Any suggestions

[Sharon0402]

my son has been seeing a paediatrician for 6 months as he has trouble gaining weight. He is almost 6 and weighs 33lb. He eats a good varied diet and is fairly active. He goes to the toilet between 4-6 times a day and has recently started having stomach cramps. His bowel movements are loose and very smelly. The paed says he is normal,, im not convinced. Family history of Crohns, ceoliac, diabetes and thyroid problems. All bloods apparently fine. Should i be asking for a referral to a gastroenterologist? Going back for routine check up on 6/1. Is there anything i should be asking / telling the paed?

[Sharon0402]

Hi, hes 109cm and 15.7kg or 32lb (just had him measured at hospital on Thursday). He is growing up the way but not gaining weight so doc says hes effectively losing weight. Just sent stool samples to lab on Friday so just waiting to hear from the hospital again. Likely referral to gastroenterology at another hospital they think.  He is generally a very healthy boy, gets the usual colds that all kids do but thats it. He does kickboxing twice a week, loads of energy and hes very bright.

Doc did more bloods tests as 1 of the last ones was abnormal (one of the tests for the immune system). These were his 3rd set of bloods. All his blood tests have been fine apart from this one.

I first flagged my concerns with our health visitor when my wee boy was 8 months old and he is now coming up for 6 (in March as well) so its taken us a wee while to get anywhere with it.

I haven't noticed any mucus or blood in his stools but he goes to the toilet himself so i coudn't be sure.

[mamawith2girls]

Can I ask how tall he is? He is significantly below the 3rd percentile for weight. My daughter is also a peanut, so I completely understand your concern. One of the things pediatricians look at is BMI or Weight-for-length. Anything below 10% for weight-for-length should warrant an FTT (failure to thrive workup).

What tests has the pediatrician ordered? What is his history? Has he been worked up in the past?

My daughter has had a few workups, and at the very least, he should have the following:

Sweat Test for Cystic Fibrosis
Stool Samples for parasitic infection and fecal fat (malabsorption)
A Celiac screen (blood)

There are so many factors that play into this, but the most important factor is having a thorough pediatrician. I'm sure I can be of more help if I have more information. My daughter will be 4 in March and is 27lbs, but she is short, so her BMI is normal. We've been fighting an uphill battle to find out what, if anything, is wrong with her. She also has GI symptoms indicative of bowel disease. Have you ever seen mucous or blood in his stool?

[AnnieBrooke]

I would ask for a referral to someone else, possibly a gastroenterologist but at least to someone who will take an interest.  33 lbs. for a 6-year-old seems too light.  I can't believe your pediatrician is pooh-poohing it.  My son will be 4 soon and weighs 38 lbs., and I can see his spine.  I wish he would weigh a little more.  If he was 6 and was lighter, I would definitely be concerned.  

[margypops]

He does seem to use the bathroom a lot, does he eat a lot of cereal/veg this is good,it may also account for the 4-6 times a day .If you are still concerned about him I always feel a Mom has to go by her gut feelings, so for your peace of mind it would be good to ask for a referral on .Good luck