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Forum -> Children's Health
What could this stomach problem be in my 7 year old? UPDATED



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amother
OP


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 4:27 pm
6 weeks ago, my 7yo DD was at a party. She didn't eat much there as we arrived late but she had a slice of cake and vomited about 5 mins later. She seemed perfectly fine before and after.

Later that evening and for the next 2 days, she complained of a slight stomach ache after eating or drinking, but she still ate and drank as normal.

The next evening, she called me into the bathroom because she was having strong pains in her stomach. She had a (normal) bowel movement, said she felt a little better, but about 5 or 10 mins later said she needed to vomit. It was like she had a sudden urge to vomit but couldn't actually vomit for 30 mins. She was in a lot of pain during this time and at one point was lying on the bathroom floor shaking. We ended up going to the ER where they said it was hard to give a diagnosis because of the generic symptoms but said gastroenteritis, either viral or bacterial was the most likely. To me it seemed like something different though.

Since then, she has had stomach ache most but not all of the time. It has been worse after eating and especially drinking. She has also had 2 more episodes of vomiting but not as severe as the time she went to the ER.

I have taken her to the pediatrician multiple times but can't find the cause. She has had stool tests for blood and various bacteria, all negative. Full blood count was normal. Urine tests was normal. Ultrasound of the Whole abdomen and a specialised one of the intestine were both normal.

The pediatrician thinks that the diagnosis of gastroenteritis was accurate and that these further ongoing problems are caused by inflammation from that, but it seems strange that it would go on for so long like this.

We do have an appointment with a gastroenterologist scheduled and also a test for lactose intollerance but I just wondered if anyone has been though anything similar or has any ideas what it could be or what else we should do in the way of testing.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 4:34 pm
Gastroenteritis can take up to 2 weeks to clear up.

Try giving her a small dose of Peptobismol for the pain and nausea.

Give her plain foods that are not acidic. Oatmeal, toast, vanilla ice cream, cottage cheese, things like that. The idea is that if it's going to come back up, it needs to be as bland as possible.
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flower2




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 4:41 pm
Gastroenteritis
Brat diet in small amounts and more freq (as opposed to larger meals)
If she doesn't tolerate then try only clear liquids for a day or two (soup broths, sodas, ice pops,jello)
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sarahmalka




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 5:01 pm
Sorry for your daughter's discomfort, OP! Gastroenteritis, whether it's viral or bacterial in origin, can cause temporary food intolerances. Gluten in particular,, and also dairy. This is transient, meaning won't likely last forever, but it's real. I just heard an MD giving a continuing ed lecture on how gluten intolerance caused by gastroenteritis can even trigger celiac disease in genetically susceptible individuals. I don't know what's going on with your DD exactly but the transient food intolerances triggered by gastroenteritis came to mind immediately.
Since learning of this phenomenon (from a gastroenterologist) I am careful to pull common allergens out of my children's diets as much as possible during stomach bugs: mainly no gluten or dairy during that time period.
Here's a clip from an abstract on the topic on PubMed: "The spectrum of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is narrowing and many conditions previously known/attributed to IBS seem to be related to unrecognised primary or acquired intolerances to nutrient components. Infection might act as triggering factor for inflammatory conditions in susceptible individuals.
Inflammation of absorptive surface leading to various enzymatic defects, changing the microbiota and increasing intestinal permeability may results in symptoms previously known as post gastroenteritis IBS. It is time to recognise the possible pathophysiology of acquired gluten intolerance that has been miss-treated under the mask of IBS. " Citation here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p.....5934/
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amother
OP


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 5:57 pm
Thanks for the replies.

She has been on a bland diet pretty much for the last 6 weeks. It made her very weak and didn't make any difference to the symptoms so the pediatrician advised us to add in more foods.

I have dealt with gastroenteritis in this DD and my other children and this was so different to anything I've seen before, so that makes me think the orginal diagnosis was not correct (and in fact, the doctor said that there are a number of possible causes, gastroenteritis being the most likely. )

This temporary food intolerance does sound possible though so thanks sarahmalka for that.

The issue seems to specifically affect the stomach and not the intestine as the pain is in that area and all her bowel movements have been normal.

My DD also had pneumonia last October and since then has been plagued with arthritis type pain in her knees, sometimes needing pain medication. We have seen a rheumatologist twice, the first time receiving a diagnosis of reactive arthritis and being told the pain would disappear in a matter of weeks,, and when this didn't happen, the rheumatologist put it all down to growing pains. DD has been in constant pain of varying degrees since it started in October.

I can't help thinking this and the stomach problem are somehow related.
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amother
Blue


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 7:08 pm
Im making an educated guess here - some kind of autoimmune disorder? Has she had her antibodies checked?
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 8:06 pm
My son had same problem when he was 6 we went for a ton of test everything came back normal finally switch Dr and the new Dr said he's gluten sensitive keep off gluten for around a month got better but now knows how to limit his gluten like one piece challah half bagel ect he also has reflux so he doesn't have sauce, ketup, pizza he figured out what makes his stomach hurt after keeping him off gluten
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simcha2




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 8:12 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Thanks for the replies.

She has been on a bland diet pretty much for the last 6 weeks. It made her very weak and didn't make any difference to the symptoms so the pediatrician advised us to add in more foods.

I have dealt with gastroenteritis in this DD and my other children and this was so different to anything I've seen before, so that makes me think the orginal diagnosis was not correct (and in fact, the doctor said that there are a number of possible causes, gastroenteritis being the most likely. )

This temporary food intolerance does sound possible though so thanks sarahmalka for that.

The issue seems to specifically affect the stomach and not the intestine as the pain is in that area and all her bowel movements have been normal.

My DD also had pneumonia last October and since then has been plagued with arthritis type pain in her knees, sometimes needing pain medication. We have seen a rheumatologist twice, the first time receiving a diagnosis of reactive arthritis and being told the pain would disappear in a matter of weeks,, and when this didn't happen, the rheumatologist put it all down to growing pains. DD has been in constant pain of varying degrees since it started in October.

I can't help thinking this and the stomach problem are somehow related.


Have you had her tested for celiac?
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amother
Babypink


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 8:14 pm
Have the dr check for mono. Can cause these symptoms.
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STMommy




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 8:48 pm
I'm guessing post infectious IBS
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amother
Pink


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 8:53 pm
So sorry. Sounds miserable and I hope you get some solid answers and relief very soon. Personally, I would eliminate any foods that are common allergens and have the most basic and simple diet until she's feeling better and/ or you have a more clear diagnosis.
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Tue, Sep 10 2019, 10:16 pm
Mesenteric adenitis?
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amother
OP


 

Post Tue, Sep 17 2019, 4:29 am
OP here.

I have just discovered that a blood tests DD had a month ago, 2 weeks after the onset of the stomach symptoms, revealed elevated streptococcus antistreptolysin antibodies (408 UI/mL when a normal level for her age would be below 250.)

The doctor did not flag this up as a problem initially, and is still denying it's a problem or relevant.

A blood tests from last week showed that her IgE total level was 721 UI/mL, the normal range being 1-70. Again, the doctor is dismissing this as irrelevant, saying it is probably caused by an allergy, even though DD had extensive allergy testing done earlier this year and tested negative to everything (food and other allergens.)

Additionally, both Lactate Dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase are high.

Please don't reply with "you should speak to your doctor."

Of course I am speaking to her but she keeps dismissing everything. I am trying to find another doctor for a second opinion but I am trying to find someone reputable instead of just picking a random name of a list. I posted here in case anyone has experience of this.
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