Beth - re: tummy issues

[Shelly]

Beth, is it possible your son might be lactose intolerant? I'm sure your doctor has already suggested this, but we have been through this with my 9 year old too. She has complained of tummy aches and the like since she was about 5 years old, and they could never find anything wrong. She even had a barium swallow upper-GI series last winter after a prolonged bout of vomiting & abdominal pain, but it was negative. Her stomach aches didn't seem to occur right after drinking milk (which she loves), so I really didn't think that could be it. However, at a loss for a solution, we went ahead and bought some Lact-Aid, thinking it certainly couldn't hurt to try. She is much less gassy, and we definitely have had fewer tummy complaints. I do think at least some of it is tied to emotional issues, but there was obviously a physical problem and the Lact-Aid seems to be helping. Hang in there - these things can be so trying! Good luck............Shelly

[Beth]

Thanks. That is one of the things we are looking at. We have cut out dairy for the last few days, and I bought some lactaid to have when we do try it again. The doctor also suggested wheat or some obscure ingredient (I think that means MSG, a preservative or additive). I guess a food allergy can creep up anytime, but it doesn't seem to be consistant enough to me. I'm having a hard time, too, because I have no food allergies myself or in my family. I thought about posting a question about food allergies last night, but didn't get to it. While he was still in school, I don't think his teachers believed him...thought it was just emotional. We did figure out that his asthma medication was giving him head and stomach aches, but he hasn't had any of that for sometime now. Thanks for the advise and encouragment. I feel like Dr. Mom/Sherlock Holmes/Sigmund Freud

[Ralph]

I don't recall seeing the original posting, so I don't know the whole story. However, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is often a cause of recurrent, unpredictable stomach pains. People with IBS seem to have a heightened awareness of the "normal" goings-on of the intestines. Dietary changes, sometimes subtle, sometimes drastic, CAN help alleviate symptoms. You can find an excellent handout/description at the American Gastroenterological Association's Digestive Health Resource Center; the specific topic is at www.gastro.org/ibs.html (http://www.gastro.org/ibs.html)
Other web sites w/good info include www.drkoop.com, (http://www.drkoop.com,) www.allhealth.com, (http://www.allhealth.com,) & www.americasdoctor.com. (http://www.americasdoctor.com.)

[Beth]

Ralph, thanks. I have these sites written down and will check on them. I have an almost 7-yr old with what appears to be a puzzle with many parts, and one of them is certainly sensitivity. I guess we all feel like it's part of a child's job to make us feel totally inadequate at least part of the time. Mine do it well.