Son Has Chronic Stomach and Head Aches with Dizziness

As a parent of a child who has had these symtoms I can tell you where we started. My son started experiencing stomach aches and dizziness when he started reading in school (7 years old). He also had problems with reading and spelling. We didn't know where to start. It was suggested that we take him to a pediatric eye specialist. My son had 20/20 vision so I didn't understand why I should. I did it just to make sure his eye sight hadn't changed. When the test was over I was told that he had better than perfect vision but had a muscle balance disorder that would require therapy and an operation. I had never heard of this nor could you look at him and tell. We did all that was required and he is doing wonderful. All of his headaches disappeared and as a bonus his reading and spelling go much better. He is 11 and making honor roll. From research I have found that this is common in boys and if the child was born before the 40th week of pregnancy. I know this may not be what is going on with your son but it is a place to start.

I'm sorry to hear your son is not feeling well. I would recommend the below websites because your son may be reacting to food additives or a moldy indoor environment. Both can cause medical and learning problems you mentioned. Unfortunately, most doctors don't consider these causes.

www.msgmyth.com
www.plantpoisonsandrottenstuff.info/content/symptoms.aspx
www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
www.moldwarriors.com

I hope this helps! N.

you might check with your doctor, he might want to run a sugar test and an allergy test. and it could just be nerves from the new environment.

one of the first things I'd advise is get his sugar checked to make sure nothing is going on there , and get him medically checked otherwise , then work from the angle of not wanting to go to school if it appears he's medically ok ...... blessings , M.

T., my sister at 6 was diagnosed with an ulcer that had similar symptoms. The flairing up was due to stress and food. I would not play a guessing game here. That is what Doctors are for. Please take the time to get him infront of a professional that can diagnos his symptoms and run tests. Worse case this is cancer and you did not do anything to stop it..think about it...

my daughter had troubles with the same symptoms. I t was her nerves, she was stressed out due to a problem of our making. we had her in an out of distric school. altho your son may not be experencing stress it could be other health issues. Tlake him to the doctor and make sure why he has these symptoms. for your peace of mind.

My friend went through this with her 11 yr old daughter. When she took her to the Dr, they found "something" on her brain. She is going through testing to find out if it is cancer, a cyst, or what. I would recommend taking your son to the Dr. It may be nothing, but it's best to catch things early if it is something. Especially since it's head AND stomach. Hope all is fine though!!!! Will be praying for y'all.

It never hurts to check with the doctor. My 5 year old was complaining of headaches and the doctor thinks it was just an attention getting thing because we had just added a new baby to the family. But I'm not convinced the headaches started that way, maybe she just continued to use the excuse to get attention. There are a lot of reasons though why your son could be having these problems. Perhaps he has a food allergy? I would advise to talk to your doctor and have them run some tests. Better safe than sorry.
M.

When I was in 5th grade I was going through the same thing exactly. Each morning minor and after lunch MAJOR, I would have stomach and headaches. (some times to the point of stomach void)

A. We found out I get migraines (when an adult)
B. My teacher noticed that although I was a bright, straight "A" student, I seemed to struggle on quick quizzes. I also made a "C" on handwriting. She watched me for a while and then brought my parents in to see that I would lean to one side and put the palm of my hand over one eye. When my parents took me to the Eye Dr. I was boarder-line legally blind in one eye. I had Massive astigmatism, I was also far-sited in the same eye, and near sited in the other. What the then $600.00 contact did for me in that eye with the astigmatism was amazing.

My suggestion is... two things:

Eye Doctor exam AND Pediatrician for migraines. Don't fix part of the problem hoping for a full fix.

Praying for your mission field and your strength and guidance as you work through this time right now.

Girl who lived in pain, C.

ps I did read better and things were better with the contact. They blame the eye for all future headaches.

My eight year old has complained with a stomach ache just like that on-and-off for a couple of years. I have always thought it was somehow stress related. However, I finally took her to a pediatric gastrologist a couple of weeks ago just to rule out anything medical. The doctor seemed to think it was acid reflux and has started her on medication and some dietary restrictions to try for a month to see if it will help. My daughter doesn't have headaches or dizziness though. I'd for sure take him to the doctor just to make sure there is nothing medically wrong, then you can focus on what else could be causing it. Poor little thing. Good luck.

Sounds like some of this might be related to eating, maybe????

Could be a couple things going on at the same time. I agree with the other ladies.

Jenn

I would suggest consider his diet. One of the MAJOR symptoms of celiacs disease is stomach/gas pain and neurologic and behavior issues. www.celiac.com has some info on it. I have it. It is 100% diet controlled. My 5yo dd has had SEVERE eczema her whole life she has been gluten free for 1 week and her skin has cleared up!!! I am in heaven...so is she! The dr can do a blood test BUT at this age it is likely to be negative. They must be consuming gluten to have an accurate blood test. So do not make him gluten free THEN do the bloodwork. 1 in 133 people have it SO it is not as rare as it may seem. I thought my dd stomach pain were age related. Happens to a lot of Kgartners. I am glad I figured her out. Good luck to you.

