can anyone explain what's happening to my 12month old school health?

[MYA2016]

Will try and keep this as brief as possible.
Ds (12mo) always been very healthy. Eats well, sleeps well. Always on 75th centile.

Started nursery in November.

Xmas - developed first illness. Hand foot and mouth. Dh also got it. Both were very poorly.

1st week of January - suspected tonsillitis. 5 days antibiotics

2nd -3rd week of January - severe chest infection. Very poorly and drowsy.1 week of antibiotics. Doctor tells us he has a lot of fluid in his right lung.

4th week of January - wakes up with very swollen eyes and can't open them. No gunk. Eye infection diagnosed and antibiotic drops given.

This same week he gets weighed. In 6 weeks he's plummeted from 75th to 9th centile. Sees paediatrician at local hospital same day who orders bloods.

1st week of Feb - nursery call to say his temp is 40 and he is chesty again. Go straight to doc who is rude and tells me he is a baby and they get ill. Then listens to his chest and tells me he has lots of fluid back in his lung and gives another weeks worth of antibiotics.

This morning - receive letter from hospital with blood results on. I don't understand it. Is there anything I need to do? Is this all really down to an iron deficiency? Letter posted below.

The nursery have told me that it isn't normal for them to be this Ill.

He sleeps around 15 hours a day and just generally has gone from being a happy bright little boy with a constant smile to looking poorly and exhausted all the time.

I am so worried about him but feel like I have no reason to be?

Thanks

Sounds confusing - the 2.9 is is heamoglobin (hb) which is measured as part of the fbc - so that is the one result of the fbc that was abnormal - and low heamoglobin indicates anemia? He sounds certainly symptomatic of anaemia.

Call and discuss the result with the paediatrician. keep a temperature diary to show at your next appointment. If you're worried you can take him to a&e and explain the recurrent infections/weight loss.

I think he needs to be seen urgently. When I was very poorly, my GP sent me to an assessment ward at the hospital. I think you need something similar. Sorry he is so poorly and hope you get some answers.

Is the 2.9 for ferritin and not hb?

If it really is 2.9 for hb and the normal age-appropriate range is between around 10 and 30 wouldn"t that indicate a very worrying degree of anaemia. I'd return to gp tomorrow or get a phone consult so they can explain why he is not being treated with more urgency.

No, the 2.9 is the actual iron levels. And a bit low, on the range given, which indicates he's at risk of becoming anaemic. Normal FBC means the Hb is still within normal bounds (by the way the normal Hb range for toddlers is slightly different to adults).

It is very common to have low iron stores at this age; however he sounds to have the right kind of diet (and usual appetite) to be keeping up. So the question becomes, what else is going on, and is this all consistent with a series of "normal" childhood infections. See a GP again and talk through your concerns. If he doesn't get properly better fairly soon follow up again.

Is the range for kids dramatically different then??