6 year old underweight and nauseous all the time

[FuckOffJeffrey]

Hi all just looking for some ideas or suggestions please. DD (6 years old this week) is underweight and complains daily about feeling sick and having a sore tummy.

She has been complaining of feeling sick for a couple of months now but has only actually been sick twice in that time and even then it wasn't a lot just a little bit of sick. I weighed her last night for the first time in ages and as she's grown a bit taller it's dropped her off the BMI chart on the NHS Website. She is 2st 1lb and 105cm tall. She has always been a petite little thing but generally hits around the 10th/15th centile on the BMI charts when I measure her. She's grew 5 cm and lost 2lbs since her last measurement which is a bit worrying. I have also noticed that in photos she has dark circles under her eyes and looks tired but it's not as noticeable in person if that makes sense.

Does anyone have similar experience of this? Any ideas what it could be?

I'm am planning to take her to the DR but like to go in with some ideas of what it could be so I don't get fobbed off.

I'm thinking it could possibly be a food allergy or intolerance, she did have reflux as a baby but outgrew it by the age of 2. DH has bad reflux and has is medication to control it but I don't think it's hereditary.

I know I will get suggestions of full fat milk, yoghurts etc to help put weight on her but we already do this because she is so small and eats so little.

I don't want to worry you unnecessarily but has anyone checked blood sugar level?

Weight loss and tiredness are symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Also look out for increased thirst, needing to wee a lot.
It's definitely worth seeing GP asap and asking them to check, it's a very quick and virtually painless little finger prick

It could also be psychological. If your GP/testing doesn't find anything, then an option would be to get the opinion of a child/family psychotherapist.

All the best to you and your DD.

runningoutofnames she's drinks an average amount I would say, some days more than others. She doesn't pee a lot at all, she should probably pee more than she does. She had a fright in a public toilet (at her rainbows class) about 6 months ago where she got stuck and couldn't unlock the door. She avoids going to the toilet when out and about and I frequently have to bribe her and go in with her to hold the door shut rather than lock it. We have been working to get her to go to the toilet more but it's difficult and she will wait until she is bursting before she goes.

We've not had her blood sugar levels checked but I will mention it to the dr and have a look into the other symptoms to see if she has them.

gatewalker it could be psychological. I know the school have been banging on about healthy eating and teaching about low fat/ sugar free foods. She did say something about not wanting to get fat and having to go on a diet a while back. I know the schools are trying to help tackle childhood obesity but it's not the best message to send to a child who is on the smaller side to start with. We don't do low fat or sugar free in this house (I dislike artificial sweeteners). I'm not sure the feeling sick thing is psychological, I did at first but it's not at the expected times (ie before school or bed). She will say she feels sick when she is in the middle of playing (at soft play, out the back playing with friends etc) or during her meal. She brings home her packed lunch with one bite out of a sandwich and says she was hungry but felt sick so couldn't eat.

The first thing I thought when I saw your thread title was allergy and/or anxiety.

Dark circles under the eye can be a sign of allergy (google 'allergic shiners'). Does she suffer from ear infections or a lot of headcolds/runny nose? Are there any other allergy sufferers in the family?

I'd ignore advice about lots of milk and yoghurt in case dairy is a culprit.

'Feeling sick' is a classic anxiety symptom, so may or may not be to do with food that's already in her tummy. It may be that there is something triggering her anxiety even in non-obvious situations such as playing with friends. My DD often complains about feeling sick at mealtimes, I'm pretty sure it's to do with worrying that she will be told off for not eating properly (school dinner ladies do this at school, and I'm afraid I have done a fair amount of it in the past ).

I'm trying to focus on non-pressured mealtimes, letting her choose what she wants to eat and trying not to get upset if she doesn't eat much. I also allow snacks between meals, as that is often when she requests food. (I try to sneak in some healthy stuff like apples and plain oatcakes at these times when she is keen to eat.) If she likes things like oven chips, fish fingers, chicken nuggets, plain crisps then don't feel guilty about letting her have them too.

If you have an idea of what the allergy could be, then you could try cutting down on that (one thing at a time) to see if it has any effect.

Definitely worth visiting GP with a list of what you have detailed here, plus anything else that seems relevant. Bear in mind they can be a bit dismissive of allergy related stuff, but hopefully they can make some useful referrals.

My dd also had frequent tummy aches in the weeks leading up to her diagnosis so I thought I'd mention it just in case. Not to worry you but just because type 1 needs prompt diagnosis and I always mention it if someone even has one symptom

Hope your dd is on the mend soon

I've added a few pictures to my profile of the way she used to look (6 months ago) and the circles that now show under her eyes. She looks really tired in the photos but she wasn't and to look at her in person it's not that noticeable. I think I will try for a dr appointment this week. I've been putting it off but the weight loss has me worried now.

We are currently waiting for a paediatric referral for much the same reasons. The GP did blood tests and she has an elevated white blood cell count which usually indicates allergies like asthema or exzema - although she has neither (as far as we know). They have tested for parasitical infection and coeliac and drawn a blank. (Lordy - all those ailments I can't spell!)

So we await a further referral. On my radar - still not convinced that there might not be a gluten issue - or that she has suffered some kind of gastric disruption and her gut remains very fragile - perhaps she needs a short intense course of probiotics. ANyway, I am not doing anything untli we have seen the Dr and worked through their check list first.

I think you are doing the right thing in pursuing it. Let us know how you get on.

Wheat and gluten intolerance can cause similar symptoms to coeliacs. Even with a negative test we cut it out and dd improved a lot. It's important not to stop eating gluten till a coeliac screen has been done

My daughter had similar symptoms and was diagnosed with a fructose and lactose intolerance. My youngest had the same symptoms and she too has a fructose intolerance. Both had the dark circles under their eyes.

I can't see your photos btw as your profile hasn't been made public :).

No dr appointments available until next week so we haven't been yet. I have now updated my profile settings so you should be able to see the pictures.

I have never heard of fructose intolerance before. I will go have a look at the symptoms now.

Oh bless her, the dark circles are really noticeable :(. My daughter had a similar 'look' about her.

Coeliac disease sounds very similar to what you are describing. Caused by severe intolerance to gluten. Typically causes weight loss, constant sore stomach, tiredness among many other symptoms. Can also be associated with lactose intolerance due to gut damage cause by eating gluten containing foods (e.g bread).

There are specific gut biopsy tests for it. You need to go and talk to your GP and get the tests sorted. Don't change her diet. She must still be eating wheat, bread, biscuits, pasta, cereals, etc when they do the tests.