My son experiences stomach aches when he is nervous about school. He is in 6th grade and this started about 3 years ago. Once I realized the connection between stomache aches and test days, etc. it made it easier for both of us to deal with. I remind him that he has studied and knows the material; that it is normal to be nervous about tests etc; that he is able to pass and that I will love him even if he doesn't pass (at this point I cross my fingers and send up a little pray that he will pass though) Once he understood the connection between nerves and stomach aches the pains lessened and we are to the point now that he rarely has them.

I think your little boy is having normal school anxiety - it is a big change and getting grades and report cards is scary. Add in the "wanting to please my parents factor" and our little guys get stressed out. Just talk to him about school and try to figure out, with him, what makes him nervous about school.

The bedtime thing could be simply another version of getting a drink a water - it delays having to go bed and garners special mommy attention. My son still has evenings when he just "can't sleep" or "feels creeped out" and has to come be by me. They love us.

Nota Bena: my son has asthma and at a certain point round about 2nd grade, realized he could tell his teachers he just didn't feel well and get out of things. I nipped that one off fairly quickly working with the school nurse. He got tired of missing the fun stuff in class to go lay down in the nurses office every time he cried asthma.

Have you had his vision checked by an optometrist, not just at the pediatrician's office? My 12 year old daughter had all these symptoms in the 1st and 2nd grade. We ended up putting her on Levicin to combat Irritable Bowel Syndrome after our doctor really could not diagnose the cause. In the 3rd grade her teacher suggested an eye exam. Turns out she has a focusing issue and needed bifocals! She could see up close and far away, her eyes just don't adjust to focus on something at about reading level. She now reads above grade level and her horrible spelling is improving greatly! She is also less stressed because she can actually see the page!

My daughter had frequent stomach aches when she first started school. She would actually get sick. Thedoctor told me upset herself so much that she had a nervous stomach. He told us to continue to make her go to school and eventually she got over it. Later we found she was dyslexic and had a terrible with reading, writing and copying. That was contributing to her diziness and stomach aches. Talk to you doctor. Also see if the school has a system for testing for learning difficulties.

have you tried taking him to a pediatric chiropractor... maybe he's got something out of whack?

I would first take him to see the pediatrician, and second I would take him to see the eye doctor.

He may need reading glasses since you said he is stuggling with reading. The eye strain could be causing the headaches, which in turn can make a tummy ache(IE nauesa) and even dizziness.

Or, he could have childhood migraines and it is the headaches causing the other symptoms.

Better to get it checked out, and it be nothing rather than not and it be something.

take him to the doctor. nephew was feeling the same way and he has migraines. Also his dad has miners witch is a like big sister to vertigo both of witch cause dizziness and nausea. i would take this to the doctor all 3 of these things can cause a bunch of absences if not treated.

About the stomach first. Does he have regular bowel movements? I know that I have very irregular movements and that I hurt more after eating when a movement is going to hit. If he is having problems adjusting to school then he might be tensing up and that causes bowel problems. The headaches and dizziness I would just see the doctor about. It could be his eyes. By the way if he and you can not remember the last bm then I would have him seen by the doctor soon. In other words I would have him to the doctor asap.

HI T.~~
As a former teacher and a mother of a 9 year old I would check two different things! Of course one would be the medical issue to see if there is anything at all that may would cause him to have those feelings after eating( ulcers are always irritated after eating certain foods and the ulcers can be brought on by stress). The other issue would be stress and how he feels about school and the work he is required to do. Many students will become overwhelmed by new situations and they do not know how to cope with stress at a young age. I have had many students act out as a result of not knowing HOW to do the work or because of some type of issue that is affecting their ability to learn. I have no idea what is causing your son to feel this way but those are questions I would find answers to first!!
That is like many children who do no realize that they have a problem with their sight UNTIL it begins to really cause problems. They are not sure WHY they have headaches at the end of the day! My oldest daughter went through that for several weeks!
I hope you find out how to solve the issue soon!!!
Meanwhile just try to talk to him as much as you can and see if there is anything he can share with you!!
C. Stork
www.forourkidz.fourpointmoms.com
www.forourkidz.fourpointwellness.com

I use to get headaches as a little girl and they told my parents it had to do with the lighting in the classroom. Just a thought. Also, if he is dizzy I would call the dr ASAP!! he could be experiencing VERTIGO or something else. The vertigo is a dizziness but could cause falls. From what I understand a person with this is prescribed minimal movement so they don't get hurt! If nothing else call your nurse at the Dr. office and they could tell you what to expect and how quick you need to have him seen!

He needs a full medical check up asap.