My daughter is a picky eater, and very strong willed. There have been many a night when she goes to bed without any dinner b/c she refuses to eat what I have made. Her food choices are bread products (waffles, pancakes, french toast etc) and fruit - mainly berries. She loves yogurt, oatmeal and of course snacky foods like some cookies and ice cream/pops. She usually refuses any kind of meat/poultry but sometimes will eat ham and likes chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A on occasion. She doesn't like pasta or even mac n' cheese. As far as vegetables go, she will eat or try most of them. What I'm concerned about is approximately 5 minutes after she eats she starts wimpering that her belly hurts. If I ask, "where does it hurt?" she ususally grabs her lower left side. Other than that, she doesn't give me much information. This has been occuring on occasion for at least the last 2-3 months and more frequently this past week. She complains about it regardless of what she has eaten. She had a high fever on Monday (103.5 F) that went down but didn't go away until Thursday. Her B.M's were very blackish/green (sorry for the gross info)and messy, but regular in occurance. She just had some carrots for a snack and started complaining again. She ususally wimpers a bit and then goes about her business and then complains about it a little while later. It doesn't stop her from eating and it's not slowing her down in any way but it's frequent and regular enough that I'm wondering if I should be concerned? I don't think it is gas, but I suppose it is possible. Any ideas?
Mine went thru that and still does now at age 7 once in awhile. I had her tested for food allergies and I also give her acidophilus for her stomach along w/kids pepto bismol sometimes and that seems to help. I can recommend someone that does all that testing and is great w/children and really listens to me. Her website is www.holisticfamilyhealthcarepc.com and her name is Elaine Hardy.
P.,
It might be a good idea to get her tested for Celiac disease. It is a disease where the person cannot tolerate Gluten which can be found in almost everything we eat. ONe of the symptoms is stomach pain. It is a simple blood test but sometimes that test can be negative and the person still has it. Then, the person has to have an endoscopy to find it. Painless but must be put out. It might be helpful to read up on it. I wish you luck!! A.
I guess it couldn't hurt to have her checked out. As a mom of 3, you know poop is a weird thing. Food can most definitely impact the appearance of poop. At about 2 or 3, my son was on a HUGE grapefruit binge and you should have seen what his poop looked like! I almost rushed him to the ER. Also, if she is not eating enough fiber, she may be constipated which would explain the pain in hr tummy.
Hi,
Great advice so far, I definitely agree w/getting her tested for intestinal problems/allergies/Celiac etc. Sounds scary but maybe you could at least rule things out. One problem my dtr had (picky eater, c/o tummy hurts, feelign of "being full" all the time) and still has is acid reflux (GERD), so she now takes a liquid medicine for that and a dissolvable pill for improving her gastric motility (moving the food quicker through the intestines/bowels so she poops regularly and actually has the feeling of being hungry, rather than "full" all the time. Still c/o every once in a while of a tummy ache, but few and far between. Good luck with everything!
I'd have her checked out by a doctor. There are a number of things that could be upsetting her digestive system.
I would be setting an appt with the doctor. The fever alone was high enough to cause concern. The pain, the fever, the color/texture...none of it really sounds good or normal. I would say something about it to the doctor for sure.
What you are describing, in my opinion and experience, is not typical for a child with properly functioning digestive system.
My child has food intolerances and allergies. The allergist and most doctors don't 'believe in' food intolerances because it can't be measured. We had a food intolerance turn into an actual food allergy.
I CAN measure when my child is not feeling well, and that is the bottom line.
The pain, the eating only certain foods, the stool issues - all scream food intolerance to me. Do some research online about it, and you'll see what I mean. A food journal should help you figure out which foods to avoid.
For my child, all the carb heavy stuff you have listed (waffles, french toast, nuggets(the breading)) would indicate gluten intolerance.
All the yogurt, ice cream would be dairy intolerance.
For my son berries were phenol intolerance.
You'll have to learn which components make up different foods.
Here's an interesting point - the foods that are most problematic are the ones they most crave!
Gluten, casein, soy, and phenols are often things kids have problems with. Some others are egg, corn, nuts. Thus the huge increase you see in gluten-free and allergen free and organic foods on the market today. There are great books available at amazon.com to help you decipher your child's food issues.
My son was a picky eater for a while and only ate certain things and it was different on a given day. That only lasted about 6 long months. He now eats whatever he wants but does eat what i put in front of him for dinner.
