21 month old Slow to recover from illness

[shelleyb]

In the past month my usually healthy 21 month old son has had an painful ear infection (had antibiotics) followed by chicken pox (very spotty but no temperature) and a week later he has had sickness and diarrhoea. I took him to the doctor on Monday as after the sickness on Saturday he was incredibly lethargic and floppy although no temperature. The doctor has said it is a virus. Following a bout of diarrhoea on tuesday after his appetite picked up a bit he has returned today to being lethargic and miserable and not eating much. He has no temperature or rash. He may be just completely wiped out by illness after illness and I am off to the chemist to see if they can recommend a tonic. I am really worried about him as he is so not himself and before I cart him back up to the doctor does anyone have any experience of this ? Any advice ?

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shelleyb> hate to worry you, but I'd be worried about pneumococcal meningitis. It sounds very familiar to me. Don't let the Dr fob you off.

You say "he is so not himself" and he is lethargic and floppy. This is exactly how my son was and we kept being sent home to be told it was a virus. I'm not going to go into any more detail as I don't want to panic you.

My son didn't have a temperature or any rash. The thing that sets alarm bells off to me is all the symptoms you describe are so similar to my son's. The diarrhoea, the history of ear infection, lethargy and floppiness, lack of appetite.

We were sent home by at least 6 Dr's.

Of course it may well be nothing like this.

I really hope you don't think that I now scream meningitis at every sign of a cold in a child. I don't want anyone to panic unecessarily. Its the combination of symptoms that you describe that would make me want to make sure that a Doctor was a bit more inquisitive about him.

I am worrying about you now. Big time.

I hope everything is alright with you and that I haven't panicked you unecessarily.

Please let me know

I can't relax for worrying about you and your little boy now. I really hope I AM being over dramatic and you are just busy.

?????? Shelleyb??????

Bobbins thanks so much for your your post. Sorry to keep you worrying all night but I haven't had a chance to get on the computer till this morning. He has picked up a bit yesterday evening and this morning. So now I'm not sure. Will see how he is today and if symptoms persist will be back at doctor first thing tomorrow. It's so difficult isn't it, you don't want to be a completely neurotic mother, but on the other hand if there is a chance of something serious I don't want to risk it. Did your little boy have a blood test to show it was pneumococcal meningitis ? What happened ?

shelleyb> thaks so much for posting. I have been worried...either that I'd sent you into blind panic over nothing, or that he had deteriorated.

Phew!. Has he started eating? Is he less lethatrgic?

Hang on...I have a v long description of what happened....I'll try and find it

If you look on this thread there is a long description of what exactly happened
look at Sat 14th Sept 2002, around 1215

Bobbins, what can I say. I am so sorry about your son. And thank you for your concern over mine.
I have (in a mild panic!) rung my childminder who assures me that my son is much brighter today. Still not quite himself but he is playing and has eaten. She has 20 years childminding experience plus two grown up children of her own and is completely practical and so I value her opinion. I have given him 2 doses of multi vitamins on recommendation from the pharmacist (hidden in his milk as he wouldn't take it off the spoon)and will continue to keep a very close eye on him.
I've also read the thread Podmog suggested and will have a look into building up his immune system. I will let you know how he progresses.

Oh Bobbins, I've just read your account of what happened to Harvey. I was still on maternity leave last September and not really using Mumsnet, so I missed this at the time. You have all my very belated sympathy. A huge cyber hug to you and your family.
My sister, in her final stages of training to be a GP, is currently working in Paediatrics and she has grave concerns over the competance of some of the consultants.
I hope you are OK. You have brought home to me how very precious our babies/children are.

Bobbins, I knew your son had died of pneumococal meningitis, but tonight I finally read your account of what happened (I wasn't emotionally up to it previously) and after bawling my eyes out, I got really angry at the terrible terrible treatment you and your son got. The priorities are just all wrong and children seem to get such bad care. I just don't know how you have managed to go on after such a devastating experience. My children have both been vaccinated with Prevenar because I am American and our paediatrician there (I take my children for a visit to her every time we go to the usa) recommended it. But it should be given here too. Or at least offered for free to parents who want it.

Isn't there a blood test for meningitis? Shelleyb, why don't you have your ds tested if there is. Better safe than sorry.

Just to let you know my ds has improved no end in the last 24 hours. I got him a tonic (medinax?) recommended by a pharmacist friend which as well as providing a vitamin/iron boost is supposed to bring the appetite back. This morning he was 90% back to his old self running about with his brother and laughing again. He also polished off a whole bowl of shreddies and a slice of toast for breakfast this morning. The first interest he has shown in food in a week. Thank you so much for your advice & concern

Bobbins, I have just read your account of what happened to Harvey and it has brought back the horrors that we suffered at the Royal Berks, ours was 1999. We were in Kempton I think (?), I try on the whole to blot it out. Our ds did not die, and he did not have the same problems as Harvey, but he did suffer and I feel that much of his sufferrung was caused by the lack of knowledge and interest by the consulants and registrars at the hospital.

Our experience was so bad that we moved from reading and ds2 at another hospital, North Hants, Basingstoke because I could face the hospital again for another birth, and any complications.

My heart goes out to you, and I'm so very sorry at what you and your family have been through. maybe one day i will have your strength to talk on here what we went through.

Cyber hugs to you all.

Bobbins, I too would like to say how sad and angry I feel on your behalf, having read your account of Harvey's last few days. As a relative newcomer here, I had not known before. Your story has a personal significance for me, too, because Harvey was born on the day our first baby was due, and at the hospital where he/she would probably have been delivered had I not had a miscarriage in Oct. 2000. At that time, I was sent to the Royal Berks where, although the staff were caring, a serious mistake was made by a junior doctor (who forgot to take a blood test to see if I was rhesus negative - I later realised the mistake and took myself back there for the test which showed I was indeed Rh-ve and needed Anti-D). Although I know everyone makes mistakes I didn't want to go back to the Royal Berks and opted to have ds (now 15 months) at Frimley Park.

It must have been so difficult for you to post your account, but thank you for doing so; I for one wasn't aware of the symptoms of pneumococcal meningitis.

Lots of cyber hugs to you.

Gingernut xx