Teenager vomiting when stressed

[aloneinthenight]

DS is 13 and has had a couple of bouts of vomiting recently.

Once was about 6 weeks ago before a big event. Vomit, temperature and headache. He then slept a lot.

It's happened again today. This week is his end of year exams and another sporting event. He's currently asleep.

I'm pretty sure it's stress not a bug but can't be sure.

He doesn't seem stressed but maybe that's the problem. I don't want it to spoil things for him.

In the interests of full disclosure, my eldest son died 2 years ago from cancer. DS2 has had a really tough time that he has managed incredibly, but I worry it has taken its toll.

Any advice gratefully received.

I’m so sorry for your loss.

Just to be clear, he’s having sudden bouts of vomiting, and not making himself vomit? Just because those are two separate issues.

Vomiting is a stress response for me too, and started in my teens. I also have stomach problems (acid reflux and too much acid production) but those tend to be related to anxiety as well. As a teen I didn’t feel the stress, but my body did. It was a source of great frustration for me, because I “felt fine” until I suddenly didn’t.

Would he be open to any kind of therapy? I found getting help for my anxiety had the side effect of controlling the stomach issues. Obviously I’d suggest going to the GP so they can get the ball rolling, when I had those issues I did have to have a camera down the throat and a stomach biopsy first, but I don’t know how it would be approached these days.

Hi op, my daughter is the same, she has suffered from Abdominal migraines for years now, she is 17.

Stress related and they cause headaches, shakes and vomiting and tiredness.

She was sick before an exam recently and had to leave an exam yesterday to splash her face with water.

She has breathing techniques and painkillers, but apparently they isn’t much which can be done!

migrainetrust.org/understand-migraine/types-of-migraine/abdominal-migraine/#page-section-2

Thank you. That's really helpful and reassuring.

I shall read up on them.

So sorry about your older son.

just to echo pp, my dd16 also suffers like this when stressed. She also has techniques to manage the stress, which work sometimes but we also find that if she’s prepared for the exam or whatever it is is stressing her, that helps too. I think with dd it was feeling unprepared that was part of the stress.

Buscopan helps her too.