5 year old with lots of symptoms

[Meejee]

So my 5 year old has been having leg pain, stomach pain and diarrhoea for about 2 years now. The pain comes and goes but it usually is quite severe and he needs calpol and a hot water bottle. He’s had to take days off of school because of the pain. He has diarrhoea pretty much everyday he also comes home from school with some poo on his pants sometimes as he gets watery farts (sorry for the tmi) and it’s very embarrassing for him. He has to get 2 teeth taken out as the enamel has completely eroded I don’t understand how because he doesn't eat a lot of sugar and the dentist was really shocked at how quickly they had deteriorated during lockdown. He has clusters of small bruises on his lower back most of the time, he is quite clumsy but I think is quite a strange place to get them. The doctor doesn’t seem concerned and says his leg pain is just growing pains but I don’t believe it is as it is very severe and happens at different times of the day not just at night. The doctor eventually referred him to get bloods taken at the hospital and we are meeting with the paediatrician at the end of the month to go over the results but I am so worried that’s they are not going to find anything wrong or that it will be something serious. Has anyone had a child with similar symptoms and what diagnosis did they get?

Replying to hopefully boost your post.

My son has had leg pains since he was a toddler (he's now 7) but he had multiple blood tests early on to rule out anything sinister. Hopefully now you've finally had some bloods done you will start to get some answers.

In my son's case it turns out he has Small Fibre Neuropathy. It's taken since he was a baby to come to this stage of a diagnosis. He's been fobbed off multiple times and by multiple drs as just having growing pains. I would say you have to trust your instinct. I'm not sure on the teeth part of your post as we don't suffer from that, but the rest of it does sound quite similar.

If you don't need to meet til the end of the month hopefully that means it's nothing showing up in the bloods. I would push to see a neurologist personally. Good luck!

Have you looked up symptoms of coeliac and also those of Joint Hypermobility syndrome and Ehlers Danlos syndrome?

Just a couple of things you mention could tie in.

I reckon he could be coeliac. It causes enamel problems as well as obviously gastro issues. I really wouldn’t be surprised! It’s an auto immune condition not an allergy so it must be stuck to strictly his whole life which is a pain (I’m coeliac), and it can cause other auto immune diseases but ultimately it’s not that bad.

Oh, also, it would explain the leg pain as it causes joint inflammation. Blood tests aren’t that reliable when you are young (I had one when I was 7 which was negative) but they’ve recently introduced a new test I think and he could also have an endoscopy to look at his small intestine.

It sounds like some sort of allergy / intolerance, I think I'd keep a food diary and watch out for his symptoms.

I think I'd give him a packed lunch so you know what he is eating.

Re-the bruises is he doing something when playing, like bumping down stairs, or something?

@Totallydefeated

Have you looked up symptoms of coeliac and also those of Joint Hypermobility syndrome and Ehlers Danlos syndrome?

Just a couple of things you mention could tie in.

I was also thinking Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes some of these symptoms.

My dd is coeliac- it all sounds very familiar but I would want blood result quicker that that if it is. I'd be tempted to cut down on gluten and see how he is.

Test for coeliac.

@Cerealtoast2

My dd is coeliac- it all sounds very familiar but I would want blood result quicker that that if it is. I'd be tempted to cut down on gluten and see how he is.

Pls don't cut gluten until you had the coeliac test. This is very important

Yes!!

Sounds very likely to be hypermobile Ehlers Danlos to me. It's a collagen problem & as such affects connective tissue, so can affect everything & anything. Stomach issues, dental problems, pain & easy bruising are coming symptoms. If you Google "Beighton Score" you'll find find a chart to check him against. He needs to be seen by a good EdS aware paediatric rheumatologist