My Son Complains of Abdominal Pain When He Runs....

Hi M.,
My son is also 3 years old and complains of the same thing. A while back I thought it was appendicitis but was assured it wasn't that. I actually posted on here a while back. We have wheezing issues too but I am not convinced it is asthma which is what they are calling it. Sean takes a pulmicort nebulizer daily...he has had a rough winter with ear infections...pnemonia.....complaining his tummy hurts...breathing troubles....all of the above seem to be cleared up for the past month or so but when he runs he does come up to me out of breath saying his belly hurts and I don't know what to make of it either. This is going to sound crazy & I am just throwing it out there.....Does your son drink milk? We don't do McDonalds often but every time he has nuggets, fries and chocolate milk from there he seems to complain later in the day that his tummy hurts. Now I tend to think it is the Choc milk although we have been tested for Chocolate and Milk and have no allergy's to either? I think maybe it is whole milk? as we drink skim? I don't know....I am curious to see what others write. Just yesterday he said "my tummy hurts". I have no idea.....I always just hope I am being proactive enough.....Could it be a hernia? Our Drs. don't seemed to be concerned he has had blood tested...allergy tested....I am sorry I am not more of a help but wanted to share our similar struggle.

Maybe he is constipated? Even a little back up may cause it while running.

Have you tried water? Running around can cause muscle cramps. Also - my six year old complains of a stomach ache, but what she really means is that she is nauseous. This happens repeatedly when she gets a cold or any type of post nasal drip. If this sounds familiar, try something to "dry" him out ----- ask the pediatrician! Good-luck!

I agree that it could be a dairy allergy or some other kind of food allergy. But for some reason I also thought of a hernia? My brother had one when he was younger and complained about belly pains and had it removed. That was many years ago & he has been fine every since. I don't really know how to check for those though. But food allergy does make sense to. When I drink orange juice I get an intense pain in my stomach for a few seconds and then I am fine. I also get belly aches and sometimes diarrhea from too many eggs.
Sorry I could not be of much help! I would try taking him off all dairy and eggs and see what happens. Good luck! I hate to hear about little ones with problems like that.

Hi M.,

One possibility that comes to mind is a hernia. I recently had one repaired (called an umbilical hernia), and my symptoms got worse when I exerted myself -- nothing drastic activity-wise -- carrying laundry and things like that. When I would rest for awhile, the symptoms (belly tenderness/ sometimes a small lump near my navel and sometimes no lump), would temporarily subside. My understanding is that I was born with it and it just got worse over time. It is apparently not uncommon in babies or small children, so it may be something to run by your pediatrician.

Good luck to you!