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Original poster

To ask you to help me diagnose my daughter before I take her to the GP?

138 replies

BonjourMonsieur · 18/10/2022 21:54

Before I get flamed… I’ve taken DD to the GP about the same issue multiple time’s and we’re getting nowhere with it. Im going back on Thursday with her and need some ideas of what could be causing these symptoms so I can push to have it investigated further.

Since December last year, DD has been suffering from persistent nausea. It started around the time of an increase in Covid cases and lots of isolations happening amongst her friends. We initially though it might be anxiety. Fast forward to now and it’s still going on. The main issue is nausea after eating and nausea preventing her eating her full meal. She has a small appetite now and seems worried to eat sometimes incase she feels sick. But on occasions where she doesn’t seem worried to eat, she’ll eat some and then the nausea will kick in. This was very problematic at the start because it would result in her spending half an hour with her head over the toilet. We gave suggestions like “try going to the toilet” or “let’s get some fresh air” and we’d take her outside to the garden to try and almost distract her out of it. She now believes that both of these things help, to an extent.

So she’ll only have a small breakfast, because otherwise she’ll feel sick and won’t be able to brush her teeth and then will be late for school etc. There are all these scenarios that she’s dealing with daily to try to mitigate it. And she shouldn’t have to. There have been time’s we’ve been about to go for a day out, to a place of DD’s choosing and then the sickness will come on after breakfast/lunch and she’ll say she can’t go. I know for 100% that she isn’t faking this in any way.

I’ve also noticed, on the odd occasion she forgets to flush the toilet, her stool is lighter in colour than I would expect.

So far, the doctor had put it down to anxiety. We’ve also been advised to give a daily actimel which we do. She says at school she goes to the toilet immediately after eating lunch and then straight outside to play (fresh air) and that stops it from getting too bad at school.

Can anyone help? What could be causing this? 😢

OP posts:
Original poster
BonjourMonsieur · 18/10/2022 21:56

Oh, I meant to say she’s 9 years old.

She’s also extremely thin which is a big worry for me. She’s on the 9th centile and the doctor doesn’t seem concerned by that but her centile is way higher for height and to me, she looks unhealthy at this point.

OP posts:
KvotheTheBloodless · 18/10/2022 21:57

My sister had this - it was inflammation of her stomach lining caused by a bug of some sort. I can't remember what fixed it in the end, I can ask her.

KvotheTheBloodless · 18/10/2022 22:00

www.nhs.uk/conditions/gastritis/

Here you go - it's likely gastritis.

Riverlee · 18/10/2022 22:01

Two thoughts spring to mind after reading your post. The first is an ovarian cyst which can decrease your appetite.

The other thought I have is that could it be a eating disorder? Maybe it started as a reaction to covid or the general anxiety we all had due to covid. However, as it now developed into a fear of eating - either the thought of it or as a result of it.

Cw112 · 18/10/2022 22:02

I had something similar after a really bad bout of food poisoning as previous poster said it seemed to be due to inflammation of my stomach. Did she have any awful bugs that this started after? Anxiety is very much a possibility and if her diet is affected because she's worried about eating and then being sick that could cause the lighter stool. Other thing I'm wondering about is a food intolerance or possibly some sort of parasite? You're right to chase it up with the gp if she's underweight hopefully they'll be able to investigate more and get to the bottom of it.

Riverlee · 18/10/2022 22:02

Just googling pale stools, it says it could be due to gallbladder, liver or pancreas. Maybe mention this to the doctor?

yerdaindicatesonbends · 18/10/2022 22:04

Have you tried eliminating anything from her diet at all? Usual suspects would be gluten and dairy. Might be worth trying. Hope she gets it’s resolved one way or another.

Luredbyapomegranate · 18/10/2022 22:04

Your GP has no business just putting it down to anxiety. She needs to be referred to a gastroenterologist. Exaggerate her symptoms and absolutely insist. ask for blood tests in the meantime for inflammation .

lannistunut · 18/10/2022 22:04

Are you seeing the same GP each time or a different one?

I would start with asking for a formal second opinion and request some tests.

It could be anxiety-related, but it also could be something else.

HeebieJeebies7 · 18/10/2022 22:04

Firstly let me start by saying I really sorry to hear that your daughter is going through this condition , it must be difficult for you as a parent on so many levels to see her struggling with food . Sounds like a combination of psychological and physical factors , is the nausea accompanied by actual vomiting after a meal everytime ? Has she lost weight ? Have you given her any food replacement supplement ? Which part makes her nauseous, the smell, the sight of food or the thought of eating ? And lastly is it all types of food or something that is a staple in your house ?

