My 10 year old daughter has had a history of tummy troubles: Upset stomach, constipation or diarrhea. We think that we we have made a correlation between milk, yogurt and ice cream and the diarrhea, so we have just cut those out of her diet
She also seems to get a nervous stomach. I am not sure about giving her a probiotic because of her age. My pediatrician was less than helpful, kind of brushing off the whole issue :maybe it could help maybe not".
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi C.,
definitely get some probiotics. and yes, it's the milk products. my daughter gets constipated when she consumes too many dairy products. I give her CALM (magnesium citrate) and that keeps her regular. I do limit dairy. She's never been a milk drinker but would drink a milkshake every day if I'd let her! could she be sensitive to gluten too? Also, would you consider digestive enzymes (papaya/mint)?
Good luck!
~C.~
I know you want to know about probiotics, but why are you having to do this all on your own?
Since she has a "history" of these issues, has she ever seen a pediatric gastroenterologist for a full and formal work-up and tests? Or have you just dealt with the rather unhelpful pediatrician and then been left to figure things out alone?
While it is indeed good that you are thinking about her diet and making connections on your own, you should also have solid professional advice to go on. I would tell -- not ask, tell -- the pediatrician today that he or she will give you a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. You may have to get pretty assertive, or if needed, downright insistent. The pediatrician should have done it a long time ago, from what you describe. Seeing the specialist is not just about finding out what IS going on; it's also about ruling out more serious things so you and the specialist can really pinpoint the issue.
Your kid's suffering and has a history of suffering. I'd get the referral and then once it's done, dump the pediatrician ASAP for one who actually cares. You are doing great as a parent to be thinking through what might be affecting your child. Now MAKE the medical professionals help you. It steams me that the pediatrician is so cavalier about your child's health.
Does it happen about once a month? Could be the early signs of puberty coming on.
Those are all dairy products.
Have you considered some sort of intolerance to dairy? Perhaps if you cut out ALL dairy, you might notice a difference. Did your doctor not suggest that?
How long of a "history" has she had with this?
I started giving my 6 year old daughter probiotics when she was having stomach pains following antibiotics at the recommendation of a physician trained in western and homeopathic medicine. It worked quickly and I give it to my children regularly now. Probiotics are safe but there is a wide difference in which brands have "active" ingredients. Culturelle seems to be the one that is easily available and is consistently recommended as a reliable brand.
I've used probiotics with my 10yo son last year when he was 9yo. Just get some Childrens Culturelle which is sprinkled on food. It is safe enough for infants. This sounds like Irritable Bowel, which I had for years before finally getting to a gastroenterologist. l agree with Leigh about having your daughter see a pediatric gastroenterologist. Something you can do right now is to begin keeping a food journal, or let your daughter do it herself. Just write down everything eaten and then note if there was constipation or diarrhea. Take it with you to the gastroenterologist and it will save you another visit because that's the first thing you will be told to do. I do hope that she gets feeling better soon.
My sister is an acupuncturist and deals with health. When my 9 year old was having tummy troubles, she (my sister) suggested this certain probiotic yogurt (forgot the name) from the health food store. I was to just give her a spoonful a day (so it was not the whole yogurt). I think it would be a good idea, so look it up on the web. For my daughters stomach aches, we have found that mint tea (recommended from the dr), with honey and lemon (from a web suggestion) works to settle the stomach (crazy how it works every time).
Could it be Ciliac disease?
I remember having tummy troubles when I was about that age. I went through the whole works - lactose intolerant test, endoscopy (camera down to stomach) and colonoscopy (we all know that that is), even had appendix out. Nothing came back with any type of results.
As I grew into adulthood, I struggled with anxiety/depression. No one correlated my pre-teen tummy troubles with a recent family move to a new city, school, etc. My grades really took a dive. Apparently the dr. thought it was an issue but that made my mom mad and thought he was just "sloughing it off" as nothing.
I am not saying it could be anxiety, but you mentioned her having a nervous stomach. I definitely had that!! It doesn't hurt to explore. Give the probiotics a shot. I never had a dr. recommend probiotics but my chiropractor recommends them all the time. Maybe try taking her to someone else and see what they say.
Good luck!!
