I have a 3.5 year old that lately has changed from my happy, easy to please, bouncing girl to being whiny constantly, very clingy, grumpy and keeps telling me "my body hurts" or "my head hurts". She is also now having sleep issues and waking up crying saying "no feel good"
She's on iron supplements for an iron deficiency as well as on vitamin d for a vitamin d deficiency.
What could be going on?! I'm really starting to worry...
Her supplements are strictly monitored by her pediatrician. Her iron deficiency is a genetic problem. My other daughter, myself and my father all have it. The vitamin d was started after trying more sun exposure and eating certain things. But it was not enough to raise her levels.
She's on a plant based iron that is easier to digest.
This has only been going on about 2 weeks.
Whenever my kids are out of sorts - especially when they were young and couldn't express themselves very well - we took them in to see their doctor.
You don't say how long this has been going on. Usually when mine were out of sorts and saying they didn't feel well - it was some kind of bug or infection.
If she's waking up crying - I would take her in pronto.
Poor thing! It's so hard for them to explain to you how they feel at this age. This is the age my nephew started limping and saying he hurt. He later was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I don't know what to suggest. Make sure she is hydrated. Take her to the doctor and say you want tests done. Have you been anywhere lately that has Lyme disease? Do you take her temperature...has it been elevated? It could be so many things.
Have you taken her to a doctor? She needs to be seen by a medical professional.
She's probably growing. Kids go through growth spurts and they can grow an inch or two overnight. They grow mostly when they're sleeping too.
I'm not really sure what could be wrong but my first thought is to look up symptoms of overdose of the supplements she is taking.
This is what I've found:
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Early symptoms of iron overdose
Diarrhea (may contain blood)
fever.
nausea.
stomach pain or cramping (sharp)
vomiting, severe (may contain blood)
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Vitamin D Warnings
Vitamin D could cause an allergic skin reaction. Tell your doctor if you have any allergies before taking this supplement.
This vitamin may also affect your blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, your physician may need to monitor you while you're taking vitamin D.
Also, tell your doctor if you currently have, or have ever had, any of the following:
High or low blood pressure
Kidney problems and kidney stones
An immune disorder
Heart disease or other heart problem
Lung disorders
Thyroid problems
Liver disease
Frequent headaches
Stomach issues
Skin disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders
Vitamin D Toxicity
Although uncommon, excessive amounts of vitamin D in the body can lead to toxicity.
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So talk to your pediatrician ASAP and stop giving her the supplements for now.
Usually 15 minutes out in sunshine per day is all the exposure a human needs to be able to produce their own vitamin D so I'm not sure why a child would need a supplement for that.
Additional:
I'm glad a doctor is monitoring the supplements.
That being said - what ever the prescribed dose is still sounds too high for her.
Perhaps she needs lower/lowest doses in order to absorb what she needs without her systems going haywire.
It might take some time to get things right but if taking these supplements is the only thing that has changed in the last few weeks, then it seems to me that it's the supplements that are causing her aches and pains.
I've had doctors swear to me that the side effects I was having couldn't be caused by the medication I was taking.
But if I took the med - I had problems - if I didn't take the med - I didn't have those problems.
That solves it for me no matter what the doctor says.
Are the supplements being given under dr supervision? Iron is very hard to digestive systems so that could be causing problems and making her feel out of sorts. And excess Vit D stores in the fat cells so getting too much of that is bad.
I'd probably cut back on the iron and up her intake of water, fruit, and veggies to help keep things moving.
Take her to the pediatrician. Somethings off with her. Maybe she's getting the wrong dosage of supplements and its screwing up her body.
M., talk to the ped about this. It could be that the particular brand of supplements is making her feel badly. And that's not your fault. SHe needs them, but the doctor should try to tweak them to help her feel better.
Don't put this off. If could very well be an easy fix.
