Berkeley Parents Network: Stomach Aches

Berkeley Parents Network

Stomach Aches

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > School-aged Kids > Stomach Aches

6.5 year old's tummy constantly hurts

Dec 1999

We have a 6.5 year old daughter who complains constantly about not feeling good because her tummy hurts. We took her to the doctor about a year ago because of it and were told that many children have this ailment. It was diagnosed as recurrent abdominal pain--sort of a vague, generic, catch-all.

The doctor said kids eventually out grow this and that if she does not have a temperature and isn't vomiting, that she should carry on with her regular schedule. He didn't really want to do further testing, which he felt would be invasive, stressful and most likely yield negative results. We did have her tested for celiac and h-phylori, which were both negative.

We accepted the doctor's assessment (we believe we have a very good doctor and want to trust his judgment) and have tried downplaying the problem so that our daughter doesn't develop a self-image centered on illness. But it's gotten to the point where we are concerned about other negative effects. For starters, she seems to have a short attention span. Initially she will become engaged in activities, but then the pain intrudes and she doesn't feel well enough to want to continue with whatever she was doing. She doesn't want to go to school because she feels sick and wants to stay home with mom. The first thing we hear in the morning and the last thing at night is that she doesn't feel good. Often times she doesn't want to eat, even if hungry, because either her tummy already hurts or she's afraid if she eats it will start to hurt. Because of this pain she often seems tired, whiny, and irritable, which are having some impact on her ability to make friends. She tends to suck her fingers alot and I think it's her way of seeking comfort because of her constant state of discomfort.

We are having difficulty knowing how to parent such a child. Do we act nurturing and sympathetic and risk having her learn that being sick is a way to get special attention? Do we ignore it and have her feel neglected?

We can't keep her home everytime she feels bad or we'd be home schooling. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated!

Are these really stomach pains or lower belly? Are her bowel movements fairly regular? Are there any particular food sensitivities? (Speaking as someone who had lower belly pains as a kid. It turned out that a large, though not complete, part of the problem was constipation.)

My daughter also suffered with stomach pain when she was about 3 years old and I tend to think it's bowel related. Have you checked to see that she is going to the bathroom pretty much every day and that her stools are soft? You can put oat bran into oatmeal and hot cereal, make bran muffins, etc.

My heart goes out for you and your daughter. I am not a doctor, just talking from the instinct of a mother, I would be as concerned as you are since the pain you described is affecting your daughter's daily life and probably her physical growth. I've been having stomach problems all my life (I am now 29) (or as long as I have reliable memory, it may go back to your daughter's age). Not pain, but discomfort. What I realized as an adult was that my diet had a lot to do with my stomach. My nutritionist said that I may just have a sensitive stomach. Pay close attention to my diet not only what I eat, but when and how much helps a lot. For example, if I eat before I go to bed, it will certainly cause a problem. Certain food such as pizza and bagel should be avoided. Small meals are better than huge ones. Eating slowly is better than gobbling. You have ruled out celiac etc. But I would suggest that you take your daughter to see a nutritionist. I do not know whether there is any who specializes in ped. Nutrition. I wish she can get well and be healthy!

My younger son had a stomach ache almost every morning before school from the 2nd grade till about the 7th grade. There wasn't any detectable physical problem. He did not get a stomach ache on weekends or holidays. Thinking it was stress, I changed him into a smaller school in the 5th grade (initial improvement but then back to the stomach aches). He doesn't get them anymore. In retrospect, I still think it may have been stress, but I also think it may have been his diaphragm that hurt, not his stomach. He wheezes and gets asthma with colds - when it's harder to breathe, your stomach muscles get sore.

My son also had this complaint throughout all of elementary school. I remember it too from my childhood. He grew out of it by 6th grade. It usually only lasted a few minutes at most but recurred several time during the day, every day. Our Pediatrician also told us this was a very common childhood complaint which the child usually outgrows. I would encourage our son to quickly lie down on his stomach on a hard surface (the carpeted floor) and it would be gone shortly. It always was gone quickly. I also told him that I too had the same thing as a child. That helped some too. We never let it become an issue for going to school - though it could have been. He did have one bout of H-pylori in the 4th grade but the symptoms were completely different. (H-pylori in children we were told is very unusual. It certainly was difficult for our HMO to diagnose.)

Our now 5 1/2 year old daughter complained about stomach pains alot also, beginning about a year ago. We were told the same thing by our doctor, that it was common for this age particularly in girls and she would out grow it. I consulted our homeopath who basically told us the same thing but that she felt that cranial sacral treatments done by an osteopath is often very helpful. We were always sympathetic to her pains, which seemed to not last for very long, but none the less were troublesome. After this went on for a few months, I took her to Catherine Henderson (845-8284) who is above the Peet's coffee near Vine and Shatuck in Berkeley. She was trained in England and has a very good reputation in this country. We had about 4 treatments, and the improvement was remarkable. I would be happy to answer more specific questions. lark

The stomach pain/discomfort may be due to Irritable bowel syndrome (one of the possible causes). You may want to take her to see a gastroenterologist before you take her to a nutritionist. Unfortunately, IBS can not be diagnosed with certainty. The conclusion is basically reached through exclusion of other illnesses. Fortunately, however, people with IBS usually do not have organ damage and can expect to live a life as long and healthy as people without it. My heart goes out for you and your daughter. I am not a doctor, just talking from the instinct of a mother, I would be as concerned as you are since the pain you described is affecting your daughter's daily life and probably her physical growth. I've been having stomach problems all my life (I am now 29) (or as long as I have reliable memory, it may go back to your daughter's age). Not pain, but discomfort. What I realized as an adult was that my diet had a lot to do with my stomach. My nutritionist said that I may just have a sensitive stomach. Pay close attention to my diet not only what I eat, but when and how much helps a lot. For example, if I eat before I go to bed, it will certainly cause a problem. Certain better food such as pizza and bagel should be avoided. Small meals are are than huge ones. Eating slowly is better than gobbling. You have ruled out celiac etc. But I would suggest that you take your daughter to see a nutritionist. I do not know whether there is any who specialized in ped. Nutrition. I wish she can get well and be healthy!

