I completely understand you can't get real medical advice on the internet but I am really at a loss. I just want to know if any mom's have ever dealt with a similar situation.
My son (2years old) has dealt with chronic constipation from birth. We have changed diets added laxatives (he has to take miralax daily to even make him go once every couple of days) he also has two hernias (that went unnoticed by his ped until 6 months ago when we switched to another ped in the same office). He’s always been pale, very under weight and has been easy to bruise ( barely bumps his head and gets a ginormous bruise). He also gets sick VERY easy.
We finally got an appt with a gi Dr. Great. They looked him over he was feeling fine and happy and had nothing wrong with him other then our usual constipation issues. They need to run blood work. Ok fine no big deal. They draw ten vials of blood. They’re testing for everything they said. Allergies, celiac etc. They didn’t give him anything mind you. They only drew his blood. IMMEDIATELY after he starts running a fever and is extremely tired and doesn’t want to eat or drink. We make our 2 hour drive home and he sleeps the whole way. He won’t eat or drink when we get home either. So I give him some ibuprofen for his fever (102) at this point and lay him down. I wake him up a few hours later at midnight he still has a fever. I give him more ibuprofen and he still won’t eat or drink. The next day he has a fever but is acting more awake but still poorly. (crying about everything and acting sore if you touch him and still won’t eat or drink) so I take him to my parents house because I have to work at 3am the next day. So my parents call 6 hours later (my dad is an EMT) and say he hasnt peed still won’t eat or drink and his fever won’t break and is lethargic on top of his heart and breath is racing and he’s getting hives all over his body (nothing new was introduced to him) I take him to the er and they send us home saying he has a viral infection (mind you he has no cough or snot) he keeps hanging his tongue out and saying his mouth hurts. We give him more ibuprofen and Tylenol and his fever finally breaks but still no urine, and no eating or drinking. By now he looks like a Tim Burton character and we decided to take him to the er again. They give him fluids and test his blood and say he shows no sign of dehydration in the test and that it must be a viral infection (covid,rsv,flu and strep are neg) then they send us home. He still have hives all over his body. He does seem better after having the IV fluids and is finally drinking some but still hasn’t urinated.
We have only received one test back from his original blood draw at the GI Dr and it showed his iron was really low.
I’m at a total loss because I do not believe he has a
viral infection at all. I think it’s to do with the blood draw at his original appt. Iv been looking up symptoms
of anemia and he fits the bill. Do any of you mamas have a toddler with low iron who have experienced something like this? Or have ever experienced this at all? It is so weird and scary. We’re going to make an appt with a completely different pediatrician this week and get second opinions I just need to know if we’re alone and this is a freak thing or if their is something else we should be looking for. The hives range in size from nickel-the end of pen.
Please no judgement I am just worried for my baby and am so tired of getting the run around from drs and never getting a strange answer. My momma senses keep telling me something isn’t right. Please help.
If you guys got a children’s hospital in your state take your son there no matter how far it is take him to a children’s hospital. Something isn’t right. Even if it was low iron he would still be eating and drinking n urinating ( I have severe anemia to where I see a hematologist for it) but listen to your mama instincts they’re right 95% of the time n u know your child better than anybody else does.
Oh honey I feel for you. My youngest son had issues from about 10mths old. It took me til he was 10 before I could get someone would do anything. They found he had a slow transit colon. He was sick all the time. I kept fighting and trying Dr after Dr. At age 16 specialist told us he was very low in iron. He had to have an iron infusion,and then regular blood tests to check it and go on an iron tonic. Fast forward til he was 18, his iron levels dropped til it was nearly 0,which then caused him to have a massive stroke. Please hun keep fighting for your little boy, a mum knows. I could get Drs to listen and was called all sought a of horrible names. Sending you hugs honey xxx
Like others said take him to a Children’s Hospital. Have you contacted the new G.I. doctor to tell him what is happening? I hope he gets better soon and you get some answers.
I’d find the closest children’s hospital and be going there regardless of how far it was… if you’ve already been there, find the next closest. You’re your child’s biggest advocate, ESPEC when they’re that young.
being anemic with low iron can cause fatigue, easy brusing and such… and having had that much blood drawn, couldve added to his tiredness with having low iron… but that doesnt explain the refusal to eat/drink & lack of urinating… (though; not drinking can lead to less urination)… Definitely trust your instincts…bring him elsewhere… dont give up! Good luck & i hope the little guy starts feeling better
I’m sorry you are having issues with your son, but just an insight that might help. I am a Quadruplet and 3 of us carry the sickle cell trait but the 2nd born does not and she has Von Willebrand disease (VWD). Where her main issues is anemia and swelling and pain. She has had it since birth to where now we are adults and she has to get iron transfusion 3 to 5 times a week. And she also has an oncologist doctor on top of a primary care and specialist that all work together to try to manage her care. She still needs a lot of work. But, you might need to have him looked at by a specialist. I hope and pray all goes well and you get the help you need to know what is going on with him. But, you right keep listening to your gut as a mama. We are in weird times in the medical field that you are going to have to keep fighting and researching for your son. Remember you are your son’s voice and advocate. So fight mama !! Let me know if, you need any help.
