Sick Children, Not Sure What Is Wrong

Get a pediatrician immediately. Ours is Dr. Marjorie Milichi with Baylor Pediatric. ###-###-#### Go! The symptioms you are describing could be anything from a virus to meningitis. Don't mess around with that.

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J.

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I don't know what is going around, but this sounds a lot like what my husband was dealing with last week. Saturday, 1-1/2 weeks ago, he had a night of nausea, BAD headache, and low grade fever. Sunday he felt a bit better, and Monday he felt good enough to go to work. Every morning he felt fine; by evening he didn't feel great, but not as bad as the previous weekend. Then he had a relapse Thursday night and Friday night - he even came home from work on Friday, which he doesn't often do, because he said he felt like he had just gotten off a ship and the world was swaying a bit. He also had another low-grade fever. He slept all day Saturday and now seems to have "kicked" it.

So I don't know what "it" is but apparently there's a weird virus or something going around.

B.

I am not a doctor, but I have had experience with viral meningitis. Were your kids tested?

I would try everyone I could til I found an answer!! What about menegitis--not sure on the spelling though. This does not sound like something you should just watch and see. It also sounds neurological so perhaps a referral to a neurologist can be helpful.

Praying for you,

J. S.

I would get them into a pediatrician if at all possible. Did they do extensive blood testing? Testing that would show meningitis or any tpe of poisoning (blood, something in air, etc). Being that it's both kids now I would definitely be concerned and keep pushing Dr's to find out what's going on.

If you live near Highland Village - Kids First is a great. Dr B or Dr. Conger. their number is ###-###-####.

http://www.kidsfirstpediatrics.com

Is there something in your home? Maybe a gas leak or something I know headache come with that, but I would think you and your husband would be affected. You need to demand more opinions and referrals to doctors who specialize in treating and diagnosing uncommon illness such as these. Dont take no for an answer. Good lucka nd please let me know when you get an answer. I will be praying for you and your family. ____@____.com is where you can reach me.

If it persists, maybe you should have a spinal tap done just to rule out menningitis since he is having headaches. Watch for stiffness in the neck. Whatever it is, sounds like it is contagious.

Is there anything new in their environment that could make them sick? Freshly painted walls, new carpet, bedding, etc...new bath products...others could help you more with this, but I wonder if it could be a reaction to some kind of chemical exposure?

Sorry you're dealing with such a difficult issue. I agree with the poster who said take them to a pediatrician. The difficulty breathing makes me think there is something chemical causing it; or a severe allergy to something. God bless and good luck!

I am not sure if this will help because I did not go through it personally, but a friend of a friend was having problems with her child getting sick and then better and then sick and she finally found out that it was salmonella(sp?) poisoning. She wasn't sure where she got it but they gave her sulfur based antibiotics and it cleared it up. Something to ask your Doctor about . . . Hope it helps and you can find out what is wrong!

Hi B.,
My 8 yr old son has had the same virus. The only thing thats different is he also had a really bad cough. I've taken him to the doctor and theres really nothing they can give him because its a virus. There is another family on my street that has the same virus. I hope they get better soon. I know its not fun to have sick children.
M. V

Meningitis, tick bites, mold exporsure, who knows.... their little boys, they could've got into anything. Even if you think you're eyes are on them 100% of the time, you can't always see them, so they could've stuck something in their mouth you didn't see.

I would try a different doctor. ER's are only as good as the ER doctor... and then it depends on their specialty... so I'd just see a different GP. Blood tests are limited to what they tested for... so they may need a more comprehensive one.

I wouldn't wait. And I'd try to retrace their steps onto paper day by day for the doctor... food, playing where, played with what, drank what, etc.

Have they ruled out Lyme Disease??? Check them for any ticks and if you find one be sure to save it so it can be tested for Lyme Disease. If you find one remove it with tweezers and be sure to grasp it as close to the skin as possible so you're sure to get the head of it. They are very small (size of a pin head) so be sure to thorougly check them and if you see a speck that won't wash off it's probably a tick.

Please, please take your children to a pediatrician NOT a Family Practitioner. Until they are in their teens, they need to see a pediatrician. They are trained in children's diseases and are aware of what is going around.

