7 Year Old with Tummy Troubles

It could be nothing or could be something.I'm not going to give any medical advice because we simply have no idea what is causing this.If you feel as her mama to take her in for piece of mind then do so. In the mean time monitor her and if she'll let you look ate her poops if there is any blood in the stool take her in right away

hi! i have a 7 yr. old as well and she has these problems from time to time as well...the same problems you talk about and some others and i have noticed that when she eats yogart at least 3 times a week and drinks apple juice mixed with cranberry the same amout if time she does not have any problems any more....there is some kind of germ in the yogart that helps to settle her tummy and the apple juice helps to keepsher from getting constipated....also i ad fiber to every meal i make with the non flavored powder....i started doing all of these things about 3 months ago and she has not made one complaint since....

i hope this may be helpful....
L. (my friends call me lala)

I would do a food diary for a week or 2 and see if she is eating a balanced diet or you can see a pattern for a food allergy. My mom had similiar issues and got tested and has celiac disease (cannot tolerate glutten in wheat, etc.) Take the food diary to the peditrician and they can usually see what's going on. Good luck!

I am not sure if its normal or not but if it were me, I would call the dr and ask questions, cant hurt to call right. Its a piece of mind thing. As a mom its our jobs to worry. I used to get minor tummy aches when I ate certain food, I was probably about the same age, and cant remember what it was but they put me on medicine and it went away. I used to get them when I ate hotdogs and beans. Probably the beans that did it, so I never eat the stuff anymore.

Good Luck, hope she feels better soon.

I dont think you should be relying on us for advice...if your Mothers' heart is telling you that something isn't right...I think it means you need to at least call the doctor and discuss it with him. It could be absolutely nothing...but it could be the beginning signs of something that could be easily handled and then she wouldnt have to deal with it anymore.
Give the Doctor a call and put your mind at ease.

This is how my son reacts when he gets something that he is allergic to = gluten (wheat, oats, rye, barley), casein, and about 20 other things. He also is not absorbing nutrients, etc because when he eats an allergen it has inflamed the inside of his stomach, then all food passes on through and so he feels hungry all the time even when he has just eaten. I would have her checked for allergies. They don't always show up by skin rashes, etc. The diarrhea, to me, is a major indicator. At least, that's my 2 cents and experience with the last of my 6 kids!

S., it may be nothing to worry about, and it may be problems with food alergies, or it may be something like irritable bowel syndrome. I dont think anyone can tell you what is going on, we dont know what she eats or how she feels. I would say follow your instincts. You know what is normal for her and what isnt, apparently you feel this is not normal.

There are a lot of things it could be, but there are a lot of things it may not be as well. I used to love milk, never had a problem with it. All of a sudden within a matter of days I could no longer drink milk, or eat ice cream with out having the same kind of problem. She may have developed a sensitivity to something in her diet. For me it takes only about 15 to 20 minutes before I know that I have ingested milk. Follow what she is eating and see if there is any correlation to how her tummy feels.

I am also concerned she can get hemmoroids. I would talk to your Dr and he may suggest her eating yogurt to help with the digestive track.

S.,

As a Mom, I would look to natural treatments, but by all means see a Doctor also, especially if the problem continues. My nephew was having he same problem and I told his Mom about the natural remedies, they tried it and problem solved. Unfortunately, even the most healthy diet is still lacking in America today due to many factors. Things to try would be, apple/prune juice, apples, grapes, raisins, yogurt, lettuce/greens (these are the more obvious), also my Dr. told me about Flax Seed Oil (jelly like capsule, kinda big though or you can put flax seed in your cooking but think it would take a lot to get up to the capsule dosing), also a Probiotic vitamin pill; I use Florify(regular capsule with 1500 live cultures) that I purchase from Melaleuca (company mentioned on here many times) www.melaleuca.com I can get you some literature/information from the company if you like.
They have a children's multi-vitamin that is VERY reasonable and complete. This would help to ensure the diet is complete no matter what your child eats. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

I agree with Sherrie G... that she could have some kind of intestinal issue. And, no, what you're describing isn't normal for anyone! If I were you, I'd take her to my chiropractor/kinesiologist, but you don't live in Wichita. A conventional doctor will likely dismiss her problem as a virus, something she's eating, or the dreaded "emotional" issue. Lactose intolerance doesn't generally require 20 minutes in the bathroom each time you poop (my husband is lactose-intolerant), but you do need to find out why it takes her so long in the bathroom (maybe she's reading). My husband chews 2 or 3 dairy digestive aids (brand name: Lactaid)when he consumes dairy products, and that does the trick. You need to do process of elimination stuff to try to get to the bottom of her problem. I and other members of my family use a product by Advocare called Restore that you can purchase on the internet (in capsule form). I take it at the beginning of a meal, as does my daughter; daughter-in-law; and mother, and it helps us with a multitude of digestive problems. It's loaded with probiotics (good bacteria) and has worked wonders for us--even helps with acid reflux and bloating. Reading the label, I see no reference to children taking this product, but if you get online, you can probably read about that. It's about $45/bottle for 90 pills, but distributors of the product often run specials. I used to take 2 a day, now I only take 1. If she won't take pills, since it's in capsule form, you can mix it up in food. But do your research before giving it to her, just as you would with any other product. Oh, and you might want to do some research on intestinal parasites, too. I say that because of the comment you made about her eating so much.

