My 7 Year Old Is Always Sick in the Mornings

Growing up I had a lot of stomach issues, usually triggered by stress. I missed a lot of school because of it. Try talking to her and see if anything is bothering her or causing stress. Is there too much school work, someone picking on her? What was going on when this started, any life changes? Maybe she has an ulcer. I could be completely off-base but it can't hurt. Does she eat something different on weekdays than weekends? Maybe she has an allergy like to dairy or something. I agree that it could be migraines manifesting in the stomach. Or maybe she gets hypoglycemic after not eating all night, try a snack before bed or crackers as soon as she wake up. Try the probiotics (those new yogurts) to see if that helps. I'd call the ped and lay it out.

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Hi L., I think something about going to school is worrying your little girl. Talk to her and ask her if anyone is being not nice to her, ask her if she likes her teacher or there is anything else that she is not telling you. It seems obvious to me that it is something to do with school as she seems fine on the weekends. Hope this helps. A. Wood (Australia)

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Here is another perspective. I often felt very sick and sometimes even threw up in the mornings and it had nothing to do with anxiety. I found that it was my sinuses draining into my stomach while I am sleeping. Your daughter may have sinus problems and something as simple as Claritin or Zyrtec taken at night could help. Both of these products are sold over the counter now. Does your daughter snore? It is something to consider. Good luck!

Obviously I don't know you or your situation, so take no offense of course! But I have read that emotional problems/stress in young children can present themselves as stomach issues. Just something to consider...

It sounds like she may have some serious anxiety about school that comes out in the form of a stomach ache. Call her teacher(s) and the school nurse and find out if they have any concerns. Kids do not have a sophisticated knowledge of their emotions and do not always understand what the problem is or that there is even a problem.

J. M.

This sounds physiological to me. My son had problems on the weekdays and not on the weekends. Several issues, upset stomach, wouldn't walk, everything hurt, ect... His was all completely physiological. I bet something is happening at school or maybe at home. My son would have these issues during the summer as well, the closer it came to going back to school, or if there were any new changes in his life. He did end up with an ulcer as well.

Hi L.,
www.wholenourishment.com check out this website. When the doctors couldn't help my daughter, Debbie was the one who helped us diagnose her with her condition. Since then, Lauren is much better. I would call her an just set up a consultation. It is the holisitic route, but the only route that worked for us. The doctors and GI specialist never got anywhere accept giving Zantac for 6 months. The nutritional counselor figured it out in the first meeting with me. Good luck.

I have three thoughts that you might want to consider:

If she's so tired in the mornings have you tried putting her to bed earlier at night? (And you've probably tried this but I know how hard it is to get a kid to go to bed earlier. They don't fall asleep on cue!)

Next I would find out if something is happening at school that is bothering her - is she having trouble with the work, is someone picking on her, does she have friends? Talk to her teacher and find out how her behavior is at school.

Does she have any food allergies? My son was running to the bathroom a lot at school and constantly complained of stomach pains - turns out he's allergic to wheat and dairy.

Good luck!

I would see a pediatric GI specialist. They will probably need to do an upper GI, barium swallow - not painful at all.

My son as a lot of stomach problems and reflux. He sees Analissa Drummond. There are very few choices here for Pediatric GI specialists (or so it seems to me, having moved here from Boston). She is a PA, not an MD, but she is great. She is at UNM Children's Hospital or Carrie Tingly. Her number is ###-###-####. Good luck.

First of all, I'm not a doctor or schooled in the medical field in any way whatsoever, just a parent who feels terrible about your poor daughter. It sounds to me like she may possibly have some school related anxiety. Have you spoken to her teacher about what may be going on at school? From what I understand, when there is anxiety, it could manifest itself as physical symptoms. It may or may not be related to what happened in the summer, but it may be worth talking to her doctor about her current symptoms being psychosomatic. I hope you're able to help your daughter and get her back on track. Good luck!

try having her get more sleep.

is she getting enough water during the day?
i'm NOT a morning person by any stretch, but i feel particularly bad when i don't get enough water the day before.
you might want to try putting a bottle of water by her bed and having her drink it if she wakes up in the night or in the morning thirsty.
also - probably not a bad idea to be sure her breakfast is mostly protein and carbs - leave the fruit and sugars till later in the day.
that helps a ton with morning blahs.
if she doesn't feel like eating early, you could pack her a snack for later - when she gets going and feels hungrier.