B.,

You are right to question. Even if the doctors continue testing, they still may not find out what is wrong. Sometimes, this testing takes too much time and the person suffers in the meantime. That is why Dr. Klenner recommended treating first, while you are working on the diagnosis. He treated with vitamin C - very large doses - from the 40s to the 70s. He had great success, especially with viruses and other things the doctors couldn't figure out.

Vitamin C dissipates quickly. Give doses several times a day to maximize effectiveness. The size of the dosage for your child you will have to decide.

Here is a summary paper of his work entitled the clinical uses of Vitamin C:
http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/198x/smith-lh-clin...

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF VITAMIN C.

Good luck.

My children had something similar. They had fever headaches, and sore throat. The school nurse said it was Fifth Disease. It was going around the school. I just gave my kids Motrin for the fever and headache and it all seemed to go away after a few days.

I would first recommend finding a good pediatrician. You may really like your family practicioner, but I think it's important to find someone who specializes in working with children. We really like Dr. Alice Phillips with Cook's Cityview. I would not panic about your children's condition, especially if your older child is fully recovered. However, I would be persistent in getting a diagnosis from a good pediatrician if the problem(s) persist. I don't really know symptoms of different parasites, but I would ask about meningitis. It seems more likely that this is just a virus. My children had something similar back in the fall with severe headache and fever, without the difficulty in breathing. I know it is scary when your children are in pain, so I think it is very important for you to get support from a qualified pediatrician that will listen, diagnose, support and then put your mind at ease. Good luck, and you're doing a great job!

Hi B.,
My 1 yr son has a high fever for several days about a week ago with no other symptoms that I could tell. He could have had a headache but was unable to tell me. It went away but after a few more day he started gettting some cold symptoms which have still not gone away. Yesterday he started throwing up which appears to be passed now. My pediatrician says that it is probably just a virus that will resolve itself. My husband got a high fever for several days this past week and has had a terrible sore throat and sores in his mouth. He is doing better now. I think it has to do with the same virus that is going around. I now am having sinus issues and a sore throat that I am hoping with resolve itself soon. I hope your famiy is better soon.

B., by any chance has anyone broken one of those funky lightbulbs in your house? The environmentally friendly ones that look like cork screws? They do contain mercury, and you're supposed to get children out of the vicinity immediately if this happens. I have not read the responses, so I apologize if this is a repeat.

I don't want to alarm you but I was reading on CA-MRSA today and the immediate symptoms you described are very similar and run among families. A child can be fine and 24 hrs later barely able to breathe and some even die due to the pneumonia-like effects on the lungs. IF this is MRSA, your kids are fighting it well, but I would get to the emergency room of a large well-equipped CITY hospital if it happens again and get the doctor to run the nasal test for CA-MRSA (infection appears many times in the nasal tissue) or any other test they have for MRSA, and the earlier detected, the better. If it's not MRSA, at least that bad superbug's ruled out, but the very sudden fever, and difficulty breathing make me suspicious. I had a boil come up on my arm just from handling my sixth grader's gym clothes to launder and it scared me enough to read up on MRSA. Check WebMD for the symptoms (not all infections appear on the skin)and ask the more experienced doctors in the ER who see this stuff and can treat it with high-power antibiotics. MRSA is quickly spreading across the country (through hugs and other close contact, body sweat as in gyms, etc.) and ER doctors are saying it's close behind HIV in it's spread. A good percentage of the public has it already in their body but the very young and very old don't always have the immunity to fight off this strong infection. Good luck and your family is in my prayers! - T. R.

Have they been drinking enough fluids? I get headaches that make me throw up (i.e. migraines) when I'm dehydrated and/or over heated, which would also explain the fevers. Summer heat is upon us and if your boys are playing outside and not drinking more water or Gatorade, they are most likely getting dehydrated. Did they get IV fluids in the ER? It's possible that they get better one day and then worse the next as a result of uneven hydration. Make sure they drink frequently and avoid extended periods outside during the hottest times of the day (unless you use things to keep them cool, like sprinklers or misters). You might also try giving them a little pedialyte every day for the next few days and see if that helps. One way to check their hydration is to look at the color of their urine and the frequency. If they aren't going to the bathroom much or if their urine is bright or dark yellow, they definitely need more fluids. Urine should be very light in color if they are well hydrated.