I'm with you, Steph. Something isn't normal. As a mom, I'd call the doc. As a nurse, I'd call the doc. Could be allergies as suggested, could be irritable bowel, could be viral (altho, viral would be pretty much gone by now), could be so many things. If this has been going on for a while, I'd call today. I wouldn't wait a week.
deb

It sounds like she IS constipated. That she is trying to go, but it just isn't happening as much as she needs to go. The terrible funk would make me sure of that. Unless she is having diarhea, as that can sometimes take time too. I would try more fiber foods, because either way, it will be good for her. You could try yogurt, that would help a lot. I would have her dr take a look if it doesn't improve soon.

It is great that she is goig 3 times a day and taking the time she needs. This is the way every one should go your husband is right. You could do a colon cleanse on her maybe that would help her tummy feel better. You want all that stuff out of her so toxins dont build up in her body. You could also do a parisite cleanse too. If you would like to do more research on it you can google it or you can go to the website I use to do research it is www.herbalhealer.com
Good luck

Hi S.,

I agree with some of the moms on here. I would get her tested for Celiac Disease. It is a simple blood test and if that comes out positive to where she would have it then they take a scope down her throat and do a biospy of her small intestine. The put her to sleep of course then you should know in a week to confirm if she has it or not. That is one of the symptoms going to the bathroom alot and stomach hurting. I would call her doctor so you know where she stands and so she can start feeling better soon. Let me know if you should have any questions my 6yr old daughter has it and so do I.

Ha...we just spend our whole Sunday at Urgent Care for this problem. They wanted to do an enema there but she had already had a catheder so I said no, not right now. We gave her a cap full of MiraLax each day along with pear nectar. Thank goodness it moved on its own otherwise I'd have to do what PP suggested to remove impaction...

We went through the same thing with our 6 yr. old a few weeks ago. I think it was a type of virus that went through, because about a week later I had it too..never a stomachache just a lot of poop. I started giving my daughter probiotics and that helped. Here's what we used: http://www.shaklee.net/J./product/20639

I agree with the others that you should tell her doctor about it, and if they dismiss it as nerves or something, keep pressing them. Especially since she is eating a lot, like others said, check for some kind of parasite.

My only other advice is about the probiotics that others have mentioned. They can be expensive or in capsules which your daughter may not like. A much easier and cheaper way to get them is to drink Kefir. It's at most grocery stores (by the milk or in the organic milk section) and it tastes just like a yogurt smoothie. It comes in all kinds of flavors and both regular and organic varieties. It's about $3 or $4 a bottle. My husband and I drink a small glass of it with breakfast.

Even if it is not the cause of her problems, it can never hurt to get more of the good bacteria in her stomach (and yours, too) through probiotics. Things like antibiotics and certain foods can eliminate some of the good bacteria in the stomach and probiotics help to replenish it. The more good bacteria, the better food will be digested and is available as nutrients rather than just passing through.

Best wishes!

Yes you should call the dr. Any change in bowel habit that lasts for more than a week should be checked out at any age. Better safe than sorry.

My nearly 6 year old grand daughter is going through this. She also, won't eat.
The doctor said it is basically a nervous tummy. He called it something else, but that is what we used to call it in the "old days". He gave her something to take daily for it and her tummy ache went away, the frequent need to poop went away (without constipating her) and she is eating again. She is a much happier child.
One thing to watch for, though, the stuff he originally gave her was Zantac (I think) or something with a very similar name. Her mom's insurance would only pay for the generic version, and it turned out the generic version is full of alcohol. We ended up taking her back in for mild alcohol poisoning. She was not acting quite right for an hour or so after taking her medicine, and her legs would buckle under her. The doctor has coincidentally been doing some research on this medicine, and alcohol in children's meds, or he said he might not have recognized the symptoms. He said they were classic. He told us the generic has much more alcohol than the name brand, but since she has already had a problem, he is going to switch her to a completely different medicine.
She is such a happier, better behaved little girl since her tummy aches went away. She is even doing much better in school.

