3 Yo's Daily Belly Ache

Hi Nicole,

I understand the Doctor has done a patch allergy test - you might want to call him and ask for an IgG allergy test. This is a delayed food allergy and has to do with how the gut processes protiens. Quite often there is an offending food that we really crave and it will make our tummies sick hours later.

I would also look at taking the dairy (all dairy out - including whey, dried milk, casienates) for a couple of weeks to see if it clears it up - that is quite often an offending food...sometimes it is the lactose, but just as often it is the protiens (which is why the whey is so important to remove...it is in everything like breads...) Milk protiens can also cause either constipation or diareah.

I would also think about the potty training issues - if she is very regular or constipated, it is not unusual for the pain to be related to more food in the tummy - and the pressure of the bowls. Keeping a chart for a time of what she is eating when and when her bowls move and then chart the tummy complaints - can be very enlightening. You might find that if you change the juice intake to grape instead of orange in the morning the tummy aches go away...you just have to try differnt things and monitor. Grape juice is good for the bowl movements.

D.

1 mom found this helpful

My 4 yo old daughter regularly says that her tummy hurts. I, too, went through the allergy testing with her and tried various other things. But I finally realized that it was directly related to when she had to have a bowel movement. Now when she says her tummy hurts, the first thing I ask is "do you need to poop?" Most of the time, that's what it is.

Hi Nicole, My oldest daughter did this also starting around age 2- about 4. After a meal she would just curl up in a ball on the chair for a little while and then it would pass and she'd go on . I had asked the ped. about her doing this and the only thing they had me do was watch her dairy intake. I tried but wasn't very good at keeping track. As she has gotten older (now 11) she began to be able to tell me that milk upset her tummy. But never ice cream. Orange juice was another she can't drink. I keep gas-x on hand for the now very occasional flare ups. It's something she has gradualy out grown. But I have never gotten a clear answer for why she's had this. My next 2 childeren have not had any tummy problems. I hope you find something helpful from the everyones advice experience. It's hard to see your little one in pain. The gas -x really relieved my daughters pain. You could also try gripewater. Best wishes, R.

Nicole P,

My son went through the same thing for a while. We discovered that it was the juice that he was drinking. He usually drinks very watered down juice, but he had switched to Capri Suns and Hawaiian Punch at restaurants. When we switched him back to watered down juice, it went away.

When we consulted the doctor, he recommended that we up our little guys fiber. He thought that might help as well.

I hope this helps!

E.

try chamomile tea with a bit of honey. but sounds like you gotta really push the issue with your doctor and pray for your lil one too!

I read that you child had allergy testing that came out negative, but not sure if such testing screens for lactose intolerence. Might want to try removing all dairy products for a week to see what happens?

My girls go through times w/ constipation. I don't give them enough drinks and veggies sometimes. Massage(where the intestines empty downward) and other herbs work well..and diet. Kids get constipated often from stress, dehydration, too many carbs....holding it-you name it.

An alternative medicine is mint leaves. I would gladly let you have a plant dug out of my yard. I live in Rancho Cordova. You can also boil the mint and add it to another drink, 7-up or fruit juice.

I have had to deal with upset stomach also. When I was younger, I food made it feel better, but I slowly gained weight as my stomach kept bothering me.

This can be a Pantothenic Acid (B-5) deficiency. Symptoms of a pantothenic deficiency can be one or more of the following: stomach aches, constipation/diarrhea alternating, headaches, sore throat, and leg cramps while walking or in the middle of the night. If she is experiencing more than one sympton, I would bet she needs B-5.

I would get a multiple B vitamin since they all work synergistly in the body. You can get natural B vitamins--don't use synthetic. GNC brand usually is natural, as well as Shaklee.

The B vitamins, B-5 included, are found in peas and any kind of beans, eg lima, chili, refried, etc. This takes a long time to work. I would use B-5 alone for a quick start toward healing, but it is hard to find B-5 vitamin alone in the stores because it is used in illegal drugs.

Even though you don't like prescriptions, it sure would relieve a lot of stress for your daughter as you swith into the alternative medicines. That stress keeps her stomach upset.

I hope she gets better.

I.

