To think there is something really wrong with Dd's tummy?

[TurtleTop]

Apologies in Advance for the grammar \typos posting from a phone with broken screen!

Dd is 9. Last Sunday night she was in tears with bad tummy. Monday I booked an appt first thing with Gp, she then said she felt absolutely fine, so I called back and cancelled. Obviously she almost immediately said it was really painful.

So took her to pharmacist who said she could try gaviscon and some sort off wind tablets as she thought it wAs trapped wind causing the symptoms. Didn't really do anything tbh and she still hurt Tuesday so she stayed home a second day. Intermittent pain but less than Monday.

Wednesday she went to school but they called me to collect her after lunch when the pain came back. I got a doc appointment for the evening. Doctor said it was reflux, eat more yogurt. Come back in a week if not any better.

Thursday and Friday intermittent pain.

Today she felt terrible so 111 organised an out off hours appt with a practice nurse. She said it felt like dd had constipation and could feel it in her stomach. Gave us movicol. Said it could take a couple days.

She has had four sachets today and still in pain. But she has been for two poos. She was pretty hysterical just now when I tried to get her to sleep. She's just laying next to me in pain.

It feels like one side under her rib is puffier than other side

Symptoms to date have been

Nausea
Acid reflux
Bloat
Tiny bit of blood in poo
Green poo twice (I haven't seen it, her description)
head ache
Churning tummy
Pain all over stomach to the touch and inside

She hasn't had fever

Three HCPs and three different ideas for what is wrong.

Thoughts?

And the being in agony and then five seconds later full of all the joys of spring.

If she’s in pain now, maybe take her to A & E. Could it be appendicitis?

Perhaps needs a surgical review? If paracetamol and ibuprofen don’t relieve it then ask to be seen @ children’s ward for a paeds/surgical opinion perhaps a grumbling appendix maybe nothing it’s not uncommon to have stomach aches but if she’s that sore get her seen again

Do not give paracetamol and ibuprofen for stomach ache @Kaykay066 !!!!!

The Nurse practitioner asked her to hop to me. It caused a lot of pain, but she was able to do it and the nurse said a child with appendicitis couldn't do that.

I'm hesitant about AE on a Saturday night as will be a long wait and she feels crap and doesnt even want to stand up

If she's become impacted it will take Movicol over a longish time to get things back to normal, so the poos now might not be enough to settle the pain yet, TBH.

I gave calpol as she also had headache, I thought only ibuprofen was not advised for bad tummy?

Please take your child to an urgent health care centre, even A&E, depending on the side it could be appendicitis or gall stones?

@SpeedofaSloth the instructions for impacted poo are to work up to 12 sachets by day seven!! I'm not sure can she even go to school with that. Worried she will have An accident

Is the pain consistently in the same place, or does it move around a bit depending on the day, whether she is standing or sitting? If it doesnt move its more likely to be something that needs more investigation, if it does move then its more likely to be digestive - so wind or poo related. But this is just a general guide. Also does she have a temp, is she eating and drinking normally, does she have any back pain?

Try gently massaging her abdomen in large clockwise circles as this can help get things moving in the colon and relieve pain.

Most of those symptoms you mention can be constipation. Nausea, acid reflux etc. Gaviscon and wind tablets cause constipation so it could be catch 22, not the original problem but now is a problem. If the nurse could feel she was constipated then keep taking movicol.

Movicol also can cause nausea .... read the side effects. Lots of gastro medicines treat one thing and cause another! It’s a minefield.

The blood in her poo is a worry unless she’s been straining to go?

Trust your instincts, if you think there’s something more going on then see Dr sooner rather than later.

I will take her to AE if it gets worse tonight but really hope she gets to sleep as will be a terrible night with her wake and in pain in Ae for hours.

Nurse seemed sure it was not appendicitis and the doctor didnt even mention it.

I just feel like I have to see if the movicol works but scared that I'm ignoring something major.

I'll look up gallstones, didn't think kids get them tbh

My DD has had similar symptoms on and off (worse in cold weather and if she's a little run down) . At times she was in agony and begging to go to the hospital, which was distressing for both of us. She was diagnosed with partial constipation which also affected her appetite- she would start to eat, feeling hungry then say she was full within a few mouthfuls. Now having investigated further it seems she mays have mesenteric adenitis - sounds scary but is in fact relatively common but relatively harmless, and she will likely grow out of it. She is also prone to trapped wind which doesn't help!

@SeaToSki the pain seems to move. That's reassuring to hear. No temp. No back pain

DS had anal fissures linked to constipation. It may be an explanation for the blood, poor kid.

Ignore the whole kids don't get it. I had stomach ulcers as a young child and it didn't get diagnosed for years because apparently kids don't get them.

I'd take her to hospital

@doyoumind I tried that but she doesnt want to be touched

@Girlattheback I didn't know they cause constipation! it wasn't mentioned by pharmacist and dd is prone to it mildly, never like this though

My DD has Movicol sometimes as she won’t drink enough then doesn’t have a poo for days (constant conversations with her about all of this) 🙄

The initial poos from Movicol though are just removing the plug (so to speak) , the back up of poo is still there at the minute as she only started taking today.

That’s my understanding anyway - disclaimer I am not a health care professional 😬

If constipation and AM are ruled out please be aware that girls are actually most at risk of ovarian cysts at the very start of puberty before breast buds, hair and periods!

It is easily ignored by medics but it can and does happen and is often misdiagnosed.

Just so you are aware.

Ibuprofen makes me constipated, it might slow her down too.

Has anyone suggested testing your DD for coeliac disease? My DD had lots of stomach and digestive issues for months before we finally got a coeliac diagnosis, the symptoms can vary hugely from person to person.

If there was a constipated poo in there the recent poos can actually be new poo which is travelling around the blocked one if it's super compacted. (No idea if that's what's going on here). If she's in agony I'd probably take her in though to check it's not something acute.

Has she been poorly with a cold recently?

@Iamagree that's interesting, just been googling it and will keep it in mind to ask doctor.

@Randommess I actually have PCOS so I did wonder if it was something related to periods starting but dont think it's low enough

@CheshireDing thank you I didn't know that a about the 'plug'.