8 Year Old with Constant Stomache Pain

Updated on April 06, 2008
W.L. asks from Rossford, OH
28 answers

My 8 year old has been complaining of a constant pain in her tummy for about two months now. She says that it is painful but it doesnt stop her from her daily play. The first time she complained I took her to the doctors with her sister who was also not feeling well and the doctor said it was probably just the flu. Two weeks later we went back to the doctors cuz it hadnt stopped. This time he ran blood work, a uranalises, and an xray. Everything came back normal. When we went for the revisist a week later, she had lost 1 1/2 pounds. The pain is constantly there (morning noon and night), and it doesnt matter what she eats (there doesn't seem to be a reaction when she eats are what she eats). (She also has regular bowel movements- so that is not the issue) Now she has said that she has felt dizzy and her legs hurt(not all the time, just sometimes). Our doctor is sending us to a specialist (but that appointment isnt until a month away). Has anyone had this situation before???????

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So What Happened?

We haven't gone to the specialists yet......she has been doing fine since she came home from her dad's house on Sunday (divorced 5 years)....... she has been excited to find that our cat just had kittens.......may it is that she is stressed about something. Im gonna talk to the school conselor tomorrow to see if she can talk to her. My daughter is a pretty laid back kid and really doesnt let too much bother her.......her twin sister on the other had worries about everything (right down to the baby bird in a nest) and will tell you all about it. Maybe my sick girl just doesnt know how things are affecting her???????????

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C.B.

answers from Cincinnati on

Have you had a test for celiac disease yet? It sounds like a possibility. Or could there be emotional factors/ stress invloved??

--Chris

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E.H.

answers from Columbus on

been there, done that.

did you try chamomille tea? or fennel seed tea? there are lots of herbal suppliments you can use. go to a health food store and ask the person in charge of the herbs what they suggest.

hope this helps.

E.

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C.D.

answers from Columbus on

I wish I had something to tell you. Im going through the same thing with my five year old granddaughter. Sometimes with her I think its a way of getting out of doing chores lol. Other times I think the stomach pains are real tho. What do you do for the stomach pains? I really dont know what to do for those. Kelly D

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K.L.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hello, my neice went through this at 7 yrs. old and she had the same symtoms but her belly was distended and she was gassy. All the tests came back okay except for one which I can't remember what it was but she had a tiny fracture on her tailbone and it through her blood work out of wack. They also told her she's going through a growth spurt and there growing pains. And to also cut out all of the acidic sugar like in kool aid because she drank alot of that at the time which made her belly gassy. So they ended up just teilling her it was growing pains and to cut out certain foods after all the testing and the specialist and later on she did end up feeling better. I hope I helped. Good luck and I hope everything turns out okay.

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L.H.

answers from Columbus on

You might want to look into abdominal migraines. This is something that generally only presents in children, generally children with a family history of headache or regular migraine pain. I have migraines, my neice has abdominal migraines. They are food related. They are triggered by chocolate, vinegar things like pickles, tyramine which is an amino acid that naturally occurs on food that is not absolutely fresh. If you leave fruit or anything in the fridge have her eat it sooner rather than later. also, hotdogs and pizza are really bad. Stuff with lots of citric acid contributes too.

You can probably find more on the web about these.

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A.D.

answers from Elkhart on

I have a seven yr. old girl that has the same thing, but occasionally even vomits, but always at school. Alot of children going to school have physical symptoms from their nerves. I always thought my daughter was outgoing (she is at home) come to find out that it was different at school. Just a thought, good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Lima on

My youngest son had constant pain in his tummy area when he was 5 1/2. I ended up taking him to a chiropractor that checked for food allergies & treated him with herbs. He had some pretty severe allergies. He still at 19 should carry an epi-pen for his potato allergy. This was the only one that didn't disappear with the herbal treatment. Chiropractors can do many things besides spinal adjustments anymore. God bless!

