11 yo constantly ill

[CinderEmma]

My son is 11 and since starting secondary school he has been unwell constantly.

He's had numerous colds, sore throats and a ridiculous amount of sickness bugs.

The last three weeks since returning to school after Xmas break he's had two sickness bugs and is now burning up, shivering and has an awful cough and is really unwell.

Has anyone's else's DC been constantly ill since starting secondary school? His attendance in primary was always 95-100%. I'm now getting snotty letters from the school about his attendance and I'm getting earache about being off work because he's been poorly. I'd just like to add I work at the school so things are really difficult.

A lot of people are vitamin d deficient by this time of year and that really can affect the immune system. Is he on a supplement?

My DS was like this in year 7 (last year). Turned out he had iron deficiency anaemia which meant his immunity was down and he was catching anything going.

We’ve given him iron supplements and he’s been a lot better since - might be worth getting a blood test to check?

I would definitely listen to the posters above. I would also get the gp to do a set of full bloods. To check for anemia and vitamin d. B12 etc.

They can also check for viruses. And bacterial problems. Etc.

Thankyou for the replies.
I've started giving him vitamin supplements but I'll be taking him back to the GP because I'm getting worried about him catching everything and anything. I did wonder if it was because he has gone from a small primary school to a large high school.

Most of them go through this at the beginning of primary school and some of DDS friends from other feeder schools went through the same thing in secondary school.
Hopefully he's just meeting a lot of bugs he's not come up against before and will build some immunity.Its also harder to weather it when things are new and even harder if misses lessons and content so behind.
Also give vit d,we have it, don't know if it helps but is recommended and inexpensive on line.

He is .mixing with different germ types it happens in university too they call it freshers flu

Thankyou everyone. He's never been so unwell he's always full of life and nothing much stops him. I'm so worried about him and lately it's every week he's coming down with something else. Because I work at his school and I'm a single mum I'm getting grief because I need to be home with him I have not her childcare apart from my parents and they both work. I've given him alcohol gel to use when he's at school as there is often no soap in the toilets. The last time I had to bring him home from school my manager was horrible to me because I had to take him home.

I've just had to go up to him now because he was hallucinating. I'm going to call 111 if he's no better overnight.

Take his temperature, has he had paracetamol recently?

@justasking111 he had paracetamol at about 8pm. His temp is 39 at the moment.

I would tuck him into bed with you tonight and leave a small light on so that you can monitor him.

I keep a big bottle of metatone in the cupboard everyone gets dosed after an illness to boost them up again.

Ask for him to be tested for glandular fever. This can make you ill and run down for months

I've rang 111 and I'm waiting on a call back. His cough was making him sick in the night and he's still running a temp, so I'll take him to out of hours and see what they say.
I suspect a chest infection

Been to out of hours and he has an upper respiratory infection. He's got home though and now has diarrhoea and is complaining his stomach really hurts

The poop being loose may be connected to temperature. Stomach hurts, has he eaten anything?

Is the infection viral did they say?

He hasn't eaten much today. Doesn't want lunch as he's got no appetite the doc didn't say the infection was viral. Just upper respiratory infection.

It's not at all unusual. Your son will gradually build up more immunity and you can help by nurturing him but quite honestly many kids go through that phase at his age.

Thankyou guys. He seems slightly perkier than he was earlier so fingers crossed he ms over the worst.

It’s a whole new bigger germ pool.

Agree hand washing is so important. But these places are filthy.

Another vote for getting him tested for glandular fever.

Here there is a nasty cough viral thing going round, grandson had it and gave it to us. High temp. vomiting, after 48 hours it abated. The cough lingered awhile.

@hagenmeister I'll get him checked for it.

I've given him hand gel to use at school. But yes it is a whole new germ pool for sure.

Another vote for glandular fever, I had it as a teen. I had tonsilitis / sinusitis / every upper respiratory infection in the book virtually non-stop for 10 months..