Sudden backache in 4yo coupled with bad cold

[bamamaramadrama]

DS is only just 4. Tonight he came home from day care complaining of feeling tired and dizzy and having a sore back. He says he has lower back pain. He was off his food but after a nap he had a bowl of pasta and an ice cream.

He has not had a fall and according to day care staff he was fine until about an hour before home time.

I'm sure it's nothing, but as it's coupled with an awful-sounding cough, runny nose and fever, I feel a bit worried. His breathing sounds quite heavy (he has a tendency to pseudo-croup) and his voice was a bit wobbly earlier, though he
could well have been putting it on a bit.

He's trying to sleep again now (not easy with all the coughing) and we have given him paracetamol to make him a bit more comfortable. If anything changes I will call the out of hours doctor immediately, I guess I just wanted a bit of feedback from you lot. He is my PFB and I was never ill as a child so find it all very worrying. DP had a lot of respiratory problems when young so is less fazed by the laboured breathing etc.

Could he have pulled a muscle in his back through coughing or sneezing? My daughter did this when she was...just turned 2, maybe. But that would maybe be a more acute pain that he's definitely know about!

Maybe he's just feeling a bit fluey and achey.

Oh poor you, I know exactly how you feel as my PFB four year old also had something like this a few months ago. He was complaining of back ache (in the middle, I think) and had a fever. The backache in particular worried me - he'd never complained about this before. However it turned out to be 'normal' muscle aches due to a virus. It went fairly quickly, to be replaced by more typical cold symptoms.

Check on him overnight a couple of times so you can be sure his temperature isn't soaring (I am a worrier though, so checking in the night may be excessive!). I'm sure he will be fine :)

Thanks for the replies We called the doctor at 2am(!) as DS seemed quite distressed. It was determined that he was ok for then but we should continue to keep an eye on him and take him to the doctor today.

DP took him to the GP this morning and she suspected that he might have a lung infection (apparently the fact that he no longer had a fever was worrying). She referred him to hospital for an X-ray and DP just contacted me to say that the X-ray showed a mild lung infection.

So there you go! I guess I'll know more when they get back. I wouldn't have been nearly as worried except for the breathing issues, so I'm very glad that both the night doctor and the GP took it seriously and found out that there was something wrong. Hopefully DS will make a fast recovery.

Oh goodness, only just seen this. Poor DS. How is he now? Hopefully the antibiotics are starting to work now?