My Daughter Has Symptoms That Don't Make Sense!

I had viral encephalitis which causes swelling in the brain. I went to the doctor and had to have 2 spinal taps to drain the fluid. This was very serious!! I was 10 at the time. If I recall correctly, it could come from an infected mosquito bite. I had several of the symptoms you described above. especially the horrible headaches. If it is VE, you should get to the dr asap.

It may be a good idea to talk to her pediatrician about fibromyalgia, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis. Usually fibromyalgia is not diagnosed until early 20's however it can cause the feeling tired all the time, joint pain and aches. FMS can also cause severe headaches. It can also cause the tingling feeling. Good luck and I hope everything works out ok.

Have you taken her to a doctor yet? I normally don't recommend running to the doctor with every little thing, but in this case I would be concerned about her having an onset of something more serious which needs to be followed, perhaps an autoimmune or other joint or nerve condition. Good luck. Take this seriously. Let me know if it is autoimmune as I have some info on treatments.

D.
When I was younger, late teens/ early 20's I had an eating disorder. Along with the eating issues it caused my body to react in funny ways- I was always tired, had frequent headaches, sometimes I had "hot flashes"- I got al sweaty & occasionly dizzy. I had tingly fingers- they got all white & cold. The nail beds lost their color& they felt hot like I had just come in from outside, but also like they were numb. How is your daughter's eating? I had bulimia so although I wasn't overly skinny my body wasn't getting the nutrients it needed for energy & health. My Dr did diagnose the finger tingling as a "syndrome" I forget the the name of it. When I started to eat correctly all my symptoms resolved. Now I am not saying she has an eating disorder & even if she did & you asked her she most likely would absolutely deny it. However it is something to think about.

Please, please go to a doctor with as much documentation (like you listed). Don't ask people like us...go to a professional.

Definately time to go to the doctor. My guess would be rhumatoid arthritis (juvenille).

There are several things that come to mind that should be ruled out: Lyme Disease, Juvenile Rheumetoid Arthritis, Mono, MS, etc. She needs a battery of tests, so please talk to her doctor right away. Best of luck!

D.,

It may sound simple, but is she drinking enough water? She is at an age of puberty and change that her body needs a good bit of water to provide balance. Alot of people underestimate the power of water.

I would definately get her checked out though.

Take Care,
T.

See a doctor! Maybe allergies or maybe something more serious, like a neurological problem. Don't panic, and please let us all know what you learn.

My fifteen year-old daughter had some of those symptoms and is fine now. We were referred to a neurologist, but the symptoms cleared up on their own (she had them only a few days -- and tingling in her feet which was probably just poor circulation from not moving enough).

Thank you, and take care,

L. D., mom of three

call the doc now, sounds like a major un diagnosed nerve problem. Run the tests

You need to have her seek medical attention. I cannot offer any medical advice because I am not a medical professional. But she needs to schedule an appointment, and from there they probably will refer her to a neurologist.

Hope your daughter feels better.

Hi, you have gotten lots of good advice. The first thing that came to my mind was mono. I have had it twice.

Hello D.. I urge you to find a rheumatologist, and get your daughter there pronto. You can have your regular physician refer you, as rheumatologists are specialist and will need a referral. I am in my 20's now, but I was your daughters age when I had VERY similar symptoms occur. I baffled my regular physician and he sent me to every type of specialist he could think of, for more test than I care to remember... But finally, we found our answer when I went to the rheumatologist on the list. In my case, and I want to stress that this is MY case and not what I am pushing on you, but I was diagnosed with inactive lupus. I have been “watched” since then and tested annually. The only problems I have had were during my pregnancy. I am no doctor, and I can't be sure of course, but I can tell you that you listed all of my symptoms on that list as well as my age when they surfaced.

I wish you the best of luck on your search. But please try the rheumatologist, they'll draw blood one time, run 2-3 test and you'll have an answer.

It could be many things big, small, here to stay or may go away. Some things with those symptoms: Mono: headache, low fever, bone and joint pain, fatigue. But simply the flu has all those as well as night sweats/chills! Multiple Sclerosis (nervous system tingling etc)
For the tingling in the extremities try breathing into a brown paper bag for a minute - this will increase the carbon dioxide concentration.
I figure a doctor would want a MRI and or CAT scan. Blood tests would be helpful as well in getting to the bottom of things!

If you haven't seen a doctor, go! If you have, go to an emergency room while she is having the symptoms, especially the fever. I would hope that a doctor would order an MRI of her brain (headache), and or a blood test for any number of viral illnesses that could cause headache or fever over the course of so many months. If it is viral, there are a number of medications that can help with the symptoms and help her immune system fight the illness.
Visit some medical websites like www.webmd.com as the have a symptom checker and lots of valid information that could help lead you in the right direction.
Best Wishes,
P. (mother of 4)

Have you been anywhere where she could have gotten bitten by a dear tick? Sounds like it could be lymes disease.

please have your dr to check for fibromyalgia i suffered for years and the dr gave me every pain pill available even patches used for patients with cancer and it never touched that pain i went to sevaral drs and then this dr in ocala said ill try you on lyrica and i told her i could kiss her feet in 2 days the pain was gone not every pain medicine will work on fibromyalgia she is young but it still can happen also prayer works

Have you taken her to a gyno yet? The headaches, fatigue, night sweats, and other unexplained symptoms sounds like possible hormone issues. I have endometreosis and it causes your body to kinda act like it's going through menopause (sp?) at times. Even though she's only 14, it's not unheard of for someone that young to have endo. These symptoms are familiar to me, so that's why I think it might be hormonal. If she's already started her cycle, is she irregular, does she have a lot of pain, are her cycles heavy? These are other indicators of endo as well. Definately get her into the doctor, my vote is for a gyno specifically. Good luck and keep us posted!

