11 year old boy constantly under the weather

[Eve]

I have an 11 year old who just doesn't seem 100% and hasn't been for a few months and I can't put my finger on why not.

Just wondering if its common? Is it growing?

He complains a lot about headaches, about sore feet , sore legs I put these down to growing and give him calpol.

He also doesn't seem to have as much energy as a 11 year old boy should have, if hes not in bed by 8pm hes miserable. He does do a lot of sport but for example if he does rugby after school he comes home and lies down as he's completely wiped out.


I give him a multi vitamin supplement every day. Have had him at the Doctors and they did fulls bloods but nothing showed up.

I am worried that there is an underlying cause or is it just growing, hormones etc etc.

[Sarah159]

If he's sporty and also has headaches and lack of energy... is there a possibility he isn't drinking enough water? Sounds a bit like dehydration? The sore feet & legs may well be growing pains? The symptoms may not all be linked

[cybboid]

Is he eating/have an appetite?

[Eve]

Dehydration is a possibility... I'll be more vigilent on making sure he drinks enough.

...and he used to have a cracking appetite, could eat for Britain, but thats all tailed of in the last few months and its a lot less than it used to be.

He's also quite short / slight for his age inspite of his dad being 6ft 3.

[ihatethecold]

if my kids have been ill or rundown i find a course of minedex helps. its a tonic for kids.
a health visitor once told me that if they are low in iron they can lose their appetite, then get caught in a cycle of not eating enough therefore not building up their mineral/vitamin levels.
kids of 11 need to eat quite a few more calories than we think. poss about 2200 a day.

[dawnineg]

My two aged 8 and 10 take a daily multivitamin as a top up to there diet and I have found this has given them a boost. I heard something on womens hour a few months ago about kids suffering from growing pains that could be a vitamin deficancy and my son had been complaining about pains in his legs. He is tall for his age. I did take him to the doctor and he said there was nothing wrong with him and it was probably just growing pains. I heard about innocentvitamins from a friend a few months ago and they are great they are for 3-12 years a one per day multivitamin with minerals and fingers crossed my son says the pains have gone, it could be a coincidence but I will carry on as I think it can do no harm to top up there diet as they dont eat everything they should.