I apologize in advance for this long e-mail. I have an almost 5 year girl who has complained about her stomach ever since she was old enough to explain it to us. The first thing out of her mouth every morning is that her stomach hurts. Most of the time I have related it to her being hungry and / or constipated. So I would encourage her to either eat or go potty. Lately those solutions do not seem to be working - although I am not sure if they worked in the past but she did not complain as much after that. Sometimes I ignor it.
In the past couple of weeks she seems to complain about it almost every minute of the day. I am starting to wonder if she has worms. I remember hearing when I was growing up that eating too many sugar based food will cause worms. She does have a sweet tooth. It runs in my in-laws side of the family. In fact it is almost like if she has not had something sweet in a couple of days, she is cranky by the third day. When she was younger the only way my in-laws (since they watch her during the day) could get her to have lunch was giving her something sweet along with her food. My father in law gives her candy on a daily basis. He knows that I do not approve of it at all but he still gives it to her.
She does not have any vegs and / or fruits. Not enough water either. I try to make up for it when I am at home.
The past week she has been pretty vocal about it. She had pizza on Sunday night and the next day her pain increased to a point where it looked like she has a stomach infection. She was cranky all day. She has had pizza in the past but this is the first time where has reacted this way. So I started thinking maybe she is allergic to milk products. She was lactose as well as soy intolerant for almost until she was 6-8 mths old. So I have been avoiding milk based products but that does not seem to be helping.
I don't think it is stress related. She seems to be having fun in school. She gets plenty of attention at home. I appreciate any ideas and recommendations to help diagnose and solve the problem.
Thank you everyone for the advice. I forgot to mention that we have been to the doctor quiet a few times in the past and we weren't able to figure out the reason. I had a doctors appt for the same morning I posted this question. This time I was very specific with the doctor and made it very clear that we would like to get to the bottom of this pain. The doctor suspects constipation which is very common in kids this age. If the bowel movements are not complete and / or regular, the left overs start building up and that's when the stomach aches get worse. So she suggested Miralax (which I think of the mom's suggested as well) which dissolves in water and is tasteless. The diagnosis and treatment was echoed by the asst pediatrician as well who I had contacted for a second opinion. The results may be slow so we will have to be patient. I already started with Miralax yesterday. The docs also recommended a change in diet- to include more vegs, fruits and foods with extra fiber. Reduce the amount of carbs and milk and that will also help.
Thank you again.
If I was you I would have her Dr order a stool sample. Even though you don't think it is a milk allergy have them test for milk along with whatever her Dr thinks they should look for.
Good luck, all my best!
Hello,
My daughter had stomach pains in the same way when she was 5. She doesn't eat a lot of junk food either, so I know for her it wasn't that. I too thought it was constipation or hunger. First the pain was in the mornings, then it started through out the day. I took her to the doctors and they did a stool sample. It was ok. He prescribed Plavix granules. I mixed it with juice and broke it down, it gets a little thick and she would drink it every morning before breakfast. She took this for about two months and it went away. Her doctor said she had gastro-intestine. So I would call her doctor. Good luck and God bless.
I would also have them check into acid reflux. One of my boys has this problem and so do I. Greasy foods, high fat foods and acidic foods like anything with red sauce are big culprits. The Dr's put my son on Pepcid and it helped tremendously.
One of our sons had constant stomach problems (cramping, diarrhea and reflux). It did turn out to be food allergies/intolerances. We were able to manage it by eliminating the problem foods from his diet. But there are so many other things it could be.
Besides talking to her doctor, I would take her to a pediatric GI specialist. There is a private practice in San Jose (www.pediatricgisanjose.com), or you can see one at Packard (Stanford) or Oakland Children's Hospital.
Good luck!
D.
I would check for allergies first...
Doctor visit seems in order. It could be a simple intolerance or not, but I would take her to the dr. Call today and take her in. Don't let them put you off a week or so. Explain the pain is worse.
Stephanie
I have a duaghter in the same situation - sweet tooth too - it is a real challenge on the diet front - for me its because if I'm not around she'll sneak it anyway but for me this year - she is really studying nutrition in school and that has helped a lot - she is not however; consistent in her bowel movements because of it and at times has gotten impacted as well as a lot of gas in her tummy and intestines - I put her on musilax - 3 times a week - it is an over the counter fiber formula that is clear when you mix it in with liquid and has no taste - and then I track her bowel movements - it seems that if she is consistent with those, that her stomatch ailments go away. It is probably a combination of minor things too on top of it - it allows her to get sympathy which is often a strategy kids use when their parents are both gone during the day from them even if they are being watched by someone very close to them - in your case your grandparents - I would ask the teachers or parents on lunch duty to keep an eye on how much she is eating for lunch and if she is eating - don't pack any sweet foods. I osilate back and forth on this - my kids get fruit and veggies every day and if she misses a day of eating them and eats her cookies first - she doesn't get cookies for the next couple of days - they are old enough to know what that means. At 5 they should still be monitored at lunch time I would think. So, hope that helps. Perseverence!
I agree with the other moms that you need to take her to the doctor as soon as possible.
Excuse me if I somehow skipped over this - but have you taken her to the doctor??
I have come across 5 people just in a few months who were diagnosed with gluten intolerance. The symptons can be varied, but sure can include stomach pain. Also the crankiness you talk about in your daughter is another sign. Its interesting that she ate pizza (made with lots of wheat flour) and that was the precursor to her latest bout of stomach pain. You don't have to only do an avoidance diet I believe to be diagnosed as gluten intolerant - it is extremely difficult to eliminate gluten as it is in many food items so you may never get a good result, especially if you are sensitive.
My nephew had stomach pains for years , and at 5 had an appendectomy. I ask my pedi about it, and he suggested that for chronic stomach pains look to some form of intolerance.
To some extent, it sounds like you have insight already - water is vita, and you said when she drinks lots, then she feel better. That has to be a lead. Don't know what you can do about the sugar thing- sounds pretty unhealthy, and it sure concerns you. Can you show your dad other snacks to give your daughter - fruit, baby carrots etc?
Hope that helps.
Regards
P.