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Hey D.,
Two things come to mind when I read your post. Have your doctor investigate her Thyroid. Thyroid causes headaches, aches and pains all over, I'm not sure about the fever, but the hot flashes you are talking about, foot pain, joint pain and swelling of limbs, including weight gain, vision problems, all link up to the Thyroid. So have that checked out!

Also, if that doesn't pan out, look into Fibromyalgia. I think this is a 'controversial' disorder, meaning there isn't a test for it, its more like when they rule everything else out they call it Fibromyalgia.

But look into the Thyroid. And good luck!

Hi D.,
Have you had her to a chiropractor? She may have a nerve pinch in her neck. Has she been in an accident? Car accident, fall? Also diet: does she eat a lot of processed carbohydrates such as chips, candy, soda, cookies? She could be battling a yeast infection. Check out knowthecause.com for a lot of good information.

God Bless,
M.

Hi D., After reading the other postings I think you definitely want to take her to her to her doctor (which you probably already have). I'm sure they will run a battery of tests and maybe refer her to a specialist. It may be neurological or auto immune related. Whatever diagnosis they arrive at I would seriously consider some conservative treatments rather than just giving her a bunch of meds. Try Chiropractic or Acupuncture. Both have great results with many medical conditions especially neurological or auto immune conditions. If you want help finding someone close to you I would be happy to assist you, just email me at ____@____.com luck and I hope your daughter gets better soon!

I agree with Ruth Jane H. She might have Fybermialgia. My best friend has this and has had it for a good while now.

You need to get your daughter to a doctor. This does not add up and could be really serious.
God bless you! Hope she is okay and that it is minor.

Just to add a little advice when you go to the doctor- insist a basic bloodtests, even if he/she is certain of the diagnosis. A CBC and differential can rule out a lot of problems, and pick up on something he/she may not have thought of. This comes from personal experience ;)

When you take her to the doctor, please have them have her tested for GBS. It's not a common disease and probably not what she has (especially with this going on for 7 months...or maybe a milder form of it), but the tingling in her hands and feet was what made me think of it. I had a friend who had it and they didn't know what it was at first either.

Have you taken her to the doctor. It sounds serious. I would make her an appt asap.
God Bless,
Rach

I agree with the other posters. A doc appt is called for ASAP.

I agree with everyone else, she needs to see a doctor, both a GP and a OBGYN... it sound likek her hands are swollen, it could be a number of things.

Hi D.,
Please see my email to you regarding this.

Please take her to the doctor!

waking up hot and sweaty is because she just broke a fever.
If she has a fever, she's fighting an infection of some kind. Hopefully you're taking her to a doctor and he's sending her to a specialist, neurologist, or something.
Good luck.

I would definitely get her to a doctor ASAP. It could be a number of things, but it sounds like something is going on. I'd make an appointment today!

Please take you daughter to the Dr. In the meantime have you looked up Cealic's desease? (I'm not sure I spelled that right) It's a sensitivity to gluten. Most, if not all those symptoms are listed for that problem. This one definately bears having a doctors opinion.

If this has been going on for seven months, you definitely want to take her to a doctor who practices integrative medicine so they don't just prescribe medication and not help you to understand and address the root cause. The symptoms sound like a possible autoimmune disease, so she definitely needs to see a doctor.

I would take a close look at her diet. Some of the things that could be causing or worsening the symptoms are:
-Not drinking enough plain filtered water (causes headache and tiredness)She needs to sip on water throughout the day, not sports drinks and juices
-A diet high in processed/prepackaged foods can cause tiredness, headaches, and mood swings from all the fat, sugar, preservatives, food dyes and artificial flavors.
-Too much wheat in the diet can cause tiredness and allergic reactions.
-Not enough whole fruits and vegetables...these protect the immune system.

I highly recommend Dr. Lisa Ramey in Oviedo. She has a private practice called Integrative Pediatrics and the website is http://www.integrativepeds.net.

At the same time I urge you to educate yourself about holistic nutrition. Please check out Dr. Joel Fuhrman's books "Disease Proof Your Child" and "Eat to Live". These books will save your health if you are currently eating the Standard American Diet.

I hope your daughter is okay.
Best wishes,

G. G., Wellness Coach
www.totalwellnessmentor.com

D.,

I agree with everyone here you should take her to a doctor. I am sure you have and it is even possible they have dismissed you as being overly concerned. My son had the same symptoms for four months. The regular pediatrician told me that I was "babying" him too much. I finally told his psych (he has ADHD) and she went ahead and testing him for mono. He tested positive. The problem with that is it is a virus that is long and could possibly affect your immune system. Some people develop other autoimune disorders like: epstein barr, fibromyalgia, lupus, etc.

I don't want you to be scared but I think that you need to push for further evaluation. It took me a couple of months to finally figure it out. He is find as of today but he definetely has a weak immune system and we have to be careful with level of activity, food intake, carbs, etc.

Good luck,
M. R.

Be sure to take your daughter to the doctor - call today. These symptoms sound very similar to those of MS, but could also be a multitude of things. First, go through your family doc then get referrals out if necessary.

Call the doctor right away!

I don't want to scare you but have you had her checked by a cardiologist? Some of those symptoms sound awfully familiar and my daughter was having the same problem and had to be checked out and found she has what is called cushing dease and heart won't regulate the way its suppose to. Hope this helps.

Just a thought but a friend mentioned to me that there have been some side effects from Gardasil, the shots for HPV. Has your daughter had any of these shots? Perhaps this could be a cause?