UPDATED - Ask a Paediatrician Anything. Answers Posted

[JoshMumsnet]

Hi,

After our successful AMA with a midwife, next week we have Dr. Chinedu Nwokoro - who has kindly agreed to answer all your questions related to children's health.

He's a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, specialising in respiratory conditions; but he's happy to answer any questions you might have on children's health.

What have you always wanted to ask a paediatrician? Things you suspected, but never were sure of? Dr. Chin will answer as many as he can (within reason!)

Just pop your comment or question in this thread and we'll ask Dr. Chin. The video will appear on this thread next week.

(A somewhat obvious disclaimer, but please do not use the video instead of seeing your healthcare professional!)

Would also like to add that he is 3 and still hasn't spoken one single word, which is being looked into for autism but I was wondering whether you have any advice

Hi there. I have a 7yo girl and a nearly 4yo boy. Neither of them seem to have had chicken pox, unless asymptomatically (if this is genuinely possible). They've both at nursery and school when other cases have arisen.

Would a blood test show definitively whether they have immunity and would the GP do this? Otherwise I think we'll need to get them vaccinated privately at considerable expense as the older the get the worse it's likely to be, especially in terms of scarring. I'd appreciate your view.

Thanks.

My son is nearly 11 and has nephrotic syndrome (steroid dependent, diagnosed April 2018). Currently he takes MMF and is tapering Prednisolone hopefully down to a 5mg daily maintenance dose. So far nothing has worked as well as prednisolone but we have discussed rituximab as the next line of treatment.

My question is regarding the effects of prednisolone on puberty. If he remains on a small daily dose, every other day impacts on his ASD/ADHD so isn’t an option, will it affect puberty and growth - if so do children catch up when they stop taking prednisolone?

Why isn't more known/publicised about RSV and bronchiolitis? My 6 week old ended up on oxygen with ng feeding for 8 days in hospital - it was so scary.

And is the link with asthma proven? He is a robust 10yo now, but with asthma, hospital warned us on discharge wouldbe likely (although family are atopic anyway)

Thanks

Very interested in the answer to boble1 question about foreskins. Our son is coming up for 8yo and it doesn't retract.

Hi
My daughter is 4 years old and you can clearly see a pulse in her neck on the right side. This is at all times including rest. I don't recall being able to see it previously.

How often should a child taking medication for ADHD be reviewed?

Is there anything that can be done for severe trapped (farts!) in a 6 month old? Or are there any medical conditions etc that might be causing it? He wakes a lot through the night and it’s all being caused by wind. When you pick him up, his belly is hard and he really screams the place down!
We’ve tried baby massage, he does lots of tummy time throughout the day, all the OTC things have been tested. We’re now weaning which is making it worse.
The GP and HV haven’t been able to help and just express surprise that he hasn’t grown out if it by now. He doesn’t seem particularly constipated - sometimes poops everyday, sometimes 1-2 days without. There is very occasional mucus present and sometimes a very vinegar smell. He’s rarely sick or possets. He had antibiotics at birth and I wonder if this had an effect on his gut flora. Would a probiotic help? Any other ideas?

Hi Dr, my daughter is 9 months old and cries A LOT. This crying can sometimes be entire days where she is either whinging or properly crying almost every moment she is awake, other days she's not so bad, then she also has hysterical screaming fits usually a couple of times a week that can sometimes go on for hours. She has been seen by the GP loads and the HV and neither can find anything wrong with her, they've tried ranitidine and gaviscon and neither helped. Infacol seems to help a little bit - her only other symptoms are struggling with wind sometimes, and although she passes regular bowel movements, she visibly struggles to pass them sometimes (crying and straining etc). The GP referred her to the paediactrician a couple of months ago but there's a long waiting list and she won't been seen until she's 1!

My question essentially is - what can we expect from this appointment? She doesn't really have any other symptoms other than the excessive unexplained crying, after all! She is growing well and there are no developmental concerns.

My 15 month old DS has had pus coming out of both his ears for the last 6 weeks. Four rounds of antibiotics haven’t shifted it (although swabs indicate there is no longer bacteria in there so they have done their job to an extent!) but the leaking remains. We’ve been referred to ENT but no appointment until June. No temperature but DS often in pain at night, banging and tugging his ears and screaming. Sometimes we get a few “dry” days before a surge of new pus. What could be going on?