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L.G.

answers from Lima on

I have a 6 yr. old who just started kindergarten this past year. Since being around other kids more, she tries to pull this "my tummy hurts" and it is often when she is tired and doesn't want to get up for school, or she is working on something stressful at school, I do feel in my case it is not real most of the time. I can often say, well then if your tummy hurts we can't go to story time at the library, and that usually changes her mind real fast.
I would still keep the doctors appointment to be on the safe side.
When I was 11 yrs. old, I developed an ulcer, and for my age they still don't know how, we always had well balanced meals. But the pain from that wouldn't kick in until about 30-60 min. after eating. Then I was in MAJOR pain, doubled over. There was no faking that one.
Keep the appointment, but look at other factors at school. Is there something in class she doesn't like, has another student been real sick?? Talk to the teacher.

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J.H.

answers from Fort Wayne on

well it sounds like they are doing lots of tests which is good, but have they checked her for ulcers? sounds out of place for a child of such a young age i know, but i was diagnosed with ulcers myself when i was in elementry school-just a few years older than your daughter. they did a scope on me and found 2 ulcers. i was constantly ill feeling as a young child with chronic stomach pain. This is just something to bring up to your doctors if they haven't checked for this yet, it's fairly simple and would hate to see her go through a battery of upsetting medical tests if she didn't need to. It might be worth while to get it looked into and possibly ruled out. Best of luck to getting your daughter well soon!

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E.W.

answers from Cleveland on

My daughter used to have the same thing. SHe is now 13 and seems to have improved. We even wonder if had to do with her getting ready to start menstruating. Girls are getting their periods earlier these days than we did. I knew of a girl who got her period in the 4th grade. My daughter just started her's so she is a little late considering. I give her Culturelle every morning with breakfast. This is acidiphoulus (I know i am spelling it wrong). and it can be bought at Drug Mart or Walgreen's;ask the pharmacist help to find it. It promotes good bacteria in the intestines. My kids and I take it.
Also check her out for diabetes or lyme disease. My sister when she was little had the same symptoms and here she had juvenile diabetes. Get her sugar tested. Does her breath smell? I don't mean to overwhelm you but it could be an autoimmune disease. They can also check to see if she has a high level of antibodies in her body. Have them do blood tests to rule these out. I pray that this is something easy to correct.

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H.R.

answers from Columbus on

Take her to children's hospital if you have not already. I'm glad your doctor has at least done test but your daughter should be someplace where they deal with this more often. Hope this helps.

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M.W.

answers from Cleveland on

This is so totally what happened to me when I was a little older than her. Same symptoms and everything!! Check for Gluten Intolerance. Those are CLASSIC symptoms. I can't believe they didn't check it out. Blood tests for Celiac are not always conclusive and neither is a biopsy so the best thing to do is to cut out all sources of gluten for four weeks. Then reintroduce it over a day. If she gets sick in the next 72 hours then you have your answer. Good luck.

M.

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M.B.

answers from Steubenville on

i am having the same problem with my 5 year old and the doctor told us it was probably the sinus infection that she had that was causing the stomach pain, the infection has been gone about a week and the stomach pain persists. hope you have better luck finding out what is wrong.

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J.B.

answers from Elkhart on

I have worked with pediatrics patients and there are a couple of things I would suggest you try. First would be the BRAT diet. I am not sure if you heard of this but it consists of clear liquids for 24 hours and then the next 48 hours along with clear liquids you add Bananas, Rice, Apples, and Toast. What this does in cleans out the colon. Usually used for people with colitis (inflammation of the colon). I would also keep her on either pedialite or gatorade. Cramping in the legs and the dizziness could be to an electolyte imbalance. Also the Bananas on the diet should help with that as well. Plenty of fluids, mainly water. FYI dark colored sodas are harmful to your kidney's so if for some reason she has to have soda make sure it is not a dark one. Hopefully this will help with her symptoms, goodluck.

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R.M.

answers from Canton on

Did they check her appendix...if it is her right leg that she is complaining I would definately ask your doctor about that. Appendicitis causes pain in the right leg...lack of appetite...amongs other things. Web MD has some good info if you want to check it out.

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S.O.

answers from Toledo on

hello W.,

have you thought of a growth spurt ? I remember my daughters having issues with stomach and leg pains. I eventually figured out they grew an extra inch or 2 than the
normal 2 inches a year. Maybe check her height during this
uncomfortable time ? thats only one scenario. Hope the specialist can help you find out if there are underlying issues that will have a simple remedy. Good luck !

