2yo ill every month! ADVICE PLEASE!

[JB86]

Hi all,
My 26 month old of constantly ill.
Literally every 4 weeks he has a high temp (38-40c) and says his tummy hurts. It lasts anything between 3-5 days. We give him alternate Calpol/Nurofen (over 3-5 days) but his temp rarely comes down below 38c.
Every time I call the Dr they just say it's normal for a toddler to be this ill and that must be a virus. He doesn't go to nursery so can't be catching it from there....

Is this NORMAL??
Does / has anyone else experienced this?

We are at our wits end...and I'm sure he doesn't enjoy it either!

Any advice greatly appreciated! Many thanks in advance.

Has your little one had a urine test? To rule out a UTI?

You need to put your foot down with the GP. Ask for tests. If they say it's not necessary, ask them to record in your son's notes that you requested testing and they denied it.

It's your job to advocate for your son, and sometimes that means being a complete and utter bitch, throwing your weight around and making a scene. Get comfortable with the idea that you may need to piss people off to get the help you need for your son.

That does sound very unusual! I'd log everything very clearly (date, symptoms, length of illness and medication given), to show the gp and make it clear you want to be taken seriously. In the meantime try lots of extra hand-washes (if you don't already) and teach him to put his hand over his mouth for coughs and sneezes (makes you very aware of yourself and others who don't!).
A wee note though, just because he doesn't go to nursery doesn't mean he won't pick up a lot of bugs even though that is the case with many kids.

@simplyredfan - no, because of covid we don't even get seen these days....the most they've asked for is a photo of his throat to rule out tonsillitis - try getting a 2yo to open his mouth on demand whilst taking a photo!

@Somethingorotherorother yes I was speaking to my husband about demanding tests, etc. It's just getting very silly now being fobbed off with the same thing.

Thanks @SnowdropFox, will deffo start recording and show the Dr (or read over the phone!) We have just since end of June introduced more hand washing with Dettol soap and vigilant with changing muslins regularly, etc, etc. I thought it was working until this afternoon when he fell ill again (last time was 23rd June).... I understand he will pick up bugs as any other normal child does, but it just makes me wonder why it's so frequent with him....

Thanks all for your responses.
I'd be interested to hear from anybody in or who has been in a similar situation.

Hi, my son who is now 18 had this from the ages of 2 and 4 1/2, every three weeks he would complain of a sore throat and then have a really high temperature normally 40 degrees for 3 days. We went to the gp numerous times, they could find nothing and said it was fine for him to have a bottle of calpol and nurofen every 3 weeks! We kept pushing and got referred to a paediatrician, eventually with blood tests we got a diagnosis of Cyclical Neutropenia which meant that every 3 weeks his body dropped his white blood cell count. We took him to a homeopath and it stopped, but they can grow out of it. Have a google and keep pushing, it was a really stressful time but since then he's been fine. Feel free to message me if I can be of any more help.

My DS was like this and had an IgA deficiency. He out grows it thankfully at around three and a half.

My DD also went through the phase of being ill all the time. She literally had a fever every two weeks last winter, and the GP said it's normal too. He did mention that she could have a blood test to check her iron levels but then all this COVID-19 broke loose and that was the end of that.

It could be normal, although distressing, so make sure you give him vitamins daily, which include vitamin C, D and also iron rich foods. Toddlers tend to get ill often as their immune systems are still new to all the viruses they're exposed to, but eventually they get stronger. My DD used to get really high fevers lasting well over a week at a time, and it was scary. Keep at the calpol and nurofen, and keep him cool with plenty of fluids.

Obviously you are the parent so you are always right. If you are ever in doubt and worried, contact the doctor again and make sure they look into it, but IMO it's not unusual for kids to get ill often at that age.

Might be worth getting him tested for coeliac disease as his stomach hurts. When undiagnosed it can make children run down as they’re not getting the proper nutrients. I went through this with my son.