If you're positive it isn't anxiety, you should get her digestive tract tested. It could be reflux, ulcers, gall bladder problems, or like a friend of mine, a combination of failed gall bladder and failure of her stomach to empty properly. She now has a pacemaker implanted to help her stomach let food pass into the intestines.

Don't let doctors tell you that your daughter is too young to have digestive problems. Insist on a second opinion if you get that response.

You might be seeing "school phobia." Talk privately with your daughter's teacher- does the day begin with a subject she finds difficult? is there conflict with other students? what behaviors does the teacher see? The next step, I believe, should be a three-way conference with your daughter, you, and the teacher to brainstorm changes that would help her gain confidence. A complete physical would rule out any illness and your pediatrician, especially if he/she relates well with your daughter, might gather new information.

I personally acted like this at this age and so does my 7 year old daughter. In both of our cases it was a huge case of nerves. School is a stressful place, I think especially for girls. There is a lot of social pressure even at this young age. It's sad but true. My daughter ends up in the nurse's office almost 3 days a week after lunch and I'm pretty convinced it's because of recess and that she doesn't want to go. Now, I could be totally off and it could be something medically related. I always check with my pediatrician if I'm concerned. I hope it's just nerves though and that it may pass. Good luck

I personally get sick if I don't get enough sleep. I'm not one of those 8hr people, I need at least 9. It's just the way my body works. If I don't get enough sleep I get nauseus and if the lack of sleep continue I end up throwing up. Maybe your daughter has something similar. When I was little I also had my appendix out because of something similar to your daughters. It's far fetched, but maybe they are related. Her stomach might be more sensitive because of the surgery. I'd talk to her doctor just to be on the safe side.

She might be allergic to something at the school or on the bus. You might want to take her to an Allergist and have her tested. It's kind of rough but it might help you understand what is going on.

You will probably have to consult your pediatrician, but it may 2 things that I know my friends in the past have experienced. It may be psycological, either she is being bullied at school, or a sort of seperation anxiety about being away from you. Is this her first year in school? Or it may be physical, maybe a hernia. My nephew had the same issue and ended up having a hernia where his stomach and esophagus meet. He was addicted to juice as it seemed to be the only thing that soothed his stomach.

Hope it gives you a few ideas about what to try.Good luck!

Has your doctor checked her for acid reflux or an ulcer?

Anxiety runs in our family. If my daughter has to get going early in the morning she gets an upset stomach. My daughter is five and starting kindergarten in the fall so I don't know how she will respond to that. What works best for her is for me to stay calm. It is best if I do not rush her or act excited--even if we are going somewhere special.
My husband had the same problem growing up. He would get sick on his first day of school or before a track race etc. He still gets an upset stomach if he gets up too early. Early morning plane flights do not work for him. What he has learned that helps him is to use relaxing breathing techniques when he starts to get anxious. I hope this is helpful. My husband didn't realize what caused his upset stomach until he was an adult. Now he recognizes the same thing in our daughter.

My daughter had migraines and would often be sick becuase of them. In children sometimes they can have migraines w/o the pain an adult experiences. Also, if she has anxiety about school that can cause it, it can be a bully, or a subject she is struggling at, or even her teacher. Be inquisitive, and get her checked for migraines, there are some allergy medicines that actually help to cure them in children.

Hello-

My sister and I had a similar thing when we became lactose intolerent as young girls. On school mornings we would have cereal with milk, go to school and throw up. We felt fine after that. Just as idea. As a teacher I would ask if there is something at school that stresses her out? That can cause kids to throw up during the week. Good luck!

