Toddler vomitting randomly

[Moonsandspoons]

I should preface this post by saying that I have very bad health anxiety due to a number of traumas in my life. Recently, my dear friends child has recently been diagnosed out of nowhere with advanced neuroblastoma and they are the nicest healthiest family I know and it shook me.

But recently my 21 month old has started vomitting randomly and I started questioning some of his behaviours.

Thursday 10pm my son woke up and was sick pretty badly all over the bed (quite a lot of vomit)

Same night but 12pm - bit of wrenching but didn't wake up and no sick

Same night, Friday 2am - sick with bile / saliva

Went to A&E as worried he could have swallowed a stone earlier from playing in the garden - 4am drinks half carton of juice, immideately sick. Assessed and released home with no concerns from doctor thinking just a vomitting bug

No vomitting rest of Friday and Saturday

Sunday 8am - throws up after stuffing his mouth with a pancake (he often stuffs his mouth but it never made him throw up before)

Sunday 11.30am - Throws up after having a large helping of lunch

Sunday-Monday night - throws up a tiny amount in the middle of the night

Monday day, night and Tuesday day - fine

Tuesday evening - seems like lost appetite in the evening, then throws up at 8pm after eating a cookie and drinking his milk

No fever, there was 2 loose poos (but he often has an occasional loose poo here and there), but I notice he is a bit more tired and leaning on to me more.

Also I noticed for quite some time he has been holding his hands near his eyes or pressing on name. He always did but recently this has been more. He also squints occasionally and ever since he was a small baby I felt like he struggles to look me right in the eyes, I feel like.he tries but so eyes are slightly off target.

It seems his articulation got worse in the last few days.

He sweats in the first couple of hours of falling asleep, then seems to be okay

He was 40% height, 50% head circumference at 1 mo and now he is 23% height, 76% head circumference which I saw also can be a symptom of a brain tumour.

I know I am catastrophising. I am going to call a GP tomorrow morning

But I just wondered whether anyone experienced anything similar? Could it be a vomitting bug without fever and intermittent vomitting? Seems like it's every 48hrs-ish.

This also isn't like him. He doesn't usually vomit and with all his viruses typically has a high fever.

Finally, if GP is dismisisng, how can I do a scan privately quickly?

Thank you xx

A worried mum.

Vomiting due to brain tumour is often early morning due to intra cranial pressure. Yours sounds too random for that, if that helps..

This sounds similar to my DD whom has just turned 2. The vomitting started virtually on her 2nd birthday. Took her to the GP after a few of weeks of random vomitting (mainly between hours of 10pm and midnight). She has also been having a "dead arm" on occasions overnight (not sure if connected).

The GP did refer to Paediatrics as he didn't know what it was. She was them seen a week later at the hospital (2 weeks ago). And they are not overally concerned. Paediatrician is going review her in September (unless any other symptoms emerge). And may do an MRI scan if anything is persisting. But that is more due to her arm numbess. Also to note her identical twin has erythromelalgia (which has a neural component so this might be part of the reason they are investigating further).

Typically she has only vomitted once since we saw the GP.

Sounds like a bug to me. When they have a stomach bug, it can often leave them with temporary lactose intolerance. My DD had her first bug at 2, lasted 1.5 weeks because I didn’t realise giving her milk was making her vomit. I stopped dairy for 2 days and it stopped the vomiting.

I wonder if it is indeed connected to milk / or big meals. Will try that xx thank you for your reply

Thank you, you are so kind to reply. And I am so glad that your LO have been seen by a consultant, I am sure it was a nervous week of waiting! It's great they are not concerned. I am sure that everything else is just from abundance of precaution otherwise they'd want to scan her now. Hope she feels better soon.

How do you know she had a "dead arm"?

My 21mo can't communicate everything else. Most I can get out of him is boo-boo but he is an unreliable narrator. He was telling me had a booboo on his finger that healed a week ago (memory is intact lol!)

Did you post about the potential stone swallowing before?

How do you know she had a "dead arm"?

So this has been happening for approx 6 months. (Maybe longer and I wasn't aware). The first time I was aware if it she screamed in the night, a pain scream. When I went to calm her down she didn’t get up and want to be picked up, just lay there. Once she started to calm a bit, I held her hand but she didn't hold it back (she always grabs my hand tightly when distressed in the night). I then moved her arm and it was completely floppy (like a rag doll). After 5 mins of rubbing the arm and gently moving it she could move it again. She then rolled over and went to sleep.

Now when she cries like that I check her arm and its "dead". She does sometimes say "my arm". So I rub it till she can move it again. And she settles back to sleep.

Yes it was me. I would struggle with people judging my anxiety right now so didn't want to be linked.

Saw a GP who gave us a paed referral but i don't know when it will happen.

He is definitely squinting quite a bit and sometimes looks like his head hurts.

Maybe migraines? I know toddlers can suffer from them and migraines would explain squinting, vomiting and the suspected head pain? Just a thought.

Is he constipated?

That's one of the things the paediatrician was considering with my DD.

No, not at all. He had one solid poop, two loose ones and one chalky light one over the last couple of days.

Oh I see, I didnt even think about that. Ironically, we have just seen the consultant neuro recently for something unrelated. he didnt have vomitting then so no worries about brain were on my mind! I did ask him about HC and he didnt find it concerning but I forgot to mention that he has been dropping centiles in height.

Hello I know this is an old post. Did you get any answers with your son? X

It was a bug, just a drawn out one!

Aw glad it wasn't anything serious

Mind you he still has a big head, which increased in circumference but gp seems unconcerned.

Aw I'm glad to hear it. I also have terrible health anxiety

Yep. Same here. It really sucks. Are you worried about anything in particular right now?

I'm worried he has a brain tumour . I looked back at my daughters WhatsApp history though last night and this has been going on and off since Nov 2023!! I don't know if this makes me feel better or worse! He had terrible reflux as a baby. The pediatric thinks reflux or maybe emotional vomiting as there are no other red flags. He's had a tummy scan (normal) bloods and coelial (normal) and waiting for results of his barium swallow. Funnily enough he hasn't vomited for a week but I know it will be back. Sorry for the long reply x

I'm worried he has a brain tumour . I looked back at my daughters WhatsApp history though last night and this has been going on and off since Nov 2023!! I don't know if this makes me feel better or worse! He had terrible reflux as a baby. The pediatric thinks reflux or maybe emotional vomiting as there are no other red flags. He's had a tummy scan (normal) bloods and coelial (normal) and waiting for results of his barium swallow. Funnily enough he hasn't vomited for a week but I know it will be back. I demanded a brain scan (due Monday)as thats the last thing they were going to do. Sorry for the long replyx

How old is the boy? I would say that it is extremely common in babies and toddlers. My friend's son (3yo) vomitted nearly every week - especoally if he had any type of snot, or if crying a lot. he would even throw up on purpose - if he wanted the parents to come and get him from the crib. If this has been going on since 2023 it is pretty much impossible for this to be a brain tumour as it would have manifested somehow else.

Thankyou for replying. He's 5 and a half . It's just so random. Morning, afternoon, after food or drink or first thing just bile other times lots of it. School have stopped sending him home now as not a bug. It's got more frequent in the last 10 months

So is the scan today? I am sure everything will be right and then you can move on managing his symptoms. It could be just reflux / gastro sensitivies. Some people are just like that.

Thankyou. Yes he's had it this morning. They told his parents before the scan that results would be 3 to 4 weeks.