I have no idea what to think.

For the past 1-1 1/2 weeks Kaitlyn is constantly complaining that her tummy hurts. At every meal she takes a few bites and says her tummy hurts. She eats 1/2 as much as she used to. Occasionally she'll come up to me out of the blue and say her tummy hurts and she's going to puke but shows no signs of discomfort or pain. She's not feverish and her activity level is the same. I was thinking maybe it was behavioral with the pregnancy and all but for 2 days in a row she's turned down going to McDonalds. We never eat there so it's a big treat to go and she's usually excited when I mention it. What could possibly be wrong? I feel lost not being able to help her but I can't start helping until I figure out whether her tummy actually hurts and she needs to be seen or if she's just looking for some babyish attention.

By Vicki on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 03:11 pm:

I would tend to think that something really is bothering her. If it was just an act for attention, I don't think for one that she would be carrying it on for this long and 2 that you would notice such a difference in her eating habits. Passing up McDonalds would be the icing on the cake for me to think it is real. Can she point to where it hurts? Have you noticed any difference in her bathroom habits with either peeing or bm's?

By Boxzgrl on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 03:38 pm:

There has been no difference in her bathroom habits at all. I havn't asked her to point to where it hurts but when she wakes up i'll try that.

By Cat on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 03:52 pm:

From the time Randy was about 4 until he was probably 6 or 7 almost every time he complained his tummy hurt it was because he had to use the bathroom. Could she be constipated? You can be constipated and still have bowel movements. Will she drink juice? I know most kids will go for apple or grape. I don't know many that will drink prune juice, but it never hurts to try (in very small quantities! lol). Just a thought. I'd say if she keeps it up have her checked out by your doc. Passing up Micky-D's is pretty big around here. Hugs

By Tink on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 07:00 pm:

My ds and younger dd were both complaining about their stomachs hurting after every meal and eating less than normal. The lack of appetite was pretty unusual for my kids and I'll admit to ignoring it for awhile because they were still playing and acting like normal. I realized they were both mildly constipated. They are old enough that I wasn't checking their bathroom habits but it seems they weren't "going" as often as they should have been. We've done an occasional dose of MoM and now we really push water and fiber-filled fruits and veggies. Prune juice was a big fat HECK NO! around here.

By Luvn29 on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 07:34 pm:

It is definitely a possibility that she is constipated. But please DO NOT easily pass it off as that. My son went through this same exact thing. There really wasn't a change in him as far as he still went to school, he still played, but he would complain of it hurting. I finally said enough's enough when he started trying to eat and could only eat a little before it would hurt and he'd stop. One dr. swore he was constipated. I knew for a fact he wasn't. I personally witnessed a normal bowel movement everyday.

I took him to a pediatric gastrologist and she said he is definitely not constipated. She gave me a prescription for zantac and we noticed a difference immediately. He produces too much acid. He has been on it for almost two years.

Most kids will only need it for a short while. Their tummys will get messed up because of a nasty stomach virus or something and produce too much acid or something and the zantac will get them back on track. They won't become dependent on it.

Unfortunately this isn't the case with mine, and we are taking different steps.

Please don't ignore this. It's very real. She's giving you signs such as the eating thing and not wanting McD's that she's not faking it.

Constipation can definitely cause this pain. Think about this and see if this is a possibility. You know your child. But if it isn't, do NOT let any drs. blow this off as that. If you put your child on a laxative for constipation when they aren't they can quickly become constipated when they go off of it causing a lot more problems. I found this out the hard way!

I hope this helps some and if you have any questions, please ask. I've been through this for a couple of years, and just went through the endoscopy with my six year old a couple of days ago. I totally understand where you are coming from with the "do I take her seriously?" thing. I did the same thing!

By Boxzgrl on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 08:18 pm:

Thanks for the advice. I'll treat her as if she has constipation for this weekend (without medicine, just a change in diet) and if it still persists i'll just take her in early next week to the doctor. I'm glad i'm not the only one. I've felt so clueless as to what to do with her.

By Luvn29 on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 10:24 pm:

Sounds like a good plan. Doctors always want to look for constipation first, so if you that first, and it helps, you save you guys a trip to the dr. and she feels better that much faster! And if that isn't it, you've already tried the first step and can tell the dr. that when you go, and will have that obstacle overcome!

By Debbie on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - 10:03 am:

Melissa, when you ask her if her belly hurts, point to her chest and then her belly and ask her which hurts. My ds also has reflux. We had signs of it from infancy though. He would say his belly hurt, but he really had heartburn from the reflux. I finally got smart and realized he meant in his chest area(from the heartburn) But, he was telling me his belly. Also, children can get gastridis, which is an inflamation of the stomach lining, after having a bad stomach illness. Has she been sick lately? This is very easy to treat and usually requires just a few months of medication.

It sounds like you have a good plan. I think it is smart to treat her like she is constipated and then see what happens. The way you described her eating sounds like it could be this too. It is still possible to have bm's and be constipated. She would be straining though when she goes, so you might want to observe her and see.

I hope you get answers soon. It doesn't really sound like an attention thing, especially since she passed up McDonalds. We don't go there often either, and my dks would never pass up going there unless something was really wrong.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - 03:01 pm:

Good thinking, Debbie. And, Melissa, glad you are going to try the natural route first. Prune juice may be a bit hard to take, but dried prunes are fairly sweet and easy to eat - maybe she'd take to those better, or chop some up and put them in her cereal. I would urge you to stay away from laxatives, not only for the reason given above, but on the off-the-wall chance that she's working up to appendicities (unlikely, but always a possibility), laxatives are the last thing you want to use. As Debbie noted, if her stools are hard she may have some discomfort (and may be trying to avoid/deter bms for that reason, and lots of liquids (especially fruit juice) are very good. Your doctor can advise you about an over-the-counter stool softener, but I'd check with the doc first before trying any kind of treatment other than what you are planning.

By Karen~moderator on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - 05:51 pm:

An alternative to dried prunes is dried apricots. Or you can cook them down in a little water, mash them, add a little nutmeg or cinnamin or whatever, and they taste yummy. Is she getting enough fiber in her diet?

By Marcia on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - 11:35 pm:

I have just discovered that Activia yogurt works very well for constipation. One of my kids is chronically constipated, and always needs meds or enemas. Last week I bought Activia, I gave her the peach with fibre, and she had a diaper full the next morning. Yippee!!

Have you noticed her having an itchy bum? Pinworms are common, they cause a sorry tummy and lack of appetite, and then an itchy bum. Just another thought.

By Luvn29 on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 04:18 pm:

Just wondering how your little one is doing. Keep me updated if you don't mind. I have a soft spot for this kind of thing because of my little one

By Boxzgrl on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 10:48 am:

Believe it or not, she hasn't complained since Saturday morning. I'm glad she feels better. Though her eating has only slightly improved. Thanks for asking.