Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
237053 tn?1258828426

Pediatric lyme..

Maybe I'm just being paranoid or looking in to things too much, but do children with lyme present with the typical lyme symptoms?  

The reason I ask is my son who is now 5 has been having problems with his legs since he could walk.  Shortly after he learned to walk, out of nowhere his legs began hurting and he would only crawl or walk on his knees.  At first we just thought he was being silly, but it persisted.   When he did walk he would walk with a limp.  We ended up taking him to the pediatrician who did blood work and ordered a bone scan.  Well everything came back normal and eventually he started walking again.  

Well throughout the years he is always complaining of his legs/knees/feet hurting.  Again I brought it to the pediatrician who said it was prob growing pains.   He would wake up screaming at night because of the pain and now more recently he is ALWAYS complaining of pain in his legs.  He says his legs hurt to walk up stairs and his knees hurt.   He has also out of nowhere developed horrible allergies, and is always sleepy.    It is weird cause everyday I pick him up at the bus stop he's always fallen asleep on the bus.  He's very tired and grumpy.  Also in the past 6 months he's ran an extremely high fever without any other illness besides fever and lethargy.    I just guessed it was a virus or something.

But now everyday when he complains of his legs hurting it makes me wonder.... What is the chance he's contracted lyme as well.  I've pulled several ticks off him while living in OK...   Makes me think....  

I'm sure it's not, but just wanted to get your input..

5 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Skarey, have him checked out possibly for leg/hip perthes, very common in young boys, however I, a girl, was diagnosed with it at his age.  You may want to check and see if his one leg is shorter than the other, mine is an inch.  I hate it, painful and throws your back out of whack as you get older.  I never wore a lift like I should..try googling it.  I had an ortho diagnose me when I was probably 6.  I believe an x-ray will help.
Hope this is useful.
Chatter
Helpful - 0
237053 tn?1258828426
Thanks everyone for the input.
   I have googled growing pains and it does happen in preschool age, but I don't think to this extent.   I also think growing pains are more common at night.  His legs also hurt during the day.
   He is an active little guy and doesn't act sick.  He just complains way too much of his legs and feet hurting, which I realize isn't normal.  There are somedays that he doesn't say anything... like today he hasn't said one word about it.  But yesterday he did.
  Some other things with his health that I've noticed is he has horribly swollen tonsils.  The dentist said they were really bad and really should be removed.  He doesn't sleep well at night either (which may be the cause of his daytime sleepiness).  He comes into our room several times a night saying he can't sleep or sometimes because his legs hurt.
  I'm going to take him into see my dr and see what she thinks.   I'm still trying to find a LLMD here myself so when I do so I'll get him evaluated too.  The LLMD here still isn't taking new patients.  I may have to resort to one of the others that aren't as recommended or fly back to the states.  

  I hopefully l will have my Igenex results tomorrow... I called Igenex today and she said they tried to fax them today but the fax didn't go through.  She was going to try again.  

  thanks again for the help.
    
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Pain like that in a five year old is not normal.  I really have a problem with this "growing pains" wastbasket theory; not saying it doesn't happen but I believe it is tied more to the pre-teen years.  Do a search on "growing pains".  See what you come up with.

And if that were my son, he'd be getting an Igenex WB.  God bless you; hope it all goes well.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
PS (I always forget something!)

Ask the dr to also test for things like West Nile etc. just in case.  

We hear a LOT about West Nile out here in Calif., but I've yet to meet anyone who has had it ... and at the same time the silence about Lyme (from anyone but the LLMD and patient community) is deafening.  But there are other diseases out there to check for, and your critter sounds like he's hurting.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'd have him tested for Lyme and coinfections --

When I was terribly ill with Lyme+, I dragged my kid to the LLMD and had her tested even though she swore she felt 'fine' and protested hugely -- and what do you know, she also had the same things I had.  She tells me now, after a year+ into treatment, that she can tell the difference in how she feels.  When I was unsure about the LLMD's diagnosis, I took my kid to her pediatrician and a pediatric hematologist [blood doctor], and neither of them could find anything wrong at all.  These are highly trained and sophisticated MDs working at very respected medical institutions, and they just aren't trained to look for Lyme in a way that would actually FIND the Lyme+.  Sad but true.  Ignorance abounds not only in treatment, but also in diagnosis.

The Weintraub book, 'Cure Unknown', tells in detail the stories of the author's 3 children (and also tangentially of other children) and the variation in symptoms that they show -- it's not always like what adults get, but then again we adults don't always show the same symptoms as each other, either.

I'd do the testing, were I you, but only with an LLMD.  And then one by one, as you can afford it, think about getting your other kids tested too as a precaution.  I am thinking about getting my kid tested once (?) a year going forward, to be sure she hasn't picked up another silent infection.  Neither of us ever knew we had been bitten...but it's possible among all the mosquito and other bites she got at sleepaway camp in earlier years that she also got tick bites there.

I know it's a scary thought that your kid might have Lyme+, but when I am feeling my most miserable, I think how glad I am that we caught it in time to help my kid avoid how I am feeling now.  
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Lyme Disease Community

Top Infectious Diseases Answerers
1415174 tn?1453243103
CA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Can HIV be transmitted through this sexual activity? Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia answers this commonly-asked question.
A breakthrough study discovers how to reduce risk of HIV transmission by 95 percent.
Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia provides insight to the most commonly asked question about the transfer of HIV between partners.
Before your drop a dime at the pharmacy, find out if these popular cold and flu home remedies are a wonder or a waste
Fend off colds and the flu with these disease-fighting foods