5 year old with stomach ache

[RedCanoe]

DS1 has had a stomach ache for a month now and I don't know what to do.

At the end of March he woke up one morning and complained of stomach ache. Around noon he threw up and got all pale and his stool that day was diarrhea. He also complained of body aches saying his arms hurt and "everything hurts". Took him to a pediatric walk in and the doctor there told me he has stomach flu, give him pedialyte, etc. He never threw up again after the first time, but the diarrhea and body aches lasted a few more days. Then only daily stomach aches for 1.5-2 weeks. Then there was a week where he seemed fine, did not complain of anything.

Now last Monday (16th) he woke up with stomach ache, slight fever and body aches again. No diarrhea or vomiting this time. Fever was gone by nighttime and body aches lasted a few days. But it's been a week and a half since this 2nd bout and he still complains daily of stomach pain. Saw the family doctor this time and she said he got another virus. Also that viruses can irritate the bowel and the mild pain can linger for weeks.

I don't know. I guess what the doctors are saying seems to match what he has. It's just so hard to watch him be in pain for so long and be able to do nothing to help him. And because it's gone on for so long I also worry that maybe they missed something and he should be getting some sort of treatment?

Any thoughts? Ideas? Anyone else have little ones with stomach problems?

[stacey221958]

I just spoke with my husband, (hes an ER doc) about your son and he said that there could be a number of things going on but that he should probably have some blood tests ran like a CBC, sed rate and I think he said a CRP.

[nuthinbutpink]

I think I would take him in to and ask for testing. I'm sorry he is not well.

[Hobbermittens]

Sorry he feels bad... I agree that he should go see someone and get checked. Maybe try a different clinic/doctor?

I wonder if he has food allergies? Acid reflux? Or maybe a parasite? (that sounds gross, I know, but a friend had one and had stomach issues for a long time before they figured it out).

I hope you get answers soon and your little guy gets well.

[kpmum]

Ur poor little man. I believe a mothers intuition is always right and if ur gut is telling u it's not what the drs r saying get a 2nd opinion. Any going pain should always be investigated. I am a emergency nurse and i also believe ur DS should get some blood work and further examinations xxx

[Myloves]

The previous posters said exactly what I was thinking, so I didn't want to repeat myself. I really hope your boy gets better.

[RedCanoe]

Thanks ladies, I'm going to make an appointment with our family doctor again and see what else she wants to do... check for parasites, blood work, etc.

[atomic sagebrush]

It does seem to make sense but at the same time, doctors are kinda notorious for chalking things up to "viruses" when they really don't know and can't be bothered to investigate further. If you've ever watched that show Mystery Diagnosis, they have kids on there all the time with stomachaches and vomiting that go on for years and the doctors all say virus, virus, virus, then it turns out to be something like celiac disease or some other weird thing.

One time I foolishly decided to make homemade yogurt and me and my 7 year old both developed horrible stomachaches and heartburn that lasted for months (no one else ate it). It was obviously something to do with the yogurt. None of the doctors would even consider that possiblity and claimed I had an ulcer (I didn't) and that my son had a "virus". This went on for 2 months and he was so miserable he would sit quietly on a chair and do nothing for hours at a time.

When I finally took him to the pediatric gastroenterologist (because no one would refer me until I started getting super bitchy about it), she refused to do any testing whatsoever, because she "wouldn't give tests for kids who had nothing wrong with them". Then she inexplicably insisted on doing a rectal exam - he had no problems with that end, he had freaking heartburn, and we had already done 2 stool samples - and proclaimed him constipated and claimed she could "feel impacted stool" and prescribed a stool softener. Didn't address the heartburn and stomach ache whatsoever and tossed out the "V" word again. By that point I was furious and left the office, took him home and (sorry for TMI) he promptly had diarrhea and pooped out an apple he had 2 hours earlier with breakfast which was apparently the so-called 'impacted stool'.

I ended up giving him Pepcid daily for 8 weeks and thank God whatever it was cleared up in that time.

I would def see if they're willing to test for at least SOMETHING to rule out anything serious, but I guess my point is they may not be willing to do anything, even the specialists are not terribly helpful.

[RedCanoe]

This is my experience so far too, sigh. With the first bout I went to the pediatric walk in twice and saw two different pediatricians. Both said virus and nothing we can do but wait. Now second bout I figured family doctor can order tests and keep track of things better than a walk in. She says virus again and nothing to do but wait. Called yesterday and waiting for an appointment now. She might run tests at my insistence but I'll bet she will think that they are a waste of time since she told me it could take "weeks" for the pain to subside. Maybe they are all right and it is just a virus, and we just need to wait it out, but it's really hard to have your kid come to you several times a day saying his stomach hurts and be able to do nothing. Or the thought that it IS something (parasite, bacterial infection, some disorder or disease like celiac or IBS or something) that we could have been treating him for but instead I let him live with pain for weeks... ugh. Oh well, hopefully we can rule out some things in the next week and it will resolve soon. It's stressing me out. :/

I'm glad you and your son got better, Atomic. That's a really stressful experience! Maybe it does take awhile for stomach/intestinal issues to work themselves out, if you guys had it for two months. Ugh. Such a long time, though!