Anxiety or Medical Issue?????

Sounds more like a medical issue. Children have a difficult time explaining their symptoms correctly. Therefore it is difficult for the parent and doctor to diagnose.

My son used to say his belly felt white. That was a weird description. I thought maybe it was anxiety. The doc didn't know what to think. Come to find out it was Acid Reflux. He was your daughter's age when he first began describing it as that.

It would be worth the trip to the pediatrician for a checkup. God Bless~

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You ask if it is "anxiety or medical issue," but sometimes it is not an either-or proposition. Sometimes it is one and the same. "Mental illness" runs in my family. But what was the cause? It obviously is not emotional/psychological/mental even though we call it "mental." Obviously there was some underlying biological problems causing the problems. But sometimes we just don't know what those problems are, or how to treat them so we treat symptoms.

So when my younger daughter got "mental illness" at a young age, we did the only thing offered at the time -- gave psychotropics to restrain the symptoms.

We found a huge chasm betweem the "psychiatric" and the "medical" professions, yet her problems in both areas were one and the same. It still puzzles me.

Her stomach aches were called "mental". Her sleep problems were called "mental". Her vision complaints were called "mental". "Mental" is what just about anything is called when the doctors don't know the cause.... unfortunately once she had the label "mental" medical doctors could quickly say everything is "mental". By definition.... if they don't know the medical cause, it is "mental."

I would get her a thorough check-up. One woman was sent to therapy for an anxiety disorder which turned out to be an adrenal tumour. Another guy in town actually had repeated ECT bouts before it was discovered he had hypothyroidism. Yes... even in this day and age.

You may want to check out: http://www.ItsNotMental.com for a list of testing sites, books, resources, etc.

"Mental" problems can cause physical problems and vice-versa. The whole child needs to be addressed, not just pieces. Therapy was important for my daughter to help her live with the biology she was born with. But it was not everything. Each child is different.

And of course -- trust your gut.

-J.

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Have you had her tested for food allergies? It could be she has stomach aches but doesn't know how to describe them accurately. My mother-in-law spent over 50 years with stomach aches & diarrhea before a doctor accurately diagnosed her with celiac disease. She just thought stomach aches were normal. So I would rule out medical things like food allergies before I looked at anxiety. It could be something as simple as a diet change. Our family now eats gluten free because we found my husband & children have celiac disease as well, and it's made a world of difference.

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My daughter had issues last year with her stomach. I wasn't sure if it was children in the classroom or the teacher. I started writing down when it was happening and found patterns, it ended up being the teacher to the point where I pulled her and homeschooled her the rest of the year after an unresponsive administration. She ended up on ulcer medication for a while to heal her stomach. Even if it is anxiety, real physical symptoms can appear. My daughter is now at a private school and doing very well. She always said her tummy was "hot" when she felt like throwing up. She has continued to use that to describe nauseau eventhough she is now 11. 4 is a difficult age, they want to be independent but they still want us when they want us (lol-not unlike my teenager).

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If you even suspect your child is having anxiety you need to get your pediatrician to recommend a good child therapist. After my son, who is three, experienced a medical trauma we didn't hesitate to have him see one. It really helped. The idea that he would be put on medication never entered the discussion. Talk therapy and guidance for us parents was all that was needed.

Anxiety and stomach upset are also things I've experienced as part of Celiac's Disease which is an auto-immune disease related to eating wheat. I've heard it can happen with other food allergies too. But, don't take my advice. See a pediatrician.

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In my experience with my daughter acting like this, and she has, it's that at this age they are starting to realize "things about life". Putting 2 and 2 together you might say. My daughter will be fine one minute and then when I walk back around the corner she tells me that her heart is hurting..she has no health issues other than seasonal allergies and once I get her to talk about it we figure out that it is her feelings she's talking about. That she remembered when she lost her bear or got pink paint on her Old Yellow Blankie..that she was just remembering a sad situation for her. I just hold her and talk her through it, it's a memory and it's over now.
Right now she is not a "what if" child, she's still a "why?" child :)
Right now she is in a phase where she tells us that "Sometimes people love each other so much that they cry" and asks if we will give her our heart (heard that one from the George Michael Christmas Song, Last Christmas) and that she wants to give us her's because she loves us so much.
Although it is very easy to read our own thoughts, emotions and even our weaknesses and ailments into our child's actions and behavior we need to realize that although they are a BIG part of us, that they aren't us. They are their own individual person, something like us but also completely foreign to us :)
If you truly are worried that your daughter is exhibiting the same stresses you were as a child, please take her to her doctor and have her evaluated.
If your anxiety problems were based on your family life while you were a child, take a step back and make sure your current family life isn't following the same, sad - if not familiar track. Also, kids pick up on every detail of our state of being, it could be that you have not dealt with your past issues in it's entirety and your child sees this and mimics it.
I am by no means saying this is the case, but it is worth considering for your family's sake. God Bless!

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Please take her to the pediatrician and start trying to figure out what is wrong with her instead of being paralyzed by your own fears.

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Anxiety IS a medical issue. I am a child clinical psychologist, and have worked on children's/adolescents wards of several hospitals.

Anxiety is highly heritable, and since you have an anxiety disorder, your daughter has a genetic loading for it. I am a psychologist, so I do therapy with families, and there are many interventions your family can do that are behavioral (not medicine), but if she has a biologically-based brain disorder (pathological anxiety), these interventions will not be as effective as they could be if she needs medication and doesn't have it.

Don't put the cart before the horse. Get a good, thorough assessment. See your pediatrician for a physical for your daughter. See if there is an underlying medical problem.

