Growing Pains? - South Pasadena,CA

Potassium is great to help with growing pains. Try giving her a little more banana or Tropicana OJ with potassium. This always helped my daughter.

My son has/had T. same thing but in his lower legs. His would come and go every1-2 months and last for about a week and half. I talked to a chiropractor who said to up his calcium. I was buying T. costco chewy Ca vit so I would up his dose and it helped a little, but not consistent. Then he recommended I change to a higher quality brand. Now he has been having leg pains for maybe 2 years.... he is 4.5 now and every couple of months I have to give him Motrin in T. middle of T. night for his leg, for at least a week straight (and I hate using Motrin and very rarely use it). But, and here is T. good part..... since I changed to T. new Ca supp............. no more leg pains. And a couple of weeks ago he decided he did not want them any more...... so I thought OK, maybe his body needs a break...... but sure enough T. 3rd day without T. Ca he slept bad, then woke about 3ish crying that his leg hurt. Pretty amazing......
so we are back on T. good Ca and no more leg issues.
I wish you luck and recommend finding a high quality Ca supp.
I am using Metagenics Cal Apatite Chewable in a natural Chocolate Flavor.
They are 90 chewable for $24. Maybe hop on their website and see who carries them in your area.
Good luck and remember this will get better. I also was given 2 non sleepers. My daughter woke every 45 min until she was almost 3 and my son just started sleeping good. And I have already forgot what it feels like to be up half T. night:)
I find T. genetic link with your mom interesting. I also remember suffering from terrible growing pains in my knees........ I think that is why I feel so deeply for my little guy.
~amber

I would start with giving her a teaspoon of liquid cal/mag from Bluebonnett or Lifetime, which you should be able to find at a local natural food store. After a few nights, you should see a difference. This has helped us and none of my kids get growing pains anymore and neither do any of my freend's kids.

The other things that's interesting it the consistent timing of her waking, so I wanted you to see this:

The Meridian Organ Clock
Posted on 21 March, 2008 by Thomas Kerr

The Chinese Acupuncture “Meridian Clock” is an example of a 24-hour cycle which portrays the body’s complete functions as well as its relationship with diet. There are 12 meridians, each taking the lead for two hours during the 24-hour period. Each of the 12 meridians has a dual flow, a coming and a going, marking 24 cycles per day.

The clock delineates which meridian system is activated and dominant at a specific time. Since these cycles happen automatically, we do not have to be preoccupied with them. However, if we know of these cycles, then we can make better decisions when it is generally best to eat, exercise and sleep.

TIME – MERIDIAN — COMMENTARY

5-7 a.m. — Large Intestine — Drinking water triggers bowel evacuation making room for the new day’s nutritional intake. Removes toxins from the night’s cleansing.

7-9 a.m. — Stomach — Stomach energies are the highest so eat the most important meal of the day here to optimize digestion/assimilation.

9-11 a.m. — Pancreas — The stomach passes its contents on. Enzymes from the pancreas continue the digestive process. Carbohydrate energy made available.

11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Heart — Food materials enter the blood stream. The heart pumps nutrients throughout the system and takes its lipid requirements.

1-3 p.m. — Small Intestine — Foods requiring longer digestion times (proteins) complete their digestion/assimilation.

3-5 p.m. — Bladder — Metabolic wastes from morning’s nutrition intake clear, making room for the kidney’s filtration to come.

5-7 p.m. — Kidney — Filters blood (decides what to keep, what to throw away), maintains proper chemical balance of blood based on nutritional intake of day. Blood to deliver useable nutrients to all tissues.

7-9 p.m. — Circulation — Nutrients are carried to groups of cells (capillaries) and to each individual cell (lymphatics.)

9-11 p.m. — Triple Heater — The endocrine system adjusts the homeostasis of the body based on electrolyte and enzyme replenishment.

11 p.m.- 1 a.m. — Gall Bladder — Initial cleansing of all tissues, processes cholesterol, enhances brain function.

