Mommy, my tummy hurts

Community Share Your Stories
1

Since December 2007, my son has been complaining of stomach aches before/during/after a meal or even during the nighttime. It is almost a daily thing (that he talks about it).

If that happens when he’s eating, sometimes he does not want to eat anymore, that complicates the insulin/carbs, but that is another story.

Sometimes, at night, it hurts like he wants to throw up (but he doesn’t). But his bg is ok.

I went to the hospital, waited several hours for the doctors to tell me that he has “bloating” and that he has to stop drinking pop and cake! I could not believe my ears. I was so tired of being there, I just gave up and did not say that this was bull…

He tried pop for the first time in his life this year! And, he took some on 3 occasions and not a whole can, so I am very frustrated about the situation and powerless.

Two months ago, I told his endo that he was having stomach pains on a regular basis and it does not seem to have anything to do with his bg (he says it hurts, he is usually in a normal range). She checked in his file and said that in November, they will check for something in his blood that can give stomach aches (and is brought by D). It’s a test that is done every 2 years and they only did it once he was diagnosed (4 years ago), I will know in one month.

We went to his doctor also, and she said that in children the stomach (around the navel area) is the “hurt” area for children, meaning that if there is something wrong, it could hurt there, they are stressed for something at school, it could hurt, they have a throat infection, it could hurt their stomach. It’s not all kids.

It makes me sad because he told me that it’s going to hurt for the rest of his life and I told him that if it is the emotional ache, than when he will be a grown-up, it will be over (the frequent stomach aches).

2

have your child allergy tested. i went through the same thing my entire childhood (i did not have diabetes until 45) and they said it was a “nervous stomach”. come to find out when i was 25, i was allergic to casein (milk protein)!! that means all ice cream, milk, cheese, sour cream, etc. i was allergic to.

3

I think your doctor will check for celiac disease profile.I check that for my diabetic children and if negative I do urea breath test,screening for Helicobacter pylori,a bacteria in stomach wall that is causing these symptoms in children on large.

4

Sounds just like Madeline! She is currently undergoing test for Celiac Disease her bloods came back possitive. Will have more tests in december. Ask youre dr’s to do the test to check.

5

I am so glad I found this site. My son probably misses 1 day every other week due to stomach issues. It is very frustrating to us all and it affects him academically. They test him for celiac disease every year and thank goodness it is negative. We will see his endocrin DR. on Monday and I will ask about h-pylori and possilble cassein allergy. Thank you

6

The nurse-practitioner I work with always checks for gluten intolerance whenever there’s a concern like that. She says it’s one of the most common problems she comes across and it creates all kinds of weird symptoms, not necessarily digestive either. H pylori sounds possible, casein too, but also check for gluten. A note about celiac–if they do a biopsy and it comes back negative, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have celiac. Tests often come back false-negative. Best way to find out if he’s gluten-sensitive is to remove gluten from his diet for a couple of weeks and see how he feels, then let him have a lot for 2-3 days and monitor for changes. I’m told that you can tell within 4 days if there’s a problem because the symptoms come back in that timespan once gluten is reintroduced. You can do the same with dairy, eggs, and sugar–those are the most common foods that cause a reaction.

7

Hi, Gina, Thanks for your note on my page. The problems Elisabeth had with her stomach was that she had bloody stool (3-4 times a day) and complained of pain, etc. We had numerous tests to see if something was wrong with her intestines (sonogram of her intestines, Meckle scan, stool tests, blood work, colonoscopy, etc.) It turns out she had the bacteria C.Diff which caused the bloody stool and pain. This is something you usually get in long-term health care facility or if you’ve been on antibiotics, which she hasn’t had either. So, how she got this is a mystery. She went onto antibiotics for the C.Diff and got rid of it, only to have it pop up again, meaning we had to go on the meds again. The Dr. did a colonoscopy to see if she had Crohn’s, which she came back negative for, thank God. She may still have Ulcerative Colitis, but we won’t know anything until her stomach clears up completely from the C.Diff and we’re hoping/praying it will return to normal. C.Diff causes colitis and if left untreated, it can go into Ulcerative Colitis. Her stool thankfully has become more normal and she doesn’t complain of stomach pain as much now and is more active.

the thing I didn’t realize when Elisabeth was diagnosed is that because she has one autoiummune disease, she is more suceptible to others. She has been tested for Celiac (neg) but it seems I might need to keep following up on that according to Elizabeth’s comment above. Her thyroid is also negative, but we had to see a rheumatologist because some of her blood work came back high meaning she may have either UC or a vasculitic disease which would affect her blood vessels throughout her body. Again, we’re waiting and hoping it’s just related to her stomach issues and will go away. She’s currently on Pentasa, probiotics and the antibiotic which we’re cutting down weekly.

So…don’t know if that helps you, but that’s what we’ve been dealing with. I pray that he feels better and that you find the source of his tummy troubles. I find the above comments helpful and I made note of them to ask her GI Dr. about. Keep up the great work mothering your little one, Gina!