10Yro can't eat and constantly feeling sick.

[Upintheairnow]

Hi all. Sorry if this is long.
Just wondering if anyone has experienced similar in their children.
10 yo daughter for over 3 weeks feeling sick and full up constantly. Has 2 bites of food then says she's full. Always got stomach pain (middle tummy, belly button area) it never goes away. Not constipated. No actual sickness. Is exhausted. Has no energy. Always cold. Says she gets "sicky burps" and feels like she's going to throw up after eating. She is allergic to wheat so eats a gluten free diet. She hasn't eaten any wheat. Some days she drinks loads but is still pale and has dry lips.

She is petite anyway (1m 30) and weighs about 29kg. Her clothes are getting loose.
Saw GP last week who promptly said gastroenteritis and prescribed omeprazole. It isn't gastroenteritis.The Omeprazole hasn't helped. Neither has Gaviscon. Dr said to bring her back in 4 weeks if she isnt better! She's barely eating!
She is so sad, tired and down all the time. We submitted a stool and urine sample on Thursday but I have no idea how long results take.

Not sure if this is related but at the beginning of Dec she started getting breathless and feeling like her throat was closing up if she exercised or ran around. Saw a Dr who said she has a "wheeze" but not asthma or anything. Now she can barely walk upstairs without needing a rest. She's struggling to get up in the mornings.

I've just tried calling 111 and was on hold but couldn't get through.

Had a video consultation with a private GP who suggested Abdominal migraine? And also said she would be asking for a blood test for thyroid function etc. And a urine dip for diabetes.

If anyone has experienced similar I'd be grateful for any ideas or advice as I'm not sure what to do. We are getting through a lot of Calpol but I think she needs to be seen and maybe her abdomen be scanned, could it be a blockage of some sort? I'm going to keep trying 111.

so sorry that your DD is suffering @Upintheairnow

You mentioned that she's possibly hypermobile - you might want to get Ehlers-Danlos syndromes on the list for investigations as that can cause gastrointestinal issues too.

Oh I am so sorry, I was worried for you that that may happen as I hear of that quite often. Hospitals would rather let the GP refer to the gastro team ay the hospital.
Please be aware if the GP tells you the stool sample was all clear ask what the reading was. Anything above 50 can be a sign of inflammation in the gut. It may well not be much over 50 as some can be quite low over the 50 but that doesn’t mean there is no inflammation.
My daughters reading was 1800 which is super high but ever since she went into remission 8 years ago it has always been below 30 which is a great number to be at.

I really hope you can get some answers and please keep us posted.
Always here if you want a chat. X

i had extremely similar symptoms and it was h pylori. see if you can get a stool sample for her

Another update.
My daughter was crying in pain last night from the stomach ache and today she didn't feel well enough for school ( - she has 100% attendance and never misses school) so this morning I've chased the doctors for the results of her stool sample. The receptionist said it was "normal" but couldn't tell me any more eg what the levels were as "she's not medically trained". And that to get any more information I'd need to make another appointment.

So I filled out all the online forms again about my daughter and how she's barely eating and has been feeling sick for weeks etc and within 20 mins one of the practioners had called me saying that they are going to request more tests for Calprotectin and H pylori and as those things weren't tested the first time. They are also going to send her back to the hospital for bloods to be taken to test thyroid function amongst other things as they agreed with me that something is definitely not right.

So fingers crossed that this lot of tests will be more informative. Now I've just got to get another stool sample (🙈 easier said than done as she's barely eating so not pooing much) and convince her that the blood tests will be OK and not like when she was traumatised from a previous hospital visit.

Hi @Upintheairnow ,
If your DD is still taking omeprazole she may need to stop taking it for the stool tests to be accurate, please check with your GP. This was what we were told by a paediatric consultant when my DD had the same tests.
Hope you get some answers soon.

