Unexplained headaches with temps every 2 - 3 weeks ...

[ghosty]

The GP and I are flummoxed ...

Every 2 to 3 weeks my DS has raging headaches and high temperatures which lay him low for 3 - 4 days ....
This has been going on since March. He has had blood tests about 6 weeks ago which only showed that he has a low iron count - he has a healthy diet though (eats red meat and green vegetables) so he is clearly not absorbing his iron that well. The GP said that low iron was very common in active children. I have been giving him an iron supplement for the last 4 weeks but this isn't helping his headache/temp issue.
Yesterday he had a urine test, but we haven't had the results yet.
He is pretty grumpy and has had shocking behaviour in recent months - don't know if this is related.
He is a terrible sleeper - Doc says it won't be the cause but will be making it worse.
No other symptoms (no cold or sore throat or anything)

Any clues anyone??????????????

Thanks fanjo lady

Just a little bump ...

Anyone?

How old is he ghosty? Did doc check his infection levels (is that white blood count, CRP or something?) DD sometimes has a bit of a temp whjen she has a migraine.

I presume he was checked for glandular fever? Silly ? really, am sure the gp would have thought of that. Could be a persistent virus, poor little chap - sounds horrid. I would bet the grumpiness and behaviour is related in some way, myself.

Hope it clears up soon and/or gets clearer....

Another silly ? probably, but...you haven't been away some time before this started, somewhere malarial for example?? My neice has picked up a very persistent virus from a trip to Kenya recently, and none of the tests seem to show it up - but its obviously there.

I am sorry that this will likely be of little help but we have been in your stuation with our ds1. He missed many school days in year 1 to the point where his teacher was convinced that I was inventing his fever as an excuse to keep him home.

(He is on the couch now as I type this with a mystery fever and headache and it is Saturday so it is certainly bot school related.)

Now that he is 9, it does seem to happen less often but still at least once every 6 weeks.

How old is your ds?

I meant to add that our DS1 has been checked thoroughly as well to no avail. The best guess was migraine but I don't think that fever is a classic symptom of these awful headaches.

Thanks for these answers ...
DS is nearly 7.
He had a whole blood count six weeks ago (only iron levels were low)
He's not been tested for glandular fever but the Doctor said his liver isn't inflamed (whatever that means)
No visits to any exotic places (well, I suppose some people might call NZ, where we live, exotic lol but it isn't malarial or anything)
Cadmum ... so relieved that your DS had a similar thing ... but poor little chap to your DS obviously ... Definitely not school related - he loves school and often battles through when he is sickening for it but I do keep him off by day 2. He has been crook today (day 3) and it is Saturday ...
We are having upheavals at home at the moment but this started way before that started ....
Doctor assures me it won't be anything sinister head related as DS wouldn't have temperatures with it.

Bit of an update ...
Urine test on Friday came back today as negative. However I was called at 12 by the school to come and pick DS up as he was unwell. Raging temp so I took him straight down to the doc's (at times like this I am SO glad I live here ... I just took him in, no appointment needed, had to wait a bit but they saw him).
He has swollen glands in his neck, armpits and groin, feels rotten, poor thing. The doctor phone the paediatrician while we were there and they came up with a new set of blood tests they want doing ... liver function, renal function, Glandular fever, thyroid and some other stuff I haven't heard of.
Doctor seems worried as DS is now on day 6 of a high temperature (only been normal in the mornings and has been between 38 and 40 during the day and in the night since Wednesday) ... headache comes when the temp goes above 39.
I'm trying to fend off panic right now actually.

ghosty, I feel for you, dd is 4 and she gets regular bouts of temp and headache but nothing as severe as you ds.

Glad to see though that your GP is actually reacting I used to be registered at a surgery where they sent me home when I walked in with 3 month old ds coughing up his lungs and throwing up left right and centre becaue I didn't have an appointment. Needless to say I've changed surgeries, and now they're more like yours though I still need to call ahead if possible.

Good luck and hope he feels better soon

ps forgot to mention, dd's is sort of school related... she seems to pick up everything that goes around and got lumbered with a rather persistent recurring virus if there is such a thing

Thanks MrsBigD ...
We really have no idea where it is coming from ... no one else seems to have the same thing at school and our GP is local to the school (his daughter goes there too - as does the paediatrician's daughter ... Auckland is a small place - lol) and he said that no other kids from school have come in with anything similar ... just the standard colds and winter flu bugs ...

Sorry he's still unwell ghosty, he's definitely fighting off some bug or other isn't he? Glad you are getting a bit more action now and hope that these new bloods show up an easily rectified cause.