5 year old - Anaemia or what else?

[Madmussells]

My DS is almost 5. He's growing well (4-5 clothes are getting too small now) and he's quite challenging and boistorous at times. But I'm still often worried about his health.

I know this anxiety stems from him having temp, lumbar puncture, IV antibiotics at 5 weeks old. Plus 2 blue light ambulance rides for suspected anaphylaxis at 2 and RSV at 3. I'm usually quite calm about illnesses and Mumsnet has helped me solve and get treatment for a few strange ones for myself that the GPs had no ideas about - Thank you Mumsnet! Please can you give me some advice here?

He was a grumpy baby with lots of spit up(no treatment- Drs said normal for a big baby: 10lbs). He's now often grumpy, always pale, big black circles under his eyes, often tired - weekly he'll have a fit of crying midafternoon and then sleep. He doesn't run far without stopping/saying he's tired. Has a cold/cough/temperature approx every 3 weeks. He snores and wakes most nights saying he's scared.

All in all, he's coping and not failing to thrive. He's enjoying school. But still I'm worried that things are a bit rubbish for him health wise. He's often grumpy and I just worry it's because he feels unwell and can't tell me.

We have bloodtests next week. I'm not sure what for exactly and don't know what to ask for/follow up on etc.

Please can anyone give me some advice/ideas of what could be wrong, or maybe have you had a similar experience with your children and its all better now?

Nursery teacher said her daughter was the same and grew out of it around age 11.

Thank you for any advice you can give.

Hmm hyperinsulinism is a maybe for symptoms. Plus ALL of my MIL'S family has type 2 diabetes (none of them had particularly bad diets)and my partner has chronic gout and eats so well the Dr thought he was lying on his food diary! I wonder if its all linked...I hope not!

My guess is that ferritin levels will come back low on Wednesday.

In the meantime - feed before bed, wake on the early side & feed with carbs & regular snacks over the day - try and avoid any lows.

Thank you, that's good to know. He is often an emotional wreck in the morning before breakfast so will prioritise getting him fed.

@Madmussells did you get any further? Following as my 4yo DD is highly emotional every morning and struggles to wake up. Don't know if it's a genuine issue or a 'phase'. Interested to read your posts

Hope you find out what’s going on with your son!

Ask your GP to do a coeliacs test and keep gluten in his diet until this has been done x

Hi Everyone, his tests have come back normal but he seems even more tired and grumpy than usual (despite sleeping 11-12 hours every night). He does run around but I notice he does nowhere near as much as other little boys who just see to just keep going and going! I have a phone consultation on Friday. What shall I ask for next? Asthma review? - the only wake ups this month have been from coughing. Shoukd I ask for iron supplements? I think ferritin seems on the low side... more advice on his allergies? I don't know how to help him.

I've also noticed that his glucose is still on the low side despite him having porridge at 7.30 and bloods at 8.45. (and a sweet on the way to the hospital 😳i have to say he has sweets less than once a week and only Easter and Xmas in the morning. He was just crying about his tests so i gave him a love heart that i found in my bag to cheer him up)

They didn't do a celiac test as he is growing so well and no tummy pain/pooing problems.

His glucose does look low. Does he snore or mouth breathe at all? My son was like this and was due to enlarged adenoids and it was massively disrupting his sleep. I know some children have enlarged tonsils that can cause sleep apnoea. I would definitely get an ENT referral. Hes had his adenoids out and sleeps with his mouth shut now no snoring anymore. So much more energy and not tired.

A friend of mine has also suggested Sleep Apnoea. I do have a few videos of him with pauses in breathing but it's not all the time. If I stay in his room for 20 mins or so, sometimes he'll do it, sometimes he won't. He bit someone at school today. He was really upset/ashamed sbout it. I'm worried his tiredness is affecting his behaviour.

@abbs1 How old was your DS when he had his adenoids out? I don't think that my son will meet all the criteria.

My son had his out at 3yrs 4months. He's had ongoing issues with very restless sleep, possible sleep apnea, snoring like a fog horn- so loud poor thing, mouth breathing as his nose was so blocked up since he was born. He went to a and e via ambulance twice for weird pauses in his breathing. I had to rub him and about his name and he'd wake up with take a big gasp of air. Was only a couple months old.
His main issues were repeat ear infections and hearing loss. NHS fobbed him off for 2 years and basically blamed covid for his issues and then my parenting skills. He needed grommets putting in due to glue ear.
We ended up fundraising and took him private. Best thing I've ever done. Literally like a different kid. It's only been 4 months since his op but he's not snoring or mouth breathing, he's not restless and spinning round his bed all night, so much less tired. He used to fall asleep in the car all the time and just so irritable as he was so tired and couldn't hear, eating properly now he can smell and taste etc. Not more infections or anything.
Honestly if you can afford it or raise funds I'd look into it. The hospital we used under Ramsay Healthcare only offer for 3yrs old+ and minimum 15kgs in weight. My son was underweight by 400g so took 8 weeks to get him heavy enough otherwise they could have done surgery 3 weeks after initial consultation.

I hope you get some help. They did check his tonsils but said they were small and he's not had tonsillitis much so they left it but other children on the day unit for surgery had their out and only 3yrs old.

Please follow up the sleep apnoea, sounds just like my DD. She was transformed after having adenoids and tonsils out age 4.

You need an ENT referral, they will stick a little camera up the nose to check for obstruction (not just GP looking at tonsils).

If you cannot get a referral or if there is a very long wait, any chance you can go private - paediatric ENT would cost about £250 for the camera check, if they find obstruction you could then go back to GP armed with that.

There are a few funnies on the bloods but I would be checking out the apnoea first as this sounds very likely and will be quicker and easier to check for and sort than any sort of allergy issue.

Symptoms were very restless sleep (would wake with birds nest hair), snoring with pauses in breathing, very tired in the afternoons, colds always turned into horrible coughs, and history of glue ear.