If she needs more blood tests, find out if she can have numbing cream in advance (both arms, in case they struggle to get the vein one side) & encourage her to drink as much squash as possible to make the veins stand out. You can also say she had difficult veins and ask for the most experienced nurse or phlebotomist. There are also infrared (I think?!) cameras now to help find veins. You don't have to put up with someone ham-fisted taking blood. I say this as someone who has difficult veins and also as someone who has had to take blood!

Has she had any headache, irritability, decline in school performance or sports performance? Sickness not responding to omeprazole requires further investigation. See headsmart / child cancer smart for further details.
My child's nausea loss of appetite stomach cramps etc were variously written off as post viral, anxiety re school, dairy intolerance....then they had the odd headache and struggled a bit with sport they had been doing for years. DC was pale and fatigued.I thought maybe poor nutrition/ dehydration from not eating. Later diagnosed with brain tumour. This is not to scare you but to suggest that gastro symptoms can have many causes and should be looked at carefully and holistically.

My DD and I had the same a few years ago and it was gastroenteritis which took months to resolve. No vomiting or diarrhoea just nausea, bloating and constant full feeling. She was tested for everything at the time and all results were normal. Definitely do all the tests just to be sure.

Gastroenteritis can cause a temporary lactose intolerance so switch her to lactose free milk and cheese. We also switched our DD to a lighter soft food diet that was easily digestible - fish, chicken, mashed potato, soup, risotto, that sort of thing. She ate cake to make up the calories! It’s soft and easily digestible. (Dietician said that was fine.) Our DD is back on a normal diet now.

Our GP also gave a course of Metronidazole even though H-pylori test was negative just to be sure. Personally I would cut out the omeprazole.

I hope your DD feels better soon.

Hi @TheGirlattheBack thank you for this that’s really interesting, it sounds like a tough time. Can k ask how you got to the bottom of it in the end and got a diagnosis and treatment?

Hi yes thank you, the lovely practioner I spoke to earlier did say this. The Omeprazole hasn't been doing anything anyway as my daughter is still burping after eating and saying she feels like sick is coming up.

I could have written this 4 yrs ago when my DD was 9. Multiple trips to doctors and consultants and final dx was Functional Bowel Disorder. It’s a temporary condition but needs to be handled right due to having an emotional dimension too. Basically, gut stopped working and she became chronically constipated - repeatedly. Also v good at gymnastics due to hypermobility ( which is a factor in constipation due to stretchy bowel causing low motility). She had bad breath a lot and nowadays it’s a symptom that she needs to up her fibre and water. If she’s still pooping it could be ‘overflow’. Has she had an xray or ultrasound to check for fecal compaction?

This thread is so validating because my son going through same thing regurgitation nausea tiredness headache and ache random places and bellyache. He had stomach bugs and endless respiratory viruses back to back all this winter. His gastrointestinal consultant not interested in seeing him and they only reply as Regurgitation normal
post viral infection. Look at my other thread !

My DD had very similar symptoms starting Year 7 and it was an ED. Everything fits.
After recovery she had further symptoms. We thought the ED was coming back and it turned out to be glandular fever. There is also anxiety and stress to consider and hormonal issues which could be exacerbating things. I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

Hi @MabelsBeats i think both of us having this made it easier although my DD was definitely much worse. The initial GP diagnosis was gastroenteritis. However, after 3 weeks of symptoms and my DD barely eating I took her to a private paediatrician who ordered an abdominal ultrasound and a raft of blood tests. All were negative. The paediatrician referred her on to a paediatric gastroenterologist (also private) who did an endoscope - also negative. He took full history etc and also decided gastroenteritis. He prescribed omeprazole that did nothing, then Pizotifen which is used to treat abdominal migraines but in our case to calm the stomach aches she was getting, it helped somewhat.

My DD saw a paediatric dietician who advised to go lactose free and small portions of soft food. They also suggested meal replacement drinks but my DD didn’t like them which is why we went with milky cocoa and cake for calories! Plus we added a multivitamin gummy.

