10 year old suffering every night
#260491 - 04/27/06 07:45 PM
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Last year my 10 year old began to suffer from IBS symptoms. After seeing a specialist and going the prescription route nothing worked. The perculiar thing though was that her symtoms of pain and spasms occurred only at night, like clockwork. It did not matter what she ate, the spasms and pain returned every night. After ruling out lactose intolerance and a whole host of medical conditions she was put on the normal prescriptions and laxatives to relieve her spasms and pain. Nothing worked. In fact the prescriptions only made her worse. Then we discovered Help for IBS and put her on Heather's Acacia powder and it was like magic. We thought she was cured. Since the summer of 2005, almost one year now, she began each day by eating oatmeal mixed with the powder. Gradually we increase her dosage up to about 3 tablespoons a day. She was sympton free for almost a year. Well here we are again after taking the powder, the tummy teas, peppermint pills and watching her diet, her unbearable conditions, pain, gas, bloating and spasms have returned. Again it is only and always at night before bedtime, like clockwork. Naturally my wife and I, and my poor daugher, are at wits end. What do we do? I'm beginning to think a lot of this is mental or at least there is some connection to her mind and gut. Help! We are getting desparate.
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Well yes, there's a connection between mind and gut but that doesn't make the pain any less real. I think even the most conservative doctors would attest to at least some connection. You can look into hypnosis which has helped many with ibs. Also, exercise, yoga, acupuncture. This is assuming she's been tested and truly has ibs. The tests suck - i had them all around age 11. If you haven't had her tested yet - do so, and find a GI who is VERY sensitive kids.
Whats happening this time of year that could have influenced the return of symptoms? Schools wrapping up - is summer more stressful? Final exams?
Good luck,
Dan
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Ladies & gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
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FYI
Questions and Answers
How do I know if my child really has an upset stomach, or is trying to get out of going to school?
How do I keep my child hydrated during vomiting?
How do I know when they are seriously dehydrated?
Why do irritable bowel symptoms seem to be worse in the morning and at bedtime in children?
Shall I send my child to school when he or she is in pain from IBS?
Functional abdominal pain: How can it be treated?
Question from a 13-year-old in Oregon -- I have had stomach pains for over one year that make it hard for me to do anything. I have recurring abdominal pain syndrome. My doctor said there is nothing wrong with me and nothing he can do to treat me. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer -- We assume that you have been seen by a physician who gave you the diagnosis of "recurring abdominal pain syndrome," (functional recurrent abdominal pain).
Tests are done to look for the presence of disease as the cause of symptoms. If the tests find no evidence of disease, the symptoms are termed "functional." Diagnosis of this functional gastrointestinal disorder is based on the symptoms, after ruling out the presence of disease or tissue damage. These symptoms are defined as abdominal pain severe enough to disrupt routine activities three or more times during a three-month period. Studies show that it is pretty common, affecting 10%-15% of school-aged kids.
So if it is not a disease that is causing these symptoms (you are not sick and that is good news), what is causing it? The answer is not entirely clear. Ongoing research is looking for the explanation.
Recent studies point to an increased sensitivity of the sensory nerves in the intestines. Normal movements of your intestines may be perceived as cramps or other discomfort.
The intestines share nerve pathways with the brain. In many situations, when the brain reacts to something -- like the sound of a dentist's drill -- the intestines, or gut, pick up the same signals and react.
The majority of people will ultimately have some kind of gastrointestinal (GI) symptom when exposed to stressful situations. If your GI system is a bit too reactive, you will experience symptoms in more types of stressful situations than someone else will whose gut is not quite as reactive. What is stressful for one person may not be stressful to another, and lots of people don't even realize it when they get stressed -- they just feel sick.
Finally, there is the "gate theory" of how pain is experienced. When pain originates at some point, nerve messages pass through something like a gate on their way to the brain. The wider open the gate is, the more pain that is experienced. By thinking about and focusing on the pain site, we open the gate. Plus, feelings of anger or worry or sadness can open the gate.
However, we can also help close the gate. Turning attention away from the site or feeling of pain, through relaxation or focusing on some other activity, can help close the gate and lessen or even eliminate pain.
A well-known phenomenon that demonstrates this is that of the athlete who plays a game while injured, oblivious to the pain. The athlete is completely focused on the game and does not feel pain. Then, after the game is over, the athlete turns attention to the injury and feels pain.
Whatever the cause, you can do something about it! It takes some effort but there a number of ways that you can help yourself.
First, think about this example. Have you ever experienced a muscle cramp or a side-ache during strenuous running or exercise? You feel real pain in muscles that are not diseased. But they have been stressed beyond some point that in you causes discomfort. What do you do to avoid it in the future? You might think about what you were doing that resulted in the muscle pain. Maybe next time you do more warm-up exercises, or start out slower, or don't run as far.
