Not sure what to do next. Need Dr Hive input, please?

[dancer67]

The Pedi GI office called today. The MA said that the GI Dr. got preliminary results from my 12 yo endoscopy stomach biopsies, and at quick glance, everything looks good.

 

So, if all looks good, what has been causing my daughter to have a nauseas throat for 5 months?

 

Also, she was just DX with Mono yesterday. Is there any remote possibility that she has been carrying this around for that long, and it is now just rearing its ugly head?

 

She was sick back in the beginning of March. Diarrhea, nausea, real tired. Took her about a week to recover. And since that time, she has not been the same. She has complained of her throat being nauseas since then. Also of being tired, but not being able to sleep at night.

 

I have no idea what to think now. I am glad that as of now, her upper GI is clear. But it doesn't give me any answers.

 

 

If they suggest more tests for her, she is just going to freak out. She is only 12 and has been poked and prodded and had a tube down her throat,and now mono 4 days after the procedure. ((sigh))

[ktgrok]

possibly. mono can cause post nasal drip, which can nausea.

[Joules]

possibly. mono can cause post nasal drip, which can nausea.

 

Or she could have allergies that cause the post nasal drip. If there is lots of drainage it can cause nausea and diarrhea and make her feel tired. It may be a new pet or new allergen that started it. Or she may just be starting to develop allergies.

 

Sometimes doctors don't think to look outside their field, so the GI may not have thought of this.

[Julie in CA]

Wait--do you mean she's nauseous, or that she has a sore throat?

[Blueridge]

I'm no doctor, but my bet is that she had mono for sometime before that procedure. It can lie dormant for a month after infection, and I read that some patients exhibit symptoms for up to 6 months. Nausea is a common symptom. If the doctor has already diagnosed it as mono, I wouldn't see any need for more stinkin' tests. Keep her diet simple and starchy. Rest, rest, rest...:grouphug:

[J-rap]

...

Edited August 24, 2011 by jjhat7
Posted in wrong place. Sorry!

[Parrothead]

Has she been checked for reflux?

[J-rap]

(I had two things to post -- one was a reply to YOUR post, and one was a new thread. I accidentally posted the new thread post to YOURS and so deleted it. Sorry! This is my REAL post to you!)

 

My daughter used to complain of throat nausea for several years. It was difficult for me to understand this symptom. To me there was only stomach nausea or throat pain or heartburn... She seemed to experience it more at the end of summer/fall. Strange.

 

A few years later, her allergies began kicking in, though not too bad. It was always late summer/fall. Then her asthma and migraines kicked in -- again, they were were most likely to be late summer/fall.

 

So, this doesn't explain anything, except that maybe there is a connection between that weird feeling in the throat and allergens, or even a strange migraine symptom. We are a family with strong migraine genes. It doesn't always end up as a headache; migraines can have other strange symptoms.

 

Good luck! Hope she finds some comfort.

[dancer67]

Wait--do you mean she's nauseous, or that she has a sore throat?

 

When she first got sick in March, she was nauseaus. But only in her throat. Not a sore throat.

 

Now, with the mono, she has the worse sore throat ever.

[dancer67]

Has she been checked for reflux?

 

Yes, she just had an upper endoscopy with a biopsy. Negative.

[dancer67]

I'm no doctor, but my bet is that she had mono for sometime before that procedure. It can lie dormant for a month after infection, and I read that some patients exhibit symptoms for up to 6 months. Nausea is a common symptom. If the doctor has already diagnosed it as mono, I wouldn't see any need for more stinkin' tests. Keep her diet simple and starchy. Rest, rest, rest...:grouphug:

 

So, you think it IS possible that she could have had mild symptoms since March, and now she has the full blown Mono?

Exhibit symptoms for 6 mos BEFORE the actual Mono shows up, or after?

Edited August 24, 2011 by dancer67

[dancer67]

I wanted to add, that during the stomach biopsy she tested for an enzyme that would indicate any food allergries. Negative on that to. No celiac, no H Pylori. no gastritis.

 

I am wondering if it would be worth taking her to an allergist. As an infant she was highly allergic to pet dander.

 

She does have seasonal allergies that sometimes flares her very slight asthma. She even treid her inhalers(both the proair and flovent) when she would get that nauseas feeling in her throat and it didn't help.

[nancy in nj]

It is definitely possible that your daughter had mono for 6 months.

 

Several years ago, my daughter was finally diagnosed with mono in July after complaining of a constant sore throat and post nasal drip since February. They kept on telling me it was viral, and it wasn't until my daughter crashed (couldn't even get out of bed) that they finally did a mono test. In fairness to the Dr., my daughter was a competitive swimmer at the time, and it just never occurred to him that a kid who was swimming 6,000 + yards per day could possibly have mono. After they finally ran the test, the Dr. said that that she had chronic mono, and they could tell by the number of antibodies and had been fighting mono for a very long time--it probably dated back to February.

[dancer67]

It is definitely possible that your daughter had mono for 6 months.

 

Several years ago, my daughter was finally diagnosed with mono in July after complaining of a constant sore throat and post nasal drip since February. They kept on telling me it was viral, and it wasn't until my daughter crashed (couldn't even get out of bed) that they finally did a mono test. In fairness to the Dr., my daughter was a competitive swimmer at the time, and it just never occurred to him that a kid who was swimming 6,000 + yards per day could possibly have mono. After they finally ran the test, the Dr. said that that she had chronic mono, and they could tell by the number of antibodies and had been fighting mono for a very long time--it probably dated back to February.