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M.M.

answers from Fort Wayne on

A month away??? Wow, that's seems a bit ridiculous for a child! I would be calling another doctor (pediatrician) for a second opinion. There is no way my girls' pediatrician would let any specialist wait a month to see my kids. He would've called the specialist's office himself and told them they must be seen in the next couple of days. One time I called to make an appointment with an ENT b/c my daughter has a hole in her ear. They told me it would be a month away, so I made the appointment. My pediatrician called me to find out when her appointment was. When I told him, he said that was unacceptable and called the office himself. She got in the next day. Not to alarm you, but your child's situation sounds a bit scary to me and I would not let anyone brush it off!

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N.N.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi - My daughter was going through the same thing when she was in the 3rd grade. I was all of a sudden being called to school to pick her up because she didn't feel well. Went to the doctor after the calls were becoming more frequent. Nothing wrong. Did a little investigative work myself on tracking when she was calling me, how soon she was recovering, etc. Turned out it was anxiety. She was a wonderful student and was putting so much pressure on herself that she was making herself sick! I went to the health food store and bought some Bach Flower Essence Rescue Remedy. It comes in a spray. She feels anxious, she takes slow deep breathes to try to come herself down, then she sprays the Rescue Remedy under her tongue. She has since learned to manage her stress by visualization and deep breathing, but still keeps Rescue Remedy in her back pack. She is now in the 8th grade. Certainly keep the appointment with the specialist, but I would ask them about stress and anxiety.
Good luck!
N.

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C.P.

answers from Kokomo on

As a nurse, I would question Reflux? ulcer? diabetes certainly? I think a more complete checkup, with tummy and legs xrays, tons of blood work, maybe even a CT scan. Certainly some kids use this vague excuse for attention BUT with our babies there is no reason to assume they are lying about general pain. Keep after a doc till you get a satisfactory response and keep listening to your mom instinct. In the meantime, keep a "diary" of the pain, when it get worse/better, when she has stools, weight each week. When you see the GI specialist they will love that info.

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K.F.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I too have an 8 year old, but it was my then 2 yr old that had the stomach cramps, and was losing weight. Her bowel movements were more what was concerning me, and they were the color of magic marker green, after doing a few tests on her stools, they finally diagnosed her with C-Difficile. And this is caused from having a lot of antibiotics, and it distroys the good bacteria in your intestines, then it generally makes you sicker over time. With my daughters' pediatrician I had to force the issue of testing something else, before they finally found this. My advice to you is to keep having tests done, and if you don't agree with a diagnosis, go for another opinion. We were advised to give her something that you get in a health food store to get the good bacteria replaced back into her body, it's called Bifidophilus Flora Force, and we just break open the capsule and stir it into applesauce, cottage cheese, her cereal, almost anything, it doesn't have a taste. And now that she's 4 yrs. old, she does it herself, and she doesn't seem to get sick with other stuff as often, she's never had a case of the flu yet this season. (knock on wood!)

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W.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

My daughter had the same thing last year and we ended up going to a specialist at Riley Hospital. They did a cat scan and some tests...all seemed normal. They enede up diagnosing her with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but I never believed it was accurate because she didn't have pain just after she ate, it was all the time, just like your daughter. We never took the medicine they prescribed because I knew it wasn't an accurate diagnosis. Eventually it went away and we now think that it was anxiety-related. Are there issues that are causing stress for your daughter....school, friends, etc.? I know it seems unlikely, but apparently it's fairly common for stress and anxiety to cause stomach problems. But I would check out all medical things first, just to be sure. Hope that helps.

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C.R.

answers from Cincinnati on

Dear W.,
I had the same issues with my daughter when she was 9. We did tests and x-rays, but to no avail. We finally figured out her stomach was hurting because she was anxious all the time. She now goes to a therapist on a monthly basis and I'm happy to say she is a well adjusted happy 13 year old. This may not be the problem with your daughter, but I know when I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my daughter, it was stressful and heart wrenching. I hope you find an answer soon. God Bless.
C. R.