1-3 a.m. — Liver — Cleansing of blood. Processing of wastes.

3-5 a.m. — Lung — Respiration. Oxygenation. Expulsion of waste gasses.

Sources: Organ Clock Image , Organ Clock Info

Get a 2nd opinion , in the meantime could you give her some tylenol before bed so that it may either stop or make the pain less painful? It must be awful , I had growing pains as a teen and it was horrible , it's a dull/deep throbbing sensation is the only way I can describe it , so yes it's no wonder she wakes up crying.

Wow, are you completely sure that it is growing pains? Have you gotten a second opinion. I remember getting growing pains during my tween years and taking Tylenol to help with the pain. Is it possible that you can give her that to help with the pain? I'm hoping you find a solution soon. I know how bad it is to not get good sleep every night consistently.

I think a 2nd opinion would be in the works if I were you. I have 4 children and none of them have done that. Don't get me wrong they would complain off and on maybe a week or 2 apart but it would be once or twice give the tylenol and that was the end of it. To my knowledge kids don't have growing pains like that they are intermittent not constant and every noc. Ther could be something else going on and I would make sure. Sorry this is happening but sounds like something is wrong. Bless!

A friend of mine has a daughter who has always had problems with "Growing pains". (She is 9) More than I would think normal. Turns out she has a gluten allergy. She no longer has the pains now that she is on a gluten free diet.

I feel your daughter's pain. I too went through this growing up and I just remember my mom giving me a glass of milk to help make me drowsy and telling me to think of "happy thoughts" to fall back asleep. It's definitely a non-desirable experience but try to get your daughter to think about other things to ease her back to sleep. Good luck! Oh, and for a little inspiration, my "happy thoughts" place was always Disney Land, there's so much to think about when it comes to that place! Also, I'm not sure how to massage her knees, but my pains were in my legs and rubbing them would help a little as well.

at the age of 3 my grandaughter was diagnosed with "systemic onset juvenille rhuematoid arthrits" More children get this disease than childhood diabetes. She woke up crying at night for months also then one day she had flu like syptoms that got worse after a week (Torrance memorial misdiagnosed her). she was fevered, rashes galore & entire body in pain & hunched over like an old woman. she was hospitalized for two weeks after ruling out all other diseases (that is the way it is diagnosed) they reached the verdict...J.R.A. there are many different types & doctors misdiagnose this all the time since they don't know enough about it. my grandaughter sees a pediatric rheumatologist & is on a clinical trial drug that has been a miracle! she is like a normal kid again (now 4) & will soon go to preschool & catch up on all she's lost. There are many different versions of this disease, you can google it. if you suspect she has it, Dr. Reiff at millers childrens hosptial & also L.A. childrens hospital is the best. 70% of kids outgrow this disease at puberty & there are great medications for it these days. I am not saying this is what she has...but something to consider. If a child does have JRA & you catch it early & stay on top of it with treatments then the chances of being crippled or needing surgery lessen. Good luck to you!
p.s. she was waking & crying at about a year & 1/2 also & did not get the systemic part of the disease until she was 3 so we never knew she had it. just thought she was having cranky nights. she would also get cranky when we made her walk for long periods of time.

I would defintely suggest a 2nd opinion but my daughter had these same pains when she was 7 or 8. She wore a knee strap to help eleviate the pain and it did work really well. It turns out that sometimes (and this is what she had) the bones in the knees overlap such a small amount you can barely tell. The rubbing of the bones causes the pain. She also had problems with her ears when she was 3-5 yrs old and the doctors, even ENT, could not find any causes for it. Never ear infections or anything. They also suggested some time of growing pain there. She hasn't had that pain for years now.

I would get a 2nd opinion. it never hurts.

My son is 5 and we have been dealing with these growing pains for 3 years now. I have noticed on days he is more active it is a guarantee he will be awake crying about his legs hurting. I give him motrin before bed on these night, and if he wakes up with pain on other nights I give him motrin then. I usually have to rub his leg(s) for awhile until he isn't in as much pain. He freaks out about ice or heating pad so we just give the motrin which really helps him.

