Hi mamas, I'm not asking medical advice exactly, but seeing if this is common. For the past couple of months, my 11 year old daughter has been saying her stomach hurts. It's mostly just right after she eats, she doesn't wake up this way or complain when she hasn't eaten for a while, and doesn't wake up at night. No vomiting, normal poop (tmi). When she had her check up, I reported this to the doc who checked her out and did a complete blood workup, so she has the all clear from that standpoint. The doc thought she might be drinking too cold of water- she puts a ton of ice in. Also said that she could just be one of those kids who does not tolerate the summer heat well.
Anyone have this happen and find a diet related component, or just a part of getting to be a big kid (like maybe she eats too fast or starts moving around too much right after eating?). Her diet is pretty good- vegetarian but eats dairy and other normal food, no other restrctions. We rarely if ever eat anything fried. No caffeine. I wonder about gluten, mostly because I hear so much about it. She had been tested with that needle/bubble test and was allergic to nothing. But that was probably 6 years ago. Tell me where to start eliminating or how to figure this out!! Thanks mamas!
Ice? Too cold water?
You do know that no matter what temp it goes in, it is all the same temp in the stomach? I would consider a new doctor if he really told you this.. I am not kidding.. That is just plain wrong information.
some gallbladders feel like this but i think she may be too young for that,not sure.
Try eliminating dairy first and see what happens. My younger stepson often complained about having stomach pains but because it didn't seem connected to anything in particular, it was at first hard to pinpoint what was going on. Sometimes he was okay after drinking milk or eating ice cream but other times it gave him trouble. Then when he started 7th grade, he missed something like 9 days of school in the first 2 months because he kept complaining about his stomach hurting and that's when his mom finally decided to take him to the doctor about it. They started with eliminating dairy from his diet completely for 2 weeks and he did much better. Turned out he was lactose intolerant (plus the stress of starting a new grade could have been an issue, though the school was the same) and he's been fine since as long as he avoids dairy. He drinks soy milk or rice milk instead of regular milk - same for ice cream if he really feels like having something.
I would check for dairy, celiac and possibly HSP. Good luck!!
My son is 11 and has complained of this for the last year or so off and on. On a rare occasion I find my other son to have this problem slightly as well (he is 5). I just happened to remember when I was younger having this happen a lot, primarily around 11. At the time my mother chalked it up as growing and your body just doing yet another adjustment for life. I was probably out of high school before it completely stopped but only experienced it consistently during my 11th year. I have always figured my son's irritated stomach to be the same thing and sure enough, have found that the last month or so it has happened less and less (he is almost 12). I wouldn't worry about it much, I don't think it is unusual.
I would at least rule out gluten and dairy sensitivity. Look up enterolab.com and you can do the test yourself-it is a stool test and will take about 4 weeks for results but it is worth it to find out what is or isn't causing some of your child's pain. If you do not want to take the test you can try omitiing diary for 3 to 4 weeks and then omit the gluten and see how she feels. My son had the testing done and seeing the results was helpful versus just "thinking" he cannot have gluten....daily and gluten is hidden in a lot of products so do your research and read labels before you begin.
I understand how frustrating this is! I am in the same place with my 10 year old daughter - her issues are exactly the same. She has had stomach pain, mostly right after she eats, for a year now. We have seen a GI doc and have done an endoscopy and blood work - everything was normal. We treated for acid reflux, just in case, and it did nothing. We have not tried any diet restrictions yet, since she seems to get this regardless of what she eats - good or bad. She has always eaten a TON of fruit, so I hope that is not a problem. Summer heat and ice water are not the problem for my kid, since she has had the problem all year.
I thought stress might play a role in this, but she has had problems during the school year and during the summer...
Her doctor said that this sort of stomach pain is not uncommon, and quite often the cause is never determined. Usually, they just grow out of it, I guess.
However, it is just too hard to say "I'm sorry" every time she complains, so we are continuing to investigate. Our GI doc might have us do an ultrasound (I believe) of her gall bladder to make sure there are no issues there. If that comes back normal, I am going to start with the elimination stuff. I understand there is a blood test that can be done to determine which foods are not an issue, so you don't have to waste time with those - I need to investigate further.
I know this is not a huge help, but wanted to let you know that you (and your daughter) are not alone. I would be happy to let you know if I find out anything else as we continue to try to figure this out.
What about good old fashioned stress? I know we don't like to think about that. But stomach issues run in my family and just about all of us need to take prylosec from time to time for weeks while we heal up. My 11 year old has needed to take it from time to time since she was 7. Also, acid reflux has many different symptoms and ways of showing up for people. One of my daughters gets spasms in her esophagus. She gets those when she's in the cold.
Hi K.,
Did you happen to see the piece on 7 news (Denver Channel) about the woman with the daughter who had terrible stomach pain from eating? Here is the link to the video, but it is a rare ligament syndrome where an artery in the digestive tract gets squeezed during eating causing massive stomach pains. I know it is a long shot, but the treatment is a minimal surgery and the relief is immediate. Take a look: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/28807461/index.html
Good luck with your daughter. Thinking of you both,
B.
