4 year old complaining of tummy aches

[croomabu]

Hello,


I would love some input..my otherwise awesome and healthy four year old girl has recently started complaining about tummy aches ? clinic says she need more fiber..but she eats a pretty good diet ..is this just a CF thing ? she also threw up the other night and it looked kinda foamy ? ...

and one other question if I may ..we are at a new clinic and REALLY missing out old team..new Doc says if she goes on antibiotic one more time ( she was on 2 on last 8 weeks .for a cough that quickly goes away once on antibiotic..) she needs to be admitted (?) or have a PIC line ...thsis seems a little extreme to me .. right ?



I appreciate it !

 

[Gorf]

Croomabu,

You may of already looked into this but when I was younger I got dehydrated and my bowels stopped up. It is painful and will make you throw up.
I hope its not. I now do miralax quite often to keep thing flowing.

Gorf

 

[Ratatosk]

Has she been stooling? DS used to have more issues with obstructions, constipation when he was much smaller. Nowdays it's if he eats too many peanuts, so we limit his intake -- moderation. Usually he'd eat a ton of them, then the next morning when I'd offer him breakfast, he'd say he was full and his stomach was distended.

As for antibiotics, DS is on a prophylactic abx as well as azithromycin for inflammation. When he was gotten a cough in the past, his doctor has prescribed an abx with instructions if he isn't better within a certain time, then he'll look a prescribing something stronger. Usually it goes away and the abx are based on culture results and whatever the bug is sensitive to. Once he got a sinus infection that lingered all winter long -- doctor prescribed an abx for 3 weeks to knock it out once and for all. As for a PICC line and clean outs -- last time he had one was when he was hospitalized 4 years ago for a bowel obstruction and his doctor figured they'd do a clean out since he was in the hospital anyway. If she's been coughing, if you haven't already done so increase cpt/vest treatments. We bump up to 4 times a day or more when DS isn't feeling well

 

[Printer]

Yes, the belly aches is a "CF thing". When we swallow the mucus, even in our sleep, it mixes with the digested food and becomes a glue like substance (stool). The stool then attaches to the walls of the colon. As a result the diameter of the colon is reduced. This causes belly aches. Daily doses of Miralax is the answer.

Excessive treatments of antibiotics can and will lead to the body building up a resistance to the antibiotic. If this happens, the antibiotic just won't be effective.

The new Doctor is right. Listen to her.

Bill

 

[Wldhrtd1]

stomach aches can also come from not enough enzyme.. if she needs it.. 17 y.o.. always forgets to take before meal and usually forgets to take within the time frame that is needed... so he's in the bathroom quite a bit sometimes!!
sometimes you can get backed up.... and that can cause the throwing up.... is her belly hard?? oldest has gotten obstructed a few times and is on miralax daily...

I know each situation is different... what we do is if a cough shows up and last for a few days.. (my boys are not usually coughers) and/coughing at night (sleeping) or green shows up.. we go on an oral antibiotic if after a bit it doesn't seem better we switch to a different one and if that doesn't work or it comes back soon after.. we go to inhaled TOBI for at least two weeks, sometimes a month... and if all else fails or antibiotics are needed frequently.. we go in for a clean out...

Andrew's first cleanout was when he was four and yes, we did a picc line.. stayed in hospital for 4-5 days to get levels of meds adjusted then he comes home on IV's... he's a pro now doing his own meds... he does it all, antibiotics, flush, heparin , etc...

 

[pmae]

You might also take a look at reflux, which is pretty common with CF. My 6 year has been on prevacid since he was about 3 and it has helped with the stomach aches and foamy vomiting.

A tune up may not be a bad idea. Especially if she's already been on two in thr last 8 weeks. Some clinics are more aggressive than others or he might be looking at some other variables that are going along with it such as weight & her ability to eat and keep things down. That was a big factor when my son did his tune up at 3.

 

[Jennyvb17]

^^ my stomach was way more of a problem growing up. Zantac was the answer back then, now I'm I'm previcid. Acid can stop your enzymes from working properly, was the explanation I was given.

I have also had the obstruction problem, often called dios. A stool softener is often the answer. I would gently push around on the lower intestine and see how hard it feels. If it is not the problem any hardnes you feel should move easily under pressure. ( at least that is my personal experience with these problems)

 

[welshwitch]

I remember having that as a kid. Usually it would happen if I ate something high-fat and forgot to take my pills. In fact, it still sometimes happens! Pepto Bismol works like a charm in that case.

Hope she feels better soon

 

[AH11201]

I'm 21 now, but when I was younger I used to have bad stomach aches fairly regularly. Those stopped when I was in about eighth grade and cleaned up my diet a lot. Before I was eating a lot of bad quality, highly-processed food--my parents were told it didn't matter what I ate as long as it was high in fat and calories. Now that I eat whole foods pretty exclusively, I rarely have those same problems.

If you don't think diet is the problem, I would recommend looking at Traditional Medicinals' Smooth Move tea. I drink it a lot now to keep things flowing, and I feel better about drinking that than taking something like Miralax all the time (plus personally I think it tastes great).

 

[tysmama]

My 3 y/o son was c/o a lot of belly aches frequently with a loss of appetite. His doc ordered a gall bladder scan and he was found to have a failed gall bladder and had it removed at the end of October. His doc said it is common with CF kiddos. He is doing great since!! Worth suggesting or asking!!