AIBU to be concerned about DD's health?

[PFB1]

Posting here for traffic. Sorry.

DD is 5. She has been suffering from what seems to be asthma for a while now and is struggling a lot with coughing at night. The inhalers don't have this fully under control.

She is around average height for her age and this morning when she was in the bathroom at the same time as me, she stepped on the scales and it turns out she's only 2stone 8lbs. I checked the growth charts online and this plotted her on the 9th centile.

She also has developed some faint dark circles under her eyes in the last week or so and has also been complaining of pain in her sides and this morning woke up with a sore neck (I'm hoping this would just be linked to the coughing so much at night causing her to strain certain muscles).

I'm on my own with the kids so cant help but worry. I'm hoping you guys can reassure me in some way as I called the doctors on Monday but they can't fit her in until Friday. Thanks.

Is DD eating normally? Has she visibly lost weight to you?
Do you have a previous record of her weight? I ask as the centile won't help unless it's plotted as part of a pattern.

If you are concerned I'd call the GP and ask for an emergency appointment. You WNBU to do that.

I hadn't visibly noticed weight loss but a couple of her pairs of leggings are now too big on her waist which previously fit her. But I can't say for 100% sure that it's not just caused by the elastic loosening off. Her leggings are from next and it's never happened with any of her previous next leggings. Equally she could have stretched which would make her waist slimmer.

She is very slim. Slimmest of her friends who are the same age. She has always been slim though but she's now only a few pounds heavier than her sister who is 2 and a half.

She hasn't been weighed for a long time so nothing recent plotted on her graph unfortunately. She seems to be eating normally.

I don't have kids and normally wouldn't comment but I think neck pain is a red flag. I'd be getting her to the GP or at the very least, ringing NHS Direct.

She's not currently complaining of neck pain. It was only for an hour or so after waking up.

Anyone any ideas what could be behind this? Am I right to be worried? Or does it sound like something that'll just blow over?

Neck pain could be swollen glands from an infection. You said she’d been coughing? It’s good you’re seeing the GP on Friday- they can hopefully reassure you x

I think you need to go back to the GP and get her reassessed.

DD2 had severe asthma as a child and was always falling off the bottom of the weight curve - often when she was constantly sick she didn't really feel like eating and lost a lot of weight . During bad periods she was prescribed stronger medication.

Yes, I'm taking her back on Friday. I'm just worrying myself about it all and have no other adults around to calm me down about it all. There's nothing worse than being worried about your child's health.

If she is coughing at night asthma treatment may need stepping up.

I am not intending on freaking you out as it’s probably nothing but please bring her to the doctor and then get all of her blood work done!! My friends little girl had similar symptoms and it turned out she had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 😭 she has been through a year of chemo and has been given the all clear now though thNk god

youmadorwhat would you mind telling me what the symptoms were she had? I'm pleased she has made a full recovery.

We have just recently had our 5 year old at the GPs for weight loss, frequent nose bleeds and increased falls. They were very good and said we were right to seek advise.

My mind immediately went to the worst case scenario, the doctor was very reassuring and thorough with her assessment. We’ve been referred for blood tests and to go back in 2 weeks for a further weighing to check that lo hasn’t lost again.

You’re right to follow up any health concerns you have.

Sometimes it can take a while to find the right preventive inhaler to properly control the asthma. When you go back to the GP make sure you ask for a different inhaler if her current one isn’t helping.

I would keep an eye on her neck pain, and maybe try to watch what she is eating over the next few days and see if it’s normal. My 3 year old weighs 2st 6lb and she is only 50th centile.

Having checked my lo (6 in 3 weeks) is on the 9th centile for height and the 2nd for weight having previously been on the 25th for both when last measured in April this year.

It’s scary when you don’t know what’s going on and some of the possible explanations are serious but the earlier you get the medics involved the quicker you can get answers and more importantly - help.

What medicine is she on?

9th centile is still a healthy weight so that alone wouldn’t be cause for concern, although of course it’s alwaya worth keeping an eye

My DS has had similar symptoms (he's 4) in taking him back to the doctor tomorrow and I'm still worried, but the side and neck pain could be glands. DS had the same and I worried about the side pain as I didn't realise there were glands there but aparently they have them on both sides of their abdomen so it could just be that. Hopefully the doctor has some answers for you

What medication is she on?

Might be worth speaking to Asthma UK, they give great advice

She had a relentless cough, v tired, on off temps and weight loss due to lack of appetite. She was always an early riser and started sleeping in really late too. 😩

If she's had a virus or infection it could be post viral fatigue which can linger for a few months, she may have become iron deficient and generally run down. It could also be to do with lack of sleep if she's had disturbed sleep due to coughing and especially if it's due to asthma.

Worrying about the health of your child is the worst, I know nothing is certain but there are so many ailment it could be which are treatable so try to stay positive. You're doing everything you can at the moment and if DD gets worse you'd push for an earlier appointment. You're doing all the right things.

I hope you have your mind put at rest on Friday, and I hope your DD is feeling better soon.

If she has any exposure to wood smoke (e.g. woodburner, open fire etc, even if it's not yours) you might want to read this: woodsmokepollution.org/children.html

Op you are doing the right thing to get her checked out on Friday. Voice all your concerns to your gp and make sure they take it seriously. You have received some good advice. Try not to worry as hard as that is. Yes, it could be serious but you are going to get it all checked out and more than likely it’s some lingering viral Illness. I remember one of my dcs being off form for a full month ; achy, pale, off food and he was already on the skinny side so he was so thin. I did all the checks and of course the drs mentioned scary things but it’s good it get to the bottom of it.
I think some viral illnesses can linger in the system for months.
Try not to worry although I know how difficult that is but it won’t help you and you need to be rested and strong.
Stay away from google and on Friday a lot of your worries will probably be alleviated. Wishing your daughter a speedy recovery

It sounds as though a lingering virus would be the best outcome here. Thanks all. I really hope Friday goes well!

My daughter is asthmatic. Very thin for her age and has dark circles under her eyes. You are doing the right thing getting het checked over again. Has she actually been diagnosed with asthma? Sorry have not RTFT. Would be worth having a peak flow meter at home and monitoring regularly for dips below what is normal for her. That way you can act quickly when she shows signs of a flare up. Hope all is ok.