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D.Z.

answers from Indianapolis on

http://www.matthewwoodherbs.com/Apointments.html

check out his site he is a registered herbalist and i've read two of his books. He can sell you the herbs he suggests.
Like a western m.d., he may not always get the exact cure right away but i personally trust the plants to pharmaceuticals because my family growing up went to the doctor a lot for all kinds of things and i have seen pharmaceuticals i used to take taken off the market because of bad side effects and i haven't seen one family member cured of anything yet from pharmaceuticals- just more meds. added.. DGL(deglyzerized licoice) will rebuilt the tissues of the stomach and throat when there has been ulcer. i have read of cayenne capsules curing ulcer. Not that i assume your daughter has ulcer. There are herbs for everything. from setting a mash of broken bones to cancer-but i could get arrested for saying herbs can cure cancer so that is just what i believe. when i was a girl i was told that the bible says that God put a plant on the earth to cure everything that ails man. i do not know if that is true because i was raised in a jewish home but it struck as true that God did put something for this and something for that on the earth and i did not take that to mean he helped us to invent pharmaceuticals but that he put plants. Native Indians, East Indians, Tibetans and Chinese have maintained their science of herbs for thousands of years.
...here is a for instance: if she has taken many antibiotics in the last several years, the natural intestinal flora may be depleted, making it difficult to digest the food- you can buy chewable probiotics to replenish it.
If she has taken pharmaceticals recently i might suspect they are causing the dizzyness and leg pain. Also- that could be related to not absorbing the nutrients in her food since she has lost some weight. We need minerals to absorb vitamins- they do make liquid vitamin/mineral supplements but i usually go for a more natural something like a smoothie with bladderwrack or kelp for the minerals- unless she will swallow a pill, then i give my kids pills of kelp and bladderwrack.-all those sea minerals.
here is something a friend just sent me on cabbage just to give you a glimpse of what plants can do but i do suggest consulting the herbalist at the link above by email or phone.
here's the cabbage:
ARTICLE: Cabbage - Part I
by Dr. John R. Christopher

A Dr. Blanc in 1881 wrote the following: "About 1880, a cart driver in a
small French village fell off his wagon and - a frequent accident in
those times - one wheel rolled over his leg. Two physicians agreed
that amputation was necessary; a surgeon was called into consultation,
he concurred, and the operation was booked for the next morning. But
at 5 p.m. that day the parish priest, Loviat of Saint-Claude, advised
the patient's mother to cover the injured leg with cabbage leaves.
Under the influence of this simple dressing, the man slept all night.
When he awoke, the family and one of the physicians who arrived to
prepare the patient for surgery saw that he could move his leg. The
cabbage leaves were removed to reveal a leg without swelling and with
improved color. Eight days later, completely well, the man returned
to work."

The common cabbage has been of vital importance to mankind over the
4,000 years of its cultivation. The medical use of cabbage, empirical
for centuries, is based upon precise scientific considerations.
Hippocrates once remarked that physicians shouldn't hesitate to borrow
from folklore that which can be useful in medicine. We now know, with
sound proof, that the folklore of cabbage has stood the test of time and
scientific experimentation.

Two other accounts of the medicinal use of cabbage might be of interest:
A watchmaker suffered for a year with a painful eczema of both hands,
preventing him from working. The lesions were acutely inflamed, and
the fingernails were separating, about to fall off. Applications of
cabbage leaves twice daily for a few days brought relief from pain, as
clear fluid drained onto the dressing. With continued treatment
healing took place within two months.

In 1875 a 75 year old man suffered arteriosclerotic gangrene of the
lower right leg and foot. The skin was black and the front of the
lower leg was decayed. Following the local application of cabbage
leaf dressings, the skin changed from black to brown to red, and then
returned to its normal healthy color. Three weeks later, writes
doctor Blanc, there was a considerable improvement.

It has not yet been discovered why the cabbage leaf has such remarkable
healing properties. We only know that the cabbage leaf has a
particular affinity for disease-causing fluids, forcing them from the
tissues. It even seems that treating small areas of extensive disease
benefits the whole, as distant toxins are removed, the cabbage promotes
healing and scar tissue, thus preventing complications.

The long history of cures obtained with cabbage, concern many different
diseases, including simple and complicated injuries, rheumatic pains,
facial neuralgia, headaches, leg ulcer, anthrax, and many others.
Cabbage - raw in salads, juiced, or steamed - has incomparable virtues
in the most diverse maladies.