The first time you felt a side-ache, you might have felt concerned and stopped running. After you learned that it was nothing to be concerned about, you may have barely taken notice the next time it happened, perhaps slowed down a bit, but then kept right on going.
This is the same type of thing that happens with functional recurrent abdominal pain. Your intestinal muscles may be causing you to feel pain. To get it under control, try this:
1) While the pain you feel is very real, do not worry that you are sick. You are not. Your body is reacting to events in a way that is causing you discomfort but is not cause for alarm.
2) Try to figure out if your symptoms are connected with anything else that may be triggering them. Do symptoms flare at certain times, before certain events, on weekdays, on weekends, etc? If you can identify triggering factors (like certain foods or activities) you can try to avoid them, or if that is not possible, try to deal with them in different ways.
3) Are you missing school because of this? Worry over missing school can make symptoms worse. Try to keep going.
4) Are you doing too much-school plus lots of outside activities? If so, take some time off to relax. Too much of anything can be stressful.
5) The next time you feel the pain, don't let it stop you. Keep on going. Practice focusing your thoughts on what it is you want to do next and then go ahead and do it. Don't let pain take your awareness hostage.
http://www.aboutkidsgi.org/questionsandanswers.html
Answers to Common Questions about Bellyaches in Children
http://www.aboutkidsgi.org/Bellyaches.html
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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First of all, I can't tolerate oatmeal. Try cutting that out for a day or two and see what happens. Most folks tolerate it fine, but it does have insoluble fibre in it. I tend to be extremely sensitive to IF from grains, but tolerate it much better from fruits and veggies.
Second, if you would like to post typical foods your daughter is eating, I would be happy to look at it - I'm a moderator here.
Third, there are ebbs and flows in IBS. Sometimes my symptoms go away and come back with a vengeance for no apparent reason. That's the nature of the beast for a lot of us. She could be going through a bad streak.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Hi - My 7 year old son has recently been complaining that his stomach hurts - most of the time at night. When I talked to his doctor she told me to give him an antacid before bed. She has noticed a sharp increase in her patients complaining about "stomach problems" and thinks that it is "stress" related. This has almost stopped my sons "stomach pains". Hope this will help you. Good luck - there is nothing worse when you child is in pain and you feel helpless.
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Harley Kye
IBS - C in Pittsburgh, PA
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I have a seven year old with ibs. It is a severe case, with weight loss. She cannot even take a bite of food without severe pain. We have been thru the workup for the last 6 months. For 3 months, using bentyl 3 times a day was a miracle drug. Now we are having problems again. She just went thru an endoscopy and everything was negative except for inflammation in the esophogus. She will also now get back on prevacid and continue her bentyl, and use the diet guidelines, and the soluble fiber and relaxation techniques and the hot packs to try to manage her pain. (and constantly trying new things to help and trying to balance it all to stop the pain)
The worst part, of our ordeal, is teachers, parents and friends who do not believe her, or chalk it up to a typical child tummy ache. I know my child I see her weight loss I know she does not lie, I feel her tense in response to the pain. Believe your child, comfort them, get them a good GI doctor who knows the pediatric diseases. I know you are suffering with them. I too am helpless as I watch my child in distress, as it interrupts her life and makes her choose missing out of fun of growing up, being concerned her stomach will hurt and not wanting to be away from mom if it does. Hang in there and keep us posted.
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Thanks for your thoughts. In the beginning she took the antacid pill before bed and that seemed to work. That is no longer the case. I agree that it is definitely stress related. Still struggling.
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I feel your pain. Thanks for your thoughts. We tried the bentyl but it only made her spasms worse. In fact it seems all prescription meds make her symptoms worse. The soluble fiber works best for us. Not much luck with the peppermint pills. We will keep trying. What other choice do we have?
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Have you tried heating pads? How about the IBS Hypnotherapy program? Yoga? Peppermint tea? (The tea has a much more immediate effect than the pills, plus the warmth is very soothing.)
--AC
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Believe me, it is not in her head. It is so real. I am 32 years old and had this since I was a child. I cannot even remember not being constipated. As a child, I was always sitting on the toilet for hours to relieve the gas and constipation. I am sorry for your daughter's distress but it is very real. I have been taking Miralax, a prescription laxative which does help but it is not a cure. All I know is that at 32 years old, my life is no different then when I was a child. I still sit at home waiting for this to go away and trying new diets and supplements. I am just trying to say that as an adult now, I know it is not in my head.
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ccckkk
#265691 - 05/26/06 07:47 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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If you ever feel like emailing me, that would be fine. I'm in the same situation as you. No diet or supplement has helped. I am also on Miralax....but do you find it causes you messy, incomplete, painful BMs? It's such a mess to deal with every day.
How's the Acacia going for you? what supplements have you tried that have or have not worked?
I feel your pain....physical and emotional. 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I feel the MiraLax does not give me a complete bowel movement. It does help but I feel it is not a cure. But I am much better on it than off of it. I think I have been taking it for about five years now.
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