Toddler with swollen lymph node, elevated sed rate and low IgG

[SewMommy]

My son will be 3 next month.  He has been constantly sick.  For his first 18 months, he had almost monthly fevers of unknown origins - sometimes reaching as high as 104 with no other symptoms for 3-5 days.



When he was 13 months old, he was diagnosed with low IgG. It is not severely low, so he is not treated for it specifically - just for each infection. He continued to have numerous viral and bacterial infections.  This past year, he had strep throat 5 times which finally ended with his tonsils and adenoids being removed.  He has never been in day care.



He rarely has a normal BM.  They are always soft and mushy and often very foul smelling.



Since Christmas, he has had a bloody nose three times.  He also had a fever of 102.9 one night with no other symptoms and was fine the next day.  



In late October, I noticed he had a swollen lymph node on the back side of his neck.  His pediatrician and ENT both said it was from his recent bouts of  strep throat.  However, it is January, and the lymph node is still swollen.



Last week, our pediatrician did labwork on him.  His CBC showed that he was slightly anemic.  His sed rate was 30 (I was told normal was 0-10 for him).  She is going to repeat the test next week to see if his sed rate is still elevated.



I try not to be concerned about him.  He is growing and developing normally - just sick very often and with unusual symptoms.  Is there any insight you can offer to his unusual symptoms?



Thanks,

Connie

[MLWTR]

With the recurrent fevers, GI problems, raised sed rate, and susceptibility to infections, I would wonder about Crohn's disease (a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily affects the gastrointestinal tract and can also affect other organ systems). Another GI disease, celiac disease, might also be a possibility. Just a thought.



Good luck.

[SewMommy]

Thanks for the suggestion.  He has been tested for celiac disease, but not crohn's disease.  



thanks!

connie

[Mommyof2princesses]

Your post is very interesting to me. I have a just turned 3 in Jan. daughter. She has been having similar symptoms as your son. She will have a high fever for 3 or 4 days once a month. Her Dr. will do all the normal test, strep, flu, urine, and test her blood. Everything always points to viral. The past couple of months she has had large swollen glands in her neck with the high fever. I was curious if you ever found out anything else about your son's health. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I am starting to get really concerned and scared.
Thanks, Kendra

[Soonerman]

Have they been tested for food allergies?  I wouldn't count out Celiacs unless I eliminated gluten and they did not improve.  Also constant antibiotics as are usually given for some sickness can lead to candida/yeast overgrowth; this in turn creates more symptoms which are once again treated with antibiotics and the cycle continues.  Problems with yeast/candida commonly include gastro problems, comprimised immune system, infections, throat and ear problems/infections, mood problems/irritability...just google for a list of symptoms.  If you think it may fit, just eliminate sugar and yeast products (bread, cheese...) and see if there is improvement.  If there is, a doctor may need to prescribe an anti-fungal.

[lookinforanswers]

Did you ever find out about your daughter? I have a three year old son who has the same symptoms. His lymphnodes has been swollen for about a year and a half and they think that it is ALPS.