Another round of "name that illness"....

[StephandOwen]

I just commented about a week ago on how ds (6) has been really healthy this winter. Usually he's sick as a dog. That came back to bite me in the butt

Monday ds got pretty bad, lots of congestion, cough, etc. His dr said it was just his allergies again (and the ear with no tube had fluid but it wasn't pussy or infected). We started him on nasonex once a day and he's gotten much better.

Until today. He woke up this morning complaining that his neck hurt. I thought it was just because he had only slept on one pillow last night (I threw all his other ones out so I can replace them with new ones, because of his allergies). I thought he just slept funky. He's just kinda chilled all day, didn't eat much, wasn't very active, etc. He was watching a movie in our bedroom and I went to check on him. He was laying on the bed saying his neck hurt. He asked me to go to his room to get a book for him because "my neck hurts all the way down to my toes and I can't walk". I thought he was just being silly, so I got him the book and turned off the tv. I told him I had to go downstairs and start dinner and I would come check on him in a few minutes. About 10 minutes later dp went upstairs to check on ds and he was sound asleep on the bed. DS NEVER sleeps during the day, unless he's ill. I took his temp and it was 100 (in the ear).

So, quick version.... allergy crap earlier this week with congestion and cough, neck pain now, fever 100, not acting like himself.

Any guesses?

[texaspeach]

neck pain and stiffness is a sign of meningitis

does he have a headache or sensitivity to light?

here's some info
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t083700.asp

[StephandOwen]

It's hard to tell how much pain he's in or where it's at, because of his autism. We just within the last few months have gotten him to tell us he's in pain/hurting. He has a high pain tolerance (when he was 4 he cut where his penis and abdomen connect and needed stitches and surgical glue.... he didn't complain of pain or cry. The ER dr's were astounded).

He's still sleeping... do you think I should wake him and see if he'll move his chin to his chest or should I just let him sleep?

[AllyRae]

If he says his neck hurts and he has a high pain tolerance, I'd take him in just to be sure. Brandon (also with autism) never complains about pain. One day he complained that his ear hurt...we took him in and his ear was severely infected and the eardrum was close to bursting. So, I always err on the side of caution if he complains about pain because if it hurts, it hurts bad....

[StephandOwen]

Originally Posted by AllyRae

If he says his neck hurts and he has a high pain tolerance, I'd take him in just to be sure.

That's usually how we work it too, since him complaining of pain is so rare. We haven't been "wrong" in taking him in yet.

But the question now comes in.... I don't want to wake him up and take him in for it to be nothing. But I don't want to let him sleep and have it be *something*, ya know?

Just checked him again, still sleeping and his fever is now 101.1 If I take him tonight it has to be ER. If I can hold off until noon tomorrow he can go to a clinic (a clinic at the hospital so if he needed to go to the hospital it would be a stones throw away).

Also, if I take him in right now with a complaint of fever and sore/stiff neck he's almost certain to get a spinal tap. That's obviously something I want to avoid if possible.

[AllyRae]

I don't know that I'd worry about his temp going up when he's sleeping...all of my kids get warmer when they're sleeping too, even if they aren't sick. I'd wait until he's been up for an hour or so for a real temp. If he's breathing fine tonight, has good color, and isn't any more restless (or any more of a deep sleeper) than normal, maybe just keep an eye on him. I'd think if it was meningitis, there would be some obvious signs while he's sleeping. Hopefully it was just a lymph node bothering him or something...

Poor kiddo...

[nycmom18]

i dont know, if it were something very serious, you wouldnt want to wait the night out. i would keep waking every so often and checking his mobility and awareness and fever and then make your judgment based on better/worse etc. i really hope he feels better soon!

[AllyRae]

I just read that site linked above...it seems like because he's not vomiting and his fever is still mild, that it isn't meningitis. But, could you make his legs move like this part says:

Severe back pain when the legs and knees are pulled up to the chest - this stretches the inflamed lining of the spinal cord.

I would imagine that even in his sleep, if it hurt really badly, he'd react...

[texaspeach]

hope everything is ok and it's just a cold

[StephandOwen]

His fever is still hoovering between 101-103, he woke up still complaining of neck pain (and now says his throat hurts too). He says he can't look down because it hurts. I tried moving his legs like in that article and he says it hurts and kinda jerks back but doesn't scream in pain or anything. He vomited about 20 minutes after waking up (lots of water and bile, since he hasn't eaten anything in 24 hours). We're on our way to the ER.

[texaspeach]

praying it's not meningitis and the er trip isn't traumatic for him

[StephandOwen]

We're back. DS has strep (again). The dr said the pain in his neck is probably because the lymph nodes in the back of his neck are pretty swollen. He got a shot of antibiotics and is feeling better already He's eating some lunch and watching a new Mickey movie we got him for V-day

[texaspeach]

that's great news!

[nycmom18]

very happy for you!