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.

I hear stories all the time of parents fears being dismissed and leading them to pay for probate appointments out of desperation.
it is so upsetting when you have been through it yourself so know exactly what they are going through.
Our gp had the cheek to tell me he thought it was crohns when my daughter received her diagnosis. The frightening thing is that was 8 years ago and doctors are still dismissing symptoms.

After a two week wait there are some results from the last stool sample which I was told was to test for H Pylori but there's no mention of that, it just says Calprotectin on the test results and that the levels were normal. So I guess that's another call the Doctors tomorrow to see if that was actually tested for.
My daughter went to school today at least. But we are going to contact the private healthcare again to see if they can advise on seeing a Gastro specialist now that we've had bloods and stool samples done through the NHS.

Has she been tested for Coeliacs?

I asked about gastroparesis on an earlier post.

OP please find a paediatric Gastro and ask about testing for gastroparesis. It may not be - but literally all of her symptoms could be related to gastroparesis. They could also be other things but have a look at it :

https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/conditions/gastroparesis/

Just go online, find a gastrointestinal specialist/consultant at your nearest hospital and make the appointment. It will cost around £200 depending on where you live. If you have the funds it's worth it, don't wait around for insurance you can try to claim it back after. But if you honestly have the money, £200 is going to be well worth it. You'll be able to be seen in the next few weeks, I'm hopeful.

Was the stool sample tested by your GP?
If I was you I would ask for the calprotectin reading because normal for a GP may well not be normal. A reading of 50 or below is normal, higher than 50 can mean inflammation.

OP how is your DD now ?

Breathless, exhausted, celiac … test for b12 and do not supplement until you've got the results. Tablets before testing can give a false healthy b12 result - if deficient she may need b12 injections.

Could she be constipated? She should still be pooing even if she's not eating masses, and if she's constipated she will feel properly poorly. Often, constipation can be hidden because the bowel squeezes poo around the hardened bits and so people think "I'm doing soft poos so I can't be constipated."

If she is constipated, she will be feeling generally unwell, nauseous, sore tummy, unable to eat, etc. It might be worth asking to trial some movicol and see if it improves things.

Quick update as I haven't posted for a while.
My daughter is now feeling much better and back to eating normally. She will occasionally say she feels sick but not 10x a day like she was for 6 weeks or so. She didn't want to go back to the doctors at the end of Feb and we didn't do the other stool sample as she was feeling better. She does occasionally get what she calls a "sicky burp" but again no where near as many times as she was in Jan and Feb.

We don't know what made her ill, perhaps it was a virus or stomach bug after all that has now worked its way out of her system. But she is back to doing gymnastics and has much more energy now. We are sticking with the lacto free milk and cheese too as that did seem to make a difference.

It's very puzzling and I'm keeping an eye out for any reoccurrences.
Thank you all for your concern and suggestions, I really appreciate it. X

Goodness what a worry, glad she is feeling a bit better.

Could of been anxiety op ?

I'm glad she's feeling better and is back to normal ,always a worry more so when their is no explanation

DD had a very mild version of this after a stomach bug - “sicky burps” - and reflux of vomit into her mouth but with no retching. It was worse with dairy. We did dairy free for a month and it was slightly better but hard to sustain. Then it just went over the course of about 4 months. I really think it was a rare side effect of a virus. I was mainly worried as excessive acid reflux can cause oesophageal damage and even cancer.

I wonder if she had SIBO? It can happen after a virus. The sicky burps sound like it. My consultant recommended VSL#3 prebiotics and they really helped. Might be worth a try?

I've just looked this up actually as I hadn't heard of that before and the symptoms mirror what she had for the 6 weeks or so. Thank you for the insight as it's not something I was aware of.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't anxiety based either as she has a bit of a situation currently at school (that she didn't have 6 weeks ago) and she's OK at the moment.