Hippocrates had a peculiar affection for this vegetable. Should one
of his patients be seized with a violent colic, he at once prescribed a
dish of boiled cabbage with salt. Erasistratus looked upon it as a
sovereign remedy against paralysis. Pythagoras, and other learned
philosophers, composed books in which they celebrated the marvelous
virtues of the cabbage. Cato claimed that this plant infallibly cures
all diseases; and that he used it as a panacea to preserve his family
from the plague, which, otherwise, would not have failed to reach
them. It is to the use the Romans made of it, he adds, that they were
able during six hundred years to do without the assistance of
physicians, whom they had expelled from their territories.

The Romans used cabbage externally and internally for various illnesses,
as a purgative, disinfectant, and poultice; Roman soldiers applied
cabbage leaves to their wounds.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Cabbage_I.pdf

--
Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.

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J.F.

answers from Canton on

I wonder if there is any history of Inflamatory Bowel disease in your family? My son started experiencing chronic stomach pain, diarhea, and weight lose at the age of 8. One morning he woke up in so much pain we had to take him right into the doctor and discovered he had an abcess near his rectom. That is a drainage point for infection, and why would an 8 yr old boy have that? My husband has Crohns Disease so immediatly the pediatrician sent us to a specialist and we began our journey to find out what was going on with our son. It didn't take long for the diagnosis to come back that my son also had Crohns disease. His treatment began at the Akron childrens hospital, and then we moved onto the Cleveland Clinic. A move I am sooo glad we made. I encourage to to research your doctors background, find out the type of patients they see and whatever your daughters diagnosis, go somewhere where that is treated in high volume. Whatever drugs she is prescribed, find out how many oatients they have used this dru on. Don't assume that because an office is prescribing a drug that they know how to use it. Good luck! My son is being treated now at the Cleveland Clinic and I can't tell you the difference in the level of knowledge. I would be happy to talk to you again if you need help or have a question.

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C.A.

answers from Toledo on

When my daughter was in the 3rd-4th grade she had constant stomaches. It was to the point she wouldn't go to school. I also took her to the doctors and they couldn't find anything wrong with her. Everyday she insisted they got worse... I had a meeting with her teacher and found out that it was school she didn't like and was having trouble with a certain boy .This was never an issue because she always had above average grades...She was also in a private Catholic school. We fixed everything up and we eventually moved out of that district anyhow. My sister also said her son had the same exact thing. So maybe it is something at school.She is now almost 21 and in college and doing excellent. Hope everything turns out ok.
C.

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A.J.

answers from Columbus on

I just took my 7 yo daughter to the doc yesterday with the same complaints. They couldn't find anything either. I've been watching for appendix rupture, but nothing so far. I would say at this point for you that would not be probable b/c that is typically more rapid onset than several months. How frustrating it is for you both!! Do you think that she could be making it up for attention? I thought that about mine, b/c sometimes she acts normal (running around, etc), but she does seem to be distressed when her belly hurts. So sorry that I don't have any suggestions, just wanted to let you know that someone else it there with you. Best wishes at the specialist. A.

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J.S.

answers from Cleveland on

Just out of curiosity, has you doctor tested her for tape worms?? You said she has not lost her appetite but she is losing weight and her stomach hurts; as long as there is nothing else that is wrong it sounds like when my sister had tape worms. They are nasty little buggers, but her doctor told her to put something sweet on a plate next to her bed evey night for a week. She did and four days later she woke up and what looked like a small, opaque, pile of broken stretchy gumbands on her pillow. She said it did not look discusting, but the thought of that being in her stomach was. She was 19 when this happened and dealt with it for months thinking it was just really bad cramps. I figure it's worth leting you know about it just in case it works. I would not cancel the apointment with the specialist though, just in case :)

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J.S.

answers from Terre Haute on

Both my girls ages 11 soon to be 12 and 10 years of age both complained of cramps in their stomache and I too was very concerened, because it was all the time. I at first thought it might be constipation, and would use some meds for that. That didn't help. SO than I took my girls to see their doctor. He did the tests and felt their stomache and found NOTHING. The girls always complained of pains else where as well, but never heard them complain they were dizzy unless it was from lack of sleep or lack of water. So I started making them drink mostly just water and 1 glass of juice. I haven't heard them complain lately. And by the way the doctor told me that it was just GROWING PAINS. Girls get them every where. So hopefully nothing serious or at all is wrong with your daughter. I hope its just growing pains. GOOD LUCK!

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