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Original poster

Help! What on Earth is going on with DS?

23 replies

PumpkinSoup21 · 15/03/2023 00:49

We’ll be getting a GP appointment today (it’s the early hours of the morning now) come hell or high water but I’m afraid of being dismissed so I wonder what questions I should ask.

DS is nearly 6. Skinny and I believe has lost weight. Complains frequently of tummy aches that come and go. Often unwell but so far I’ve put that down to it being a rubbish winter for bugs. His attendance at school is only 90% so far this year as he’s been ill so often. I took him to the doctor before about this and the stomach aches and they basically said not to worry.

Now he’s unwell again and I’ve never seen anything like it. Vomited once on Monday morning so didn’t go to school but seemed fine all day. Then on Monday night broke out in the most extraordinary hives all over his body. Got extremely distressed then vomited again. I know that hives can be a reaction to a virus so we hoped it was that. They went away with piriton. Fine, if fatigued, all day Tuesday but I was confident he was on the mend. Now we’ve had the exact same thing tonight. Extreme Hives everywhere, face swollen, vomiting, extreme distress. With piriton and calpol he’s settled again for now.

He had an egg allergy when he was younger but has been on the egg “ladder” since age 1 and the allergy has been reducing to the point where he’s fine with everything except raw egg. He’s not eaten anything unusual that he hasn’t tried before and nothing in the environment at home has changed as far as I can tell.

He is asthmatic and has had some bad patches with this as part of being generally ill, though he is fine in this regard at present. Had an asthma review recently and they said it was well controlled.

Tonight was so scary. I’ve never seen him so beside himself. I was on the point of calling an ambulance but then he vomited, the antihistamine suddenly seem to kick in, the itching lessened and he calmed right down.

Any ideas what I should ask the doctor about? Anyone with experience of anything like this? I’m so worried about him. Thank you.

OP posts:

Onnabugeisha · 15/03/2023 00:57

You can develop an allergy to anything at any age. No change in the environment just makes it harder to identify what he is allergic to. I am presuming that you have checked everything to ensure that ingredients have not been changed by manufacturers as they can do this without any notice. Not just in food but in all household consumables- soap, shampoo, laundry soap, your cleaning products…all of it.

So it sounds like he has developed a new allergy- either to a new ingredient or to a previously tolerated substance/food. Or a pet…or to dust mites or a house plant… It might even be something at school- school dinners? New school cleaning company with different sanitisers?

Given his history with asthma and these severe reactions, I would ask for an urgent referral to an allergist/immunologist get full allergy testing. And then you will know what he is allergic to and it becomes much easier detective work to figure out where the triggers are hiding.

MissSmiley · 15/03/2023 00:58

My son was 6 was he was diagnosed with coeliac disease, he hadn't lost weight but his growth had flattened on his chart, the GP noticed. After about a month of being gluten free he said he no longer had tummy ache (he had thought that was normal and hadn't mentioned it to us before) and he had gained weight. I have a friend who had an all over body rash before she was diagnosed, she had spent a week on the sofa with what she thought was a tummy bug. Could be other things I guess but that's my experience.

BlackeyedSusan · 15/03/2023 00:58

He may have developed another allergy. Write down everything he's eaten while you remember.

Egg allergy here that's getting worse not better and discovered an allergy to some types of nuts when her throat started swelling. That was fun. Thankfully as she is allergic to egg we carried antihistamines and they kicked in enough. She now carries an EpiPen or two.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

6 year olds Children's health General health

GothicNight · 15/03/2023 01:13

Oh my God. Take him to the ER the next time his face swells up for God's sake! He's clearly having a very serious problem that sounds like borderline anaphylaxisis! This is very serious. Stop trying to handle it all by yourself and don't let the doctors blow you off again. I mean it! You need to go full Karen if they try!

Player001 · 15/03/2023 01:20

Autoimmune blood issues can also present like allergies. My DH went through sudden weight loss, random hives, swelling face... long story short, after many years was finally diagnosed a variation of vasculitis. So make sure you insist that you get bloods to check rheumatology issues as well.

sashh · 15/03/2023 04:47

Lactose intolerance?

He is at the right age.

I'm another one who thought belly pain was normal, then I stopped consuming milk.

To be honest we are all guessing but I think we all agree this is a new reaction to something, probably something he is ingesting.