Besides possibly being anemic, could he be allergic to Tylenol? The hives.
Citrus fruits if allergy can give hives.
What about a brain scan incase he had an infection in his brain? Cuz you said he had a fever.
My sisters intestines were a foot too long and she had to get surgery to shorten it… she had bad constipation prior to discovery of that.
Like everyone said plz take him to children’s hospital and see a Naturalpath
A fever and a virus can cause the hives. Some virus come out the skin causing a rash Also Take him to a chiropractor for the constipation. I know it sounds crazy but it worked for my middle child when she was around the same age. It was crazy! I’d definitely go to a children’s hospital and get more blood tests. I feel they have more knowledge.
Did they swab his throat for strep? Generally causes the high fever and rash on the trunk. It almost sounds like the episode of fever and rash is unrelated to his other medical issues, although I’m sure it seems like a strange coincidence.
The amount of blood they draw from kids is weight- based. They wouldn’t have taken too much if that was a concern, I know the vials sometimes appear to be much more than they are.
I would take him to a GI Doctor. Giving him laxatives makes him dependent on laxatives to where he can’t go on his own unless he gets more laxatives. Include vegetable and fruit and fruit juice in his daily diet. Make him drink lots of water every day. Ask the doctor about how much he needs to take in. Not urinating is not normal. Insist on a different doctor and maybe a different hospital. Kids get bad quickly if you let it go. Don’t give him to much Motrin and Tylenol. Only ask the Doctor what he recommends.
Try to get some Orange Juice and an iron supplement in him. Then ask for them to check ferritin levels. If you search for low ferritin in children it’s fairly spot on.
I just want to say I am going through the same thing with my daughter. I also got told it was all viral and it take weeks. Her fever is 102.7, the doctor told me “It is some kind of virus that we do not have a test for yet”. This happened once before when my daughter was 9 months and she had a UTI it took 3 different hospitals to figure it out. According to the doctor the rash is from the fever.
Did they test his urine? It can be kidney infections or disease. Has he had the flu vaccine recently? With exception of the hives it sounds very similar to what happened to my daughter after she got the flu vax. It’s hard to believe he’s not dehydrated with no drinking for days & no urine. I’d take him to a different hospital.
I’m sure the Dr ordered iron supplements. Make sure he takes them. Give him iron rich foods like spinach & broccoli when he’s upto eating. I’m not sold on this all being anemia though. There’s something going on that drs don’t want to admit. I don’t know if a blood draw can cause this. I guess it’s possible if the environment, needle wasn’t clean.
Go back in and demand that he has an iron level test. Put your foot down and if they have anything that by law means they have to check him than use it. In QLD, Australia (where I’m from) we have Ryan’s Rule, if we feel that Drs are ignoring our kids and just sending them away we can use it and it means a new Drs gets assigned to use and they have to run every single test.
I work in GI it does sound like anemia but also ask if they checked for sickle cell anemia. As far as the no urination I would be concerned about that it means his kidneys aren’t producing properly. I would take him back to the ER another ER and specifically a pediatric ER if you haven’t and refuse to leave until they do a thorough workup and as rough as it sounds tell them you want scans and a spinal tap to full everything out and you’re not leaving no matter how long you have to be in the ER. The pale skin, easy brushing, fatigue is all signs of anemia but not the fever or lack of urination. The hives can happen after a fever it’s common.
As someone who has suffered from iron deficiency anemia Please take him to a different hospital before it is too late! When I was diagnosed with it my parents where told if they had waited a few more days I would have been dead because I couldn’t keep any food down when I did try to eat I dropped 80 pounds and had to have iron infusions and blood transfusions because my body stopped making the iron to support me. I’m not trying to scary you just letting you know what I went through.
My son is now 7 and we have struggled with Chronic constipation with him for ever. We have seen doctors who just told me to keep upping his laxative dose, I was giving my child more then a normal adult dose daily it wasn’t right, I asked for a second opinion. Finally a paediatrician came up with a plan, gave us a list of things to do and watch for.
I can’t speak to the current health issues but I can most certainly relate to the constipation. Don’t give up. Find a doctor that will listen.
Miralax is horrible for the body and shouldn’t be used as a daily med and isn’t recommended for children under 12 . Prune juice , pear juice , apple juice Activia yogurt , probiotics . Sounds like kidney issues and anemia . Did you take him to a local ER or a children’s hospital ER?
Definitely take him to a children’s specialist. Have them check him for severe constipation. Constipation runs in my family and Ive had two cousins that have literally had to have 10 to 14 pounds of Poo removed. They ran fever were sick quite often, a lot of the things you mentioned. Just keep fighting Momma.
