Can a 9 y/o have gall bladder problems? My 9 y/o starting throwing up last Friday. I asked her if she hurt anywhere and she showed me and it was in the upper abdominal area right under the breast area. She didn't throw up on saturday or sunday but said she was still hurting. Monday we let her back on regular food. During the week I checked with her and she complain of being sore in that same area but over all okay. This weekend she went over to her father's house and threw up all weekend. She came home today and is complaining of that pain still. She has had a history of constipation and does have day and night time wetting issues. She doesn't have fever but due to throwing up she is very pale and complains of being dizzy when she stands up. Can this be a gall bladder issue? I plan on taking her to the doctor but want to know what moms think. Please help!?
Thank in advance for any advice on this.
C.
Okay, so I just got home from my pediatrician. She says that it sounds like she caught the same virus twice. She said send her to school tomorrow. I don't know just with her past history with constipation and acid reflux I don't know. I told her if she doesn't feel better soon let me know and I would take her to the er. We are about to try solid foods b/c she is starving. She's already lost 4 lbs. since this has started.
Please let us know what happens. It sounds like appendicitis. Location of pain can be deceiving. Hope she feels better soon.
My sister recently had a baby and has never had any complications from her gall bladder......then all of a sudden was in excruciating pain for days and went straight to the ER to have her gall bladder removed.
So yes, even with no prior history to that area having problems, it seems gall bladders can turn on you quickly and need to be removed. She was in so much pain it was causing her to double over and cry all day. However, never had any vomiting. I do know there's a virus going around right now that's causing vomiting and pain so either way, I'd get your daughter checked out asap.
Good luck and hope she gets better soon!
always start the kiddos throwing up this way.
nothing by mouth for a few hours, wait for nausea and vomiting to pass. then start clear liquids that are not super sweet!!! the sugar charges up the stomach. use watered down sprite or juice and then advance to full strength if no nausea and vomiting occur. if she can hold down liquids, like broth. then advance to the BRAT diet.....Bananas, Rice, Applesause, Toast. they are all easy on the stomach, bland and easy to digest. then bland solid food. if the virus is bad it may take you 2-3 days to get back to solid food. if she has indeed been vomiting for that long going straight to solid food was probably not a good idea. the stomach needs time to heal just like anything else in the body. and needs clear liquids and bland food in order to do that.
she is probably dizzy from volume loss due to the vomiting. you did not say when her last bowel movement was. is she is going regularly while sick it is probably not constipation. it is probably not the gallbladder, even though it is in that area, the gallbladder problems are usually not in children her age. even if they were it is usually triggered by a fatty meal. it could be appendicitis but again if you trust your pediatrician than i would take her at her word. there are other indicators besides the symptoms you described. such as guarding, a tympanic abdomen, fever, referred pain, and lab work that a can rule out appendicitis. she can also have pulled a muscle there from the vomiting, and also made the diaphragm sore from all the heaving and vomiting. the pain alone is not an indicator of only appendicitis. in adults it can also be a kidney stone, gall bladder, constipation, pulled muscles from coughing and vomiting, liver complications, ulcers, etc. not to scare you. but again if your pediatrician is someone you trust then she will be more than happy to see you again, explain why she thinks it is not appendicitis, or her gallbladder, and prescribe something for the nausea and vomiting, so she can at least hold down liquids and not get anymore dehydrated. if she begins to feel better, as long as she is holding down liquids then i wouldn't worry, then only advance her diet as tolerated. if liquids are going in then everything is fine and she will eat when she feels like it. i really wouldn't worry about the weight loss either. when she starts eating and drinking she will put the weight back on probably fairly quickly. i know it is scary when your child is sick, but other than the vomiting i don't see much for alarm, that can't be handled by some good old fashioned chicken soup and MOM. and some good common sense.
if she becomes lethargic, confused, eyes are sunken, mouth is dry with no spit or hasn't produced urine in about 24 hours then you need to head to ER. she will need some re-hydration. but if she is taking fluids by now, then just keep her comfortable.
good luck,
L., RN
I'd take her to the ER right away. It sounds like a gallbladder attack and needs to be checked out ASAP!
This sounds like an appendicitis. My son had these exact symptoms and had his appendix removed aobut 2 months ago. Take her to the emergency room. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Could be gallbladder, appendicitis, or even food-poisining symptoms. In any case, she's been vomiting off and on for more than a day or two-she should def. be checked out by a physician!
Those symptoms sound very similar to the symptoms I had when I had the gall bladder attack that precipitated my surgery. If she was my child, I would take her to the ER at a children's hospital. Gall bladder pain is just awful!
I don't really know if she could have gall bladder issues, but this sounds pretty serious, if she's having localized pain and nausea and vomiting. That doesn't sound like a virus. So I'd get her to the doc asap. It could be other things besides gall bladder.
Many blessings!!
