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What Causes Recurrent High Fever, Vomiting, Headache And Constipation?
Question: Hello Dr. Grief,
I have a son who since he was 12 started with flu like systems except severe. He is now 19 and still has this for a week at a time and every six weeks like clockwork it comes back. He has been hospitalized, had every test and tested for meningitis. He has seen the best disease specialist in Michigan. It returns every sex weeks to the date, the high fever, vomiting, headaches, constipation. No one else in the family contracts anything. I believe it is some type of parasite, but the doctor tested him with 48 test. We don't know what to do next. Can you give us some suggestions please?
I have a son who since he was 12 started with flu like systems except severe. He is now 19 and still has this for a week at a time and every six weeks like clockwork it comes back. He has been hospitalized, had every test and tested for meningitis. He has seen the best disease specialist in Michigan. It returns every sex weeks to the date, the high fever, vomiting, headaches, constipation. No one else in the family contracts anything. I believe it is some type of parasite, but the doctor tested him with 48 test. We don't know what to do next. Can you give us some suggestions please?
Brief Answer:
Did you see an immunologist/allergist?
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about what your son experiences every six weeks. This must be a nightmare for him and the entire family. Who really lives knowing exactly when he would be sick and what the symptoms would be? Worse of it, numerous tests have failed to identify the problem which makes its even more difficult for him and the family.
From the information you have provided, I am of the opinion that this could be cause by allergy. So many tests have been done and I am sure there is really no point in continuing to do more unless there is a strong reason or new information that warrants it.
If I were the treating doctor, I will try to put him on the same medications he takes during outbreaks, especially those geared towards controlling allergy, approximately a week before the next expected episode of these flu symptoms. This will offer us the opportunity to see if he would have the outbreak still and if so, with the same degree of symptoms or not. Should this prove helpful, then doing it on a more regular basis would help. If it doesn't, then we may want to try some more drugs that he uses to control outbreaks.
I am not strongly of the opinion that this could be caused by a parasite. As a tropical disease specialist with great mastery of parasitic and infectious diseases, there is really no parasite that would manifest in this way. This cycle is more in line with how some active substances in our body may be go through a normal up and down cycles.
Has he been tested specifically for allergic and autoimmune disorders? What drugs has he been taking and which class of medications tend to help the most? This could be of great help working the diagnosis back from a therapeutic trial in difficult cases like these.
In all, leaning towards immunlogical or allergic conditions. Would suggest a prophylaxis starting about a week before next anticipated outbreak with medications that have proved helpful and observing what the outcome be. I will also like to know what medications have been tried.
I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thank you so much for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarification if need be.
Dr. Ditah, MD.
Did you see an immunologist/allergist?
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about what your son experiences every six weeks. This must be a nightmare for him and the entire family. Who really lives knowing exactly when he would be sick and what the symptoms would be? Worse of it, numerous tests have failed to identify the problem which makes its even more difficult for him and the family.
From the information you have provided, I am of the opinion that this could be cause by allergy. So many tests have been done and I am sure there is really no point in continuing to do more unless there is a strong reason or new information that warrants it.
If I were the treating doctor, I will try to put him on the same medications he takes during outbreaks, especially those geared towards controlling allergy, approximately a week before the next expected episode of these flu symptoms. This will offer us the opportunity to see if he would have the outbreak still and if so, with the same degree of symptoms or not. Should this prove helpful, then doing it on a more regular basis would help. If it doesn't, then we may want to try some more drugs that he uses to control outbreaks.
I am not strongly of the opinion that this could be caused by a parasite. As a tropical disease specialist with great mastery of parasitic and infectious diseases, there is really no parasite that would manifest in this way. This cycle is more in line with how some active substances in our body may be go through a normal up and down cycles.
Has he been tested specifically for allergic and autoimmune disorders? What drugs has he been taking and which class of medications tend to help the most? This could be of great help working the diagnosis back from a therapeutic trial in difficult cases like these.
In all, leaning towards immunlogical or allergic conditions. Would suggest a prophylaxis starting about a week before next anticipated outbreak with medications that have proved helpful and observing what the outcome be. I will also like to know what medications have been tried.
I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thank you so much for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarification if need be.
