Recurrent stomach aches and low appetite in 10 year old

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ten year old keeps complaining of stomach aches during meals. He eats a few bites and then goes quiet, looks inconsolable and complains about his stomach, usually feeling better a short while later. The pain itself doesn’t seem to be severe but I’m beginning to be concerned about the frequency and how little he seems to eat. It happens regardless of whether it’s food he likes but I haven’t been able to identify a pattern either. The pain is not linked with diarrhea or poop related stomach cramps though he has (almost) always had soft stools and poops multiple times a day.

He has a pediatrician appointment next week so I’ll bring it up, but I also don’t want to go down a whole rabbit hole of tests if it’s something that he’ll move on from without intervention. This morning I decided to start keeping a record of what he’s eating and what sets it off. Celiac has crossed my mind, but I also wonder if it could just be an allergy or intolerance to something else. Any suggestions are welcome.

My child had exactly this issue though she was younger at the time, around 5. We were referred to a pediatric GI who took it seriously because she would often stop eating even when she was still hungry, and she was underweight. She had a slew of blood tests and a stool sample test which were all normal. We tried reflux meds on and off for awhile… didn’t seem to help. She eventually had an endoscopy when things were bad, which was normal. In the end it mostly resolved on its own. Six years later she tends to eat a lot of smaller meals and we let her eat when she wants. She still sometimes experiences stomach pain during meals, and when that happens she just stops eating and we encourage her to restart later if she likes. She’s healthy and gaining weight normally.

I’d see a GI. Good ones are not going to push you into a lot of testing if you are not comfortable with it. Just some blood tests can be helpful.