I saw a gastroenterologist separately and whilst I told my DD’s Dr’s everything that was happening to me I did not do the same with my Gastroenterologist to ensure I got an unbiased diagnosis. My Gastroenterologist also said gastroenteritis.

It took a good year for us to be able to eat normally again. I know we are very lucky to be able to afford private healthcare, it did not make it any less stressful though, just a quicker conclusion.

Thank you for this, I’m so pleased you both got there in the end, and have now recovered. It’s great you have private, as they do tend to join things up more and get you in front of the right people faster. My work provides it as a benefit for me and the children and I wouldn’t be without it these days!

I haven’t been through this exactly, but as a mum this would really worry me. Three weeks of pain, barely eating, weight loss and being so exhausted doesn’t sound like a tummy bug at all. I’d be pushing for urgent blood tests and a proper face-to-face review, not waiting weeks. Trust your instincts, you know when something isn’t right with your child.

I’d be really concerned you are overlooking a possible ED. Eating such few calories for a prolonged period is dangerous.

I am so pleased that you are finally being heard, there is nothing worse than having your concerns being dismissed.
Really good news that calprotectin levels are being checked. Blood tests as well, those are the tests that got the ball rolling for my daughter.

My daughter has never been good with needles and we always asked if she could lie down whilst having them, this seemed to help her feel more relaxed.
Good luck with the further tests and please keep us updated. X

Are there any doctors or nurses on here please? My daughter had blood tests done on Friday and I called the doctors for the results today. The receptionist emailed them to me but I have no idea what they mean and as they have previously stated they aren't medically trained so can't tell me what the results do or don't imply.
Apparently her white blood cell count is lower than normal. So what happens next? Looking online into what that can mean I see Leukemia being mentioned!

I did the whole rigmarole of filling in another online doctors form explaining that we don't know what these results mean, then the surgery called me to say they had made a follow up appt for my daughter for Feb 24th! With the same (useless) doctor who immediately diagnosed gastroenteritis over 2 weeks ago.

We are still waiting for the H Pylori stool sample results.
I'll try to attach an image of the some of the blood test info in case anyone can help me to underdstand if i need to be back on the phone to the doctors and making more of a fuss? Or is this level OK for a petite 10 year old girl?
My daughter is still very tired, not eating much and feeling full and sick constantly. Thank you in advance if anyone is able to help me understand what the blood results show.

The normal range for WBC as shown on the results is 5-13 and your daughters is 4.9 so it's low by 0.01 so they'll probably say it's mildly out of range but not a concern and possibly repeat the blood test to check it again.

Thank you, yes I know it's only just under the "normal" range but I'm wondering what causes it to be lower? Eg an infection? And if so how do we get rid of it? It just seems like I'm constantly chasing the doctors for ideas of what it could be even after blood tests etc.

My dd started exactly like this. .six yrs later still battling severe anorexia.
Don't be fooled by them saying they want eat but feel sick.... anorexics desperately want to eat, they are hungry all the time...
My dd went from bubbly fun sociable to sad, cold, tired, irritable in space of a month ...

I would want gastroparesis looked into. Feeling full, wanting to eat but can’t and vomiting/feeling sick, with burping and avid pain are ALL symptoms of gastroparesis and she needs referring to a gastroenterologist and gastric emptying study doing.

Anxiety? You mention neurodiversity and anxiety is v common with nd. Abdominal pain and nausea common anxiety symptoms.
I would expect a general paediatrics referral tho to rule out medical causes.
Make sure you mention the possible hyper mobility as this could also be a factor for abdominal pain as can affect any connective tissue
Also, did you say she has an asd/adhd diagnosis? I would ask for an assessment for that if not

These all look fine. White blood cell could can be low after an infection. My daughter was lower than this, they repeated thr blood test and thry went back to normal - indicating that she was probably fighting some kind of infection at the time. Being low by 0.01 would not cause me any concern. Hopefully the stool samples give you more information. Try not to worry, I know it is easier said than done.