Tummy ache AGAIN! Feel so sorry for dd2 but don't know what to do next?

[Polgara2]

So I have dd2 home from school with tummy ache again. She is 8 now and has been having tummy aches periodically from age 5. At the time she saw a consultant who said she was 'sensitive to the peristalsis of the bowel', but didn't give her anything. It comes and goes but has been bothering her a lot for the last say 5/6 months. It is just around her navel btw and this morning she said it hurt a bit higher up on the left as well, like something being pulled, but that bit has gone now apparently. She also gets very windy and sometimes when she burps she gets sick in her throat.

She has also had a couple of bouts of mesenteric adenitis (or that is what has been suggested anyway). She has never had any tests for anything.

She also gets a lot of headaches.

Am wondering if I should take her back to docs but they usually make me feel I am being an over-anxious mother.

Has anyone's dc experienced anything like this? Googling is doing me no good whatsoever of course! TIA

[Polgara2]

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[Polgara2]

Bumping again although am clearly talking to myself.

[Lindenlass]

Sorry, I haven't anything useful to say, but just wanted to sympathise. My DD2 also gets a lot of tummy ache - she's very sensitive to apple juice. Would it be worth writing a food diary to see what might be causing the pain? Or visiting a kinesiologist (is that the right thing?)?

[kalo12]

well i seem to be posting the same on lots of threads but,

have you thought about food sensitivities? namely wheat / dairy?

Also get some flax seed oil from health food store. It heals the gut, improves digestion, acts as laxative but also helps absorb nutrients from food.

excellent book ' digestive wellness in children' by elizabeth lipski

(i haven't written it, although I should receive royalties as I am always recommending it)

[Lindenlass]

prebiotics?

[dearprudence]

I don't think you should be worried about appearing as an over-anxious mother. If your DD is having tummy ache that bothers her you are right to follow it up. Don't feel guilty about using GP resource - it's what they're there for.

FWIW - DSD used to get horrible tummy-ache from the age of about 5. She would be doubled up with pain for about half an hour at a time. It went on for a few years, but she did grow out of it. She is now 18 and perfectly fit and healthy.

That said, if this was my DS I would certainly be following it up and trying to get some answers.

[seeker]

My dd gets tummy aches and headaches - but they are always a symptom of stress in her life - problems at school, an argument with a friend, badly done homework or being overtired. She's 13 now, and has learned to recognize the triggers for herself and accept that "she's just that sort of person". She takes a painkiller and gets on with it now - I'm very proud of her ability to deal with it. Have you looked at non-physical causes?

[CaptainUnderpants]

My Ds age 8 is constantly at the moment complaining about tummy aches, jsut about to start another thread on it , so you are not alone .

[Polgara2]

Sorry fell asleep early last night. Stress makes me very tired!

I did wonder about abdominal migraine.

Her diet isn't brilliant but she is not constipated, she goes every day more or less and it doesn't seem to have any bearing on making her tummy ache better.

She does get anxious sometimes but again this doesn't necessarily coincide with the tummy ache. She can have tummy ache when she is off school with not a care in the world!

Can't decide if the sick in throat thing is linked or just coincidental?

Will start to keep a food diary I think. Maybe it is a food sensitivity/intolerance as some of you have suggested. Interestingly her teacher yesterday suggested giving her a plain biscuit for the sugar? Well it did work as a short term fix but the tummy ache came back again after her lunch and was only lessened by nurofen. I don't want to keep giving her painkillers unless I know there is no other option so I will make an appointment for the docs I think. I will worry about it dreadfully of course!

Captain underpants will be interested to hear how you go on with your ds then? I will keep an eye on your thread for any findings.

Thanks all .

[crescent]

The 'sick in the throat' thing made me think gastric reflux? Admittedly this doesn't always give you tummy ache as such but it could be worth trying Zantac or similar, not sure about child's dose so maybe ask GP.
Know just what you mean about stress making you tired, I'm an over anxious grandma and always want to go to sleep when I'm worried about grandson's health, you'd think I'd know better by now
Hope your dd gets better soon.