My daughter had something similar yesterday. Her main symptom that scared me was the difficulty breathing, and she also had a fever. She is 2 on Sunday, so she couldn't really tell me where else it hurt. Among my group of friends, this same thing is going around, so I am pretty sure it's just a bug she caught. I'm not sure if that is what your boys have, but I hope it's nothing more serious. Good luck!

I'm sure you've done this already but try googling their symptoms and see if you can find something similar.
One of my fav shows is Mystery Diagnosis on The Discovery Health Channel and many times the patients were left to find out on their own what was causing them pain when doctors could not.
You may be surprised at how easily you can find out whats wrong with your children before your own doctor can.

Good luck to you and I hope everyone gets better soon!

ask your doctors about West Nile fever (which is different than the west nile virus. I heard about it on a news segment and heard it typically goes undiagnosed. I think symptoms included fever, headache, and maybe a rash... not sure. I know West Nile sounds scary, but most cases are actually very mild- and sometimes people don't even have symptoms. You could contact the CDC and ask them about it too. They have hotlines to help out with questions like this.For more information call the CDC public response hotline
at (888) 246-2675 (English), (888) 246-2857 (Español), or (866) 874-2646 (TTY)

My entire family had some sort of flu bug last week, Vomitting and the runs... but I was the worst affected, every one else was better after the bout of vommiting but I was in bed for 2 days after the vommiting with a terrible headache, back ache and my entire body felt like I had been hit by a truck....

Don't know if that helps, but we were also about 24 hours apart from each other with our symptoms. (my husband got sick monday and I was not sick until Wednesday morning and my son was sick wednesday night... both husband and son were better by thursday but I was still in bed until saturday.

A. J

Hi Brandy, I'm not a doctor so I do not want you to etch my words in stone, but I will tell you my story and maybe it can at least give you and the doctors a direction to look. As a child I was very healthy and active. I would wake up some mornings and my eyes, face, and throat glands were swollen, I would have a fever, my back between my shoulders would have a dull ache as well as my head. I was miserable. At that time, during the sixties, all they really knew to diagnose this with was hey fever and allergies. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I struggled to breathe at times. I would just huff and puff so hard just to get a breathe. But, I was not diagnosed with asthma. To make a long story short, I suffered for years with this condition chronically as well as tonsilitus and ear infections. When my daughter was a baby, a little over a year old. She had what appeared to have a little virus, I was working nights at that time and living at my mother's house. I had just walked through the door and she started crying, I picked her up and she was running a fever, I gave her some tylonol and a little water and held her till she fell asleep. I put her back in her bed, which was at the foot of my bed, and a few minutes later she woke up crying really hard. I picked her up and was trying to calm her when her eyes rolled back in her head and she appeared to be convulsing. I yelled for my mother and we called an ambulance and got my neighbor which was a nurse. She came and told me she was choking. After this terrorising few minutes that went on she finally dislodged the mucus and started breathing again. We rushed her to the hospital where they discovered obstruction of mucus in her lung and she was diagnosed with phneumonia. The next day they xrayed her lung again and the obstruction was gone and they, as well as I were baffled, phneumonia just does not go away within hours. The best diagnosis they could give me was allergies. After a few years of research, I believe the medical community had finally come up with a name for this, Asthmatic Broncitus. I can tell you this much, listen to their backs in between the shoulders and down towards the middle of the back, if you here a weasing sound that is a indication of an episode, if you here rattling get to the doctor fast. Warm steam tends to help as well as a little coffee. Windy days, swimming, and sometimes even in the tub, plug the ears, do not allow water or extreme wind in the ears. Stay away from cough syrups. And above all keep the sinus canals clear, do not let them stop up for it can complicate the issue with infection. Not trying to scare you, and I can't say if this is what is wrong with yours'. But hope this gives you at least a direction or something to rule out.

I was just reading your blog. The last day of school was June 5th. I was told that there was a stomach/virus bug going around. Now I am 6 months pregnant and thought it was sickness from the pregnancy but I have never been so sick. I actually was vomiting. However, I was later told over that weekend that 5 kids from my daughters class had similiar symptoms without getting sick and very achey. My daughter ended up with it on that Friday. There definitely was something going around during that time frame! Our Pediatrician said to just make sure we stayed hydrated and it would take its course. Took just a couple of days.

