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 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
Hi Lacy,
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!
Laura
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.
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.
Dear Lacy,
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. Roxanne
i would check if with the teacher if there are any problems with other kids at her school.. my son acted VERY similar to your daughter when a bully would not leave him alone.. he did not feel safe....
also, you mentioned that she was given antibiotics.. when anyone is givin high doses of antibiotics, they sometime kill the stomach bacteria needed for it to function properly, try giving her yogurt in the morning and stay away from juices (high acid) for awhile..
Hope she feels better...
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.
Hi Lacy,
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:
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.
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.
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.
Lucy,
I have a son who would do the same thing! I came to find out that there was a bully at school who was horrible to him and his nerves where causing the problem! It took a lot of love and in depth talking to get that out of him. I contacted the school administration and coveyed my conscern, as well as his teacher. The thing that changed everything was a music cd created by a company called BRITE MUSIC (they are online) called the safety kids and personal safety! It empowered him with the skills to say no to a bully and to speak up when someone is doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable (a great one for children against sexual predators!). I hope your daughter isn't experiencing the same thing, but this has helped my son a lot! No more throwing up!
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.
Jennifer
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.
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.
There's a good chance her morning nausea is due to low blood sugar. I'm hypoglycemic (meaning I have low blood sugar) and this sounds like me. Give her juice first thing in the morning, before breakfast, and try high protein breakfast items - peanut butter or ham are my favorites. It seems very odd to insist on eating when food sounds and smells gross and your stomach is upset, but it's exactly what will help her feel better. She'll start to notice the difference on her own soon. Anything she can eat will help, but cereal, toast and other grain products will help the least, and leave her hungry in an hour or two (just when she needs to concentrate on school) because they digest faster than protein or fats. You might ask her teacher if she can keep a juice box at her desk, in case she needs it midway through the morning.
I have no idea what might be going on with your daughter, but I'd definitely recommend seeking professional help -- doctors in case it's a medical condition and therapists in case it's an emotional/psychological condition.
Good luck!
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 Lacy, 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. Ann Wood (Australia)
Has your doctor checked her for acid reflux or an ulcer?