You might check into allergies or food sensativaties.I have a 3 year old that has had tummy troubles since 4 months of age.Only his were so bad they ran him through the mill.Now we are seeing an allergist for his seasonal allergies and the tummy troubles were addressed.With a change of diet he was a completely different kid within a few days!it's worth a shot.Food allergy testing can be ordered by your pediatrician and they just draw blood!

My daughter is 8 and is kind of having the same thing. We have been trying to get her to eat more S-L-O-W-L-Y to see if that helps. Also, you might look into taking her off gluten. We are trying this with our daughter and this is just the second day, but we're seeing whether that helps. I just learned that kids with a gluten intolerance have a variety of tummy symptoms and possibly others as well (fatigue, rash, etc.) and that they also eat more because they are not absorbing the nutrients from their food properly. It's called celiac disease. You might want to Google it and see whether you think it might be what your daughter is experiencing, then ask your doctor about it.

This happened to me when I was about 13- My body stopped producing the enzyme to digest the sugar in milk- so I was lactose intollerent. Try taking her off dairy for several days and see if that works!

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless she has diarrhea or is constipated. Eating too much too fast can make her feel yucky. My son who just turned 9 is going thru this hunger thing too where he is eating 2-3 bowls of cereal! Some kids just take longer to poop; I have two sons that push it out fast (not good, one gets the fissure problem from doing that) and my slow poke is the most healthy in that area. Keep her diet full of healthy high fiber, not too much sugar, diet. Also, as mentioned, keep an eye out for food allergies if you think that is a concern.

My mom-in-law told me a few weeks ago that she read something that said a person with a normal metabolism will poop three times regularly every day. I don't so I guess I'm not normal... I poop maybe once or twice..... but as for 20 minute poops? I don't know about that.

We just went through this with our 8 year old. She's been acting just the same. In fact, I could have written this exactly. In our situation it turned out to be all emotional. Our daughter was frustrated over several things we have been able to get ironed out and she's perfectly fine now.

Has she had any major changes lately? Is she in a new school or did anyone move out of the house? I think we forget that our children are growing up in a very stressful world.

Suzi

I agree with the emotional part. My daughter goes thru this the closer she gets to something big happening. She stresses about how things will come out even though we tell her to do her best and it will all be fine.

First of all, I'm a nurse and also a mom to a 6-1/2 yr. old. It sounds like your daughter is impacted. Impaction is different from constipation. Impaction is where the stool gets so hard that it gets blocked and can't move. Impactions have to be pulled out using digital stimulation, which means sticking a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum. I know it sounds awful, but it's the only way to treat an impaction. You may want to take her to the doctor and have them do an abdominal x-ray to check her for impaction.

Hi S. - one thing you should know is that going 2-3 times per day is what our bodies are supposed to be doing - so that is good that she is going so often but not if she is struggling each time.

Also that her stomach is in pain needs to be looked into as to what is causing it. Is it the intestine area that she is complaining about or her stomach area well above her belly button - below her breast bone?

Agreed if it seems the pain has not subsided - you should take her to the doctor.

All the best to your family - K. Lee

Good Morning S., I would call her Ped. That in my mind is way to much bathroom time. Once a day or every other day could be the norm for most of us.
Need to find out what is happening with your little gal.

God Bless and keep you
K. Nana of 5

You may want to try talking to your Pediatrician about putting her on Miralax or another name is Glucomax, I believe you can buy this over the counter now, Both of my girls have taken this to help with consitpation, but also makes your child regular. It's basically a mix you put into their water or juice, and doesn't really taste. My Dr put our girls on this to make them more regular and acutally help with their bladder, constipation can cause bladder issues as well. I have a few friends who's children were put on this as well and it's really helped them. Good luck.

Hi S..
I am a mother of 4. My second child (first daughter) had simular problems. You might look into a blood test to see if she is Celiac. If so, all you need to do is put her on a Gluten Free diet. It will allow the stomach to heal and she won't cramp up or have to go so often.
If you want, put her on the diet before the blood test to see if it helps. Then through process of elimination you will know what not to feed her.

Hi S.. Last year, when my daughter was 7 she started complaining of stomachaches almost daily. Because she was still pooping regularly and it seemed to happen mostly at school, I thought it might be nerves or anxiety. Her teachers and school nurse agreed that was possible, but still suggested we see our doctor. The doctor dismissed it the first time as nerves, but when the stomachaches continued, we went back to the doctor and she ordered an x-ray. It turned out my daughter had an "excessive amount of stool" in her belly. Who knew?!? Basically, she was backed-up even though she was pooping regularly. She takes Miralax almost every day now and it has helped. I know this isn't exactly like your daughter's situation, but my point is that we don't always know what is going on in our kids bodies. I suggest you see what a doctor has to say.

Good luck.
M.