 

 

This is very interesting. After she was done with the full blown mono symptoms, did the other things go away completely?

 

See, this is what my mama's gut instinct is telling me. But GI disagrees. She says she would have seen something on the upper endo. But not if she wasnt complaining of a sore throat though. Only nausea in the throat.

 

For right now, we have a f/u with both GI and Pedi in two weeks. I just do not want to pass this off as JUST anxiety. I want to make SURE that there is nothing else medically going on, or this could possible be related to the Mono.

 

Thanks for sharing this with me.

[unsinkable]

This is very interesting. After she was done with the full blown mono symptoms, did the other things go away completely?

 

See, this is what my mama's gut instinct is telling me. But GI disagrees. She says she would have seen something on the upper endo. But not if she wasnt complaining of a sore throat though. Only nausea in the throat.

 

For right now, we have a f/u with both GI and Pedi in two weeks. I just do not want to pass this off as JUST anxiety. I want to make SURE that there is nothing else medically going on, or this could possible be related to the Mono.

 

Thanks for sharing this with me.

 

Can you elaborate on what you mean by nausea in the throat?

 

To me, nausea is the feeling I am going to vomit. My stomach feels off and sometimes I feel dizzy/lightheaded, as if I got off an amusement park ride. It has nothing to do with my throat.

[JudoMom]

Can you elaborate on what you mean by nausea in the throat?

 

To me, nausea is the feeling I am going to vomit. My stomach feels off and sometimes I feel dizzy/lightheaded, as if I got off an amusement park ride. It has nothing to do with my throat.

 

When I was little, I used to tell my Mom "My throat feels funny" before I'd throw up. I don't really feel anything in my stomach when I've got stomach issues--I feel a weird feeling in my throat. I was assuming this is what the OP meant.

[staceyobu]

So, you think it IS possible that she could have had mild symptoms since March, and now she has the full blown Mono?

Exhibit symptoms for 6 mos BEFORE the actual Mono shows up, or after?

 

Did she test negative for mono before this?

[DianeW88]

If she's gone through a GI panel and other tests and the results are negative, I would focus on anxiety. I don't know if she has a problem with that, but this sort of symptom is fairly typical with anxiety issues. In our practice, we would often see children with what appeared to be GI issues whose symptoms ended up being anxiety related. Any kind of nausea or stomach pain is a common way for anxiety to manifest itself in children.

 

The "throat nausea" is not a common symptom of mono, especially six months out from a positive mono test. She will have throat pain with mono, and often her throat will look like it's coated with white "gunk". Leave that alone, it will disappear naturally. She may also feel like her throat is constricted a bit with mono because of the tonsil and lymph node swelling. That's normal. The acute symptoms will subside in a month (maybe sooner), but the long term effects (fever in the late afternoon, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes) can continue for several months. Have her spleen checked (if the doc already hasn't and she has abdominal pain...he will palpitate her abdomen to see if he can feel it) to make sure it isn't enlarging to a dangerous point and limit her activity level for a month and she should be fine.

[Julie in CA]

Can you elaborate on what you mean by nausea in the throat?

 

To me, nausea is the feeling I am going to vomit. My stomach feels off and sometimes I feel dizzy/lightheaded, as if I got off an amusement park ride. It has nothing to do with my throat.

Lol, I asked the same thing up above! I've never heard of a nauseous throat.

I'm thinking that maybe it's something like the feeling when your gag reflex is about to kick in, rather than actual nausea where your stomach is ready to get rid of everything(?).

[Mom-ninja.]

Didn't she just have the endoscopy done last week? The biopsy results are back already?

 

Did they tell you that her biopsy results are negative for celiac or just that the intestine looks normal with the naked eye?

 

I ask because all looked normal on my pictures until the biopsies came in.

 

I'm assuming she had the celiac blood panel done. Was that negative?

[dancer67]

I will try and answer all these questions.

 

1. She was never tested for mono prior to Tuesday.

2. I dont know exactly what she means by nauseaus throat. She says it feels like she might vomit sometimes. And her throat gets tight and dry.

3. She had a negative celiac bloodtest, plus a negative celiac biopsy.

4. Yes her biopsies were back already because my GI Dr. requested them stat(Because I am a nervous mother, and she was DX w/mono this week)

5. She had the endo on Friday and everything was completely clear. No sign of Mono at all.

 

 

She has an appt with a pediatric/adolescent therapist in a few weeks. In the meantime, the peidatrician and I will sit down again and go over everything and make sure nothing medically has been missed.

 

I just want her to feel better.

 

We have had a lot going on in this family lately. Geesh.. My FIL just had a pacemaker put in. My DH is having trouble with his sleep apnea machine. I am having trouble making decisions regarding my periods. My oldest daughter has back trouble. And my son is the only one who seems good so far;)

[Mom-ninja.]

:grouphug:

 

I hope you find answers. I also hope your life calms down a bit.

[dancer67]

:grouphug:

 

I hope you find answers. I also hope your life calms down a bit.

 

Thanks. Me to:confused::grouphug:

[ChristusG]

DD4 tells me that her "throat hurts" before she's going to throw up. So I'm assuming that is what your daughter means by throat nausea. I had never heard of it before DD4 started doing it. The first time she did it she was probably 2. Now she says it in the car sometimes.....and I think she's car sick.