Is this worth a doctor's appointment?

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DD is 4 and for the last few weeks has complained of a pain in her left side - I would say the frequency is maybe once a week, and it seems to be short-lived. What usually happens is, she's playing or in the bath or running around, and she'll suddenly stop with a genuine expression of pain on her face and tell me her tummy hurts. When I ask her where, she consistently points to the same spot - her far left side, roughly in line with her belly button.

I have no idea what it could be - googling hasn't helped - and it seems to come and go quickly so the likelihood of it happening to coincide with a doctors visit is low.

But I know her well enough to know that it isn't for attention or a reaction, so I feel like I should ask the doc for an appointment . . . or is it likely to be just growing pains and perfectly normal?

Isn't it just a stitch? I used to get stitches when I ran when I was a child. No idea what the medical term is though...

Get her checked out just to be safe. It could be a stitch but could be something else. Wrong side for appendix though at least.

Just looked it up. A stitch is an 'exercise-related transient abdominal pain' (ETAP). Very common.

If she's running around it would be a stitch. Not sure if just sitting in the bath though.

My daughter gets this and for her it's trapped wind - she's not always regular and has been quite windy at times, when she was younger we ended up in a&e because it was so severe and she was inconsolable, we were worried it was a UTI and they were worried it was appendicitis. The doctor said because of the location that that's all it could be and it turned out to be correct, she's getting better at recognising it as she gets older thankfully.

Trapped wind? It can be incredibly painful and you don't always fart after.

It happens sometimes even when she's not moving around, so I've discounted a stitch. And yes, appendix was the first thing i checked the very first time it happened, thankfully it's the wrong side. Trapped wind is absolutely a possibility, in which case, I'm not sure how to confirm/discount.

Still not sure if I should ask for a docs appointment . . . it's just niggling at me.

Is she eating and drinking normally?

Has her bowel habit changed - in frequency or texture/type?

Is it linked to any time of the day?

Is she losing weight?

Is she normally active or is she tired/sleepy?

I would gather information on the above before looking for a non urgent appointment.

If she begins vomiting, reduces movement, pain increases and does not go away - then it becomes an urgent GP appointment.

Peppermint oil/syrup/tea is an antispasmodic that works on the gut - it may be worth trying, or hot water bottle/wheat bag/warm bath - again to relax the muscles around the gut.

Just book one then 🤷‍♀️ I don't get all this angst about whether to seek medical advice or not.

Thank you, @hagchic - I'll try your suggestions. There's no pattern to it - no particular time of day etc. Your question about whether she is a normally active child is interesting - she loves her sleep and quite often will take herself off for a nap in the middle of the day, even at four years old. And sometimes she's very lethargic and we have to chivvy her along. But I assumed this is normal . . . and it probably is. Gah!

@JigglySmithers yes, you're right, I will. I think we've just been conditioned now that a doctors appointment is a precious thing that shouldn't be squandered on trivial ailments, and you're definitely not allowed to go to A&E unless you have a limb hanging off!