9 Year Old Daughter's Stomach Hurts

I saw that someone mentioned celiac disease - you should definitely look into this. It is much more common than anyone realizes and tends to run in families. Many people have it mildly for a long time and never know it. It can be treated by a gluten-free (wheat free) diet. Elizabeth Hasselback (co-host on The View) has it.

My first suspicion would be constipation/gas pains. I would look into how often she is having a bowel movement and the consistency of them. Good luck!

I'd take her to a GI doc and let them figure it out. They can do an endoscopy and check her esophagus, intestines and stomach to make sure there aren't any issues. It could be anything from an ulcer to eosinoplilic esophagitis.

I agree, I would take her to the pediatrican. In addition to the other comments, I would be concerned about Crohns' Disease. My best friend's daughter had stomach pains and that is what it turned out to be. Another friend's daughter had a lot of testing and they found nothing, just pain associated with bowel movements. Good luck.

I can think of 3 things 1) celiacs disease, a gluten intolerance you can read up on the gal who is on the show "The view" she wrote a book recently that seems pretty good. Celiacs runs in families. Dr. Oz show did a great show on it last week.Basically you avoid all wheat. 2) low stomach flora I have a son(age 9) with problems I give him Children s probiotics from Dr. Natura. He has more frequent bowl movements and feels much better. 3)improper PH in the stomach or she is getting reflux. betahydrochloride works well but I have never given it to a child. Good luck

I started having my stomach hurt for no reason too when I was about 11 years old. My mom would give me 7-Up (she thought I had an upset stomach). Turns out, I was starting to "become a woman", and I started my first period shortly after that. I would say it was more like cramping than hurting. Maybe ask her that? Hope this helps.

Hi M. - I think some children just have more sensitive stomachs than others. My 12-year-old also frequently gets stomach pains but they also pass (also, usually after a bowel movement). I know you're thinking of your sister - I'm so sorry - but I really don't think your daughter's problems are related in any way. I wonder if avoiding certain foods could help. Is there any chance she could be lactose intolerant - would it be worth buying that special milk (I think it's called Lactaid) to see if that helps. Try avoiding dairy for a few days and see what happens. If the problem continues you could ask the pediatrician to refer her to a gastroenterologist. I haven't gone down that route because for the most part my son is fine - as I said, I think his stomach is just more sensitive than my other two children. Try not to worry - I'm sure she's fine - Alison

try these food related web sites: drfood.org (local) and nutritionmd.org... www.drmcdougall.com

the dot orgs are not for profit, although dr food is a local phd in nutrition who treats holisticlly with other drs.

good luck, don't ignnore your instincts!

My daughter, who is now 23, also had stomach aches all the time growing up. It turns out she is gluten and dairy intolerant, and whenever her body couldn't handle the wheat or dairy products, she got stomach aches. Once she was diagnosed and went on a gluten-free dairy-free diet, she felt much better. Have you considered food allergy testing?

Is it with certain foods, or everytime she eats? She may have food allergy or celiac disease. There are alot of people lately who cannot tolerate gluten. You will need to play detective to determine what is making her stomach hurt.

If she has pain once a wk, I would speak with her pediatrician about the recurrent pains. Make sure to also mention to her doctor what other symptoms besides stomach pain that your daughter has, like nausea, vomiting, heartburn,constipation. They may need to do some other tests besides blood work, like urine test, stool samples, and maybe ultrasound.

Also ask your daughter where exactly or which area of her stomach is the pain.

Sometimes, the pancreas can be the factor. Have her iron level checked out as well.

And would absolutely have your daughter be seen by a specialist since that she has stomach pain on a weekly basis.

M.; something to also consider , is she could be starting to menstruate? they say kids are starting younger now a days, you might want to pin point where she hurts up high by the ribs? the middle or just between her hips? if its lower her body may be getting ready to have her period? its not strange now a days for young ones to start as early at 8 my sister years ago started at 10, i dont know what else could be wrong, if its not it, then maybe she needs that activia yogurt to help in digestion? have a good day and keep being the good mom you seem to be, D. s

Hello, I have not had such severe symptoms but I have found out through a homeopathic doctor that my youngest son is Lactose intolerant. He had a small rash for many years on his forehead that would come and go. The Pediatrician said he would out grow it but he was almost 10 with no change. So I took him to a homeopathic (Advanced Nutritional Solutions in Rochester) and they said he was lactose intolerant. We gave up dairy and within a few weeks it was gone. So you might want to check out if she has some food allergies. Good Luck!

