WTF is wrong with my son? Help me, please...

[GoodEggy]

I wonder if anyone can shed some light/share a similar experience? We've seen 3 doctors and they don't seem to know what's up so I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this and can tell me that it ends? Please good let it end...

For the past week my 3 year old has complained of a tummy ache but only in the evenings and through the night, it's so bad it wakes him up. He has no other symptoms, no fever, no D&V, no nausea, eating and drinking normally, wees and poos normal and fine during the day, although knackered from the reduced amount of sleep he's getting. We took him to the GP early in the week who said it's probably post viral, he's had a bug and this is it leaving his system. If not gone by Friday bring him back. It's been waking him up everynight, several times a night and he's been crying and writhing around in pain and taking ages to calm down and get back to sleep. My husband took him to A+E on Thursday night because he was so distressed. When they got there he was fine though, didn't seem to be in pain at all anymore. The wait for A&E was 5 hours so they saw the out of hours GP who examined him and said she thought it might be swollen lymph nodes in the stomach which are still painful after he had a cold over Christmas. I'm unconvinced by this. Took him to the GP again on Friday who said the same thing really, post viral, it'll go, nothing we can do and no idea why the pain is only at night.

We've treated him and us for worms, just in case, even though none of us have any of the symptoms. We've tried painkillers and they don't seem to have any effect. We've tried Gaviscon and that did nothing. We're on our knees here with lack of sleep/stress/worry. WTF is wrong with him and when will it end?!

My dd 8 has had something similar for several months now, intermittent complaints of tummy ache, esp in the evening and at night. It's rare that she wasn't coming in to us with it at least once a night. Couple of times it's been really bad, crying and clutching stomach. No other symptoms at all. GP says he thinks it's a form of migraine, which manifests itself in children as stomach aches rather than headaches. He thinks she'll grow out of it (although we're about to have further tests done). He suggested some dietary changes which have made a difference, although she's not happy about it. Basically, we cut out cheese, citrus (e.g. orange juice) and chocolate and it really did make a big difference, especially the chocolate. Worth a try? Hope he's feeling better soon.

Give him probiotics see of it helps eg actimel type drink
Make sure it really isn't constipation you can poo and still have a blockage

When DS was younger he'd get swollen lymph nodes in his stomach if he had a virus and would be how you describe, writhing in pain and clutching his stomach. It's awful but I'd be tempted to give it a couple more days and then take him back to the GP if no improvement. Hope he feels better soon.

Mesenteric adenitis is the medical term for swollen lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity - v common in children, can be very painful and even mimic appendicitis.

Have you tried a warm water bottle or similar on his tummy when he is in pain at night?
And yes, don't rule out constipation with accompanying bowel cramp - he could go every day and still be constipated. Make sure he goes easily and passes and formed but soft stool without having to strain.

The fact that he is eating and drinking and otherwise behaving quite normally is reassuring and makes serious conditions less likely.
But yes, of course, take him back to be assessed again if his problem persists or you are worried.

Also consider abdominal migraine?

I was going to say stomach migraine too. A work colleague's son suffers with them. It might be worth googling

Ds2 is 9 and has had something similar for several months on and off.
The dr said they thought it was a grumbling appendix or swollen lymph nodes.
We find a heated pad on his tummy helps sometimes.
Hope your little one is feeling better soon

No experience of the above but at one point in my life I ended up with intolerances and pain in my gut because of too many prescription drugs causing an imbalance. I would be in severe pain if eating cream and lots of dairy, alcohol and spicy foods or if stressed in exams. I never sought help for it and it only got better by abstaining from these things and eating a healthier diet for 6 months. I know there are articles saying anything with probiotics are a waste as the bacteria all die in the food. I could be wrong though. Anyway just thought I would throw it out there that it could be this and maybe keep a good diary to see if there is something bothering him. Hope he gets better soon.

Another suggestion of abdominal migraine here. My DD suffered at a similar age for a year or so and then they just stopped. Hope it goes away for your son soon.

Is he having milk before bed? Sometimes after a bug you can get temporary lactose intolerance which can cause pain after consuming milk. Just a thought.

Abdominal migraine?

Acid indigestion my son has it when he was four

Did he have reflux as a baby? It carries on in later life too

Oh, temporary milk intolerance is a good possibility!

Avoid milk for a week or 2, and if it is a milk intolerance you should see a difference really quickly.

DD2 had abdominal migraine for a couple of years in primary. She grew out of it but now gets a lot of headaches.
It was so painful I really thought she had appendicitis.
I hope you get an answer soon.

IMO possible (silent) reflux - ask GP for script for lanzoprazole and a referral to paeds - while you wait for the referral, you can use the lanso. If tummy pains have improved in 2-3 weeks, you'll know it was reflux - either way, you'll have a paeds appointment and can then discuss how to take forward as appropriate. I would also remove dairy as it's one of the most common causes of reflux in kids. Does your child also (frequently) have sore throat/throat or ear infections or eczema?

Night abdominal pain is really really common with constipation... especially with kids who don't appear constipated during the day! Try 2 sachets of movicol every day for a week, and I'll bet it improves!

Thank you so much every one for your replies. I haven't been back on for few days, I don't use MN like I used to and I sort of forgot about this thread

So I took him back to the GP on the Monday morning as there was no improvement at all and I cried on her shoulder and told her we couldn't cope anymore, she had to please help us.

She rang the paediatricians at the local A&E and they said to bring him in. We did and after various tests and an overnight stay so they could witness his painful episodes (they offered diamorphine he looked so distressed) he had an x-ray that showed he was constipated. Loaded is the charming phrase they used. Despite pooing seemingly normal poos every day.

We're now on a two sachet a day movicol routine which seems to be helping. He's not in pain at night any longer and we've slept, blissful sleep only interrupted by my newborn which is a freaking dream compared to a screaming 3 year old.

That's great. What a relief for everyone. Phew. Well done for getting your son the help he needed and sleep soundly.

My suggestion was trapped wind. Glad he's feeling better op

Thank you both. It is a massive relief. Whilst childhood constipation is no easy path its a better result than it could have been.

Glad it was nothing serious..MY DS (9) suffered intermittent headaches and tummy pain last month..I eventually figured out his was constipation and he had never suffered before.

Glad you have some answers and a solution.

So glad he's better