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Sorry to revive an old thread, but I was hoping someone could give me some pointers.
My 5 y.o. son has been complaining that his tummy hurts since the beginning of December. At first we thought he only said that to get out of things, but we eventually started noticing that it hurt even when there was something he wanted to do/eat. However, it has rarely interrupted his energy level. My husband finally took him to the PA in town two weeks ago. The PA said it was most likely caused by an allergy to something. So we are writing down everything he eats and when his stomach hurts. It looks somewhat like a lactose intolerance/milk allergy, but not totally.
The PA said the next step was blood tests. I'm going to make an appointment with a regular doctor and clinic (we just have a once-a-week rural clinic with the PA). Can someone give me advice on what information I should be giving, what questions to ask, and if there are any tests or follow-ups I should demand?
I would make sure they check his thyroid level. Around 4yo my DD developed stomach aches that would come and go and were very uncomfortable for her and her Dr could find no reason for it. When she was nearly 6 we went back to a specialist she had that gave us the free and clear ( unrelated condition ) 3 years earlier, turns out at her last appointment there they did their usual panel of bloodwork and it showed her thyroid was low but they never called us to report that. So she suffered for a long time with an easily treatable condition. It wasn't until I started reading about hypothyroid that I made the connection to her stomach aches. It was really the only symptom she had that was noticeable to us.
Funny thing was weeks after finding this out and getting her on medication the PA at her primary Dr felt her thyroid and asked if it had been checked.
Sorry to revive an old thread, but I was hoping someone could give me some pointers.
My 5 y.o. son has been complaining that his tummy hurts since the beginning of December. At first we thought he only said that to get out of things, but we eventually started noticing that it hurt even when there was something he wanted to do/eat. However, it has rarely interrupted his energy level. My husband finally took him to the PA in town two weeks ago. The PA said it was most likely caused by an allergy to something. So we are writing down everything he eats and when his stomach hurts. It looks somewhat like a lactose intolerance/milk allergy, but not totally.
The PA said the next step was blood tests. I'm going to make an appointment with a regular doctor and clinic (we just have a once-a-week rural clinic with the PA). Can someone give me advice on what information I should be giving, what questions to ask, and if there are any tests or follow-ups I should demand?
My oldest child had a lot of allergies for her first two or three years: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, strawberries, everything made her barf. Thankfully, she outgrew her food allergies, even her shellfish allergy, which is usually lifelong. She retained her allergies to dust, grass, and some animals, and she frequently gets hay fever and sneeze attacks. She takes Zyrtec daily, as does my husband, who is also very sensitive to dust.
My daughter has a problem with dairy. It's not allergies (she's been tested), and it's not lactose intolerance. She gets nauseated and crampy, which the doctor says are not the symptoms of lactose intolerance. She drinks soy milk and avoids most cheese and ice cream (which she loves). She can eat string cheese, but things like grilled cheese sandwiches or milkshakes will have her feeling sick in minutes.
She has had three allergy tests in her life. You know those big brick-like rubber stamps that businesses have to endorse the back of checks? The dermatologist loads something like that with rows of tiny pins, each with a tiny bit of an allergen on it: pollen, egg, horse dander, maple tree, etc. The doc stamps a section of bare skin (usually the back), and then you wait to see which pinpricks puff up and get all irritated. If you suspect your child has a dangerous allergy to something, they will leave that out because they do not want to trigger a bad reaction.
The test doesn't hurt much, but a little kid will probably not like it. I think they have to do three or four stamps, depending on what allergies they want to test for.
Have you tried removing milk from his diet? You could give him almond or rice milk instead, and remove all cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. Alternative milks can be difficult to get used to, so you could give more toast or eggs for breakfast instead of cereal. Avoiding dairy in other meals isn't too tough. I only bring this up because my daughter's stomach hurts quite a bit from dairy but it's not an allergy or lactose intolerance. What I mean is, the doctor might not find anything but that doesn't mean your son's issue is not real.
Thanks for the thoughts and advice so far! Skahar: hypothyroidism runs in my family, so double thanks for relating your experience. I would have never thought to ask the doctor of checking it.
JustJulia: I have been trying to remove dairy since I started having my suspicions, although this past weekend it ended slipping in. We had cheese pizza Saturday night, and he said it was hurting badly again. But it didn't hurt when he had a croissant Thursday night and homemade donuts the next morning (at least not any more than the non-dairy days). But then I let him put in chocolate chips in the otherwise dairy-free cookies and he complained about his tummy again that night. So far, the most direct correalation seems to be with melted cheese and milk, so the chocolate (if that was the cause) threw me for a loop, but we will see.
Has your daughter's reaction to cheese and milk gotten worse or has it stayed the same? That is my main concern right now: first, I don't want to continue to damage his digestive tract if that is what is happening; and second, I don't want his reaction to get progressively worse.
Have you considered a gluten intolerance? A detailed food diary is going to be the most useful information for the doctor. I would also ask family members directly if they have similar symptoms, sometimes these vague symptoms are not common knowledge, and adults learn to just avoid certain food that cause them discomfort.
Thanks for the thoughts and advice so far! Skahar: hypothyroidism runs in my family, so double thanks for relating your experience. I would have never thought to ask the doctor of checking it.
JustJulia: I have been trying to remove dairy since I started having my suspicions, although this past weekend it ended slipping in. We had cheese pizza Saturday night, and he said it was hurting badly again. But it didn't hurt when he had a croissant Thursday night and homemade donuts the next morning (at least not any more than the non-dairy days). But then I let him put in chocolate chips in the otherwise dairy-free cookies and he complained about his tummy again that night. So far, the most direct correalation seems to be with melted cheese and milk, so the chocolate (if that was the cause) threw me for a loop, but we will see.
Has your daughter's reaction to cheese and milk gotten worse or has it stayed the same? That is my main concern right now: first, I don't want to continue to damage his digestive tract if that is what is happening; and second, I don't want his reaction to get progressively worse.
Again, thanks for sharing!
There was a period of several years where she didn't seem to react to milk or cheese. We started noticing the current reaction about two years ago. It's stayed the same, as far as I know. I don't think it's gotten worse, but the stomachaches (especially ice cream and milkshakes--milkshakes are the worst) are pretty bad. She won't throw up but will feel sick and miserable for a few hours. She just avoids dairy as much as she can.
My oldest daughter is allergic to milk. Doctors usually give a RAST blood test to determine if a child has this allergy. My younger two children are not allergic to milk. However, they started having problems in preschool when they were being given milk to drink on a regular basis. We weren't drinking milk in our house because of their sister's allergy. I'm guessing their bodies were not accustomed to milk. They did not have the typical symptoms of lactose intolerance. Instead, they would get horribly constipated and would complain quite loudly about stomach pain. This issue disappeared when I told the preschool to stop giving my kids milk. As they have gotten older, this problem has gone away. Both of my younger children have no problems eating cheese or other milk products.
My oldest daughter though has never outgrown her allergy, and she now will react to anything with milk, which includes a huge amount of things-ranging from vitamins to milk & honey soap. When she was younger though her worst reactions came from things like cheese and chocolate.
Are you actually allergic to shellfish? Or are you allergic to the iodine in shellfish?
Good question. I had a very severe reaction to an iodine x-ray years ago. So I was told to never eat shellfish. Lately I've been reading that one doesn't relate to the other. (?)
But I also get a reaction to shrimp, clams, oysters, etc. One shrimp will bring on an asthma attack and hives. I read a lot of labels and don't experiment at buffets.
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