dd 3.5 pale, hollow eyes, tired yet sometimes completely manic. whats up?

[sunglasses]

My dd had a run of colds etc before xmas. had antibiotics in the end for ear infection ( she suffers a lot with this). Now she is mopping around pale and with dark circles under her eyes despite 11-12 hours sleep a night. keeps bursting into tears and saying she is tired but hasnt been falling asleep in day despite sometimes taking herself to bed. She has been fine at nursery- does morning every day but hasnt been past 2 days as didnt think she seemed well enough and she actually slept in till 9.00 this morning so was too late to go. Doc thinks she may be anaemic so trying to improve her diet- she is quite fussy. however sometimes she is completely manic- giggling hysterically, rolling around the floor etc and really hard to calm her down. I have history of overactive thyroid- could it be possible she has it too or does anyone else know what this is about. I think she has been like this off and on for most of her life. sometimes she is fine and very active, happy etc but then long stretches of this other stuff. please help

Has she been tested for coeliac disease(intolerance to gluten...wheat, oats, rye and barley)? My DD was just like that and also suffered with upset tummies and constipation, bare in mind to get a positive result you need to ensure that she is on a heavy wheat and gluten diet before the test....the consultant said it helps if it is about 3 months prior, my DD was living on nothing but weeabix and was terribly ill. I may be way off the mark but it is worth trying, if you haven't already. Two years on and my DD is well and has adjusted to the gluten free diet. Hope you find out whats wrong soon.

Oh and DD was also getting recurring ear infections from a very early age, I have read some where that they may also be a sympton.....there are others on MN who can help and advise too. Good luck.

bumping for you......

DD had something similar when she was 2. It started with recurrent infections, rounds and rounds of antibiotics, weird fevers, manic phases and a brief 2 day hospital admission as her temperature went up and down and she wouldn't stop shrieking .

Finally, one bright spark decided to draw some blood and they discovered she was severely anaemic. No-one could tell us why - think it was just bad luck. She'd become ill, hadn't eaten much, iron count became lower, she became ill again - essentially a viscious circle.

Anyway, they gave her iron supplements in the form of a strange browny-orange liquid that she took daily for six months and that was it. Her iron levels went back to normal and have stayed there ever since (she's now almost 8).

Insist that they do a blood test. They can numb the skin first so they don't feel a thing.

HTH

Hi sunglasses, i second the coeliac possibility - if GP suspects DD might be anaemic, has he/she not ordered a blood test to check!?

My youngest DC (almost 4)is being retested every 6 months (since he was 2)at present because he keeps on being "borderline anaemic" despite a really good diet and eating so much meat our nickname for him is "the little carnivore"! His sister is coeliac and was extremely anaemic (to the point of needing a blood transfusion) before we knew what was wrong with her, so they are keeping a careful eye on him for signs of deterioration in iron levels, which might be an indicator he is coeliac too

paleness and "panda eyes" can be a sign of dairy intolerance too

hope you find out whats the matter, make them listen to you!

Oh, I've just posted on another thread about my DS who has blood test today about glands on his neck but the description sounds very much like him: panda eyes, tired in evenings but manic sometimes. This is interesting. Will see if blood test turns anything up.

Have been wondering about food intolerance also (is permanently coughing and snotty, and does, er, foul farts. Unlike the rest of us, who smell of roses obv )

Again ask for a blood test for coeliac....dairy intolerance also occurs alongside coeliac as does anaemia, as dd, myself, my mum and 2 of my sisters have all these nasties.....

Another one thinking coeliac here - it came to mind when I read your thread title, without looking at your OP.

Anaemia is a symptom of coeliac disease, as is extreme tiredness and recurrent infections. I can't believe your GP didn't test for anaemia if they suspect that is the culprit. Please go back and insist on a test and ask them to test for coeliac as well.

Hope you get some answers soon.

thanks everyone. a friend of ours dd is coeliac and they mentioned this too. not had much in the way of tummy problems but think i will get it all checked out with blood tests if no improvement. doc wanted to avoid testing at first and recommended an iron supplement and an increase in protein in her diet. doing both for a month to see if she gets better but will press for tests. didnt know they could numb the skin for blood tests- that makes me feel better about it.
really hoping she isnt coeliac- its all the food she actually likes!
she has quite soft pale-ish poo sometimes- is this a sign? or is that related to anaemia?
She certainly doesnt have the growth problems associated with coeliac. she is tall and slim but solid and has always been quite strong and agile- climbing in park etc
she is quite emotional at the moment- bursting into tears for no apparent reason, oh and clumsy!! but maybe all kids are?!

sunglasses, there is no definitive list of signs and symptoms for coeliac, there is a huge range of them, some people have many classic signs, some have fairly few, so that they are often overlooked as possible coeliacs, or find out "by accident" only when they are checked following another family members diagnosis. Lack of symptoms does not mean you are not suffering long term damage inside though

some people do not get diagnosed till in their 50s and 60s though they have been ill on and off all their life.

It is better to know whether it is or is not, the diet is easier to get used to than you may think and my child (5 at the time, now 9) was just so glad to feel differnt and energetic
soft pale poo (typically that is hard to flush away) is a sign of both coeliac and dairy intolerance