Can I ask about these symptoms in a teenager who cannot speak?

[Pagwatch]

Ds2 was unwell about a month ago. Turns out he had very blocked ears. Had them syringed which he obviously disliked

Now, we have returned from long haul holiday and he seems unwell again.

He is holding his ears but that is one of his asd behaviours so may not be relevant.
His left eye is slightly closed each morning, looks a little red but barely noticeable.
Seems to be having huge trouble sleeping then struggling to wake up in the morning. This is unusual for him.
Very pale.
Dark circles under eyes
Seems out if sorts, unhappy.

He cannot talk to articulate pain. He will not answer questions about being unwell/sore etc and gets upset.

Any ideas ? Please don't filter your answers. I am not easily made anxious - I am trying to decide how long to hold off going to the doctors as he hates it. But if I should be getting him checked, I will

Thanks

Could you maybe try giving him painkiller and seeing if he responds or seems better. Then at least you would know if there was pain. Also check his temp (if he will let you)

Sorry doesn't seem very helpful

Will be watching thread though as i have the same problem with dd who is 3 and asd. She doesn't show pain and cannot talk to express it which very frustrating difficult.

I end up guessing

Pag - I'd definitely think something ear/sinus related probably to do with the flight. ds2 is 19 and still gets huge amounts of ear pain on landing. Maybe painkillers and something like sudafed if it's not contraindicated - it can make some folk a bit hyper. Even though he's not outwardly congested he could have sinusitis. Did he swim on holiday?

Yes, he swam a lot on holiday but mostly kept his head well out if the water. He hates getting his hair wet

He is very resistant to taking painkillers but I may try. Thanks.

I was also wondering if he is having some kind of hay fever thing? But he isn't sneezing. Although he keeps fiddling with his nose...

It is so bloody difficult. If I ask him he just says " all better. Not asking" and gets very grumpy and upset.

Thank you so much for replying though. Very kind of you

Yes hayfever a possibility. ds2 currently having trouble with his eyes and itchy throat but not so much his nose.

How difficult for you (and him).

Dark circles can be a sign of an allergy so sinusitis as a pp suggested or other allergy-related ENT issue. Post nasal drip due an allergic reaction can cause sleep issues (itchy throat etc). Otherwise perhaps an ear infection or inability to equalise his ear pressure.

Not very helpful but may give you a starting point. Perhaps give him whatever pain relief he is happy to take and see how things go from there.

Might sound strange but possibly tooth ache? Is he at the age for his wisdom teeth to come through? Or it could be an infection.

Often you get throbbing pain in ears and face and swelling so possibly why one eye is slightly closed.( just a possible theory). Sleeping is horrible when you're in pain.

Are liquid painkillers any easier to get him to take? Even something like calpol? Hope it's sorted quickly.

Ok thanks . All good ideas.

He cannot tolerate calpol but he can have neurofen for children. I can also get him to take that if I approach him carefully enough.

Yep, good thoughts. thanks house poncey and purples
He does have a massive range of intolerances so I probably should contemplate hay fever. I am not sure how I would get an anti histamine down him and then I would be concerned about him reacting to that [sigh]

He has a dental appt in about a weeks time so I could get her to have a really good look for any signs of new teeth/wisdom teeth or infection. That is lucky timing and a good idea to get it checked out . Thanks pingu.

He is out this afternoon with his ex teacher/therapist. I will ask her to observe him too. See if she has any thought.

Thank you all

Does he like hot drinks? If it is hayfever/sinus related I always find that the steam from hot drinks helps a lot more than you'd think it would. Steaminess in general is good.

Would hopi ear candles be an alternative to syringing? Its less medical (well lets face it its not medical at all) and could be done at home if he would let you. (They are quite cheap to DIY off internet)

Massaging temples/head is good for sinus probs too, if he would tolerate that.

Not sure if these iseas are possible or not, just trying to think of a few suggestions. Good luck, its horrible having a poorly one.

Yes poncey, autism. Quite severe end of the spectrum.

Fortunately we have a fantastic dentist that ds2 loves so I can manage that bit

The Hopi ear candles sound like an idea too.

I spoke to my friend when she collected him . She may have got him to talk a bit more about what is wrong. That would help too

Thanks again x

Thinking along the lines of previous ear-syringing then long-haul flight do you think he may have a middle-ear infection? That would explain the ear-holding (behaviour not withstanding) and his general malaise. Unfortunately GP will need to look at his ear-drum, would he tolerate that following on the back of treatment?

Right.
It has taken all this time but he has finally (HOORAY) admitted that his face (sinus area) is sore.
he has taken some neurofen tonight and has gone to bed.
He seems to be in less pain than he was, his eyes look fine now and he slept this afternoon.
My instinct is that he is tired having not been able to sleep for a few days but is feeling well enough now to rest... I hope that makes sense.
I am hoping he will have a good sleep tonight.but if he is still uncomfortable tomorrow I will get a doctors appt.

Thank you all so much. It is so hard that he can't speak. Getting some sensible, kind feedback is a great help. Thanks. I feel a little more relaxed about him this evening

i swear by sudofed, if you think he will take it. I often get similar to your son, face pain, puffy sometimes stcky eyes in the morning and tinitus that feels like my ears need syringing drs look and say they are clear. A few days on sudofed and it all clears up.

hope he is better soon.

How is he now pagwatch?
Could it be an ear infection or burst ear drum? I've had this twice in my left ear both times after a holiday swimming in pools.
My youngest child did the ear holding thing and I think he'd got a bit of water in his ear and didn't like the difference in sound, I guessed this cos he would pull his ear lobe downwards very hard but like your DS he couldnt/wouldn't tell me (ASD)
My twin Girls also have ASD and they seem to take it in turns to do repetitive or competitive sniffing coughing or nose blowing, I used to get lots of calls from school to say they were poorly, I also found that if we were with anyone that coughed or sniffed then they would copy, I still remember the filthy looks received in the cinema as the lady sitting in front of the girls had a bad cough.