Dr. Ditah, MD.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you Dr. Ditah for your response. He has seen an infectious disease specialist.
Medication is always IV for dehydration when hospitalized with tylenol or motrin for fever. The symptoms last 3-5 days. I read my first question which did not include all symptoms, I am sorry and should have waited until I had more sleep. He also has swollen glands during this time and a stiff neck. Fever range is from 100-104, with Motrin. He had a bout for example Dec. 19, 2013, Feb. 26th, 2014 and now May 5, 2014. The one in Dec. he was hospitalized, we could not get the vomiting to subside and his fever was 104. With Iv's and medication for vomiting and fever through the IV he improved. This time in May symptoms were stiff neck, swollen glands, fever and constipation, restlessness which is understandable. Medication is Thera-flu, motrin and amoxicillian. It did subside for about a year, approximately one year ago, we thought and prayed it was done. But one year off was all he got. No one in our immediate family which there are five of us has allergies or anything like this. Could it be Brucellosis or any of the 175 bacterial infections that came up on this site for Causes of flu-like symptoms? We will be taking him into the doctor again today. I will ask him more questions regarding auto immune disorders or allergies also, and contact the infectious disease Dr. to set up another appointment in 6 weeks. He was also tested for cancer, thank God it isn't that. When the disease specialist ran all these test it was after the symptoms were gone. When he sleeps he breaks out in a severe sweat, where the bedding and bed is totally wet. Does this help more. Thank You
Medication is always IV for dehydration when hospitalized with tylenol or motrin for fever. The symptoms last 3-5 days. I read my first question which did not include all symptoms, I am sorry and should have waited until I had more sleep. He also has swollen glands during this time and a stiff neck. Fever range is from 100-104, with Motrin. He had a bout for example Dec. 19, 2013, Feb. 26th, 2014 and now May 5, 2014. The one in Dec. he was hospitalized, we could not get the vomiting to subside and his fever was 104. With Iv's and medication for vomiting and fever through the IV he improved. This time in May symptoms were stiff neck, swollen glands, fever and constipation, restlessness which is understandable. Medication is Thera-flu, motrin and amoxicillian. It did subside for about a year, approximately one year ago, we thought and prayed it was done. But one year off was all he got. No one in our immediate family which there are five of us has allergies or anything like this. Could it be Brucellosis or any of the 175 bacterial infections that came up on this site for Causes of flu-like symptoms? We will be taking him into the doctor again today. I will ask him more questions regarding auto immune disorders or allergies also, and contact the infectious disease Dr. to set up another appointment in 6 weeks. He was also tested for cancer, thank God it isn't that. When the disease specialist ran all these test it was after the symptoms were gone. When he sleeps he breaks out in a severe sweat, where the bedding and bed is totally wet. Does this help more. Thank You
Brief Answer:
Probably not brucellosis/bacterial infection
Detailed Answer:
Thank you so much for this detailed follow up information.
Could this be brucellosis or any other bacterial infection? NO.
Brucellosis presents with persistent fevers, weight loss, swollen spleen and liver, swollen lymph nodes, etc. You have not reported theses. This diseases is present in endemic areas and cannot be diagnosed without an epidemiological lead. Bacterial infections would not cause a cyclic disease like this. Also, it subsides when simply pain relievers are used. If it were for sure a bacterial infection, it will not get better without antibiotics each time he has an outbreak. Motrin and and vomiting medications cannot be used for prophylaxis.
Swollen neck glands are in response to the infection. This means the infection is located somewhere around the neck region that is drained by these lymph nodes. It is possibly a viral upper respiratory infection but what remains to be identified and managed is why this keeps coming up all the times. There should be a predisposing factor either in the environment or his system that makes this more common. I will suggest that the doctors try to identify any. Has he ever stayed in a different town or neighborhood before? Evaluate and see if the symptoms were same. You may want him to spend his vacation in a different town with a friend and see what that comes up to be.
For sure, it is a difficult case. Close follow up and trial of many different strategy may reveal the probable cause which is not the least evident at first sight. Please, do not change doctors often. Stick to the same doctor over time and it would be beneficial in helping resolve the mystery behind this.
I hope this helps and advances our struggle to get a definite solution to this problem. Be optimistic and hope for better days ahead.