[kiddiz]

Your description of your dd's symptoms could have been written about my dd. Her stomach pains were diagnosed as abdominal migraine by a paediatrician at our local hospital. She had loads of tests over several months before they came to this diagnosis.
She's 12 now and has been ok for a couple of years now. I used to give her ibuprofen to relieve the pain. It was more effective than paracetamol.

[Polgara2]

Oh really kiddiz? What sort of tests did they do? I know having tests will upset dd2 but if it gets to the bottom of it she will have to go through it? Did they give her any other specific med or just say give her the ibuprofen? The doc receptionist has just told me to ring in the morning when they release the day's appointments or we won't get one until next week.

[morningpaper]

I would second the food diary advice. I have always suffered from abdominal migraines but it was not until I was 14 that I discovered (after reading an article in the Telegraph ) that it was triggered by milk.

I have to avoid quite a lot of foods (including apple juice as mentioned here too!)

The GP prescribes merbentyl plus antiinflammatories but watchign my food is the main thing

[EachPeachPearMum]

I have had mesenteric adenitis twice, so I know how painful it is, poor girl. They have never suggested a cause though I'm afraid.

[idobelieveinfairies]

Sounds like abdominal magraine to me too..ds is off school today with it, he was put on pizotifen for a while which helped..but the doc didn't want him on them for too long.....does she go pale and clammy? vomit? have to sleep?? this is what happens to ds...he is starting to get the proper headaches to as he is getting older with visual disturbances. His is caused by stress and excitment.

I would mention abdominal migraine to doctor next time and see what he says.

Good Luck.

[Polgara2]

Yes she does go very pale (well paler she is always pale!) She doesn't vomit but sometimes says she feels sick and yes she does get very tired.

Sigh she really only drinks apple juice, water or milk so if any of those are triggers she is a bit limited.

I think I will write everything down from here, both my points and others, so that I don't get too flustered at the docs. Like I say I always feel I am being a nuisance and a neurotic mum.

I have just been in to give her more ibuprofen to last her through to her after school club which she really doesn't want to miss! She said it got worse as she was eating her lunch.

[kiddiz]

Sorry I've only just got back on here. She had a lot of blood and urine tests and an ultrasound scan. I got the impression they were ruling other stuff out tbh. I did have to keep telling them that dd wasn't unhappy at school and was just as likely to get the pain in the holidays. I think they though she was trying to get out of school which she definately wasn't. I arrived at ibuprofen by trial and error. Tbh the hospital weren't much help and were quite dismissive.... kind of "it's just abdominal migraine she'll grow out of it" and didn't suggest any treatment other than otc painkillers.
To be fair she did stop getting the pains by the age of 10 and has been ok for a couple of years now. However they were quite distressing at the time for her (and me!) as she was obviously in a lot of pain, bent double and crying. I was told she may go on to develope classic migraine which hasn't happened yet but, as I suffer with them, it wouldn't surprise me if she did.
Don't worry about being seen as over anxious, most mums are . It's natural to be worried if your child is in pain I know I sometimes used to feel it would be easier just to set up camp in the doctor's surgery I was there so much!!

[Nidsnay]

Just read this thread while researching abdominal migraines - something we think my 8 yo ds is suffering from.
He gets bouts of stabbing stomach pain, goes completely white and is sick. He can be periodically sick for several hours until there's nothing left and eventually recovers and is absolutely fine and starving! It's caused quite a bit of disruption to his schooling since it started in February. He was first diagnosed with a UTI and has had 2 courses of unnecessary antibiotics. Now stomach migraines have been mentioned by the doctor as a possible cause so I think I'm going to have to start a diary of dates, food etc to see if there's a pattern. I know it's supposed to be linked to maternal migraine but I never even get headaches so it's not down to me - probably the mother-in-law's fault!!
I hope he does grow out of it and doesn't go on to develop adult migraines. He's hardly ever ill otherwise but whenever he is ill, it's always atomach-related: swollen glands in stomach; very sicky as a baby; caught a bug that made him intolerant to dairy when he was 5. This must be his Achilles heel.