Part of you problem,like some of the other mother's suggestions, does sound like a digestive and/or food allergy of some kind. Definitely call the doctor, something doesn't sound normal
Hi P., I really think you should take her to the doctor. Kids can be picky eaters which can be a royal pain, but always complaining/wimpering about pain when she eats is NOT normal. She could have any number of problems including a gluton allergy. Check into this! Best wishes
Pam
my daughter is the same way! Picky eating and being strong willed....
Her BM's are the the color you are talking about once a month or so and the smell is like kerosene but she is usually constipated when that happens. So I can only say it might be too much juice or not enough of fiber. Thats been in my experience. The tummy hurting its hard to say since they cant verbalize it fully but it might be gas or tummy growling. The fever could have been a result of a stomach virus that resulted in the fever which is a sign of the body fighting off an infection. My daughter a couple weeks ago had a day where she had diareah and throwing up all day for one day so I thought it was a stomach virus....could it be going around maybe? I thought I would try to offer my thoughts if it helps you!
Sounds like it could be an intestinal problem and you should make an appt with your pediatrician. In adults, left lower side pain after eating can be diverticulitis, an inflammation of the loops of the bowel, that is very painful and often accompanied by diarrhea. The fever can also be an indication of an inflammatory problem in the bowel. I would call Monday morning to make an appt and get it checked out. Good luck.
Pam,
I have a friend who child is allergic to soy. Anything with soy in it causes pain similar to the one you describe. Two more friends have cylocias (spelling). their body can't digest anything with any sort of bread (coating, cereals, bread crumbs). Deviticulas (spelling) anything with seeds - berries, tomatoes, cukes, causes pain. you should start looking into allergigies. Everything she eats write down what and how much. this will give you something to go on when you take her to the doctors. I have acid reflux and have pain elsewhere, but having a plan and list when going to dr is a plus. There was a two year old who had a gall bladder problem that wasn't caught and he died here locally - all kinds of tests were run - but doctor never though a 2 year old would have a gall bladder problem. check into it. It can happen at any age.
I would definitely take her to the doctor about the pain, strange poop, etc. It doesn't sound made up.
In order to make the situation even clearer, definitely make sure she eats things she needs to eat before she eats the treats. You say she's eating all veggies which is great, but she sounds low on protein and high on carbs and things with additives (unless she's eating organic natural home made waffles and whole grain bread stuff). Regular bread and toast things from the mainstream grocery store with yeast and preservatives are hard on little digestions. If she's having stomach pain, she shouldn't be having cookies (unless they're natural) or ham or fast food chicken until you know for sure her stomach is OK. Make sure everything she eats is healthy and natural and her poop may improve, but definitely have her checked out regardless!
She needs her protein, get good quality meat (not scary hormone kind) and grind tiny bits into puree and disguise it in stuff, mashed avacados, almond butter, eggs, goat cheese is easier on the intestines than other cheeses.
Good work enforcing her eating rules! The most important thing is her nutrition, so give her a few tiny bites of protein and veggies before she's allowed to eat the things you know she'll eat like breads, and skip the meal if she refuses. She'll eventually get used to eating the little bits no matter what and you can increase portions later, stick to the yogurt-plain with berries, not sugary colored yogurt (even yo baby has too much sugar) rather than ice cream and pops until you see what's going on with her tummy. All highly processed carbs, colored sugary foods are hard on very young kids to digest. Even "once in a while" is a lot for them to process if it's once a day or a few times a week. Their bellies are so small and sensitive.
My daughter gets constipated or tummy aches whenever I slack off and let visitors and friends feed her junk food (meaning anything with weird stuff on the labels even if it's just bread), even just a little. By the time I feed her everything she needs to eat at home, there isn't really any room for junk, she eats fruit for dessert, but when we're on the go and she gets really starving, and we eat things we shouldn't, she gets tummy aches and weird poop, even though she loves the treat at the time. Good luck!
hi pam,
a food diary as was suggested is a great idea, only if the episodes and the blackish poop are happening more frequently, and/or if there is no normal poop between the blackish poop, i would collect the poop and bring it to your doc. sounds gross, but put on some gloves and collect the poop - put it in a glass jar or airtight disposable container. they can test for blood.
celiac, soy allergy, lactose intolerance are possibilities, but it's best to check with your doc to be certain.
good luck