Hi L.,
I am the oldest of 3 girls in my family and my youngest sister went through this from about ages 5-7. She threw up on the way to school every single morning without exception. It turned out to be a nervous stomach and despite many doctor's visits nothing else was ever found to be wrong. My mom went back to work just after she started Kindergarten and that may have had something to do with it. My middle sister and myself were in charge of dropping her off at school and picking her up after school. Eventually she grew out of it (she has never once thrown up on the way to college! haha). Has something changed in your daughter's life recently? Have there been any problems at school that may make her nervous? Another possible explanation could be abdominal migraines in children. Here is a website that explains what that is:

http://www.dentalplans.com/Dental-Health-Articles/Can-Sto...

i had that as a child the only way that we helped the situation was by waking up early and eatting crackers or bread toast and then taking my time. It started when I was 9 and lasted through high school even now I can not get up and run with out being sick and I am 26. My mom would feed me a piece of toast and a couple crackers then I'd go to school she would send me with a snack and when I got hungry and it was recess I would go to the office or nurses office and I would eat my food. This was daily. I would try that and see if it works for her. The schools are usually workable. My 7 year old step daughter if rushed will get sick I have to wake her up 1 to 2 hours before we leave for school to make sure she doesn't get sick. good luck

The symptoms your daughter is having sound like acid reflux, some of the signs of acid reflux in pediatrics are nausea, gagging, stomach hurting. I would definitely advise taking her to your pediatrician. Dr. Gablehouse in Wheat Ridge is a good pediatrician (Top Doc 5280 Magazine this year) She is very good a diagnosing acid reflux and can prescribe something like prevacid solutab (strawberry flavored) that should help heal the problem quickly. Hope that helps.

J.

About me I am a new mom to a 3 month old boy. I have acid reflux myself and I wish doctors had diagnosed it in children instead I have now been living with it on and off my whole life. If I take my prevacid 30 minutes every day before breakfast I am fine.

Dear L.,

If you have checked with your doctor and there is no evidence of physical illness you might consider that your daughter is reacting physically to an emotional problem with her school, teacher or schoolmates. My daughter would sit in the car and refuse to go into the school or call me to pick her up because her stomach hurt. For years I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I finally took her out of school and put her in an at home schooling program run by the school district. All her symptoms disappeared during home schooling and she went back to regular school as a Junior in High School and finished with honors. To this day I don't know exactly what the problem was. I work at an elementary school and they can be harsh environments, middle schools are worse. It might help if you are able to volunteer in her class so you can see first hand what goes on at her school. Good Luck. R.

Have her adrenal glands ever been tested? The fact that she feels much better when she sleeps in and feels better on saturdays makes me wonder about adrenals...but only because I have the same problem. I don't throw up because of it but if I'm eating refined foods then it makes me sick because refined foods stresses out the adrenal glands. People with adrenal problems need more sleep to feel better.

I don't want to make you worry, but my good friend had the same thing happen with her child at three. It turned out that he had a brain tumor. His brain would swell during the night, making him nauseaous (sp?) in the morning. By the afternoon he was fine. This happened everyday. She had to insist he get a brain scan. The doctors thought she was a nut for insisting. amd threatened to throw her out of the hospital. Actually she saved his life,and they were able to remove it (again after a big battle and her doctor's telling her it was impossible). Hopefully you have insurance. Go get her checked.

It seems you need to take her into the doctors for a complete work up. Since there are various things that could be going on. It may have to do with her blood sugar levels being to low or to high. A virus. Also it could be Allergies and an infection in the sinus, the drainage can cause being sick in the morning. It can be not getting enough sleep. But it sounds like she needs a complete blood work up.

you say this happens in the summer time too? I am asking because I have a child that got sick every morning and it turned out that a kid at school was being mean to her and so she didn't want to go and would worry and make herself sick over it. Make sure there is nothing going on at school that would worry her so much (the work even, not someone else). If it is really a physical problem I would look at how much sleep she is getting and maybe see if she has a blood sugar embalance.

Speaking from experience - I would definatley be at the doctor today...it could be one of two things - something physical. Poor baby has something wrong with her and she can't help if she is feeing sick. Could it be something she is eating - a food allergy? Does she take vitamins, some vitamins are too strong or their coating can make people sick.Make sure it is not IBS..