HedwigIsMyDemon · 15/03/2023 04:50

I thought coeliac too. Sounds similar to my friend’s DD. Good luck at the doctor x

Nimbostratus100 · 15/03/2023 04:56

sounds horrible - I agree with a and e if it happens again, also photos /film of it

cheapskatemum · 15/03/2023 05:53

My first thought was coeliac disease, or could be allergic to lactose, or both. They are common in uk diet. Hope you get some answers soon, op. Poor DS.

rainbowstardrops · 15/03/2023 06:56

Oh your poor son! Please don't let the GP fob you off but if they do, take photos/videos of the flare up and I'd go to A&E.

Original poster

PumpkinSoup21 · 15/03/2023 07:22

Thank you all. We’ve managed some sleep. I am really worried though he seems loads better now of course. I took photos last night and the night before so I have those to show the doctor.

DH has serious autoimmune issues so I am concerned that there’s something immune system related that’s underlying this. I don’t know if those things run in families or not? I will ask about coeliac and the other things you’ve all mentioned. Thank you!

OP posts:

Original poster

PumpkinSoup21 · 15/03/2023 11:42

Sent to A&E…

OP posts:

Onnabugeisha · 15/03/2023 12:01

Some auto-immune conditions have genetic factors and others do not and still more it is unknown.

Im glad you are going to A&E as he doesn’t need an urgent referral to an immunologist to allergy test him for all his allergies and assess him for any auto-immune conditions.

I would think they’d also prescribe you an epi-pen on the spot to take home with you today. I’d be tempted to refuse to leave A&E without one as certain allergies get worse with each exposure. So hives, vomiting and swelling with one exposure can ramp up to full anaphylactic shock the next exposure. That’s happened to me with bee stings. I went from localised allergic reaction to entire limbs swelling and breathing problems- and after that got an epi-pen because the trend and the risk is there that next bee sting could cause anaphylaxis.

Good luck and I hope the wait is not long.

Onnabugeisha · 15/03/2023 12:01

Argh! DOES need an urgent referral. Worst typo ever.

Albertohello · 15/03/2023 12:04

I also read your op and thought coeliac disease. (You have to be eating lots of gluten to be accurately diagnosed though, so don’t cut it out before tests if the doctors decide to explore this!)

Good luck, op. Sounds very hard for you all. I hope you discover what it is quickly.

Original poster

PumpkinSoup21 · 15/03/2023 15:20

Well that was a bit of a disaster. Saw one doctor and the verdict was nothing really. Maybe an allergy, maybe a reaction to a virus. Refused to consider epi pen as DS hasn’t had breathing difficulties (not that I want him to have one if he doesn’t need one). No referral to allergy or immunology. Said to give regular antihistamines and return to the GP if concerned. Said it’s just something that happens to kids sometimes.

Am a bit flummoxed really. All I can do is preemptively give Piriton tonight and hope for the best. I’ll also book an appointment with GP if there’s one available because we’ll be waiting 2-4 weeks for that anyway as it’s not an emergency.

OP posts:

Littlemissprosecco · 15/03/2023 15:32

OP, if you can, take photos, of the rash and of any temperature increases etc…. Then you have a proper medical log for the future if needed.

Onnabugeisha · 18/03/2023 23:39

That’s awful. You can also keep a food & toiletry/cleaning product use log though to see if a pattern.

Twilight7777 · 18/03/2023 23:42

Sounds like it could be MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 19/03/2023 00:46

I second MCAS - I have this and the symptoms can sometimes be so far flung. I would press your GP for tests in to what might be causing it.

CrotchetyQuaver · 19/03/2023 01:33

Well that sounds like an anaphylactic reaction to something. You'll have to work out what the trigger is so it doesn't happen again.
I had all that when I got stung by a wasp and it became obvious very quickly that something was extremely wrong with me. There's a horrible doom feeling that comes on. Honestly when it passed I felt like I'd been in a fight and had to go to bed at 3.30pm, it's awful.

IfOnlyOurEyesSawSouls · 19/03/2023 01:39

This sounds so distressing for you all.

Please don't give up OP , this sounds aiutoimmune or allergy related.

Sending strength and hugs

CrotchetyQuaver · 19/03/2023 01:41

I should add because it was obvious I was reacting to the wasp sting. The ambulance crew told me what I had to do was phone GP and tell them what had happened, ask to be referred to the allergy department and be prescribed an epi pen. I got a call back from my GP the same day and all of that was forthcoming, allergy and blood tests confirmed the wasp venom allergy.

If it happens again please call an ambulance, the risk of full blown anaphylaxis increases each time it happens. We checked all this out and it's a legit reason to call 999, it's not OTT as it's potentially life threatening.

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