If no medical cause is found, or even if something is, take your daughter to a child clinical psychologist who can do a thorough assessment (IQ and personality testing, plus talking to you and to her, separately and toghether) to give ideas about how to help.

You need to find out exactly what is going on with your daughter so you will know how to treat it. If something psychological/psychiatric is going on, why rule out medication altogether? You could always try behavioral techiniques first and then add medication if it were needed after awhile of trying the behavioral measures. Maybe she would need medication and maybe she wouldn't.

I guess what really gets me is that you say you went through "hell," so maybe your child is too, and why wouldn't you try everything to make that stop (especially if it's backed by scientific research, as is much of psychiatric and psychological practice)?

Good luck to your daughter. She is crying out for help, and you need to get her what she obviously needs.

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Hi A.,

I'm sorry about the issues you are having with your daughter. Hardly seems fair, after what you went through. The only idea I can think of (outside of what the other ladies are suggesting regarding doctors, diet, etc) is that when she crawls up on your lap, immediately get a book and start reading it to her. Instead of making her have more stress by discussing what could be wrong and making her worry about herself more, take her "out of herself" by putting her mind into a great story. That's one-on-one time with you, a tacit admittance without vocalizing it that she needs to sit on your lap, but an excuse that you're both going to do something constructive rather than dwelling on the problem.

I hope this might help some.
D.

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Hi A.,

A good diet, an absorbable multivitamin, and a lot of sunshine can do wonders. It will give you a baseline to see if anything has changed as well. I had what I would describe as those sensations when I was little as well. Mine was medical, exascerbated by stress. Chiropractic can also help the immune system if there is anything medically wrong.

EVERYTHING that goes on in our body affects our mental state, EVERYTHING. I also ask if she is exposed to a lot of chemicals. Does she help you with housework or do you bleach your sheets? Is there any one task that she likes to help you with the most, like dust or wash windows?

If the answer is yes, email me and I'll fill you in on more. I appreciate you not wanting to medicate her. I believe that medicating her would just complicate the problem and also keep you from getting a clear diagnosis...

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

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Children often say no for yes. Instead of does it hurt, ask her where it hurts. Why does it want to cry. Doesn't sound like anxiety. Maybe she misses you is why she sits in your lap a long time, probably has nothing to do with other issue. Also she is at age when children tend to cling. Who watches her while you work? If you have any reason at all to think she may be being mistreated in any way, check it out. Above all listen close to what she says and follow your instinct.

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Hey, A.! My middle child is 9 and he is very sensitive, unlike his older sister! LOL! Anyway, anytime he thinks about death or dying, whether it be someone we know or someone on TV (The movie Ultimate Gift, where the little girl dies) or hearing certain songs on the radio like Mercy Me's song Homesick where it sings about your loved ones going on to heaven and you can't wait to get there too. He will complain that his stomach hurts and then he just cries and says he is thinking about dying. It will last him the rest of the day or night and he has this anxiety about it. We just hold him and pray with him that these feelings will go away. We explain to him that since he accepted Jesus into his heart years ago that he WILL go to heaven and there is nothing to worry about dying. We talked about heaven and how wonderful it will be, etc. Also, you may want to be careful about what she is watching on TV. There might be something on TV that seems harmless but can cause anxiety. I remember growing up and watching Little House on the Prairie and crying every time I watched that show! It's a great show, but made me cry each time and my parents had to quit letting me watch it!

My point is that we don't know why my son has these feelings, but we know there is Someone who can help him take these feelings away. I would have your daughter checked out first by a pediatrician and make sure there isn't anything physical going on and then go from there especially since you had similar experiences. And then let her know that whatever is bothering God can help take it away!

God Bless, R. W.

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I wish I had an answer for you. My six-year-old son started complaining of his tummy aching pretty much when school started this year (first grade). I took him to the doctor for a well child exam, and the doctor said without any other symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) that it was likely stress. He said kids manifest stress with tummy aches, just as adults do with headaches. I wonder if there isn't more to it, though, like a food intolerance or something. It's starting to become disruptive, as the nurse at school called me today to come get him because he was complaining that it hurt "really bad" but by the time I got there he was playing dodge ball in PE and was obviously fine.

Does your little girl need more time with you? That's the only other thing I can think of.

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I want to recommend Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a simple method that taps on acupressure points. www.emofree.com has a free manual. www.tapping.com offers a free cheatsheet.

This webpage mentions using EFT for panic attacks in children http://www.helpyourchildwithstress.com/Panic%20Attacks%20...

Here's a good article http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/wellness_...

Here's one person's story http://www.eft-courses.co.uk/panic_attacks_EFT.htm

Here is an example with a child http://www.emofree.com/Children/fear-being-alone.htm

Good luck!

yup sounds like anxiety. i was diagnosed at 6 with anxiety. i often felt kind of queezy and we learned that was anxiety. you dont have to put her on meds. talk to her doctor and see if they can refer you to a good child psychologist. good catch mom and stick with her on this. i was diagnosed at 6 had my first pa at 12 and now am pretty much home bound i cant drive or go out alone. get it under control now.

A.,
I'm glad you're against putting a four yr old on drugs. It sounds as if she is showing signs of anxiety. You say you work full time. Who is her caregiver while you're at work? If it's in someone's home, is there someone else there while your daughter is there? Is it possible something inappropriate is going on over there? Does she ever say she doesn't want to go? Kids her age don't know how to fully express what they are thinking. Ask her simple questions without leading her to any conclusions. I hope this helps. God Bless!