B.,

Regarding your request for a good pediatrician in Grapevine, I have been pleased with the thoroughness and demeanor of the one we have now. His name is Michael McCoy and he's in the new office building across the street from Baylor and behind Target on William D. Tate. His number is ###-###-####.

I don't trust doctors much since my 8-yr-old son died two years ago and I will NEVER go back to anyone in the Cook's network. I feel they gave us really bad advice and guidance by sending us to Cook's when my son went into sudden liver failure. They should have sent us to Dallas Children's instead, considering that Dallas has an entire floor devoted to liver, a liver specialist and a transplant team. The best Cook's had was a Gastro-interologist who did not know what he was dealing with. Our nurse at Cook's told us she had never had a liver patient before. By the time we were transferred to the hospital that could actually help him, it was too late.

Dr. McCoy is independent and sends patients where they will get the best treatment for their condition, not just what's avaiable in the network he's affiliated with.

My remaining son hasn't been sick much since we discovered a way to get better nutrition into him so it's hard to say for sure since we almost never need to take him to the doctor. Yet from what I've seen of him, I do trust Dr. McCoy. Hope that helps. Email me if you need more info.

____@____.com

Hi B.,

My daughter did this last weekend...except without difficulty breathing. Had a horrible headache (made her throw up), fever around 101-102, and body aches. My doctor saw her and she had a virus (he gave the name, but I can't write it out) that presented as a throat infection. My son had something similar a few days before, but didn't manifest the throat stuff. If you are still uncomfortable, keep going to the doctor until you are satisfied.

Good luck, A.

Hi, 1st thing I would suggest is seeing a pediatrician. As others have mentioned, kids are not just tiny adults and pediatricians also have their fingers on the pulse of what’s going around.
The 2nd thing I would suggest is don’t panic, and don’t search the internet for symptoms so much prior to seeing one that you convince yourself it is the plague. :)
My kiddo is 2 years old and she had something similar recently. She ended up having a virus that got croupy and an ear infection. Both cleared up with treatment and she was fine. Her cousin who is 5 had it as well as did some more kids at her day care. My niece had the same symptoms you described. The only difference with my daughter was that she didn’t have shortness of breath but did have a cough. According to my pedi, there is a virus going around that includes flu like symptoms and ear infections.

Also, while it is a good idea to rule out something more serious like MSRA or meningitis, etc., I wouldn’t worry too much. Statistically, if it were something that serious your 5 year old wouldn’t have gotten better on his own. Good luck to you and your kiddos.

I think you should consult with other moms in your area and find a pleased mom with a peditrican.They see nothing but children and are more concerned than a family Dr.

I am a RN; however, I do not work with pediatrics; I am adult critical care/trauma. If I heard these symptoms, the first thing I would think is meningitis. Did the doctor mention anything about that? Especially if both of your kids have it. This can be a very harmful condition. Did they mention anything about checking CSF fluid?

Did your 5 year old fully recover? Has your 3 year old recovered as well? Usually those symptoms are the signs of viral meningitis. Usually difficulty breathing isn't a sign, but it could have been due to the pain. But, if they both recovered within 3 days this may not be the case; then again, the immune system has a wonderful way of taking care of things on its own. Have they recently had any vaccinations as all those symptoms are typical responses with subsequent boosters as well. If you are worried about parasites, ask your kids if they have an itchy anus. Most parasites go thru the intestinal system and can cause itching. Just some thoughts and questions to ask your doctor. If they have recovered, you may just want to count your blessings that they have gotten thru some weird childhood thing.

Is there anything new in the home or community? Does your water source taste funny or metallic? Have you made any cosmetic changes to your house (painting, carpet etc)...You need to question all that is different or the same within their environment. Do this quickly and find a doctor who will listen. Have your FP send the children to a pediatric internist...QUICKLY

have you found any ticks? i would have them tested for lyme disease/erlichea, that type of stuff... if it's not that, could it be that they are being exposed to too much heat? it's been HOT out lately and heat exposure can cause headaches... just a thought. hope you get some answers soon!

