AboutNeha Dahiya MD Expertise I can help patients understand their lab report results, help them with queries regarding what pretest preparation is required. How often a follow up test needs to be done. What does a particular tissue biopsy report mean in everyday English. I can explain the biopsy or cytology procedure. I can deal with Histopathology / cytology / clinical pathology and clinical chemistry queries. Helping in this manner will be my contribution to the community.
Experience I am a pathologist and director of clinical laboratory services. I have been a practicing pathologist for last 9 years in a 350 bed multi specialty hospital laboratory.
Organizations Indian association of pathologists and microbiologists.
MIAC - Member International Academy of Cytology
International association of Pathologists - indian division
Indian association of Cytology
Question I am very concerned, in May my 13 year old son was diagnosed with both Epstein Barr Mono as well as Cytomegalovirus. He has been sick on and off since he was an infant. Fevers, extreme vomiting, bruises on his legs that have never gone away, as well as swollen lymph nodes in his neck that swell to the size of an egg. He gets very tired all of the time, stomach pains quite frequently and has missed a lot of school. For years I have been trying to get the doctors to figure out what is going on, they treat me like I am a hypochondriac where my son is concerned but I know there is something they are seriously missing, he has had scarlet fever, strep throat many times, bad tonsillitis until the tonsils were removed. He just keeps getting one illness after another. When he was diagnosed in May, they also told me that they thought that he had lymphoma from the cat scans (w/o contrast), they sent us to Primary Childrens in SLC, UT, USA. They told us that they didn't feel his symptoms were related to any type of cancer. It was left at that. We moved back home to NV and the doctor here does not believe that EBV/CMV stays with you. He said it is like a cold, it can come and go. He won't even look into anything that has to do with those 2 viruses. My son has so many symptoms that come and go. most people including the school and his stepfather feel that he is just faking some of the symptoms to get out of school or chores. I am very concerned that something is going on and it is serious. His symptoms are....sore throat, swollen glands, nosebleeds, vision problems, some hearing loss, high fevers on and off most of his life, rectal bleeding, bleeding gums, abdominal pain, leg pain, rectal bleeding, extreme fatigue, nausea, dizziness, bruises that he has had on his legs since he was 11 months old, bad headaches. Even with all of the symptoms, if you look at him he might look a little pale or gray, but he doesn't really look sick. When he has ran 103 fever he would still be running around playing at home or the hospital/clinic. He has had too many serious illnesses for me to believe that there is nothing going on. Should I take him to see a specialist and if so, what kind?
Answer Hello Tonya:
With the list of symptoms you have described your son definitely requires a detailed exam and a panel of tests.
First of all there are serological tests to diagnose CMV and mono and I hope the doctor did those.
Indeed mono and CMV infection can come and go but a confirmation is good to have.
The other thing could be some form of defect with his bone marrow either producing insufficient blood cells and he may be anemic and or have a bleeding disorder. A hematologist will be the specialist who can help.
I am not an expert in this matter and I hope this gives some guidance and have your son completely evaluated
