To be worried about ill teen?

[LlamaDrama99]

She's been ill for months, bloods were all clear but we're waiting on more blood tests to be done. So far this term she has 50% attendance as she just can't manage it. The extra bloods weren't booked in until late next week but I've I managed to get an appt for this tomorrow now but then we still have to wait yet another week for them to come back.

She's pale, lethargic, loss of appetite, dizzy, she fainted yesterday (GP rang and said it was because she hadn't eaten breakfast, yet she never does). I'm really worried. Drs seem to think it might be stress but she said she's only stressed because she feels unwell and I'm not convinced being stressed would make you pale?

It would be unreasonable to go to a&e wouldn't it? :( I'm so worried.

The fact you don’t mention her weight would indicate she’s not under weight

However that does not mean she doesn’t have an eating disorder

Another vote for glandular fever, you just described me in year 8, when I had it. For me it was the abdominal lymph nodes that went off, so it wasn't easy to spot.

Can it be glandular fever if blood tests clear?

Haven't RTFT but has she been tested for coeliac disease? This is how I was. Has to be eating gluten for the endescopy though, although I'm sure they're going off blood tests recently.

It's not A&E but you definitely need to be seen in person by a doctor once the blood results are back. Although I guess if they won't see you there will be no other option. Bloody crazy

@Saladovercrispsanyday it apparently can, because you have the flash-in-the-pan initial infection which is fairly easy to pick up, which is sometimes followed by a much less specific, long-term phase in some people. Kind like covid.

But the initial blood test were fine

@WaterAndRichTea , it was you that was arguing the point not me and I don’t need you to police my posts thanks .

It's not an accident or an emergency if it's been going on 6 months. I think you should be more proactive and hassle the GP a bit more.

If they can't find anything physical, I would certainly suspect eating disorder. Even quite young teenagers can be incredibly 'clever' about hiding what they're doing and often parents are deceived into thinking that couldn't possibly be the case. My oldest daughter has been anorexic since she was 12ish (now an adult and still not completely ok but functioning normally) and some of the convoluted deceptions she pulled were unbelievable in an otherwise compliant, honest teenager.

If she’s had full bloods that were normal, it rules out most serious causes (like inflammatory disorders, cancer, diabetes, thyroid problems, infections, anaemia, autoimmune conditions).

Sounds like she’s not eating well. Why does she always skip breakfast? Is she underweight, overweight? Does she eat a nutritious diet, exercise regularly, take vitamin supplements?

After 6 months and with no clear symptoms, it would be U and a waste of time to go to A&E with a list of vague chronic symptoms, when she’s had full bloods, is awaiting a glandular fever test and has been seen by medical professional recently.

Glandular fever is horrible and if that’s positive it will give an explanation… but there’s no cure, she just needs time to recover and rest. The nurse who felt her tummy was probably checking for signs of an enlarged spleen (can be a sign of glandular fever).

It doesn’t sound like an emergency so taking up the time of emergency services seems wrong. In A&E what do you think they’d do, other than refer her back to her GP?

Lots of teenagers suffer from anxiety/depression/stress which can cause loss of appetite, pallor, lots of hazy physical symptoms that don’t add up. If you can I’d get her seen by a private psychologist. There may be an underlying MH cause.

Considering all NHS services are so understaffed and underfunded at present, and about to get worse with winter pressures and Covid still hanging about, I think you need to be more patient. Diagnosis and treatment are delayed for most people, unless doctors think the underlying cause is serious.

After having a teen die in the family recently due to NHS ineptitude I would say fight tooth and claw until you get a diagnosis. Make them test for everything. Do not be fobbed off. Do not worry about coming across as rude. Be pushy as hell.

My first thought is eating disorder, I've one and a lot of these things ring true, fatigue,dizziness being pale etc could be due to not getting enough nutrients.

A&E.
I think she sounds like ED and you need to have that ruled out via bloods.

What is her mental health like? Depression and anxiety can manifest themselves in physical ways and can make you feel very, very unwell.

You say she doesn't eat breakfast - could it be an eating disorder? A friend of mine as anorexic as a teen and she had a lot of the symptoms you describe.

Glandular fever is also a possibility.

Ring the receptionist today and ask them what was tested previously and what the results were and what the correct range is. Then ensure everything mentioned here has been tested for ie vit D, iron, b12, coeliac etc. etc. Please dont assume they will all have been done and ruled out. Then get anything not tested added onto your form for tomorrow. Good luck.

You can do an active stand test at home for POTS. It's often missed as blood pressure & heart rate are taken sitting down.
Info on symptoms on POTS UK website.

@GrimDamnFanjo

A&E. I think she sounds like ED and you need to have that ruled out via bloods.

You don’t have an eating disorder ruled about by bloods

Did you mean ED for eating disorder or another condition?

Like a previous poster I also immediately thought of Coeliac disease. Your daughter sounds similar to mine when diagnosed. Does she also get joint pains/breathless/unexplained rash/headaches/mouth ulcers/pins and needles - all symptoms of Coeliac disease.

@WaterAndRichTea yes, they can, I’ve had them back the same day. You can’t dismiss being wrong because it’s about someone else.

It could be anything from hypothyroidism to glandular fever. If she's still feeling as terrible and it hasn't changed or has got worse, I'd take her to A&E. The worst they'll do is see her and send her home to wait for GP.

Blood test results usually take up to a week but they will get them to you ASAP.

@Saladovercrispsanyday

Sorry I was really unclear. I did mean Eating Disorder.
Blood tests would show up blood sugar levels etc

I would trust your gut and go to a and e. Sometimes GPs just don’t listen. When I was pregnant I had severe sickness which I knew was beyond the norm. My GP said it was normal (vomiting 20 times a day and feeling so nauseous I couldn’t eat anything). I pushed and pushed and he refused. In the end I went to a and e and the lovely hospital doctor sorted me out some decent pills to stop it.

I'd go and see a Paediatrician privately. You will have at least 40 minutes to be listened to and taken seriously, they may be able to run a few simple tests that don't neeed tech. Most specialists doing private clinics also have an NHS clinic and you can get your GP to refer you and get put on their list if you want follow up to be on the NHS. Even if your GP refers you tomorrow to an NHS clinic you might have to wait many months. Locally (before Covid which has made things worse) a referral to Paediatrics was running at 40+ weeks wait unless the condition was life threatening.

Our private appointment cost £225 we didn't get final answers but were able to rule out all sorts of horrible things with a few tests which gave my teen a lot more piece of mind.I had no money at the time and paid on my credit card and sold some jewellery and tech to fund it.

[quote GrimDamnFanjo]@Saladovercrispsanyday

Sorry I was really unclear. I did mean Eating Disorder.
Blood tests would show up blood sugar levels etc
[/quote]
a blood test might show derangements that are common in EDs, e.g. FBC aberrations, LFT derangement, vit D deficiency, or electrolyte imbalances, but those blood results don't exclusively apply to EDs and their absence certainly would not rule out an eating disorder, either. Some people with EDs can stay surprisingly physically healthy until, all of sudden, they aren't.