My husband had similar symptoms as a child and was EVENTUALLY diagnosed with malaria but he was living in a country where it is prevalent.

I'm not sure where you live but PLEASE go see a pediatrician!! GPs are great but are not in-tune with kids and how different they are from adults. My pedi is wonderful and I bet she could get you in right away. Norah Randles. She works at Richardson Pediatrics. The phone number is ###-###-#### Good luck!!

I'm not a doctor, so I don't know, but I suspect you may be right about a parasite. I'd get them to an infectious disease specialist. It sounds a bit different from malaria, which I had several years ago, but the similarity is the cyclical nature--high fever, then better for a day or two, then high fever back again. With malaria, this is due to the life-cycle of the parasite that's infecting you. I agree with others that you should keep seeing doctors until you figure it out! GL!

Did they test for meningitis? I don't know if it shows up on a blood test or if they have to do a a spinal tap. Hopefully you find out what's going on soon. You're in our prayers.

I'd highly recommend Cook Children's Hospital (ER). I had taken my son to Ped. for a bubble on his butt that was very swollen and painful for him to even sit. The dr said it was a boil and it would need to be drained, and he'd have to be put under anesthesia and they do not do that in the office so I'd have to take him to the hospital. I went to Cook Children's and they said yes, it was a boil, but most definitely did not need to be cut opened and drained. They put him on meds and he got better and did not have to go through an invasive procedure. So I would really recommend you try a Children's hospital if symptoms continue and you are not getting any definite answers from your pediatrician. good luck!

My 8 year-old, 12 year-old and husband all had a virus last week similar to what you have described. Each were really, really sick for 2 days and then the third day was their transition day, then all better on the fourth day. My husband was so very sick and his heart was racing so we made him an appointment and they ran lots of heart tests on him and swabbed him for strep. Everything came back normal. To be sure it wasn't viral meningitis, they did have me check him every hour to be sure he could touch his chin down to his chest without any pain. The good news is that everyone is back to normal and feeling fine, but it sure was scary while they were ill. Good luck!

Do you have a carbon monoxide tester in your home?

We have the worlds greatest pediatrician. Dr Eric Benzick/Dr Johnson/Dr Zwerneman with Southlake Family Medicine. They are located on Southlake Blvd. There are 2 other pediatricians there, Dr Johnson and Dr Zwerneman. Our daughter has had multiple problems since she was born(she is now 18 months old) So we are in the office at least once per month if not 2-3 times per month. We have seen all 3 pediatricians on a constant basis and each one of them is fantastic. Recently she got a high fever while we were at the Dr's office on a Friday afternoon-Dr Johnson sent us to the ER-then he personally called every day over the weekend to check on us-he even gave me his personal cell # and his home phone number and had me call anytime I had a question and to update him every few hours on her condition. I have never had a Dr do that! I was super impressed. His bedside manner is a little gruff but he is amazing. Dr Benzick is hard to get with-he has a lot of patients but I would recommend any one of the 3. Dr Z is wonderful too-she has young children herself so she totally relates to you. Good luck!

B.,
I am a pediatric nurse and a new mom. This sounds like a million "normal" viruses to me. I am not a Doctor but many viruses that we see every day present just like this one, fevers and achiness for several days and then they just go away. Parasites would have more symptoms and would last until they were treated. Bacteria infections need antibiotics for the fevers and symptoms to go away. It is not much consolation, trust me, I sympathize with you. It could have been picked up anywhere, grocery store shopping cart, friends toys, kitchen counter, etc. I hope this helps a little bit.

I am sorry to hear your kids are not well, it is always frustration for a parent when there kids are hurting and they feel helpless to fix it. First of all I truely agree, my husband is a great Doctor, but he would be the first to admit he is not a pediatrician and won't even treat his own kids, I have a fine Peds I take them to, second you never said how high a fever, the other symptoms can be a result of the fever. There is such a thing known as FUO which means fever of undetermined origin. Sometimes kids can run a fever without a doctor ever finding the reason, because it didn't last long enough for them to look into it. I would keep an eye on both kids for the time being and continue to treat there syptoms and watch for anything else. Getting established with a new Doctor takes time so I would get on it right away. All three of my kids have run fevers that we never had answers to and have always been fine. Hang in there.