What Causes Chronic Pain All Over The Body And What Is The Treatment?

Posted on Wed, 4 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 4 Dec 2013 Answered on

Thu, 2 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : My 8 year old son has had chronic and random pain for several months. It seemed to start with groin pain and lower right lung pain. It was determined that he had pneumonia. His stomach pain got severe and we returned to Er and he was taken off the antibiotic and was re diagnosed with bronchitis. There was an ultrasound of groin which came back normal. He was given puffers for a barking cough and I was told to watch for fever in case of appendix problems. That was 3 months ago. He has since had pelvic ultrasound which revealed bladder doesn't empty properly. he has chronic returning penis foreskin infection. Over the last month he has begun to wet the bed and leak in his underwear. His bloods came back normal except for creatine 36 UMOL/L and IGA 0.11 G/L He still complains of lower left lung pain and occassionally vomits when he says he isn't feeling well. His hand sometimes hurt, his skin even hurts and he sometimes refuses a shower claiming the water will hurt his skin. His feet hurt most days to the point he wont walk and he has been off school for months due to his chronic pain which is causing anxiety. Have you any thoughts on his kidneys or any other queries I should investigate?

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (26 hours later)

Brief Answer: Urologist consultation necessary Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for writing in. Having been treated for the pneumonia, I think you should get his urinary system examined in detail by a urologist. The reason for bladder not emptying completely must be found out. It may be due to structural or functional abnormalities in the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra. The chronic penis foreskin infection also must be evaluated in detail for balanitis and phimosis. Imaging investigations like micturating cystourethrogram might be to be done. Please do not worry as it is a simple office procedure and enough care is taken when doing it on children. If there is a tight phimosis or stricture, minor surgical treatment might be necessary if medical treatment and dilatation do not work. If you ignore this condition, it can cause severe kidney and bladder infection which may even cause irreversible kidney damage. Hope your query is answered. Do write back if you have any doubts. Regards, Dr.Vivek

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar