Ds keeps saying he has tummy ache but.....

[HeadFairy]

He's still eating, possibly a little less than I would have expected. But it's not unusual for him to go through phases of not eating much.

At the end of the Christmas holidays he had norovirus and as a result he's quite scared of being sick. Since then he's complained of occasional tummy aches and nausea particularly after meals which makes him a bit panicky because he thinks he's going to be sick again.. But he's his usual boisterous self, doesn't seem to be ill in any other way. And if we don't mention the tummy ache he doesn't bring it up either until the next time he's got one. He doesn't have diahorrea. Everything else about him is as usual. It's just every now and then (most days) he'll say at some point that he's got this tummy ache.

I don't think it's attention seeking, it doesn't seem to occur at a time when he's not normally getting any attention, and I don't think it's to get off school because i haven't kept him off because of it, so he must realise by now that its not going to work.

I'm not sure what to do now. He doesn't seem ill enough to need to see the doctor. But I don't want to ignore it.

He's 5 btw.

They do tend to say tummy ache when they mean ear ache etc. but you'd have noticed other symptoms.
Is he trying to prepare you for the vomiting? If he was distressed having virus at Christmas, he could be worrying that it will happen again. Was he sick on the carpet or sofa or something, and that's what he's concerned about? He feels you need to be prepared, because he couldn't help it?

squirted yes, he was spectacularly sick all over his bedroom carpet, curtains, toys, rug, drawers.... Basically everything in his room was splattered with the stuff. He stood at the top of the bunk ladder and didn t have time to get down before he threw up so it went everywhere. I was really careful to not blame him in any way, it was 3am and he was really traumatised so we cuddled him, cleaned him up and he went for a cuddle with dh in our bed while I cleaned his room. I know he still has some anxiety about that... He was sick every 20 mins for 12 hours and it freaked him out because he's never experienced anything like that. He's gone to bed tonight with a towel across his duvet and a bucket at the foot of his bed, poor thing. He hasn't been sick for nearly three weeks now... It does make me feel sad to think that's what he's worrying about if that's the case.

My mum said something similar to you... Sometimes when young children feel a bit bleurgh..... tired, anxious or yucky in some way, they say they have tummy ache as they have no other way of expressing how they feel. I don't know if that's the case this time. I have no idea. I feel I'm being neglectful if I don't take him to the docs, but I'm just not that convinced he's actually ill.

My 4yo DD has been complaining of stomach aches off and on for some time now. No vomiting at all. No diarrhoea either. She is also quite good at differentiating between different ailments in parts of her body.

My DMum says it's exactly how my DSis was as a child her age, and my DSis was diagnosed as an adult with food allergies. So I'm thinking along those lines. Or school-related stress/tiredness.

I did ask the GP about it and he was very dismissive. She's been ok for a week or so now but if it flares up again I need to start a food diary.

I hope his doesn't continue, and that you find a more sympathetic GP if needed.

Poppywearer, thanks for that. Allergies and intolerances hadn't occurred to me, I might try and work out if it happens after he's eaten something specific. It does usually happen after meal times but its so fleeting, five minutes later he can be asking for something else to eat.

DS (4.8) had similar symptoms but after tonsilitis and a couple of other viral illnesses (not Noro) before Christmas.

I slowly realised that he's been complaining of tummy ache at some point during the day for about a month and I'd been quite dismissive ("go and try to have a poo") as he seemed otherwise well in himself, eating, drinking etc.

I was on the verge of taking him to GP, but came to the conclusion it was probably mesenteric adenitis and it does seem to have settled down now.

Hope your DS's settles too.

LakeFlyPie thanks for that, it does sound a possibility. Though googling around I came across another MN thread about MA, and someone said if the pain goes as suddenly as it came it can be indicative of a grumbling appendicitis (the idea is that the pain is caused by food passing past a growing obstruction in the intestine) so I'd like him to be seen by a doc. I've made an appointment for him for next Tuesday, it feels a bit of a cheek because he's not actually ill. He'll have the pains for 10-15 minutes after eating then he's fine again. Most nights he says he has them at bedtime but he falls asleep perfectly fine. But this has been going on for three weeks now and I really feel I ought to get it investigated. Mind you, its' probably quite hard for a GP to diagnose something if he doesn't actually present with symptoms at that time. Perhaps I should feed him beforehand :o