Ps The glands on his neck have been raised throughout although go up and down in size.

What could the reason for very pale poo throughout a child's life be (with occasional phases every few months of very dark or normal poo) - this is a child with a massive appetite, always hungry, chubby,- despite being active with 5 sports clubs a week - bright, academically able and happy (except when food denied!). He sometimes suffers stomach pain high in the abdomen too. Aged 9. I presume it is a bile issue but is it something I should be worrying about?

Hello.
Our son is 3 years old . He had a haematoma on his inside corner of his mouth/lip which as he has grown has significantly reduced and is not noticeable now.

However in his sleep (not as often now he is older) he sounds like he has hiccups but more of a grunt noise like when a young ch child is really upset and cannot catch his breath . We watch him while he has it , sit him up , try water etc sometimes it just goes other times it can be a while.

We have been told previously it's reflux?.

It's quite a worrying sound and his chest does go in and out with each sound he makes .

I suffer with SVT /AVNRT but through my own research don't think this could be a cardiac issue?.
Other possible things I have researched are in fact hiccups, or the diaphragm going into spasm .

Just wondered if you can give any other perspective on this.

Thank you for your time :)

Hello, how much should a 19 month old be saying. How do I prepare him for his second hyperspadiais operations and deal with a catheter been in for two weeks at 1.5 years pld

Hi,

My daughter is 33 months old, when she first learnt to walk we noticed she always did so on her tip toes and with her feet turned in slightly towards each other. We thought she’d grow out of this but she is still doing it, even when she runs she goes eveywhere on her tip toes with both feet turned in, she does trip over quite a lot, I feel it’s partly because of the way she’s walking.

I was expecting by now for her to be flat footed and for her feet to be more forward but they aren’t, is this something that at this stage I should get checked or will it correct itself? Do you know what could be causing this?

In every other way she is developing perfectly, on time with a normal birth etc.

What is really meant by 'Chest infection'?

What's the difference between it and pumonia?

What's the difference between viral wheeze and asthma?

My daughters often 'squints' blinks continuously and closes her eyes quite forcefully

My GP said its 'behavioural' what does that exactly mean?

I have a ten year who mostly "mouth-breathes" through the day. He snores for the first hour-ish of sleeping, not so much the rest of the night. Also has diagnosed behavioural problems. Would it be worth asking my gp for a referral to get ENT checked out?

If my ten year old son has daily meltdowns like a two year old in which I fear for his safety, my safety, and that of anything breakable in the house, doesn't have any friends, has never been dry at night, hides wet and soiled clothing around his room, kicks and bites me every day and tells me he hates me, do you think he might have a problem?

My daughter is awaiting an appointment to see if she has CFS. But the first appointment is not until May 10th. She is doing GCSE this year. Im worried as how she will manage. As on a bad day she can't even get out of bed. What will happen if she misses an exam?

SurgeHopper really?!

Gay Paree bronchiolitis is very common. Had you never heard of it?

Back pain in children. DS, 8.5, has on and off complained of back pain for years. He seems to really suffer from it, not waking him up but enough to make him upset and uncomfortable at times. He has some on/ off gut problems (vomiting out the blue as a one off, pain) but is otherwise very very fit and healthy. Very lean but muscled and fit, tends to hide pain until he hits a high level so as not to mid favourite sport or seeing friends. How can I help him with the pain?

EnoughAleady - tbf I'd never heard of it / RSV or childhood viral wheeze.

They need more publicly.

EnoughAlready no I hadn't, he was my third and I grew up with a severely asthmatic mum who has recently died due to complications due to her asthma/COPD. I also work for a Medical School and know a fair bit about health. Once he tested positive for RSV in hospital we were kept in isolation too - it was very odd to have not heard of it until it happened.

And I had to keep fighting the GP that he didn't just have a cold - SATS of 83 on Admission (in a 6 week old)

I think it needs to be publicised more - and I would also be keen to know if there is potential for a vaccine to be developed as it was a horrid illness.