Like the above comments, NEVER take your child to a hospital that sees mostly adults. It’s imperative that you take him to a children’s hospital — It doesn’t matter if it’s for an infected hangnail. When my daughter was in kindergarten, she was very ill, admitted to a facility that sees mostly adults, and they did nothing for her but try to force feed her pain reliever for 2 days, as she was, unbeknownst to me, and apparently them, silently suffocating from infection, bacterial pneumonia. Felt like I was in the Twilight Zone with their lack of care or knowledge. We contacted the nearest children’s hospital, purposely discharged her, as the children’s hospital sent an ambulance. After X-rays here, she was immediately admitted to their ICU. 80% of her left lung was filled with fluid. The next day she had a drainage chest tube through her rib cage into her lung. Stayed there for a month.
Never ever ever again. Pediatric doctors’ training and specialize in practicing medicine for CHILDREN. They completely see and are trained for tiny humans.
The very best of luck.
I’m not even going to hazard a guess at what it wrong with your son .
I agree …get him to a children’s hospital asap.
Test results can take up to a month to come back depending whats hes testing for and if its something serious you dont want to wait that long. Especially if hes got a high temp and not drinking
Constant laxatives are not a good idea tbh . His bowel will become dependent…natural fruit juice , water , brown bread, porridge, veg, even a little coffee is less harmful
Ibuprofen should not be given on an empty stomach it can damage the gut lining .
Hopefully you get answers soon and your little one is OK
There’s a LOT going on here.
First and foremost, deal with the immediate…The fever and not urinating.
The intital fever, lethargy, and refusal to eat or drink could have been dehydration. It actually does happen (had that issue with my oldest this summer)
However, the not urinating after receiving fluids is EXTREMELY concerning.
To that end I would take him to a different er or preferably a children’s hospital.
Anemia explains a lot of his symptoms before becoming ill.
Take him to a Childrens hospital, like… Now.
10 vials may have been too much bc of what’s going on. Frankly, I wouldn’t leave until I had answers.
Document everything. Take your Dad if you can. They tend to listen to other medical ppl more than moms.
Both of my kids have dealt with constipation up until I switched them to soy formula and started giving them probiotics once a day. They hardly ever have dairy anymore (I have an intolerance to it too.)
How much milk is he drinking. Some people get bad constipation from milk. Also something in cows milk makes it harder to absorb iron and can cause them to go anemic if they are not eating enough iron enriched foods.
Get him to a children’s university not just the local er. They are not equipped to deal with this kind of thing nor will they even make much of an effort usually and it sounds like they aren’t. Take him to a children’s hospital ASAP
OP please message me! My 2 year old son was dealing with almost the same exact thing and I was told viral infection as well- but I didn’t think that was it. I’d like to compare more symptoms if you don’t mind
Do not trust ER doctors, they follow a script and if it doesn’t fit the script they’ll send you home. Happened to an old friend of mines son, and he went back a day later and had to be hospitalized. Take him to a children’s hospital and don’t leave without answers
Get him to a children’s hospital immediately! If he hasn’t produced urine in that long then something is seriously wrong with his kidneys. That can turn deadly in a hurry
He (nor any other child his age) should not go that long without producing urine. With him running a fever, he can dehydrate very quickly…especially if he’s not taking in enough fluids. If you feel something is off, take him to a children’s ER instead of a regular ER. You know your child the best, and you are their best advocate.
Someone else suggested taking your dad with since he’s an EMT. I was an EMT or Paramedic for 15 years… when you’re seeking care for your child, loved one, etc nurses, doctor’s don’t always appreciate advice from others, unless they already have a working relationship with them. So, taking him can help, or it can cause them to blow off your concerns if he’s not extremely tactful with them.
For the constipation, try cutting out dairy. Try replacing it with almond milk. He may not be able to digest the proteins found in the milk properly.
Also, hives are a reaction to an irritant…whether it be a food, medication, insect bite, etc. Usually they’re treated with an antihistamine. Have you tried giving him children’s Benadryl to see if the hives improve? If you are unsure of the dose, ask your local pharmacist.
Sounds like he is anemic. My son had this and things improved so much when we finally figured it and got him taking iron. We also started using fiber gummies for his constipation. This all happened around 2 years old. He’s now 7. Still takes gummies but is no longer iron deficient
My son also 2 has chronic constipation and has to see gi (apples help well with keeping him some what regular) as for the fever my son has dealt with this twice and ended up developing a rash no cough no runny nose just a fever then a rash after a week of only fevers was said to have viral rash or roceola! As well my son has to see eating therapy due to weight loss and just not really eating but constipation can cause pain as well as no appetite as well a fever can cause no appetite as well and if he isn’t drinking then he won’t have many wet diapers, also I would like to add ibuprofen hurts my sons stomach I only give him tylonal! Not sure if any of this helps! As well I do recommend if he doesn’t improve take him to er or contact your pediatrician because every er visit raises covid exposure risk!
Like others said take him to a Children’s Hospital. Have you contacted the new G.I. doctor to tell him what is happening? I hope he gets better soon and you get some answers. 
