7 Year Old with Chest Pains

Start with a diet change. Caffeine causes reflux and could be a major culprit. There are also a lot of additives in processed and fast foods (not to mention a lack of any nutrients) that can make the situation worse. Here is a website that has a free nutrition book with a lot of tips and tricks for getting kids to eat right and be healthier. www.cancerproject.org
If you need any more tips, just lemme know. I've got 2 girls (8&9) that are fruit and veggie fanatics :}

L.,
It could be pneumonia. Does he have a fever? I would take him to a doctor immediately, though.

Hope he gets better soon.
C.

Have him checked for acid reflux.

Since he has already complained more than once, I would suggest a trip to the doctor to rule out any medical reason for his complaints. Even if someone else on "Mamasource" has a similar situation, that doesn't mean it couuld be what is wrong with your son. His health is the main concern and a professional is called for in this case.

Take your child to the doctor now.

Insist that your pediatrician recommend a cardiologist.

Never never repeat never take chances with a child's life.

God bless

Well, L., since I'm neither a physician nor am I there with your son to hear his complaints or to witness his behaviors prior to the onset of the chest pains I cannot make a specific diagnosis, persae. However, by what you are telling us here at MamaSource, the pain subsides with pepto bismol. That is an indication of gas pain traveling into his chest cavity. Is he eating at a rapid pace for any reason? Is the dining hour filled with stress, tension, anxiety? Digestive issues create chest pains such as you've described. Normally that comes from anxiety. Perhaps having him chew his foods thoroughly, eating in a positive calm enviroment, and waiting a few minutes after eating before he runs off to play again, will aid in his digestion of his meals. You may also give him some fresh papaya after the meal. It is a natural digestive agent and it tastes good too! If you have no fresh papaya where you live, there are papaya chewable tablets in the health food store.

If the pepto bismol wasn't helping him, I'd have said rush him in to see the doctor immediately. If you have any doubts whatsoever, please do not wait nor hesitate to see the physician. The worst that could happen in so doing would be that the doctor tells you your child is merely suffering with indigestion for any number of reasons, a few of which i've mentioned above!

good luck...relax and enjoy some papaya!

D.

Could be acid reflux; does he have 'bloated' feelings? Does he drink enough water?

Curious, too, what was he doing just before telling you his chest hurt?

take him now it could be nothing but it could be heart burn it could be his heart and it could be his lungs. if it is his heart the apisin in the pepto could be helping him so take him now. with him saying his whole chest that is the reason I say now because things happen even to little ones better self than sorry. I'll be praying for you.

Dear L., I am a grandmother and massage therapist, with grown children in the medical field ..... go to the doctor tomorrow. Do not let him tell you that this is normal. Always listen to your child and be their advocate. Start doing research yourself so that you will have questions to ask. Ask your child questions and make notes of your observations. Write down your questions. Ask your mother, and mother-in-law. (has anyone in the family ever had something like this?) Always go to the Dr. with paper in hand. have your questions written down, with space to take notes on each one. Take a friend or your mother with you, two brains and two sets of ears are better than one. Don't quit till you are satisfied with the answers you get.

My eldest began to exhibit symptoms at 7 yrs of age that was finally diagnosed at age 11 with juvenile rhuematoid arthritis. We were dismissed with comments of 'she just can't handle growing pains', 'she wants to get out of school', 'you are a hypochondriac mom, transferring to your child' .......... but she was in pain. I kept a diary of symptoms, what she ate (was there a connection), seasons, activities, anything that I suspected of having a connection. And we kept repeating tests, requesting new ones (it shocked me to find that most tests only have a 50% reliability)

After she was diagnosed I continued my efforts because I knew the affects of the cortico-steroids they put her on (they take calcium from the body, and impede the immune system). Becoming a vegetarian (her choice, she's still a vegetarian in her 30's) alleviated her symptoms enough that she took herself off the meds.

So start your journey, and don't let anyone shrug you off or dismiss these symptoms. But don't be too fast too give him meds. Could be a change in diet is the answer. Investigate food combining. But make sure there isn't something physical; a hernia, an ulcer (stomach is higher than most realize), lung issues, heart issues......
Keep us posted.
L.

This could be as simple as indigestion, but it could be more serious like heart problems or gallbladder problems. It wouldn't hurt to have him checked out, seeing how school is starting soon it could be a routine check up. It is really hard to say what you should do. I think it would be much better to be safe and not sorry later, I would have him checked out. I am raising 7 grandchildren and I now it is very hard to tell if it is serious or just a little ache. I ignored a small sore that developed into an infection that almost landed us in the hospital. Have him checked out.
good luck and I pray it is nothing.

Maybe he is experiencing heartburn or reflux. Is it shortly after he eats? Try giving him a Tums. Just a suggestion for a place to begin. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

Blessings,
D.

