Night Elf Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Dd19 has been feeling sick for about 6 months. Her symptoms occur on and off and not always in concert: nausea, mild dizziness, headache, very pale skin, and she is tired both physically and emotionally. It's not 24/7 but is frequent enough on a weekly basis that I'm truly concerned. The last time we took her to the doctor for this, they ran blood tests, including a pg test, but didn't have any answers. She just deals with it. She's not in pain. The worst symptom is the nausea because it makes her feel miserable at work. She is on her feet during her shift at a restaurant and gets very little chance to rest. Because of the bouts of nausea, her weight fluxuates from about 105 to 118. The doctor was concerned about eating disorders but I'm 100% confident that isn't the problem. For one thing, Claire has a serious fear of vomiting. Both she and I seek immediate medical care after only 1 episode of it because we hate it so much. And I know she eats on a regular basis. She works at a restaurant and loves the food. She does eat fast food alot, but she's trying to stick with healthier food items like Subway sandwiches and non-fried foods where she works. What do I ask the doctor to look for? I don't remember what they were looking for with the blood tests they did. Someone suggested she may be anemic, but that would be seen in the blood work and they didn't mention that 6 months ago. I fear we're just going to hear the 'I'm not sure but call us if it gets worse' line. She had mono 2 years ago and she exhibited some of the same symptoms, but they were much more severe. She was physically sick, had a fever, and slept about 20 hours a day for a week. It took her about 4 months to really feel like herself again. I know there is a very small percentage of people who get mono again, so I'm going to ask about this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I'm sorry she's so poorly, but glad she'll be getting help. Yep, mono can linger in the system and "refire"--happened to my son (he got mono when he was about 8 and had bouts off and on for quite a while). I'm sure they are checking "everything"--blood sugar, iron, Vit D, thyroid, GERD, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) I would second thyroid, particularly thyroiditis, celiac (though doing a gluten free trial can give a clearer indication than bloodwork), adrenal issues. All of these things can play a part in chronic fatigue, which can appear following illness. I highly recommend "From Fatigued to Fantastic". It's a good read and can help you sort of understand where these symptoms are coming from. She has one of the best assets she could ask for in finding answers: an advocate. I don't know what would have happened if my husband hadn't taken that role when I was looking for answers to a similar set of symptoms. Edited June 3, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susann Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 My dd 18 is dealing with the exact symptoms. She was diagnsed with celiac disease 1 1/2 years ago and with mono 9 months ago. Because of the complications of the celiac disease, we were told the mono symptons would probably run 1-2 years and could "refire" over a longer period. We were told to focus on rest, healthy eating/lifestyle, low stress. I'm glad you're going in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Dd16 had a lot of blood work ran last year. Similar symptoms (plus anxiety). After all the blood work came back, ped was thinking vit D. They didn't do blood work for vit D (to my knowledge) but they checked the anemia and the thyroid. Our ped told us to get her some vit D supplements. However, dd has trouble taking them regularly so I can't tell you if it's helped much.:glare: I will say this. Dd is very, very thin. She gets low blood sugar really, really easy. When she eats something that spikes her blood sugar and then drops her, she gets the nausea, headache, and tiredness. Or if she doesn't eat at all (sensory issues), same effect. This cycle, if she doesn't keep it under control, leaves her emotionally and physically exhausted. One other thing, dd has low blood pressure. This leads to dizziness if she is not hydrated well. Our own observations have been that gatorade, or something similar keeps her system better on track as well as some salty foods. I don't know if there is something to this or not, or if it just she remembers to drink the gatorade and not water so she stays better hydrated, but we can definitely tell a difference if she hasn't had any in a while. I hope you figure it all out! I still don't feel that we have "the" answer, but at least we are starting to figure out what does help her feel better most often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 One other thing, dd has low blood pressure. This leads to dizziness if she is not hydrated well. Our own observations have been that gatorade, or something similar keeps her system better on track as well as some salty foods. I don't know if there is something to this or not, or if it just she remembers to drink the gatorade and not water so she stays better hydrated, but we can definitely tell a difference if she hasn't had any in a while. I was going to ask, how is her blood pressure? I've experienced similar symptoms before and I know I have low blood pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 About the anemia...If you get bloodwork done, ask for her ferritin levels to be checked. My dd has never technically had anemia but her other iron levels have been really low (there are several measurements for them and I can't remember all of them. Another thing to look at is the the red blood cell weight, or is it width) and she shows symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 We have Kaiser and we're seeing a new pediatrician tomorrow. Yes, young adults under the age of 21 are still considered kids and cannot see an adult medicine doctor. Anyway, it's going to funny when I show up with all these terms on a sticky note! :lol: Thank you all so much! When she gets home tonight, I'm going to ask her to talk me through what she normally eats and drinks in a day. That might be a good start to get an idea of what she is eating exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 UPDATE We had a new pediatrician today. He gave her a thorough exam, including a basic neurological exam. He didn't think running blood work would show anything new from the last time. Instead, he believes all of her symptoms are related to migraines. He explained that there were different types of migraines. I have the classic symptoms where I feel extreme pressure in my head, am light sensitive, and feel sick to my stomach. But there are other types of migraines, like abdominal migraine. He's referring her to a neurologist for further testing. I talked to her about diet and sleep. She sleeps about 8 hours a night and eats regularly. She eats carbs and veggies, like brown rice/veggie meals at the Thai restaurant where she works. She doesn't eat fast food anymore but does like sub sandwiches with lots of veggies on it. She's eating healthier than I thought. The doctor did agree that her symptoms could also be stress related, but only marginally. He doesn't believe that chronic stomach aches and vertigo would be caused by stress. So, I'll be scheduling her appt. for neurology when the referral goes through. We'll see what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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