How to Know When a Tummy Ache or Headache Is a Real One????

Howdy!
I am a Pedi RN and we get calls about this ALL of the time! I very seriously doubt that a minor (speaking as a nurse not as a mom!) head injury from 2 years ago would be causing problems now. Your Pedi would be watching for things like loss of developmental milestones, stomach aches that lead to vomiting, etc... . SInce you have already spoken to your Pedi you should relax! If you really want to you can always ask the DOc to order a CT scan and offer to pay cash for the proceedure.

I would suggest keeping a log of when she has the Headaches and stomache aches- see if after a week you can determine a pattern- is it right before she eats? Is it ALWAYS around the time she is suppossed to do something she doesn't want to do? Is it within an hour of drinking milk or eating dairy (might be related to a lactose intolerance).

My standard line for my daughter (who is 5 1/2) is to tell her that I am sure laying in bed for awhile will make her feel better. After being sent to bed a few times she has become much healthier!

Feel free to e-mail me w/ any other questions!

D.

I had a child that did this exact same thing! I bought Tic-Tacs & every time she said she had a headache or tummy ache,I gave her one. Usually she was so hapy to get "medicine", that took care of the problem. If, after giving her a Tic-Tac, she still complained of whatever was ailing her, I knew it was a real pain. Silly, I know, but it worked!

My son is a few months shy of ebing 4 and has recently started the same type of thing. Whenever he doesn't want to comply with the current request, I hear "my tummy hurts very much" or "I am very tired and I need to lie down". In my situation, I think he is just working me and trying to exert power and control, which is very normal for his age.

If you otherwise trust your pediatrician, I would trust them on this too. If you have other concerns that you feel are not being taken seriously, then you should find a new doctor.

Without making any unqualified judgments about the health of your little girl, I just wanted to chime in and say that headaches and stomach aches are a standard complaint from my kids any time they don't want to do anything - homework, taking a bath, going to bed - you name it.

I usually tell them that if they don't feel well, they should probably lay down and rest. They inevitably do not want to do this, either. I then give them a choice between laying down or doing what they are supposed to. In no case do I let them use the excuse of a physical complaint to do something else (like watch TV, color, or play with toys).

If they really feel bad, they usually don't mind the rest time. If they decide that they would rather go ahead and do what I have asked them to do, and then get on with their day, then they probably did not really feel bad in the first place. Another thing you can do is to be very concerned and insist that she take medicine right away if she doesn't feel well. This also usually clears up any fake complaints quickly.

My daughter tells me that her tummy hurts all the time. About 2 months ago she fell down half or our stairs on her side. I called the doctor. He said she will be ok, but just a bit sore. A few days later she swallowed a dime. I told her not to put things in her mouth cause it will make her tummy hurt. So now she says it all the time and I often wonder if she still has the dime inside of her or is she hurting from the fall. Or did I just teach her a new phrase. She does seem to go poopoo shortly after and then says her tummy is fine. What I have noticed is that if she is playing and having a good time, she does not complain. I think that if a child is really hurting, she would be in a bad mood and would not want to jump around and play. So look for the timing of when she complains. She may have a headache if she's been real active or jumping allot. Or she may just not want to take a nap or go to school so she has learned how to fool you. Either way "mom knows best".