My 9 year old son is fine- until he’s not

amother

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 1:02 am

He suddenly starts screaming that everything hurts him and he can’t breathe.
I’m sure this is anxiety.
He says his head has beating sounds- whatever that means.. and his legs are killing and his arms … and he can’t breathe. I’m sure this is anxiety/panic related. He can be fine for weeks and then out of the blue he’ll wake up screaming that everything hurts. He’s been doing this for a few years. I used to distract him and let him come to my bed or watch a video. Now I’m not so patient as I believe it’s not real physical pain. I give him a spoon of Motrin which seems to relax him. I’ve spoken to him and explained the concept of anxiety and that it’s probably what he’s dealing with. I told him to take deep breaths and assure him that he’ll be fine. But it happens again a few weeks later and sometimes I feel like I can’t deal with it.
Has anyone else dealt with this? He’s usually an easy going child. Is this something temporary?

ra_mom

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 1:06 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

When he says his head is beating, that means it's throbbing. You know like when you're in pain and there's almost like a heatbeat in that area?

Something is going on. Have you taken him to the doctor?

amother

Bisque

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 1:07 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I’m not sure. I’d ask the pediatrician. But it’s interesting you’re mentioning the beating sounds in the head. DD says the same and that’s her symptom of strep. Whenever she feels that beating sound we know the culture will come back positive. Maybe test him.

amother

Daisy

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 1:11 am

I just want to point out to you that it IS real physical pain. Anxiety and panic attacks are real. Their pain and sudden heart rate increase is also real. It may be caused by a not real danger, but it's very, very real. Please be patient with him.

amother

Holly

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 1:18 am

A racing heart would also sounds like beating in his head. The arms and legs are probably nerves tingling all symptoms of a panic attack. If he has panic attacks and anxiety I would take him to a therapist to learn techniques to deal with it.

imaima

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 1:35 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

At no point during these years have you gone to a doctor?

amother

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 6:27 am

Of course I’ve spoken to the doctor but I didn’t get anywhere.
My son’s major complaint originally was pain in his legs those first few years. I really thought there might be something wrong with his legs. He’s had X-rays and a few appointments with an orthopedist. Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong and X-rays didn’t show anything either. The way he screamed in pain just didn’t make sense if nothing was really wrong.
Now that he’s complaining of arms and legs and he seems so agitated. I told the pediatrician that at times my son seems to be suffering from anxiety, especially at night. Dr said I should give him melatonin to help him sleep better but I don’t want him to take melatonin since 95% of the time (or more) he’s sleeps fine. Dr also said that if I want I can take my son to a social worker. I have another child who has always been difficult and has probably seen almost every social worker in the neighborhood. They didn’t help my child at all. I wasted so much time over the years and there is no improvement at all. This next child of mine is an easy going boy, happy, calm and confident. He’s generally fine aside for these episodes that happen every once in a while. I would like to learn how to calm down a child who is suffering from from a bout of anxiety and seems to be having a mild panic attack.

Jewishmom8

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 6:29 am

my son had anxiety and I took him to a psychologist and it really helped him with it
he also was generally fine except for the times it wasn't
just keep in mind its much easier to treat these things when its less often and kids are young.
don't wait for it to be more often and he is older..

amother

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 6:33 am

Jewishmom8 wrote:

Did he give him tools to work through the attacks? Did your son have these panic attacks or was he anxious in general?

Jewishmom8

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 6:34 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Did he give him tools to work through the attacks? Did your son have these panic attacks or was he anxious in general?

he gave him tools to work through the attacks and helped him not to have the attacks allotgether.
he is anxious in general. but now less.

FranticFrummie

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 6:43 am

If you ask your son if he is worried or scared about something, what does he say?

If he says he doesn't know, then for sure it's something biochemical and not psychological, especially if the attacks happen at night, and he can't remember any scary dreams.

There are a couple of things you can do to "short circuit" a panic attack. Have him lie down on his back. Get a very cold damp washcloth, fold it, and lay it over his eyes. The optic nerve sends a signal to the brain and helps "reset" the panic mechanism.

Another thing is to use gentle compression on his sternum (breast bone). The pressure will ground him and help him feel more in control of his body. It will slow his heartbeat and reassure him that you are there.

Speak in a low, gentle voice, and tell him "You are OK. Nothing bad is happening right now. You are safe."

This is an amazing book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod.....bcfb4

DD had headaches, stomach aches, leg pain, and perfectionist OCD. When she got nervous in class, she would hide under her desk and pull her coat over her head. She called it "turtle-ing". 🐢

It's taken her a long time to get past it, but B'H she graduated at the top of her class, and is in college now, doing quite well.

amother

Brass

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 7:13 am

Sounds like he has lyme. Ever tested for those? Leg pain is classic. And babesia (another tick borne illness) can cause air hunger, a feeling that u can't breathe. I would go in that direction. And brain inflammation. Especially because motrin helps. I'm sure you tested for strep when he had/has leg pain and headaches. Those are also classic symptoms.0

amother

Copper

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 9:27 am

If Motrin calms him down, that is a sign that the root of this is brain inflammation. It might be caused by strep or Lyme or something else.
I’m so sorry your doctor hasn’t been helpful.
There are good doctors for this.
You can give him Motrin twice a day for two weeks and see if that helps. It probably will.

amother

Maple

Sun, Oct 31 2021, 9:28 am

amother [ Copper ] wrote:

Im a big believer in brain inflammation but motrin working might also mean it’s legitimate pain.