7 year old coughing up blood

[windsong]

my 7 year old son woke up one morning nearly 3 months ago coughing up bright red blood he did this several times that day the next day approx 12 times then a handful of times the next few days The blood was always bright red and in vast quantities,soaking approx dozen nappy liner type cloths each time He had black poo as well for a few days
He had an episode of coughing up blood 2 1/2 years ago but not as severe
After the coughing up blood he was complaining of headaches, dizziness,his blood pressure is a little high and it would appear that it always has been A few weeks after discharge he had an absess (abscess) come out the side of his gastrostomy which they said was in his stomach and had burst outwards tests showed streptococci in his bloodstream He had 7 days IV antibiotics has been better since but still has dark circles under eyes
Only test done was blood tests He has just seen a ENT surgeon who says that he wont take out his huge tonsils due to him being high risk for bleeding He thinks that he is having sleep apnea and has arranged a sleep study Peadiatrician thinks either nurses doing blood pressure wrong -at home and at hospital- or that if it really is high then its because of white coat syndrome even when done in sleep no-one is trying to find out where the blood came from and why and I cant rid the thought from my mind that its something not good

Previous medical history..severe reflux since birth, corrected 3 years ago with Nissens Fundoplication, has gastrostomy fed all nurtitional needs via gastrostomy. Been in perfect health since Nissens was done, until now

[windsong]

also the ENT surgeon was adamant that the blood did NOT come from his tonsils. It didnt come from his stomach (no feed in it) so just leaves oespahgus and lungs. The blood sometimes had bubbles in it.

[ozark]

did they do un upper endoscopy to check his nissen repair or to see if he has esophagitis or gastritis?  what about nose bleeds but i assume the ent dr would have checked on that...has his bp always been high? even at a youngerr age?  if so he shoulkd see someone about that....he may have an underling problem that went undiscovered since he had severe reflux since birth...also does he take medication that could cause bleeding?

[windsong]

last endoscopy was 2 1/2 years ago after first time he coughed up blood. The Nissen wrap seems to be working well still, no stomach contents come up when he retches, and no complaints of heartburn. Has no nose bleeds. Looking back on previous records it would appear that his blood pressure has always been high (not sky high).
He takes no medications at all.
His surgeon was going to look in his oesphagus and lungs with the camera when his tonsils come out, but the ENT surgeon has said he won't operate on them.
We live in the UK and are already going to a top hospital. His surgeon is excellent but the high blood pressure, coughing up blood and tonsil issues are not anything to do with the Nissen and gastrostomy that he sees him for. The paed we saw was useless.
He has just gone back to school after having two months off, and the nursing team that come to our home are telling us that no way is it normal to cough up blood like that and that high blood pressure is unusual in children.
I realise that there could be a simple explanation such as a tear on the oesphagus wall, but until i know that its something minor the possibility that its something more sinister eats away at me...especially when coupled with the high blood pressure, the serious infection he had and possible apnea.

[ozark]

I have a problem with the fact he has high bp to some degree and is coughing up blood....they should be investigating the bp in regards to his lungs....  does he have any breathing issues at all now or as an infant.  what is his bp?

[windsong]

no he doesnt have any breathing problems apart from very noisy breathing and snoring at night. As a baby he had apnea, presumably due to reflux.

Blood pressure reading at 11 months was 123/55
there are 25 readings when he was age 2. lowest 88/48 highest 165/105. Mostly range between 108-120 over 55-72.

His readings now are 120-140 over 80-90 on average. These readings have been done in hospital, awake and asleep and at home with his nurse that he knows well. It may just be that slightly higher than normal blood pressure is normal for him, but the home nurses are not happy with the readings.
His height and weight are normal for his age and his diet is excellent as he is tube fed.

[ozark]

Those reading are high for an 11 month old....they really should be about less that 110 for the top...i would inquire about further work up in regards to this especially since they're still high when asleep....they should check his kidney and lung  status and blood work for a renin level as well as other things...  The other thought is if he has obstructive sleep apnea secondary to his tonsils this could be contributing to his high bp...good luck   keep us posted

[ozark]

How did your son make out at the doctors?

[llm_58]

My husband, awoke one morn, not able to stand on his own, vomiting BRIGHT RED BLOOD, tarry-black poop,pale skin.It was an emergency room visit; in split-seconds we realized this. I felt a gut feeling, it was going to take Sherlock Holmes, to find out what had occurred. He'd had BLACK-TARRY STOOLS, for some time, but failed to tell anyone. That's BLOOD in the poop, Docs told us, not necessarily, from his bowels, or any organs in that area. He was dieing, and I was so frustrated, Docs couldn't figure it out. Had he been in an "AUTO ACCIDENT" recently? No, I kept telling the Medical Staff. Had he injured his abdomen? Again, no! He was sent to a, University Teaching College & Hospital,  where they "TEACH" young & upcoming Doctors. In a matter of 2 days, they knew, had an answer-his "SPLEEN" was about to rupture, was so large, from  BLOOD. It was touch & go, even after the SURGERY, as the problem had gone on so long-4 to 5 years. He'd had "acid reflux" & hurt in his breastbone area, sometimes lower down near the stomach part of his esophagus. He'd been given medicine, as we're poor; my mate is DISABLED. It wasn't Docs fault; the Prilosec, etc. was working.We DIDN'T want Surgery, but my Husband had to, or die. He's doing good now.

[llm_58]

My Husband had "CAT SCRATCH FEVER", a virus, of unknown origin, since he'd had no contact with CATS. He had been in the same room, with them, but no scratches. He had a staph or strep, added to the infection, when he was coughing blood, & had tarry poop. No more coughing blood or tarry poop, now. Don't let the problem, go on & on, for years. Use Docs, who are willing to go the "EXTRA MILES" to figure your 7 yr. olds' problem out. My husband doesn't have aids, but "HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM" was compromised before the incident, so he's wide-open to any GERMS, be it Viruses or Bacterias. He'd had a blood-disorder, that got out of hand, a type of ANEMIA. Combined with the fever & virus, his body just couldn't handle the "internal bleeding" anymore. His "stomache" was full of blood, which caused the "vomiting"!Please, be "very aggressive" in getting the boys condition taken care of!!!

[zone37967]

Hello, I came to this site because my husband recently was sick with a fever. He went to the doctor, and they told him it might be the flu, or pnemonia (pneumonia), or both. After being on antibiotics for 10 days, he got up one morning and was coughing up blood. He went and got a chest Xray, and they ruled out pnemonia (pneumonia). He is still coughing up blood. It seems to happen mostly in the morning. He has a history of Acid Reflux disease. He is taking acifex everyday to deal with that. He had a test to make sure that he had no damage to his esphoagas. The doctor thought that if he continued to cough up blood, that he should go to a lung specialist. I am wondering if it has something to do with his stomach, since he has had problems with it for over 10 years. Maybe the antibiotic and acifex caused irritation. Also, he hasn't had too much energy, and I have notice that he he is pale with dark circles under his eyes.  If anyone can just give me some information on what they think. I would appreciate it. You can post it or send to my email address..  ***@**** Thanks..