went back next day to surgery and he did it - dd very brave but cried when needle took out. Anyway he took 2 lots and when I rang last night receptionist told me first lots ok but against the gluten testing it said "to see doctor " . He is away this week so am going next week . Its ironic really because she loves bread,pasta, pizza etc and all along we could have been making her feel worse.

[NatureDoc]

You poor thing - this sounds horrific - if a doc can't help see a naturopath straight away to get her immune system back on track - a god web site to track people down in your area is www.babydirectory.com under complementary medicine, homeopaths or nutritionists. A good person would really turn your sweet dd's health around.