My 4 year old has been having sever pain in her legs starting from the time she gets up. she is very hyper, it's pretty good and over all healthy. she has had black circles under her eyes since she was born that everyone ask about. dr. say the circles are from sinus and allergies that some times is a ? for me. and her legs they say is from growing pain that is what I want to believe, but they say they that the legs would hurt in evening and at night so it makes me wonder if this is what it is. or can low iron cause this in a child this age.
Under eye circles *can* be a sign of seasonal allergies. And I remember my sons seasonal allergies coming to a peak at about 5.
The constant leg pain would concern me--probably enough to see another doc.
We're not doctors here, hon, and even the few with some medical training are not going to give you concrete medical advice or diagnosis on a child they haven't seen themselves.
Good luck!
Hi T.,
Dark circles under the eyes is usually a sign of dehydration. Dehydration can also cause pain, especially in the extremities. Does she drink water? If she does, you might want to add electrolytes so that she will absorb the hydration. Is her urine clear or yellow? It should be perfectly clear.
Just what came to mind when you mentioned the legs and eyes...
God bless,
M.
Time to get a second and maybe even a third opinion.
Dr should order some bloodwork to rule out anything else. To make sure it's not something scarier than just low iron.
You need a 2nd medical opinion.
My boys both get growing pains, and it doesn't matter what time of the day it is. I give them a half dose of Tylenol or Motrin (for their weight) and that seems to knock it out.
I used to get them too. Very early in the mornings, often before dawn. Same deal....Tylenol or Motrin.
For her allergies, the doc should prescribe a once daily allergy med. Ask for it.
I agree with others that you should have her tested and look into this more. But I also wanted to throw out there that my daughter complained almost daily of leg pain at 3 and 4. Now at 4 and a half she does not do it anymore. I would rub her leg. Sometimes I'd give her a children's pain reliever when it was really bad. I can remember getting really painful growing pains too. I am pretty sure that is what it was with her.
Yes, it's time to see a specialist -- I would insist on a referral to an allergist; it's lazy of the doctor to say "it's allergies" and not do any further investigation to see WHAT she's allergic to, if that's the cause. It may not be. You need to rule allergies out. Be aware that an allergist will put her through tests for many different allergies and that's not fun but it needs to be done, even if just to rule out allergies as the problem with the eyes. Does she have no other allergy symptoms? Just the eyes alone? That would make me wonder if there is something else going on.
As for the legs: Not sure who the "they say" folks are but often growth means legs hurting overnight; however, for her, the pain may just come when it comes. Again, tell the doctor you want it checked.
Meanwhile, be sure she is hydrated (great suggestion from Mimi) and that means water, not anything sugary and not even juices. And does she eat foods with a lot of potassiium? Bananas, prunes (like candy, truly), dried apricots and other foods contain it - start pushing it hard. Potassium can relieve cramps and if her diet doesn't have enough of it, pushing it could help at least somewhat. Rub her legs when they hurt -- massage them in whatever way gives her the most relief. If she gets "charlie horses" in the calves, have her stand barefoot on a hard, cold floor (not carpet or rug) and flatten her foot against it, pressing her heel hard "into" the floor--she may say at first that it's going to hurt worse but it will indeed help IF she really presses and the floor is hard and cold....at least it always works for us.
Be assertive with your pediatrician. Say you are insisting that it's time to see an allergist about the dark circles -- they do indicate a problem and it's time to find out what it is.
My son had to have adenoids removed ... he had really dark circles under his eyes and snored really really bad. That was at 9 mos., and at 5, he still snores. has circles under his eyes but sleeps through the night and seems well rested. ( we were told he may also need his tonsils removed ). The leg pains sound a lot like growing pains. Have your little one lie one her back, with her legs straight up flush against the wall for at least 15 to 30 mins. then have her put her legs down again for about 5 -10 mins. and then repeat another one or 2 times. This helps with leg pains. My P.E. teacher in high school told me to this and it helped.... I had pains in my legs from about 9 or so years old before I had my teacher tell me what could help, so try it. I hope it helps.
It's better to consult with her doctor and start drinking her water more and more.
