Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Should I get dd1 referred to the pead <again>?

33 replies

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 10:55

We took dd1 to the doctors concrened about several problems she has. My doctor was less than supportive claiming he had never seen her before and that she had been to a and e and the gp's too many times for him to read all of her notes

He told us to write a letter outlining all of her concerns and he would refer it the pead.

Our concerns about her are;
She has had a poor appetite since by birth accompanied by poor weight gain and will go days without eating a thing.

She doesn't sleep, yet rarely seems tired. I put her to bed at 8pm and she is still awake at midnight when I go to bed, so god knows what time she sleeps.

She complains all the time of 'stinging' wee and often has dirroreah or constipation.

She is constantly ill. Probably due to not sleeping and not eating but it is starting to affect her schooling. Her illness inc coughs, cold, flu, high temps, rashes, dirroreah, sickness, lethargy. If anything is going around dd1 gets it to the extreme, she has just gotten over flu like symptoms with a temp of 39.8 degrees. All her friends had colds.

And the final thing is she complains about her feet and legs aching and 'paining', which she has seen the doctor about and he said they were growing pains, which they could be, but they could also be something else.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 11:05

I am just being nuerotic and pfb or could this be linked to something?

OP posts:
TotalChaos · 16/03/2009 11:11

Yes - get it checked out - the not eating sounds pretty unusual for a school aged child.

morningsun · 16/03/2009 11:12

Hi
did the paed think there was a reason for her poor weight gain,did they follow her up and when did the paed last see her?

controlfreakythecontrolfreak · 16/03/2009 11:14

yes. the overall picture sounds worrying for you and for her... it's getting in the way of her doing things and enjoying life.

... and you gp sounds an arse. can you change him?

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 11:16

She was last seen about a year ago as her weight had improved. They seemed more interested in getting her weight up than identifying why she wasn't eating in the first place. I am sure her weight will have gone down again now. She is very thin and bony.

They did sweat and urine tests but no blood tests and they lost the results of her sweat test they didn't tell us what they were testing for.

Thyroid troubles run in our family as does diabetes, so I'd like her checking for that.

She is 5.

OP posts:
SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 11:18

I normally request to see another doc who is great controlfreaky, but my mum made this appointment as I was working and she forgot to ask for the other doctor.

OP posts:
littlefrog · 16/03/2009 11:19

I'd DEFINITELY push to be seen, if I were you I'd just go on worrying otherwise. Dr doesn't sound helpful at all - is there another one you can see? Maybe ask for a double appointment so s/he can look at notes properly?

littlefrog · 16/03/2009 11:20

xposted, sorry

CharleeInChains · 16/03/2009 11:27

Definatley get checked, what idiots loosing the Sweat Test results.

SOmetimes im afraid you have to push and push to get medical things sorted. I have been there with DS1 it is hard and frustrating but if your DD isn't right in herself and you have worries always get them checked.

I hope it works out for you.

morningsun · 16/03/2009 11:43

ok,
1 get her urine sample checked forsugar at the gps and sent off to the hosp to check for infection
2 get her weighed at the gps.
3 ask for referral for frequent infections,low weight and appetite.

Does she have symptoms like diarrhoea,cough and chest infections etc?

It may just be frequent viral infections but need to exclude diabetes ,inflammatory bowel disease like crohns disease,immunodeficiencies[rare],other chronic illness,infections.
If no chronic illness and she is under her centile on the chart ask to see the dietitian for advice and drink supplements etc

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 11:49

Yes she often has diarrhoea and coughs and has had croup a few times too.

OP posts:
morningsun · 16/03/2009 11:51

does she get a lot of tummy ache or feeling sick?

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 11:53

She complains of tummy ache often but I have always just thought it's because she is hungry but won't eat.

She is a little drama queen and couldn't wait to be rushed home to have her temp took when my mum thought she felt hot last week, so you are never quite sure which symptoms are real and which ones are exagerated.

OP posts:
tiggerlovestobounce · 16/03/2009 11:55

I think that your GP is correct, write the letter, your GP and make the referral, and then you will get the benefit of a paediatricians opinion.

Some of what you have write sounds fairly normal, some of it doesnt, and you say she has already seen the paed once before for her weight gain.

I think the GPs suggestion that you put it in a letter is good, that way you will know that the paediatrician has read it, and so is considering all the things that you are worrying about, and you wont have to worry about remembering everything you want to say while you are in the appointment.

Chellesgirl · 16/03/2009 11:56

How old is DD1?

I recon URTI could be a reason for the 'stinging' when weeing.
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection:
In older children, typical symptoms include fever, shivers, pain passing urine, the sensation of needing to pass urine frequently, blood in the urine, pain in the abdomen or loins, vomiting and diarrhoea.

How long has this been going on?

I would suggest the lethargy is from not eating all the time.
"Loss of appetite can be linked with some medical conditions. For instance, if your child?s diet is low in iron rich foods, anaemia is a possibility. This could make your child feel tired and less inclined to eat." www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/families/az_child_health/l/loss_appetite.html

I would have her checked for:

  • Aneamia
  • URTI

Go on the website www.healthline.com type in all symptoms. I do not think everything is connected by one illness. It could be a number of things acting with each other.

Chellesgirl · 16/03/2009 11:59

sorry shes 5.

The rash could be due to her high temp.

Chellesgirl · 16/03/2009 12:00

Was she BF or formula fed when she was born?

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 12:02

She has had her urine tested before for infection and it came back clear, but she still complains her wee stings, at times we have had to fill a bath with cold water for her to sit in to wee.

She has limitless energy, unless she is ill. You know she is not making her illness up when she sleeps. At other times she is never still. But she does have very pale skin and dark rings around her eyes. I have never known if this is anemia or lack of sleep.

OP posts:
SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 16/03/2009 12:04

She was ff. and weaned onto purees at about 5 months though never took to it and so was not weaned properly untill about 9 months.

She had formula added to food on the HV's advice as her weight was so low.

OP posts:
Chellesgirl · 16/03/2009 12:05

Could you give her vitamin supplements? the children's ones that she can chew? Barretts soft and chewy? Bare with me I read somehing about the stinging when weeing and it could be her vulva that stings and not the bladder infection.

Chellesgirl · 16/03/2009 12:10

Id get her checked for dabetes type 1.

Chellesgirl · 16/03/2009 12:13

Ok well I recon diabetes is your first bet as it runs in your family. Im just gonna take a look on NHS choices they give you alot of answers.

morningsun · 16/03/2009 12:14

if she has sensitive skin is her bottom area inflamed at all,could try sudocrem?
my dd was always thin and pale ,not as young as your dd ,from about 9 or 10 and a few years later was found to have crohns disease.
also have they considered coeliac disease ,an allergy to wheat[gluten]

as tigger says,some things are normal,like croup,colds,viruses,but on the other hand some things may not belike poor weight gain.
write the letter,keeping to the main points of what the problems have been rather than detail every cold and let the paed decide what further investigations might be warranted.

tiggerlovestobounce · 16/03/2009 12:15

If her urine was dipped then glucose would have shown up at that point if it was present due to diabetes.

morningsun · 16/03/2009 12:17

yes if they did that not just sent off for infection

Swipe left for the next trending thread