BookHermitBlack · 18/10/2022 22:05

My two thoughts are
Gastroparesis it is a condition where the stomach cannot empty in the normal way. Can be caused by viruses/medication.
Or
Coeliac disease (the light colour poo can be a sign).

tinatsarina · 18/10/2022 22:06

Initially it sounds like an eating disorder and the nausea is a ruse to reduce calorie intake

But she 9 so not common at that age but not impossible either, especially with anxiety, maybe it has manifested in her trying to control her diet

Eve · 18/10/2022 22:07

I used to be like this as a teen - was a diary intolerance.

Bouledeneige · 18/10/2022 22:07

Have you got pets?

notapizzaeater · 18/10/2022 22:07

Are you keeping a full food diary ?

The pale stool can be an indicator of coeliac

Muddlewitch · 18/10/2022 22:08

Have you kept a record of it to see if there is any pattern with particular foods? I wonder if it could be an intolerance to something that keeps getting retriggered so never properly settles.
Is it just the nausea she gets or are there any other symptoms like bloating or pain?
Had she had any illness or anything just before it started?

Winewednesday · 18/10/2022 22:09

My son got to this when he was 10 and he was diagnosed with coeliac disease. It would be worth asking for a blood test for coeliac.

Jilly112 · 18/10/2022 22:10

A friends DD had similar, 9 years old
& lost a lot of weight - skinny to begin with.
They were fobbed off by GP for several weeks & she ended up in hospital with dehydration, she was diagnosed with abdominal migraines and has been fine since beginning medication. She had been prescribed anti-emetics by GP in the run up to the hospitalisation but these had little
effect.

Twizz · 18/10/2022 22:10

My daughter had similar. For her it was "Mild" gastroparesis - food was taking too long to be digested. Took a long time to be diagnosed and I was fobbed off also with anxiety/school avoidance being suggested. After much pushing by me after reading an article about it, she eventually had a stomach emptying test that proved it. A 6 week course of a particular antibiotic sorted it. She had it a couple more times in the following years - usually following a viral infection and each time antibiotics worked. Its horrible feeling nauseous. This was aged 9 or 10 and just before she started migraines. We have since learnt stomach/migraine issues can be linked even if not presenting at the same time in children so if you have a family history of migraine also consider this. Good luck.

Bossa09 · 18/10/2022 22:16

Hi OP.

I’m saying this going off the ‘she feels sick after eating’. When I was younger I had something called ‘helicobacter pylori’.

It began when I was around 14/15. I would be sick, feel nauseous to the point I’d have to lay down in the dark (seems to help). Had very little appetite, certain smells could trigger it. It got put down to anxiety. I lost a lot of weight and looked awfully ill. Got to the point my divorced parents both took me to the GP - and the GP asked my dad to leave because he got angry at the lack of help offered . It took a self diagnosis before I the correct test was offered and it was in fact that. I had no issues after treatment.

Just a suggestion, it’s diagnosed via a breath test or it was then. But if you search it, you could see if DD has any other symptoms to go along with it. I hope you get answers 🙏🏻

Original poster
BonjourMonsieur · 18/10/2022 22:18

ill try to answer as many of the questions as I can.

Its not accompanied by vomiting.
I haven’t tried eliminating foods. I would say that sweet foods are particularly bad but it could be absolutely any meal that causes it.
I haven’t kept a good diary.
It happens at almost all mealtimes, to varying degrees.
It started after she had party food on her last day of term last Christmas. She felt so sick I had to collect her. I put it down to her having too much party food, but maybe that could have been a bug. Either way, it seemed to trigger all of this.
im not sure if she’s lost weight as I don’t like to weigh her. I had an eating disorder as a teen/young adult so I’m aware of the do’s and dont’s on that front so have avoided bringing out the scales. I had a traumatic childhood which was a huge trigger for my ED. The GP has weighed her so well find out if she’s lost any on Thursday.

Another point to note, although it may not be relavent, she had threadworms twice in the last year. I have treated both times and symptoms went away. This has also been mentioned to the GP.

OP posts:
Bouledeneige · 18/10/2022 22:21

Hi OP. I asked about pets because of worms. I had toxicara as a child caused by them - transferred from animal excrement. We didn't have a pet but I played in a park all the time in the days when people didn't scoop poop.

Original poster
BonjourMonsieur · 18/10/2022 22:21

I should add, she looks like she has lost weight.

OP posts:
Original poster
BonjourMonsieur · 18/10/2022 22:22

We don’t have a pet, and she generally just plays in our garden, at the local parks, which are all kept pretty clean. Could it have been caused by the threadworms?

OP posts:
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