My Mum died four months ago - she and DS1 were very close. For the last few weeks he has been suffering from anxiety attacks with increasing frequency. They have got worse since I had my 50th birthday a few weeks ago - he has told me a few times that he worries about me being 50 because I'm 'more likely to die'.
The anxiety takes the form of feeling sick, sometimes beginning with a headache. He has always hated being sick (and unfortunately Mum's death came just after he'd had a few episodes of vomiting close together - when he hadn't been sick for years before that). He now panics if he feels even the slightest twinge of tummy ache/gurgling etc and of course this makes him more anxious and more nauseous.
I've tried all the usual things - talking, homeopathic remedies, being matter of fact, explaining how anxiety works (adrenalin etc) - and all these things help in the short term. He recovers quickly and is incredibly bouncy the rest of the time. But it's happening more and more often - and for the last two weeks it's been almost every day. I'm wondering whether he needs to talk to someone experienced in bereavement in children - or whether this is an emetophobic thing? I'm going to post it in Health as well.
All thoughts would be gratefully received.