Chronic Abdominal Pain

Hi- I have been down this road. Start a food diary today and include info about bowel movements. I have dragged my now 9 yr old to dr after dr- I finally (on my own) eliminated dairy, dyes *red especially, and corn products. It was a nightmare as the pain and fear of pain damaged her confidence and changed her personality. Constipation was a problem at one point and she is high risk for celiac. We also struggled with bad gas pains but restricting the corn products and dairy helped. Happy to share more, just let me know,

I remember when my sister was little she always had bad stomachaches, and after a few test there was nothing wrong with her. Until now that she is old enough( 18 yrs) we all find out what it was...
Gasses in her stomach...If it is or not try giving her fiber in her diet, oatmeal and plenty of water. Maybe that would comfort her.

Evelyn :-)

It sounds like Celiac disease. Have her tested by a gastroenterologist who is familiar with celiac and dont let anyone tel you diareahh has to be a symptom, I have Celiac and did not have any symptoms untill I lost drastic amounts of weight and suffered tooth damage from malnutrition, I also had fits of rage I realize now though, so rule it out asap. Its very common. There should be a blood test but even if thats neg, demand a biopsy, its not as bad as it sounds, you go to sleep, they go through your throat and take a sample, and you wake up groggy but not in pain. Sometimes its takes 2-3 biopsies to catch a damaged patch, sometimes only once, so dont be too quick to rule it out. The good thing about this is that the treatment is just a dietary change (and monitering for nutritional deficencies at first ect) and its not gonna require scary surgery, or meds with rough side effects. I went through 14 docs and two "neg" celiac tests before finding a good doc (gastro is the specialty you wanna look for...iwent to OBs, internal, endocrinologist, and famly med first, oops)and was finally diagnosed with Celiac, after going completely gluten free and removing cross contamination by getting my on seperate toaster and cooking sheets I felt better than I ever had better than before I felt sick even, and it only took 2-3 weeks on this diet to feel like a brand new body was given to me. I'm in phoenix too and Dr. Michael Shapiro is great. (480)657 - 3400 or drmichaelshapiro. com

Have you had her to an allergist?

My son who is 8y has complained for years about stomachaches. Recently during a regular allergy retest, he showed a positive reaction for barley. Since then, we've limited his bread/pasta intake. Have changed him over to using non-rising breads, like tortillas, pita bread, etc. His complaints have gone down.

M.

my 5 year old has the same symptoms. Complains of tummy aches and headaches all the time. You are not alone. I have taken him to the doctor but nothing substantional came out of it. I am going to try some of things that were suggested to you.

My nephew had chronic pain as well. They diagnosed him with crohn's disease. He got no relief from the meds so my sister kept taking him to specialists. Nothing helped until she changed his diet. Once the diet kicked in (it takes 2-3 wks) his pain went away. She basically took out sugar. Check out candida diet. Dr. Emily Lindner is her Dr. in chicago. She does phone consults as well.
3000 North Halsted Street Suite 823
Chicago, IL, 60657
Phone Number: ###-###-####
My sister said her son is now a different person w/o the chronic pain. He is 9 yrs old.

Good Luck!

I second SH from Honolulu, probably stress (if not accompanied, by strained breathing, itchiness, or wattery eyes), allergies if yes. Stress for kids can be as simple as changes in every day life, expectations set too high, at home or at school... I would log in the times of complaints and see if it relates to anything that occured recently which could have caused stress of some sort. Good luck!

I would have her checked for allergies. Both tummy aches and headaches can be and often are caused by an allergy. Milk is a common allergy that causes tummy aches. Of course, it's not the only one, but it would be a good starting point. Another common culprit for tummy problems is Gluten. Chocolate is a common allergy causing headaches, once again, it's not the only one, but would be a good starting point. Also, if she has headaches, have you had her vision tested. If her eyes are fine, I'd seriously consider an allergy of some sort being the culprit.
J. Powers / Author
The Truly Grain Free Cookbook; Beet and Cane Sugar Free Too!
ISBN #: 1-60563-263-5
www.freewebs.com/trulygrainfree

have they tested her for Celiac disease? it seems to be one you have to request?? feel free to email me if oyu have any questions about it. you can also look up www.celiac.org or www.celiac .com
My son has similar issues as well i swear he has the celiac but it seems when he eats goldfish snacks it hurts him so we quit letting him eat those and he hasnt complained since!
Good luck

My sister had this when she was little all the way through most of her 20's until she got her gull bladder out. Have your doctors check the gull bladder, they will fight you on this because little people usually don't have gull bladder issues. Just be persistent, your daughter will thank you for it.

Allergies?
Stress symptoms?
Anxiety?