Our son is driving us up the wall. He got a stomach flu bug on Wednesday and while we are sympathetic to his complaints of being in pain, he is starting to wear us down. He was seen by the pediatrician and she ruled out appendisitis so there is nothing else going on. She told me several children had recently come in complaining of the same thing and the stomach aches were quite bad. Please don't get me wrong, I understand he is uncomfortable and feeling crummy but he is a bit of a drama queen. We have tried children's pepto, warm compresses on the stomach, cool washcloth on the stomach, letting him watch movies (we normally only watch TV 2-3 days a week), letting him drinik 7-UP, gatorade, I've rubbed his stomach, given simple/small comforting meals, I've distracted him by telling endless stories, etc. He continues to whine and cry off and on and it gets especially worse at night. In the last 2 nights I have gotten about 6 hours of sleep. The doctor feels it is a virus so of course that means anywhere from 7-10 days. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what may help for tummy troubles??? Anything you've tried with success? Also as a side note, he went to school yesterday & today and had no trouble. He seems to be saving it up for us, gee aren't we lucky...
Peppermint. It has a soothing effect on the tummy.
We've used peppermint gum. candy canes, and peppermint hard candies.
It helps.
My toddler LOVES peppermint tea sweetened with a little honey when her stomach is upset. Warm or cool. Sometimes it is the only thing that doesn't come right back up.
Crystallized ginger helps my stomach when it's feeling crummy.
I like the air activated heat packs, too. They last for about 8 hours and they work like a heating pad and they can't over heat.
My son still likes warm baths when his stomach feels off.
If he's well enough to go back to school, then it's time to shift back to normal mode.
Root beer can sometimes help. It helped me a few weeks ago when Gas-x did not and I was doubled over with gas pain.
peppermint pills.
Natural food stores have it.
I 3rd peppermint. :) My grandma used to give us hot cocoa with a bunch of peppermint in it. Tastes great, the heat felt good, and the peppermint helped with the stomach... It was our special "sick treat". we found out years later that she used the sugar free stuff, but it was soo good we didn't care. (also... If he does by chance throw up after drinking it... It won't taste as nasty. gross, but true. lol)
Ginger ale.
Mint tea no sugar.
Chamomile tea
Maybe a heating pad or a hot water bottle on his tummy.. Maybe it feels like cramps..
Give him some ginger ale. My son is 15 and still swears by it. When he was little, I told him it was a guaranteed cure for tummy aches and it worked!
The other thing too was I gave him Celestial Seasonings "Sleepy Time" tea before bed. He believed it would put him to sleep and sure enough....it worked every time.
Your son may well be enjoying all the personal fussing over him. Lots and lots of kids will try to stretch that whole thing out. You can't blame them. But, after a while, enough is enough.
No more letting him watch movies and TV. Sick children need to be in bed sleeping and getting rest.
When I could tell my kids were dragging things out I would say, "You just aren't getting better so you have to go to bed early and no TV and no more special meals because it's not working. Sick little children need to be in bed asleep. No being up, no stories. Jammies on, night-night. You have to be still and quiet. Nothing else has worked at all. "
You'll be surprised how fast they can suddenly feel better.
Kids get sick, they really do, but they will take the pampering as long as they can get it.
My daughter was a super drama queen so sometimes I fought fire with fire, if you know what I mean.
Best wishes.
pre and probiotics. maybe some peppermint
Has he been tested for strep? Often it can present itself as an upset/sore/hurting stomach, on of my kids only gets the stomach symptoms and not the sore throat when he gets strep. If this doesn't resolve itself soon, I suggest taking him back and having a strep test done.
Wow, I'm glad my mom didn't have your compasion, lol! Don't you remember soaking up being sick when you were a kid? EVERY kid does this and even though they are sick, there is just something 'fun' about being sick...maybe it's the attention you receive.
Before you know it, he isn't going to want a thing to do with you, even when he does gets sick! You should welcome this. Yes, it might get old, but don't you think it is also a bit cute?
I know we have always heard 7-up for tummy aches, but dark cola works better.
They sell something at drug stores called cola syrup. You pour a little (maybe a few teaspoons) over crushed ice and sip it. It really works! If you don't see it--ask the pharmacist. Hope he's better soon!
Someone told me that benedryl can help with the cramping ... but make sure he is well hydrated. You may want to look it up or research it first. Gas ex. What kind of stomach pain is he in? Stomach (higher up) or lower (instestinal)? Warm baths help as well.