Probably not brucellosis/bacterial infection
Detailed Answer:
Thank you so much for this detailed follow up information.
Could this be brucellosis or any other bacterial infection? NO.
Brucellosis presents with persistent fevers, weight loss, swollen spleen and liver, swollen lymph nodes, etc. You have not reported theses. This diseases is present in endemic areas and cannot be diagnosed without an epidemiological lead. Bacterial infections would not cause a cyclic disease like this. Also, it subsides when simply pain relievers are used. If it were for sure a bacterial infection, it will not get better without antibiotics each time he has an outbreak. Motrin and and vomiting medications cannot be used for prophylaxis.
Swollen neck glands are in response to the infection. This means the infection is located somewhere around the neck region that is drained by these lymph nodes. It is possibly a viral upper respiratory infection but what remains to be identified and managed is why this keeps coming up all the times. There should be a predisposing factor either in the environment or his system that makes this more common. I will suggest that the doctors try to identify any. Has he ever stayed in a different town or neighborhood before? Evaluate and see if the symptoms were same. You may want him to spend his vacation in a different town with a friend and see what that comes up to be.
For sure, it is a difficult case. Close follow up and trial of many different strategy may reveal the probable cause which is not the least evident at first sight. Please, do not change doctors often. Stick to the same doctor over time and it would be beneficial in helping resolve the mystery behind this.
I hope this helps and advances our struggle to get a definite solution to this problem. Be optimistic and hope for better days ahead.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank You Again,
It doesn't matter where he is at, the illness comes whether he is at Michigan State University for fall and spring, or if he is in another country with his dad. His dad is a pilot, so Garit has been all over the world. His other brothers went to and they all ate the same thing and stayed in the same hotels where the airlines put them. He did at first drop alot of weight, but he was watching what he eats, healthier and working out. Now is weight and build is appropriate for his 6'5" height, he looked anorexic for awhile. But the illness never stops with weight gain or weight loss. The infectious disease doctor took alot of blood yesterday for testing. We are praying something this time will direct us what to look for. We are sticking with the same doctors the more familiar with his symptoms and exact time of illness I feel is very important. This time the illness left after 3 days, but his neck is still stiff, but fever broke and he feels like eating again. We will not give up, it just doesn't make since to go from perfectly healthy to recurring flu symptoms every six weeks, that last from 3 to 5 days, and for so many years. Thank You again Dr. Ditah any suggestions are very important.
It doesn't matter where he is at, the illness comes whether he is at Michigan State University for fall and spring, or if he is in another country with his dad. His dad is a pilot, so Garit has been all over the world. His other brothers went to and they all ate the same thing and stayed in the same hotels where the airlines put them. He did at first drop alot of weight, but he was watching what he eats, healthier and working out. Now is weight and build is appropriate for his 6'5" height, he looked anorexic for awhile. But the illness never stops with weight gain or weight loss. The infectious disease doctor took alot of blood yesterday for testing. We are praying something this time will direct us what to look for. We are sticking with the same doctors the more familiar with his symptoms and exact time of illness I feel is very important. This time the illness left after 3 days, but his neck is still stiff, but fever broke and he feels like eating again. We will not give up, it just doesn't make since to go from perfectly healthy to recurring flu symptoms every six weeks, that last from 3 to 5 days, and for so many years. Thank You again Dr. Ditah any suggestions are very important.
Brief Answer:
What were the thoughts of the infectiologist!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this follow up information.
I honestly hope we get to figure out what is actually happening to him. It is not classical and I pray and hope that the laboratory tests at least provide us with a lead to understand what is actually going on.
For now, I will not be making any further recommendations. Let us see what the results say. I will personally like to look at these for interpretation as well. At that time, I would be able to make some more suggestions.
Until then, I wish you all well.
Dr. Ditah, MD.
What were the thoughts of the infectiologist!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this follow up information.
I honestly hope we get to figure out what is actually happening to him. It is not classical and I pray and hope that the laboratory tests at least provide us with a lead to understand what is actually going on.
For now, I will not be making any further recommendations. Let us see what the results say. I will personally like to look at these for interpretation as well. At that time, I would be able to make some more suggestions.
Until then, I wish you all well.
Dr. Ditah, MD.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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