I would not wait to see a doctor. It may be nothing more than acid reflux but since it is chest pain, you do not want to take a chance. Also if it is something else it may could be made worse in the long run by giving him pepto bismol. I would definitely take him to the doctor and have him run whatever tests he can to determine the problem.

Heartburn? I'm not sure, but I don't think it would hurt to go ahead and take him to the doctor.

When I got worried about pain my children complained about, I made a "journal" and entered every incident and the date it happened with a note about things that had happened just prior -- physical activity (had he been running, sitting?) and what he had eaten just prior or the previous meal, his temperature, etc. Most of the time nothing came of it, symptoms disappeared in a few days, or I could tell by the pattern of the journal what was causing it. And you will have a history to give the doctor if you need to take him.

Take them to the pediatrician. I had a ULCER when I was 7 maybe there some sort of stress tht your child isnt relaying to you that is affecting that but it could be anything that is why they have doctors. Dont let anything with your kids go long you may live to regret it.

Hi, This sounds like what my son was going though. My Dr. said he was having growing pains. The bones in his chest were growing faster than his muscles. I would still take him to see his Dr. to make sure that is the problem.
S. Trim

My six year old daughter complains of the same chest pains. I suggest you take him to the pediatrician and have him checked out. You never know what it could be. With my child it is growing pains. We had chest x-rays, ekgs and the whole work up. She still has them and it scares me. She is growing so fast. I think at this next check up I will remind the doctor again. Just to make sure it is still okay.

L.,
Hi, there!I was reading about your story and thought you might want to look into panic attacks.I am not a doctor. I do however suffer from panic attacks and the symptoms are much like the ones you describe. I know it is hard to belive sometimes that even our young kids get stressed out but it can happen. When to see the doctor is totaly up to you,I would seek a doctors care promptly to be reassured that this is not a serious matter.
Take care,
C. M

You definitely need to take him in to the doctor, but the burning symptom and the fact that pepto helped a little is a clue to me that he might have reflux. Sounds like stomach acid could be coming up the esophogas and burning his chest. It can be quite painful. My son and I both have this. The test to find out definitively is an endoscopy where they put a scope down his throat and can see if stomach acid is refluxing. The treatment is mild...zantac or another acid reducing medicine once or twice a day. But it is important to check this out and to take the medicine because continual reflux over years can cause esophogeal cancer later in life.

Just for precations I would bring him in. Now a days it's better to be safe than sorry. It could be bronchitus, reflux, asthma, or he could simply just have heartburn. But if I was you I would rather find out what it is, rather than guessing and worrying. Good luck.

Sincerely,
A.

I also have a 7 year old that has been diagnosed with mild asthma. He started to complain about the same pain as you describe when he was about 4 years old. He even complained that his legs would hurt. It mainly only happened after he would play or after he would climb stairs. Maybe this is something to get checked. Hope eveything works out

you need to take your child to the doctor immediately. it may be something as simple as acid reflux, or it may be something serious like asthma or even a heart condition. you should not delay - it is better to know that nothing is wrong than to possibly risk your child's health.

Hey L.,

I would definitely get this checked out right away and if your ped. can't offer an explanation, I would seek a second opinion. Chest pain is not something to take lightly. Burning could mean something as common as indigestion or maybe an ulcer or worse case scenario, a probalem with his heart. Definitely get this checked out soon and let us know what happens. Good luck.

M.

L.,
I am not a scare tactic person but believe you should take him to the doctor. My neice complained of chest pain and leg peg and we all thought it is just growing pains or something simple. Well it wasn't she had a heart problem and had to have stints put in her legs in the grion area because the veins were to small. The leg pain was because of lack of circulation and the chest pain was the heart trying to work so hard to pump he blood.
This may not be your sons problem at all but with chest pain I would take him in and get him checked out.
God bless, M.

It *could* be anxiety. Is he particularly stressed as of recently? Is he binging on treats? (Sugar can *really* stress a person out.) Does he eat a lot of simple carbs like spaghetti, bready foods, etc.? (They break down into sugars very quickly in the body.) Does he like scary movies? (They really stick in the mind.)

I used to have panic attacks, and they felt like heart attacks (as far as I could tell, since I've never had a heart attack, but I was absolutely sure during most of these attacks that I was going into cardiac arrest). Sometimes I would have lower-level symptoms without them building into an all-out attack. This MIGHT be what your son is experiencing. The Pepto Bismol might be calming him, as a placebo.

Or of course he could be having some kind of indigestion.

But he could absolutely be experiencing something more serious. You don't want to take a chance. IDon't wait it out. Get him in to see his doctor IMMEDIATELY. Until or unless he is given a clean bill of health, limit his activities (nothing even approaching strenuous), limit his sugar, feed him healthy foods and keep him out of the heat.

Good luck.
L.

my daughter went through what sounds the same I kept going to hospital. Finally dr. Sent her to heart dr. She has a baby murmur. It is not normal to me for anybody to complain about chest pains. They will probably send him to a pediatric heart doctor. I would have it checked better safe