OR - it is psychological. She needs you now more than ever..her anxiety level is taking its toll! What is scaring her? Where is Dad? Take her first to the pediatrician and then if that does not work take her to a child pyshologist. Usually in just one or two sessions the doctor can determine what is causing her to be so scared? She had a really traumatic experience being in the hospital. Or she is scared you might die, leave or just not be there for her?

Try spending some time in her classroom - talk to ther teacher...

She needs you more than ever right now...

Good Luck!

i did the same thing as a kid..everyone thought it was because i was nervouse to go to school. i wasnt. the teacher had no patience for me and would make me throw up in the little hand sink in front of the class, thinking this would stop her.finally my doctor found i had a small tube in my digestive system that was not fully developed. i had to stop eating certain hard to digest foods for 6 months to a year for it to grow properly..that worked.its been 35 years so i dont remember how the doctor came to that conclusion but i do remember the morning sickness feeling and throwing up in the mornings..good luck hope you solution is as simple as mine..J.

There might be something going on at school if she only does this on the days she has to go to school. She might be getting bullied. Some of the kids might be telling her she is fat so she is trying to not gain weight. She might also have a stomack infection that can cause those kind of symptoms. Have her checked out by a gastrointestinal specalist. I would first check with her teacher to see what is going on at school before you take her to the specalist. Good luck.

Hi L.,

Are you sure this is a stomach issue and not something going on at school? My younger brother had similar problems, but at the same time also had severe anxiety about his new teacher. He would get sick and many times my mom would have to pick him up from school because he was sick. Once he was home, he was fine. I have heard of some other children who go through the same thing, they foster that anxiety and it makes them physically ill. Have you tried talking with you daughter to see if there is something going on at her school? It could be a teacher, or a bully, or anxiety about friends. I can understand your concern because of her past health issues, but perhaps it is something else?

Good luck!
L.

Is there something (or someone) that she goes to school with that she deals with during the summer too? That could be the cause of the anxiety if she is anxious. Is she going to bed early enough, maybe she needs more sleep than others in your home? It could be separation anxiety too, she may want to be with you. Try talking to her and ask if anything is bothering her.

After her infection did you give her a full spectrum probiotic? Not just yogurt, but something to replace all the good bacteria in her gut? The strong anti-biotics would've completely thrown her digestive system out of balance. It also sounds a little like low blood sugar. Have you tried giving her a snack before bed? Something with a little bit of protein to help balance her through the night. Have you tried something other than western medicine? An alternative doc may have ideas that a traditional one would not.

Just some thoughts---hope you find out what's going on!!!
J.

i also find it curious that it doesn't happen on the weekends. if you have taken her to the doctor recently for this very issue and she checked out fine i think it may be anxiety.
is she going to bed at a decent time so she can get enough sleep ever single school night? something that is cured with nap and juice...sounds like extreme tiredness or anxiety.
the human body needs a certain number of hours of sleep and for it to work best should really be on a schedule: same time go wake up, same time to go to bed.
If you haven't taken her to the doctor about her symptoms i urge you to do it, because you will know for sure it isn't anything physical and then you can deal with if it's behavioural. it's important to have that peace of mind that everything checked out fine first.

Most likely, your child is far from having a positive school experience. This could mean that her learning style differs from the school or teacher's teaching style, that she is having peer issues (left out by a group of friends or even is bullied), and/or that she has learning issues that are keeping her from enjoying school fully. You might rule out a physical cause with her pediatrician, but the fact that she doesn't exhibit these problems on weekends means that she is having some real anxiety.

Sounds like nerves to me-how is she at school? Her friend situation etc? Talk to her teachers, counselor, pediatrician etc. Maybe wake her up a little earlier in the morning, give her a morning breakfast "drink" ie-carnation instant breakfast, let her chill in front of the TV for awhile before school-let her watch a favorite program...If that doesn't work take her to a good pediatric gastroenterologist like Dr Stathos in Lonetree.
My son went through this when he started at a new school.