I have an 11 yr old daughter that always has stomach aches. At first they were related to strep and she seemed to always have the sore throat that came w/ them. I also thought maybe it was due to allergies and drainage. So that caused a stomach ache I thought. Lately she just seems to have them all the time. She comes and gets me in the middle of the night and I stay up w/ her and there is really nothing that relieves it. For ex, Pepto, milk of Mag., Tums, etc... Nothing seems to relieve it. Every time she gets one it sticks around and she is constantly telling me how it hurts. Also thinking she just had to go to the bathroom, but that is not it either. I'm tired of taking her to the doctor thinking its strep and the test come back negative. Then we get home and shes miserable w/ the aches and pains.
Do you think this is pre mentrual? Would that make sense? Has anyone else gone through this. I feel so sorry for her, but there is nothing I can do to help make it go away. The pain is not located real low and we know its not appendics or anything like that. I mean shes not crying and screaming in pain, but its constant ache. Anyone know what it could be?
Oh yeah! The last time it kept hurting we found out she had pin worms and so I thought that was the answer to the problem.After we treated that I thought we were done w/ them because we were ache free for at least a month. Now they are back again.
M.
Just so everyone knows what happened on my daughters stomach ache thing...yes we did end up having pin worms, AGAIN.
This is the second time. I'm just mad the doctor didn't check on that when I took her in yesterday. I had to figure it out myself.
Thank you sooooo much for everyone who responded w/ such great advice. Can't beat airing it all out on Mamasource if you want answers. I got so many great responses so this is the best way for me to thank everyone who answered my request. I really do appreciate you taking the time to advise me.
M.
Both my kids have digestive/intestinal issues and have for years.........we see Dr Jane Keng at Cook Childrens....she is the best......the absolute best........good luck!
My girlfriend's son did the same thing for about a year. She finally took him to the pedi who sent him to the GI specialist and he was diagnosed with an ulcer. I don't know if you like your pedi or not but it sounds like its time for a second opinion. I go to Richardson Pediatrics. Both doctors in the practice are wonderful. We see Norah Randles. The other doc is Steven Crowe. ###-###-#### Good luck!!
I've know several kids with digestive issues and a couple of them have had celiac disease- you might want to look into that. But I really wanted to share my nephew's experience b/c it is so rare that it may be something you may not be aware of and may be something to rule out for your daughter. My nephew had constant stomach aches, some worse than others, and (it seemed like) with no consistency. It turned out that he could not break down sugar. And it's only sugar that isn't naturally occuring in food. So fruits and such are okay but he can not eat candy or have sodas. Everything must be diet or sugar-free. It's not insulin related, it is a matter of the digestive system not being able to break it down. He was 10 before they found out. Good luck and I hope she's feeling well soon.
It sounds like irritable bowel syndrome.
My son, age 7, has Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It first presented at age 4 with the same symptoms as your daughter. They ran all kinds of test and they all came back clear. These episodes for him are induced by stress. Keep in mind that little things we think are nothing may be a major issue to our kids ( tests,friends etc.) Talk to your doctor about it,there are several medications on the market to treat this condition. Hope this helps!
This sounds just LIKE my son at at that age. He had the strep and parasites/worms. Then when he got sick again, we were sure it was one of those again, and it was not one of those again. It turns out that he has celiac disease, which is an intolerance to the protein (gluten) found in wheat, rye, barley and most oats. What happens is that due to the damage to the gut, these other diseases are more likely to occur since 70% of immune function is in the gut. You can find lots of good info on www.celiac.com and there's a good basic overview form the NIH: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
Search on "NIH" and "celiac" if that link gets cut. If your doctor won't test, then you can get tested on your own at www.enterolab.com. Unfortunately, alot of docs were taught it was rare in medical school, but research in this past decade has absolutely proven that to be wrong - it's one of the most undiagnosed genetic disorders and many doctors still do not run the right tests (it's a panel of 5 blood tests).
I too have celiac disease and had been (mis-)diagnosed with IBS and lactose intolerance. Since I was diagnosed first, I realized that celiac could be the cause of my son's issues. My symptoms did improve on a dairy free diet, but 10 years later symptoms got worse again. And, stress might have been part of the problem at the time, but since I've gone gluten-free I no longer have gut symtpoms when under stress.
I had pre-ulcers when I was a little older than your daughter...I second the lady who suggested having that checked out. Also be careful about Pepto -- it has aspirin in it which could be making the condition worse as well as being contraindicated for her age.
I would take her to pedi gastroenterologist. My osn had similar issues and it was good that we caught it when we did. If you aren't getting answers from your pedi, call a good pedi gastro doc and get a consult before it gets worse. Could be reflux, ulcers, celiac disease or a million other things that can be easily tested. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
I would get her on a very good probiotic and a very good organic multivitamin. That will put the good bacteria in her system and give her the nutrition she needs. I sell Shaklee products and I know they make a very good probiotic and excellent supplements. My grandkids are on Shaklee products, as well as us grandparents! My grandaughter was constantly complaining of stomachaches. We thought it might be constipation, so my daughter is giving her Shaklee's Vitalmag (magnesium and potassium). As long as she is taking that, she has no problems.
I am a very strong believer in our diets keeping us well or making us sick. Check out her junk food and cola intake.
My 4 year old DD had stomach aches like you described. The doctor suspected reflux and put her on nexium. She hasn't had another stomach ache for several months. You might want to ask about that.
Some people experience stomach pains when the root cause is actually sinus/allergy issues. There is a nerve that runs from your ears/sinuses all the way down to your stomach called the Vegas nerve. If she has sinus or nasal allergy issues, that could be putting pressure on that Vegas nerve and causing the stomach pains. I'd try allergy/decongestant meds. Chiropractic care might also be beneficial for her.
M.,
My hubby is a nurse...he said there are a few things this could be. Pre-menstrual is definitely a possibility. Also could just be that she has another GI issue...maybe crohns, or something intestinal/gas/etc related. I would take her to a GI specialist and let them take a look. If you rule that out, pre-menstrual cramps/issues is the second most likely thing it could be. Good luck!