Have you had a thorough work up done on her to rule out possible health conditions other than 'growing pains'?
I would advise consulting with a Naturapath doctor.
One has worked wonders for my son and I.
Best of luck to you.

Wow, I'm so sorry. How do they know they are growing pains? Has she had an MRI or other imaging done to rule out other issues? Poor baby. I don't have any advice, I do know that my kids occasionally complain of pain too. But nothing that wakes them up at night.

ikes! Do I ever have a personal experience to share with you :0). Here is my son's story. Sorry, it is so long. I hope it gives you hope and lets you know that you are not alone and that there is something you can do. God Bless! J.

Hi! My name is Joseph Pena. I am nine years old and I live in San Diego County. I started Sunrider 6 and ½ years ago when I was 2 and ½ years old. When I was born, everybody raved about how adorable and healthy I was. I would stop traffic in the grocery store on every aisle. I had a gorgeous smile, bright blue eyes and a head full of hair. I was born in a birthing center and had no shots or medical treatments. But, when I was about four months old I started having little tiny seizures. My mom mentioned them to the doctor and she dismissed them stating that I was probably just startled. My mom knew better, but didn’t pursue it further and they eventually went away. At fifteen months old after much procrastination, my mom took me in for my second round of limited vaccinations. When I got home, I cried for two days, ran a high fever, I could not walk, my leg was swollen, and the seizures came back. My mom could then relate the earlier seizures to my first round of shots at four months old and I was never vaccinated again. Unfortunately, that was not the end of it. I started having chronic leg pains a few nights a week. My screams were so terrible that my mom and dad did not get much sleep. I went to doctors in San Diego and in Florida and they all said the same thing. They said that nothing was wrong with me, that it was growing pains and to give me Advil. My mom did not agree with the Advil, but she had a new baby that was nursing all through the night, she was desperate for sleep and could not take the screams or seeing me, her beautiful baby boy in so much pain. She knew it was getting bad, when I came home from Church on a Sunday afternoon and dropped to the floor in screaming pain. It was no longer just a problem during the night, it was moving into the daytime as well.
Fortunately for me, my mom watched the Nutritional Seminar DVD and she started me on the Sunrider foods right away. In her heart, she knew that it was the answer. I didn’t like the one scoop of Nu Plus she was giving me everyday, but she was persistent and bigger than me and she always won the battle. And, right away, we saw a difference. They leg pains lessened, eventually went away and I never took Advil again. I looked like a mucous monster at first. My nose was constantly flooded with huge globs of green mucuous. Everyone said that I was sick, but my mom knew that my body finally had the food and energy to start working on removing the toxins and feeding and strengthening my immune system. Later, my dad had mercy on me and found a way to make smoothies that I liked. And, as my mom got well she was more creative in making them. Later, my taste and cravings changed and I started asking for Nu Plus shakes. Overtime, I was also taken off of juice and any other beverages and drank only Fortune Delight and Calli. I don’t go anywhere without it, even when we go to Disney, I have Fortune and Calli with me.
I love Sunrider. When I was little, I would flex my muscles and tell everyone to look at my Sunrider muscles. I also had strange interests in things like Dr. Chen’s book, Journey to the Sun. My mom thinks I am going to be a Super Sunrider Business Builder one day. I don’t know where I would be without Sunrider right now or how the leg pains would hamper my youthfulness and my ability to live out my life. I do know they were getting worse and my body was degenerating. I am now regenerating and am thankful that I don’t have to think about it. I am also thankful for the Sunrider trips I have been able to attend with my mom. I went to Hawaii in 2008, Palm Springs in 2009 and I have been praying for and hope to be on the Sunrider European Cruise in May 2010. Thank you Sunrider!

Written by: J. Pena, Joseph’s mom