My 8 year old son is complaining about abdominal pain and having mild to severe diarrhea what could be wrong?

Question

My 8 year old son is always complaining of his stomach hurting and having anywhere to mild to severe bouts of diarrhea. His appetite is not the best and he is a very picky eater, he always has been. This has been happening for months and he is not gaining any weight but losing, not alot but still he has lost some. Now remind you he is skinny and that is nothing new, all of my children are. I have had him to the doctor numerous times and have tried numerous thing. But I am missing something. I need to come up with some ideas as to what may be wrong with him, ideas that I can discuss with his doctor to find out what is wrong with him. I need help because, I like many parents that admit it, we know when something is not quite right but have no idea where to find the answer. I have the drive that I need to find out what is wrong before it is to late and that scares the crap out of me. Any idea as to what may be happening so I can travel those paths for the answer. Thank You

Answer 1

I understand your anxiety completely. It's terrible not to know the answer while your child is suffering.

Celiac was the first thing that came to my mind, also. It's a disease that doctors are only starting to recognize more readily. (There are also other sensitivities like those to lactose and casein that should be considered.)

Unfortunately even if that's what it is, it can be hard to get a diagnosis. The only way to really test it is to do the gluten-free diet for long enough. Some people say three months. But...and this is a big but...it's often very difficult to know whether you're doing the diet purely enough because gluten-containing substances are hidden in so many foods (like soy sauce, for example). If you use a lot of prepared/packaged foods, this is going to be a challenge. If you tend to cook protein and vegetables from scratch, it should be easier.

It might help to start keeping a diary of what your son eats at every meal. You'll have to enlist his full cooperation in the solution.

So, even before your next doctor's visit, start feeding him gluten-free meals and see whether there's any improvement.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

It's not your job to diagnose your sons problem. You do not need to come up with any ideas to explain this to the doctor. Just let the doctor know the symptoms that your son has and he should do the rest of the work. Don't worry now because it could be something very simple. The best thing you can do is stay calm for your son so that he isn't let on to the fact that you're afraid. This will only make him scared. Be strong and call a doctor Monday morning!!! Do not wait!

Answer 3

As a mother myself to 6 children, my first thing i would do is get another doctors opinion..and, go with your gut instinct and do something.. You know your child best..be persistent.. I had doctors too tell me nothing was wrong, and 3 of my four were one time or other hospitalized and had surgeries, and guess what, each one was what i felt was wrong..! that they wouldn't even listen , or even run tests tell i made a fuss.. One mother wasn't so lucky and lost her son.. WE aren't all raving over reacting women... Intuition is a gift mothers are given to protect their children i feel.
good luck.. and have faith in your abilities .. prayer works too!
then.. relax...
there are some good medical guides in book stores ,one i used with the children growing up was the AMA medical guide.. there are others.. you look up symptoms inside and it asks questions, you answer yes or no and based on each answer takes you to another to eventually a suggestion. It also had color photos of some medical malice and made it easy to see what chicken pox , a sty etc. looked like, so i could have a start of what i might be dealing with. I found it helpful and gave me a sense of direction.. but instinct is the first one i go on.. worked every time...

Answer 4

Have him checked for celiac disease. It is a reaction to gluten in the diet. It is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in developed countries. It requires a blood test for a suggestive diagnosis, but may require a gut biopsy for definitive answer. Or you could put him on a completely gluten free diet and see what happens. He should improve slowly. Many processed foods are labelled as to whether they have gluten in them, and there are a range of gluten free foods available. There are also a range of celiac/coeliac web sites around.

Answer 5

Has your doctor checked him for colitis. I think that I would ask to see a specialist. This could be anything from alergies, IBS, colitis or a number of treatable conditions. Many people are switching to soy products from dairy. This was the miracle change for my son. Then we had a place to start.

Answer 6

Have him checked for crone's disease. If he has it there are thing that can be done to help him before it gets bad.

Answer 7

take him to the docs.