Dd has been complaining of her tummy hurting for months.

[StarlightDicKenzie]

She is 3 and I have been ignoring her due to having a lot else going on.

She has recently been saying that it is drinking milk that makes it hurt, though she does drink a LOT of milk.

She has also been complaining of a sore mouth which I also ignored until recently but after a year took her to the doctors and have now got her expressed though for a tonsilectomy and adenoid removal as well as grommets inserting for poor hearing. It should happen in three weeks.

Are these all related. Can milk do any of these things to her.

I should add that she has very unsightly cradlecap that I don't pick or scrub off because her hair comes too. Are they all related?

Will if she is milk/lactose intolerant (as opposed to allergic) then erm yes it would give her tummy ache.

Does she suffer from constipation or loose stools at all?

Cradle cap I'm afraid you do need to get rid of even though it brings her hair out, soften it with oil first and massage in the bath and do it bit by bit.

You know what? I don't really know. I think maybe loose stools but she's an independent little thing and I'm never allowed in the toilet with her. When she finishes she flushes etc. but perhaps I'll insist.

I've done the olive oil thing but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect. Also she has dry skin and only baths once or twice a week.

Yes the milk will not be helping esp if she had glue ear. My dd has had gromits and an adeniotonsellectomy and I found there to be a link between too much dairy and worsening of symptoms.

Good luck with the op, be prepared that it takes a good 2-3 weeks to recover and dd (she was 4yo when she had it done) was in a lot of discomfort post-op so be well stocked up on calpol and ibrufen.

Either of those can be an idicator that's all. It could be some other intolerance entirely - wheat/gluten?

Thanks. Yes the consultant surgeon said it woukd be horrid for us all, especially days 6-10.

Can a 3yr old really tell that milk is making her ill?

Do I need to go to the doctors about her stomach?

During tonsilitis the glands all enlarge including the glands in the tummy which are big and cause tummy ache. I think it may even be the spleen but dont shoot me Drs if im wrong,but they can defo get tummy ache with tonsilitis. Ds 1 had it.

How about you just stop giving her milk for a couple of weeks and see if their is a difference?

Would a GP investigate?

No idea but I reckon the first thing they would suggest is an exclusion diet starting with the most likely culprits which in this case would seem to be milk.

I suppose I should try one thing at a time eh?

First operation and see if things improve. If she still complains I'll start to investigate milk problems etc.

If you google mesenteric adenitis it does definitely link stomach pain to tonsilitis. Hopefully the issue will resolve after her op.

Oh yes I forgot about that

Well, if she has been complaining of a sore tummy for months which has been ignored and then a sore mouth which has been ignored, I definitely wouldn't ignore it anymore - make her an appointment for this week.

She had a sore mouth for a whole year?

I'm sorry but i feel bad for her

Hope she is sorted soon.

Yes. I've been a crap parent to her.

She's getting her operation in the next three weeks for her throat though.

well milk intolerance can be linked to glue ear, and eczema (might explain the cradle cap too?)

i would try cutting it out. you have nothing to lose by taking it out of her diet.
if it has no effect then you can reintroduce it.

some children with intolerances/allergies do actively crave the thing that they have the problem with, which could be why she drinks a lot of it

Well, I perhaps wouldn't have put it as harshly as that!

I'd get to the bottom of all this though.

To be fair, once she had my proper attention I got her seen and operation booked within 6 weeks when the system seemed to suggest faffi g around on various waiting lists for spread out hearing tests a levels of triage dragging on for up to 8 months.

Starlight hopefully this will help make you feel a bit better. My ds2 has been complaining of tummy ache on and off for weeks. He is 3 and we have had a lot of other stuff going on so because it's not constant I keep forgetting until he mentions it again.

The terrible thing - he had problems with his bowel when he was a baby and he was dairy intolerant until 2.3 years. So really I should have taken him back to the GP as soon as he started mentioning that he has tummy ache.

I am making an appointment for tomorrow, so I think i can win the award for not taking my child's tummy ache seriously as he has already had bowel and stomach issues.

Hope your dd is feeling a lot better soon. My ds1 had to have grommets fitted at 2.9 years for glue ear as it was affecting his speech so badly. They made an amazing difference for him.