11 year old sickness/anxiety or something else?

[turtledovelove]

My DD (11 - yr 6) gets episodes of nausea and feeling very sick. I don't know if she's got caught up in a cycle of anxiety/panic which exacerbates the problem.

Last summer she was sent home from school with what I initially thought was a tummy bug but very quickly realised it was appendicitis and she spent 5 days in hospital following surgery.

This seems to have triggered some sort of health anxiety whereby if there is any hint of her feeling a bit 'off' or nauseous she gets very panicked and it spirals into a vicious circle.

It's probably important to note that I've spent a lifetime suffering from a sickness phobia however I have never outwardly shown this to her so she would be none the wiser. However she sadly seems to have inherited this phobia which is such a shame as it's an awful thing to try and live with.

I would like to try and understand the underlying reasons why she has sudden episodes of feeling sick. I know we can all feel sick for numerous reasons and it doesn't necessarily indicate actual illness.

She's a very slight girl and prefers to snack than have large meals. I wonder whether her blood sugar sometimes drops if she's not eaten properly and that leads to her feeling sick. She's an otherwise healthy girl who loves dancing and performing. Nice group of friends at school etc.

We had an episode yesterday evening which has prompted me to ask for advice. She was at a friends house who she was due to have a sleepover with. I text her early evening just to check in, say hi etc. She replied saying she felt sick and wanted to come home. Bearing in mind she'd been so excited for this sleepover.
I picked her up and she spent the rest of the evening/night feeling very sick. Also complaining of tummy and back pain. One thought was acid reflux making her feel like this as she'd not eaten much yesterday.

She's woken up this morning feeling somewhat better than she was. Looks a bit washed out and pale. I've made her a squash and a banana Complan shake which I had in the cupboard. Not that she's particularly keen on drinking it but I thought it would at least make her start to feel a bit better as I can imagine she's lacking in any sustenance right now.

Apologies for the rambling post - I've tried to include as much info as I can.

Can anyone offer any thoughts/advice/experience? Thank you

Hmm. I would book an appointment with the GP. Does she have any diarrhea or anything? They often won't say at that age as it's so embarrassing. My dd of a similar age was recently diagnosed with Crohn's. It's in her stomach and made her feel (and occasionally be) sick. She had painless diarrhea as well, and was skinny and pale.

Whilst it is probably nothing sinister it'd be wise to get her checked out, as it's happened a few times, even during favoured activities.

@Teenylittlefella

Hmm. I would book an appointment with the GP. Does she have any diarrhea or anything? They often won't say at that age as it's so embarrassing. My dd of a similar age was recently diagnosed with Crohn's. It's in her stomach and made her feel (and occasionally be) sick. She had painless diarrhea as well, and was skinny and pale.

Whilst it is probably nothing sinister it'd be wise to get her checked out, as it's happened a few times, even during favoured activities.

Thank you @Teenylittlefella for your response. I have arranged a telephone appointment with the Doctor this week which is a start at least.

I wonder if it could be IBS or tummy migraines perhaps? Like I say it's very sporadic episodes so difficult to know really what might be causing the symptoms.

Could it by cyclical vomiting syndrome? its linked to head migraines and abdominal migraines, and is cyclical in nature and involves abdominal pain, headache and dreadful nausea. if she is totally well in between and recovers after a day or two, might be worth looking at. often starts at puberty

Is your DD actually being sick or just tummy pain?
Sounds a bit similar to my DD when she was younger.
My DD always struggled when her blood sugar dropped, but it manifested in losing the plot rather than feeling sick. Around 11 or 12 she had regular stomach aches for a while, it was often constipation.
She also had terrible period pains.
She had a lovely group of friends, did well at school, played a lot of sports but went completely off sleepovers around the same time, happy to socialise but preferred coming home and not having anyone sleepover here either.
She's now 21 and it's all in the past apart from the painful periods.
I hope you can get to the bottom of your DDs trouble.

Could be anxiety or cyclical vomiting