DS12 - Lower tummy pain on eating

[BlogOnTheTyne]

DS has recently developed a pain in his lower tummy when he eats food. He's told me it feels like a blockage. It's not related to needing to go to the toilet. I don't know if he's swallowing air as he eats, eating too big mouthfuls or gulping water too quicly whilst eating but he says he's not had the symptom before.

If it persists, I'll take him to the GP but as he's had a lot of medical interventions and investigations over his life and a recent operation (not related at all to stomach), I'm reluctant to make this yet another medical issue for him.

As background, he has a lifelong tendency to vomit - for all kinds of reasons (virus, smells, textures, not pooed recently, over excited, migraine etc etc). He's been fully investigated for anything nasty - as he was having episodes (each involving maybe 9 occasions of profuse vomiting) up to 18 times a year. A barium meal, heart investigations, blood tests - everything has come back normal.

He now vomits much less than he did - more like once every 8 weeks mayeb and then not nearly as profusely as before. So whatever used to make this happen, has clearly reduced.

He's skinny in build but has a good appetite. I've always had a theory that maybe he was born with a very small twist in his intestines or a slightly blocked tube and that this could be the origin of a tendency to vomit easily but I assumed that this was getting better as he grew up.

Now I'm wondering if it's the opposite and that this might explain his recent pain on eating. He's never had a tube down his stomach to look and I'm really really reluctant to take him to the GP who could possibly suggest something like this (or might just say, as I hope, that he's eating too fast or swallowing air).

Before the GP route, I wanted to ask on MN if this kind of lower stomach pain reminds you of something your child has also had? I should add that the pain dimishes as time goes on, after he's eaten and is less bad if he only eats a small amount - but it's still there if he just eats something small.

Any ideas?

[Nicole1976]

My DS is now 13 but when he was 11 and 12 he used to have problems in this area, rather than feeling pain, his lower tummy would become extremely bloated , sometimes so much that his pants would break open at the button, I don't notice it so much now because he has put on a lot of weight since then and it isn't so obvious.

Hope your son gets better soon :)