Desperately need some advice: daughter so unwell

[VirusSchmirus]

I'm really hoping someone can help or at least provide reassurance.

My DD11 is now at week 3 of having severe stomach pains, so much so she cannot walk without help or sit upright. She is eating and drinking relatively OK.

The pain means she has pain relief every 4 hours, paracetamol and ibuprofen on rotation. She is asking for pain relief an hour after the last dose. It does very little to make her comfortable. I have tried to entice her to do things - and even the bribe of visiting her favourite shop and buying a treat (which would involve very little walking, just from the car park) resulted in her crying "I can't, I can't walk with the pain". At night when she eventually manages to sleep she cries or whimpers in her sleep. We're awake continually due to the pain.

She has had 2 ultrasound scans (no appendicitis or anything sinister) - they say her lymph glands in her stomach are inflamed (but only 1). Been told its mesenteric adenitis.

Have had private GP assess her. The bar seems low - if she can eat, drink and poo then she is deemed "clinically well". Saw another GP last night after she suffered a day of diarrhoea (new symptom). I ended up crying - which probably wasn't helpful - after we just went around in circles. Scan is clear, bloods are relatively clear (low markers but expected with a virus), urine test clear. Tilted head from GP yesterday "what would you like me to say or do".

My gorgeous daughter, who is usually so full of energy and laughter and endless bloody questions, is silent, and I can see her getting thinner and thinner, and more miserable. I feel like I'm one of those mothers who is making things up as I just can't seem to get answers (main question - when will she start to just feel better - not even get well, just a tiny bit better?). No one seems able to answer.

What can I do? Is mesenteric adenitis really like this - no improvement at all for 3 weeks?

AIBU: its just a virus, suck it up
YANBU: that's bonkers, go kick some clinical ass

Totally agree. Insist on a calprotectin test. You just send off a stool sample. It could easily be IBD.

Sorry to hear your daughter is suffering. Unless you've tested a stool sample it's impossible to rule out Covid from a nasal/throat swab. Some of the new variants are tough to detect on home tests or PCR and if the symptoms are presenting in the gut, that's where the infection is. When prior variants affected the stomach some people recommended famotidine. I hope your daughter recovers soon.

Please have your daughter tested for H-pylori

Keep a food diary. Nasty tummy bugs can induce temp food intolerances. In my case it was diary. Monitor for a few days then exclude diary then gluten if no improvement. Would also look at a probiotic

Calpro is not a definitive diagnostic tool for IBS. High calpro can be an indicator of food intolerances as well as other GI issues.

Another vote for Buscopan here. My DS had this when younger and we ended up in hospital a few times. Buscopan was the only thing that helped him.

I would absolutely try an anti spasmodic like buscopan. It won't do her any harm but could resolve the pain. I have been in so much pain with IBS I've been sick, it's given me diarrhoea. But it's not triggered for me by anything other than anxiety. And often it's things that I feel I'm not that anxious about externally

Unfortunately @VirusSchmirus Mesenteric Adenitis can last for many weeks. Not easy to deal with I know, but the best treatment is just to mask the pain, as nothing else can be done.

The ibuprofen should not be stopped, it is the swollen and inflammed lymph glands in her abdomen that are causing the pain, not her actual stomach by the sounds of it. The lansoprazole will protect her stomach against the ibuprofen. If she is at an 8/10 pain whilst on the ibuprofen then she will be far worse if you stop it suddenly. It is the correct treatment for mesenteric adenitis to give non steroidal anti inflammatory medication- which is what ibuprofen is.

If she seems dehydrated then she can be given IV hydration and if she is losing weight then give her the most calorific food she can tolerate (ice cream, milkshakes etc) as well as vitamin and mineral supplements. You can always ask your GP for a referral to a dietician. I hope she improves soon, sounds awful for you both.

Has she had bowel movement tested ? Sounds very similar to cryptosporidium look up the symptoms I was I’ll for about 3 or 4 weeks and the pain in my stomach was unbearable x

There was a poster on here the other day whose child had excruciating stomach pain and it turned out to be tonsillitis. No sore throat or anything. Apparently it can present like that. Worth asking for antibiotics?

They have given your DD Lansoprazole to counteract the Ibuprofen , it will protect her stomach .

I know people are trying to help my offering diagnoses and I am tempted to jump in myself. However, the right answer is go back to your GP and push. If she is in debilitating pain she is not well. They are the best placed person to diagnose her, not people on the internet. We can, however, encourage you on your journey.

My son had episodes almost exactly as you describe when he was 9. So horrific, I would call 111 and they'd send an ambulance. Eventually a scan in hospital determined he had severe constipation and swollen stomach glands. He just screamed in pain, couldn't sleep, tried to eat and drink but really couldn't. Attempted school but was constantly being sent home for either crying in pain or falling asleep.

I assumed he couldn't be constipated as he had diareah but apparently having the runs is a sign of constipation.

A good strong dose of laxatives sorted him out quickly.

Hi,

Im sorry your daughter is going through this. I don’t have any ideas unfortunately other than the fact that I’ve got mesenteric adenitis and have had it for about 30 years since I was 3 - In all
my life of having this, the pains, although excruciating, have never ever lasted longer than 12 hours. I’m not saying she doesn’t have this but I wouldn’t settle for it being the only conclusion x

Another one suggesting testing for Crohns disease.

Buscopan and omeprazole. You can buy them both over the counter and they should help. I get severe stomach cramps with IBS and they sort me out quickly

This is really similar to the thread the other day about the little boy :/

Please don't get omeprazole for a CHILD when you've already got lanzoprazole, they're in the same family of drugs and need to be used with caution in children! Also Buscopan is only licenced for clinically confirmed IBS or used off label under the supervision of a GP!

This is why PPs are saying go back to a doctor, you've already got a bit of a finely-balanced medicinal cocktail, don't add to it without GP advice. Some of the suggestions on this thread are downright dangerous. Push for the suggested tests by all means so the GP has those in mind when thinking about a course of action but don't mess around with pharmaceuticals you could make this 10x worse if your child got a stomach ulcer or long term effects on her stomach acid production!

💐💐💐

My daughter has had similar - but less severe - issues over the last couple of months. I think it is due to a dairy / lactose intolerance, possibly kicked off by a tummy bug. We have gone lactose free (more or less) since the weekend and the cramps / diarrhoea have stopped.

She did have a stool sample - which showed inflammation - and normal blood tests.

Is it possible she's allergic to certain foods? She could have an allergy to gluten, wheat, maltodextrin, sugar, histamines, nuts, fruits, nightshades like potato.
If you're desperate maybe try giving her high veg food, maybe broccoli and avocado soup? Or something you know she hasn't been ill after eating.

If she is allergic to certain foods try things that arent processed eg bread, cereal. But also if the pain relief isn't working start taking it out, all its doing if its not offering pain relief is making her kidneys work harder and giving her an immunity to their effects. Hope you figure it out soon.

I was going to suggest this, it sounds like coeliac

Sounds like a parasite, nhs are really bad at finding those

The lansoprazole will be to protect her stomach whilst taking ibuprofen.

I'm so sorry that your DD is suffering so much. As others have linked to, Daydreaaming3's post talks a fair bit about MA. I hope DD feels better very soon.

Could it be this, not seen on scans but, I believe, diagnosed by colonoscopy,

• Intussusception is a condition in which part of the intestine folds into the section next to it. Intussusception usually involves the small bowel and rarely the large bowel. Symptoms include abdominal pain, which may wax and wane, vomiting, bloating, and bloody stool. It may result in small bowel obstruction