“My stomach hurts”

[Anonymous]

My 12 y/o DS comes up with vague symptoms of bellyache now and then and then says he’s too sick to go to practice or school or whatever. He can only describe general pain in the mid-belly amd moans and groans so much he eventually convinces us that he actually feels bad. This pain seems to fade out and is gone by the afternoon or next morning. How do you know if your kid is really sick or just milking it or is generally just overly dramatic about normal aches and pains. I don’t want to run to the dr all the time or dismiss real illness, but I also don’t want him to use this as an excuse to get out of things he doesn’t feel like doing.

[Anonymous]

For me that describes Crohn's disease which began at about that age. But, lots of kids also just have stomach aches. I'd take him in to the doctor, at the very least they will start monitoring his weight. If it drops, you might have a problem. Is your kid waking up at night with a stomach ache? That is another warning sign that something more serious might be afoot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me that describes Crohn's disease which began at about that age. But, lots of kids also just have stomach aches. I'd take him in to the doctor, at the very least they will start monitoring his weight. If it drops, you might have a problem. Is your kid waking up at night with a stomach ache? That is another warning sign that something more serious might be afoot.

He never wakes up at night complaining of pain. He has no other symptoms. He is actually a bit overweight and eats like a horse. I hate to doubt him but I’m beginning to wonder if he’s faking to get out of stuff.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a few years younger and also complains that her stomach hurts. Fwiw, I finally took her to the doctor who said it is not uncommon at her age (Google seems to agree) but no known cause. I'm wondering if it's anxiety, although she is a mellow kid, not generally anxious.

[Anonymous]

My DD around the same age sometimes complains of stomach pains, but it is almost always constipation. Is he having any issues? Good to rule out physical and medical causes first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12 y/o DS comes up with vague symptoms of bellyache now and then and then says he’s too sick to go to practice or school or whatever. He can only describe general pain in the mid-belly amd moans and groans so much he eventually convinces us that he actually feels bad. This pain seems to fade out and is gone by the afternoon or next morning. How do you know if your kid is really sick or just milking it or is generally just overly dramatic about normal aches and pains. I don’t want to run to the dr all the time or dismiss real illness, but I also don’t want him to use this as an excuse to get out of things he doesn’t feel like doing.

With my kids, it's when I say, "okay I'll call today to make a doctor's appointment." That prompts a response of either, "yes, I'd like to go to the doctor" if they're really hurting, or "oh no, that's okay I'm feeling better!" if they aren't.

[Anonymous]

Could be general anxiety and stress. My stomach sometimes knots when theres a big deadline coming up, social function, and other miscellaneous stuff

So.etimes it is legit pain - indigestion, gas, heart burn,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could be general anxiety and stress. My stomach sometimes knots when theres a big deadline coming up, social function, and other miscellaneous stuff

So.etimes it is legit pain - indigestion, gas, heart burn,

+1 Anxiety can cause actual physical stomach pain. (Or headaches ... these are two of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety.) If you treat the anxiety, the stomach pain may resolve.

[Anonymous]

Anxiety presents as stomach pain

[Anonymous]

Agree with others it's good to go to the doctor and it could be anxiety.

Also, how fast is your kid eating lunch at school? I know when my kids are rushed and scarf down food they have a stomach ache. It was particularly bad one year when my son had PE or maybe it was recess right after lunch. He'd eat fast and then around and feel sick.

[Anonymous]

With my son its usually constipation, gas, or hunger. For some reason he can't seem to tell the difference - it all just feels like "my tummy hurts" to him.

[Anonymous]

Does your son have any anxiety issues? There is something called "functional abdominal pain" (basically, no medical cause) that is highly correlated with anxiety in kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could be general anxiety and stress. My stomach sometimes knots when theres a big deadline coming up, social function, and other miscellaneous stuff

So.etimes it is legit pain - indigestion, gas, heart burn,

This was my first thought too. I get pains and feel like I could vomit.

[Anonymous]

Does this happen when he's tired? My DD and I can wake up with stomach pains in the middle of the stomach, feeling nauseous. I only just recently realized that it's stomach migraines because it usually happens when we're tired, and we also can get headache migraines, and now I also can get vestibular migraines. Stress and anxiety can also trigger migraines.

Upset stomach issues can be hard to figure out if it's not obviously food related. Crohn's disease usually includes frequent diarrhea, especially after eating.

[Anonymous]

My son also has mysterious stomach aches that come and go for no reason. My DH suspects it might be ulcers (which he also had), especially since DS really likes acidic and spicy foods.