My daughter
#91682 - 07/19/04 10:38 PM
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daisy2
Reged: 07/19/04
Posts: 45
Loc: Washington
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Hi - I am new here and this is my first time using a message board. It took me awhile just to figure out how to post this message. Anyways, I'm here because I'm trying to help my 9 year old figure out if she has IBS. It all started about 5 months ago when she started telling me she didn't feel good. I took her to the doctor and she ran all kinds of tests on her and they said she was just fine. That whatever she was feeling was normal for her. Well, that didn't go over too well. She said they don't know what I am feeling and that she wasn't making it up she just doesn't feel good. When I asked her to describe it she said she felt like throwing up all the time. Anyways, to make a long story short, we just got back from a vacation where after reading this website I truly believe it's IBS. She had one bad attack after she had a shirley temple to drink and fried chicken fingers and french fries. She went right up to the bathroom had an attack and could hardly even talk to me and then almost threw up. It is happening everyday now where she tells me she doesn't feel good. She also had a bad attack on the airplane after I figure out now that she was drinking ginger ale which is a tigger food. Anyways, I just wonder what my next step should be. Should I take her into a gastro doctor? I have had her on the soluable fiber diet since we got back two days ago. She says the peppermint tea makes her feel better. She is still so full of gas all the time. Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks so much.
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Hello, and welcome!
It breaks my heart to hear that such a young person has to deal with IBS and all the problems that come with it. Thank you for looking out for your daughter!
I definitely think a gastro doctor would be a good next step. My recommendation would be to just go and present her symptoms and see what diagnosis the doctor comes up with. She might have IBS, but it wouldn't hurt to have the doc check for other things just to be sure.
In the meantime, do keep your daughter on the IBS diet. If she's having problems with nausea, I recommend having her eat often (every two hours or so). It really helped me until the nausea passed.
Best of luck!
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Christine
Those who can do; those who want it done better teach.
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Keep her off of the fried foods and carbonated drinks.
Make an appointment with a good GI right away.
Keep up the IBS diet with plenty of peppermint tea at least until the doctor can help you figure out for sure what it is.
Being nine, your daughter may not be truly heard by some doctors. You will need to make sure that they pay attention to her symptoms and do not ignore her because she is young and just having "tummy aches".
You may want to start giving her a soluble fiber supplement like metamucil or citrucil. I highly recomend the Acacia fiber that you can order on this site.
I hope that you can find out exactly what your daughter has so that she can start getting help as soon as possible.
This site is very beneficial for people with IBS, I hope that you find the answers you need here.
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Thanks for much. I will make an appointment for her today.
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Thanks for the info. I will make an appointment today.
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Oy!
#91738 - 07/20/04 06:56 AM
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atomic rose
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 7013
Loc: Maine (IBS-A stable since July '05!)
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Your poor daughter. I'm so glad you're going to get her to see a gastro (I just read your replies to the others). 20 years ago, that could have been me.  The difference is that my mother took me a pediatrician once, he said I had the flu, she took me home, and that was the end of it. Since I wasn't taken seriously, I didn't complain again until I was 17 (and that doctor didn't take me seriously either). I don't blame my mother for any of this at all, but my childhood and teenage years could have been a lot more pleasant if I'd gotten the medical attention I needed, you know? Your daughter has a huge advantage on her side - she has *you*. Good luck with the gastro!
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Oh, this just breaks my heart! I can't imagine having to go through the symptoms at such a young age!
((HUGS)) to your daughter and ((HUGS)) to you for being pro-active with getting her properly diagnosed!
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It's never too late to be what you might have been.
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Re: Oy!
#91934 - 07/20/04 06:44 PM
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daisy2
Reged: 07/19/04
Posts: 45
Loc: Washington
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Thanks for your support and kind words. I made that appointment today and she is being seen in only 1 week from today by a pediatric gastro. She had a pretty good day today. I am looking forward to hearing what the doc has to say about all of this. Take care.
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Thanks. I got her an appointment for next week with a pediatric gastro so we shall see. She had a pretty good day today but gets nausa a lot if she doesn't eat a little something every two hours. Take care.
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and follow the links to the chapters of the The First Year IBS. That will tell you what your doc needs to do to properly diagnose your daughter, plus all the ways she can be helped, plus give you special info on dealing with IBS for children.
I developed IBS at age 9 myself, so my heart goes out to your little girl. She can be spared a lot of years of pain and misery with the right info in hand, though, so that's some good news. 
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks so much, Heather. Your website is such a blessing. I'm going to get your book tomorrow. The peppermint tea has really helped her and more importantly the IBS diet. Do you think the peppermint tablets would be good for her as well? She really can't swallow a pill yet.
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if your daughter can't swallow a pill, just stick to the tea. If she gets to the point where she could try swallowing the caps give them a try, as they are very, very strong. I find them much more effective than the prescription anti-spasmodic I used to have, and they've actually been clinically tested in children (check the research library for the studies). The caps are also pretty small, and they're not tablets so they aren't chalky and hard to swallow. They're the size/shape of a vitamin E capsule.
You can also mix and match peppermint tea and caps. I think the tea works immediately, especially if it's a hot strong cup. The caps take about an hour to reach the intestines and dissolve, but they are very potent and terrific for just completely relaxing the gut and stopping spasms.
There should be more details on the pep caps page here Peppermint Caps
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks Heather. I bought your book yesterday and have been reading it faithfully. My daughter had another bad day as her friend and her got into a big huge fight and the mothers got involved and we four sat down and aired our concerns. Anyways, her health suffered because of it. Is stress a huge part of IBS? She internalizes so much. How can I help her? 
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That was me about 12 years ago.
I had IBS then myself and they kept dismissing it as stomachaches. I think finding a Gastro now is a very good idea. What I usually do for nausea is ginger tea/ flat ginger ale, and saltines. Works like a charm for me. Here's hoping she gets better soon. I was in those shoes and it took them until I was 19 to diagnose me with anything... it's a good thing we have a more firm grasp on this disease now.
And I'm thanking goodness for Heather and her recipes and support.
Karen =)
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Re: Oy!
#92707 - 07/23/04 10:52 PM
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shawneric
Reged: 01/30/03
Posts: 1738
Loc: Oregon
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Just fyi, this is a kids GI website.
http://www.aboutkidsgi.org/
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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Things like meditation, yoga, or tai chi can help. So can any old form of exercise and getting enough sleep. If stress/anxiety is one of her bigger problems with IBS, she'd probably have terrific results from the IBS hypnosis program. Hands down that's the best thing I know of for almost completely eliminating stress and anxiety as tied to IBS, and for giving people the tools to manage stress without it triggering IBS symptoms. Children usually respond to hypnotherapy even better than adults. And, it's effortless and even enjoyable to do the program.
There's a ton of info on the site here Hypnosis for IBS and a whole message board for IBS hypnotherapy here Hypno board
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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