I feel sad for your daughter having to endure a tummy ache while trying to concentrate at school. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), children only suffer from a single disease: indigestion. Is your child thriving? Is she losing weight? How is her overall diet? Where does her tummy hurt and does it hurt more when touched? Does she have circles under her eyes but sleeping well at night? If she has not always had these pains, when did they begin?

Being in pain is not a natural state for the body. If you cannot seek a second opinion or have gone as far as you can with allopathic medicine, I would offer the following suggestions:

1. Seek a diet counselor/nutrition counselor who can work with you to examine potential allergens in your child's diet and environment. With support, you can do an elimination/provocation diet to identify what might be causing her tummy ache. You may contact me if you wish, as I am a diet counselor and have experience in these matters with myself and son. 2. Try TCM with a competent acupuncturist/herbalist who will"listen" to your child's pulses and see what imbalances may be contributing to her pain. Find someone who works with children. 3. Try Jin Shin Jyutsu, a kind of touch therapy you can learn from a practitioner and do yourself with your daughter. This is a holistic approach to helping the body heal. For example, it is important to note which fingers your child is sucking. I recommend Barbara Baiardi (235-0616) who has worked for 20 years with children. She is a true healer.

The parents might experiment with her diet, to see if that helps. My daughter had frequent stomach complaints which GREATLY diminished when we eliminated milk from her diet. (She still has other dairy products, but several cups of milk daily were just too much for her stomach to handle).

If your doctor tested for Celiac Disease I would say your confidence is well-earned (doctor's are woefully undereducated about this disease). While your daughter may not test positive for Celiac Disease, her symptoms indicate that she may have gluten intolerance or enteropathy or perhaps lactose intolerance. The best way to test for this is to put her on a gluten-free and lactose-free diet for a month or so. If she is sensitive to gluten you may see improvement in as little as 2 weeks. The short attention span may be related to the intolerance. Those of us who are intolerant to gluten or lactose fondly call it as 'brain fog'. If you add gluten or lactose back in after the month is over (one at a time) and the symptoms come back, you have your answer. Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information. I suffered with gluten intolerance until I was 45 years old. I struggled though low stamina, a poor self image, metabolic disorders, and unnecessary surgeries (and ensuing complications) because I was labeled a 'sensitive' child. I'd hate to see your daughter suffer needlessly.

Perhaps the approach of Homeopathic medicine might have a solution to your daughter's discomfort. Homeopathic medicine can sometimes really remedy ailment that western medicine says we will outgrow (which we will, but at a cost for the duration). We go to the Hahneman Clinic and see Christine Ciavarella 510/524-3117. There are lots of good homeopathic doctors in the area.

10-year-old has "abdominal migraines"

Nov 2000

My 10 year old daughter has been experiencing stomach and headaches almost every day for nine months now. We've done all sorts of tests and all are fine. We're also pretty sure it's not stress related given its patterns. She enjoys school and has great friends. We're new to the newsletter so even if this subject has been covered before, we'd appreciate any insight (and/or ideas on how to find previous discussions about this on-line).

Here are our specific questions but general ideas also welcome:

Are there other parents out there who have been dealing with this same issue and how are you handling it?

It's possible she has "abdominal migraines" and we are trying out periactin. Any info on this medication and diagnosis?

Thanks so much, Mary

Very often headaches/stomach aches are results of a food sensitivity or some other allergy. It may not be an actual "allergy" that will show up on an allergy test, but rather a sensitivity or imbalance in the body. I've found that most pediatricians I've dealt with with my son's allergies are not terribly knowledgable about food sensitivities in children. You might try someone who practices alternative health care. Acupuncturists, chiropractors, nutritional counsellors, cranio/sacral therapy,....there are so many possibilities. If you'd like some recommendations please e-mail me. June

Although I see that you have had "all kinds of tests", I might recommend talking to your child's pediatrician about the possibility of celiac testing for your child, given the symptoms. It's not a condition that doctors in the U.S. immediately reach for when presented with chronic/recurrent stomach aches/headaches, but in European countries (I have read), it is something that is routinely tested for so that an early diagnosis can be made and dietary adjustments can be initiated. Since my niece was finally diagnosed after 9 years of various allergies/pains/headaches/skin conditions, and a co-worker's child at a (thankfully!) much younger age, I am very pro-active in suggesting this in the case of non-specific stomach and headaches in children. Apparently, this intolerance to wheat/gluten products is more prevalent than we realize in the U.S., and children suffer needlessly as a result of general lack of information. Eileen

As a 10 year old, I suffered from constant headaches that were never fully diagnosed. I was prescribed Dilantin after they found a slightly abnormal EEG (possibly a mild form of epilepsy), and the headaches stopped. I assume your daughter has seen a neurologist and had an EEG to look for possible abnormalities. If not, you may want to ask your doctor.

Also see: Advice about Headaches

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