I would definatly bring this to the pediatricians attention. Also ask her soem stuff like what did she eat before hand?? If its like speggetti spegetti os or oranges or soemthingwithred food die. She may have an allergic reaction or Hih acid reflux. Ask her if her chest hursts when her tummy hurts. Maybe she isn't going to the bathroom enough kids can have IBS just like adults. She may need to be out on myralax its a stool softner and laxative to help keep her regular and it doesn't tast liek anything. Plus it is the only one that youdont have to make sure she gets enough water to have or it works opposite. If you give her like bena fiber or metamucel she has to drink at least 8 glass of water a day or more. Otherwise it won't work as a fiber laxative it will work as a stool stumper. Also maybe she isn't getting enough water. If your body doesn't get enough water it can not only have a hard time with stool but also she could be having trapped gas. Now is she only going number 2 once a week or does she go once a day?? Another thing to think about. You said she feels better after a bowel movement maybe she isn't going enough. Also if she has trapped gas that can give you massive pains too maybe she has that and she doesn't know the difference. I would have a camera stuck down her throat to see what her tummy looks like to make sure shes ok. I would talk to my pediatrician and have everyt eat done just to make sure shes ok. Than ask yourself maybe its trapped gas, maybe its ibs and she needs fiber, and maybe it could be acid reflux. good luck and have an awesome Christmas.

Hi, Michelle!

I've read all of the responses to your post, and it sounds like you are getting some great advice about things to check into. I have a 10 year old daughter, and we experience the same issues! One thing I wanted to mention that I haven't read in the other posts is the possibility of chronic constipation. This is primarily what we deal with, and there are a couple of main culprits for it...at least in our case.

One cause of constipation can be prescription medications, which my daughter is on (for petit mal epilepsy and ADD); medications often list constipation as a common side effect. Another cause can be diet. A diet high in proteins (derived from animal proteins such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, milk and other dairy products, as well as plant proteins such as nuts and beans) can often cause constipation, especially if the protein content outweighs the fiber content (derived from whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables). Many of us, unless we are consciously consuming a diet in which protein plays the smallest comparative role, end up consuming protein in the largest amounts, followed by grains and fruits and vegetables, even though we believe we are "eating healthy."

In our case, since we can't avoid the medications, and since my daughter is a typical child in that she is a fairly picky eater and not necessarily concerned with the long lasting ramifications of the standard American diet, we use Miralax powder as an additive to her skim milk once a day. (The amount, I think, is 17 grams.) We have been doing this for some time now on the advice of our pediatrician. The powder is tasteless, although it does leave a bit of a residue behind in the glass. When she takes it, she has more and softer bowel movements and far fewer stomach complaints than when she balks and goes for a few days without taking it; then, we're back to the frequent stomach upset and pain.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you and your daughter!

~S.

You have received lots of advice of various things to consider. I have gone through some of the same frustration trying to figure out what I can do to help my daughter with her headaches. One piece of advice that I would add is to journal everything you can think of whenever this happens (what she has eaten probably being one of the more important things). After I started doing this I realized that my daughter was having headaches a lot more often than I thought in addition to her migraines that were every few months.

My first question would be how much water does she drink? Water, not juice, milk, pop, etc. Secondly, is she drinking "city" tap water, distilled, bottled, reverse osmosis water, etc?
The reason I ask is because I suffered from the same problem up until about 5 months ago when I found the water company 360. It is 100% natural artesian spring water that has been micro-structured so that it penetrates cells more efficiently. The website for more info is www.drinkthreesixty.com or you can contact me privately for more info.

I've never had stomach issues, but I would talk to her pediatrician since stomach issues run in the family, it definitely could be a genetic issue. Make a list of what she eats daily to see if it is a food that could be the culprit. Also, could it be anxiety? She is very young--if this bothering her weekly, why wait and have her suffer for years to come? Try to get a diagnosis and have her treated. Hopefully, someone on this site can offer you more insight on stomach issues.

Take care,

M.

my daughtere (age 4) also says her stomach hurts.. I am sure sometimes it does hurt.. sometimes she has gas asn sometimes she needs to have a bowel movement.

I dont pay much attention to her stomach hurts complaints as she like most kids is a bit of a hypochondriac..

If I gave it attention I am sure that it would happen more often.

Have you had her tested for any allergies? Wheat is a huge culprit! Also, MY stomach hurts after I have fast-food, greasy food, junk food, etc.... Don't forget~ even if you are not eating or just after, your stomach is still digesting and breaking down the food content.

I'd highly recommend that you see a specialist if you are overly concerned. However, I would suspect food allergies/ sensitivities for sure.

She could have a food allergy. Eggs, wheat and dairy are typical culprits that will cause a tummy ache. Try eliminating those things and then try them one at a time...just like a baby when you are introducung new foods.