You could try mixing some digestive enzymes with some of her food. Good luck. I would really try to stay away from the antacid. Most of the time children don't have enough acid, not too much acid.

One other thought is that if she is consuming dairy during dinner and then haveing problems it could be the milk.

I hear you about meds, and eventually had to give them to our son for his tummy. Just remember that it's not forever. In adults DGL (deglycerized licorice -- the deglycerized part is very important) is a great treatment for several tummy issues, especially acid. However, it tastes foul (imho). I'm not sure if it is safe for kids to take DGL, but if so, you might want to see if manufacturers have developed one that has the taste masked by something else. Also, when your daughter's tummy hurts, have her lie on her back and then you take her ankles/calves and move her legs in a bicycling motion. That helps move gas along much more quickly. We ended up going with meds as nothing else worked well enough for our son, but, again, I understand your hesitation. If your daughter does have blood work done, have them test for h. pylori just in case. It's a bacteria that causes most ulcers and, sometimes, gastritis. If she has non-bacterial gastritis, a two week course of Prevacid may take care of the issue. It might be worth giving meds just for two weeks if the doc thinks the issue is gastritis rather than a chronic problem. I hope your daughter feels better soon!
K.

My daughter goes through the same thing and she was diagnosed with an allergy to dairy products. I took them all away and she is fine now.

When I was a child with a belly ache, my mom would have me lie on top of a folded pillow. The pillow would be under my belly. My mom would rub my back. It helped with the pain. I have my daughter do it and it helps her too. Good luck.

Hi Nicole,

Seems like it would be an allergy thing. You've gotten lots of feedback about that. I used Catnip and Fennel for my kids, and that seemed to really calm their belly. It aids in digestion. Also, did you ever try NAET...it stands for Narumnabu (or some name close to this) allergy elimination technique. Anyhow, You can google it and find a practitioner in your area, but they negate the effects of allergies in a natural way... No medicine or nothing invasive. It seems a litte weird, but it worked well for me and my kids.

A.

Hi Nicole. I have kids with food allergies and reflux. It seems like your doctor is going about things appropriately. I can also understand your concern over giving your daughter medication. Talk with your doctor further before you decide one way or another about the medication. I've known of kids that have ended up having their esophagus damaged due to reflux and then I've known other kids that have just outgrown it. Good luck! It's always difficult to figure out when to medicate and when not to.

There's an herbal product you can get online that I've used and swear by called Alkamax. It is available on homecure.com
You just mix a little in with water and drink it after a meal and feel fine:)
-W.

Nicole,
Diverticulitis runs in my family so anytime I get an upset tummy I drink water and it handles the pain. I get awful cramping in my guts from time to time. Try it, won't hurt.
H.

My daughter is 4 and gets a tummy ache about once a day.. Usually when its time to go to the bathroom... she's very regular.. lol So it was easy potty training her.. Have you noticed anything like that? They have gas med for children.. I had to give her that when she was fairly young and had to bottle feed... Good luck!

try to test her for Hpylori. not sure about the spelling.
its horrible bacteria which creates gas and belly ache( eve especcially). I am getting treatments now. finally figured it out. horrible

When people say they have g.i. problems I recommend to them that they get tested for gluten allergy. This is a blood test not a patch test. Celiac disease is more common, I was just diagnosed this past year, 1 in 124 people. You want to rule this out because if it is celiac you need to have a strict diet to ensure no other diseases like diabetes etc.
Hope it is not but talk to your doctor.

The first thing that I would do is to give her some Genesis from Symmetry Direct. Go to my web site at www.symmetrydirect.com/dhendon. Check out the 3 videos and scientific info. It even tastes great!

Genesis is a 100% juice drink which provides the health benefits that have been attributed to red wine, pomagrante, apple, aloe vera and 15 other infused herbs. It is safe for babies and everyone else! Aloe Vera soothes the digestive tract tissues and calms the body. To see the list of the many health benefits from the grape and pomagranate you can look up resveratrol and ellagic acid. Multitudes of people are getting awesome results for many health issues with Genesis! Genesis is a special gift to us!

We have been taking the Symmetry products for almost 10 years and been able to get effective results for many different health needs.

Victorious Living to you and yours!
D. Hendon
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www.symmetrydirect.com/dhendon