Back in May, my husband and son had a stomach virus. My husband was very sick and lost ten pounds in less than a week. My nine year old son had a milder version, complaining once of a stomach ache, and passing a few loose stools. After a week went by, my husband was completely fine. My son had his normal energy, appetitie, etc., but every other day would have a lot of bowel movements - some of the stools were solid, some poorly formed, but no real diarrhea. His stool was tested for C.Diff and other bacteria (not for parasites though) but everything was negative. He basically seemed fine, but was just making more trips to the bathroom than usual. Sometimes he passed mucus in his stool. The doctor felt it was a virus and said that sometimes it takes the intestines a while to return to normal. Finally, one day, the frequent stools stopped. My son was fine for a month. Now this morning he said his tummy hurt and he has had four trips to the toliet - no diarrhea, but some mucus. This afternoon my son says his tummy feels fine now - he is hungry, energetic, etc. - just making more trips than normal to the bathroom. Last night I tried a brownie mix I bought on sale (name brand, discontinued item, and now I know why). The brownies were terrible - I cooked them longer than directed but the middle was still mushy. I gave my son a corner piece, but he did say his tummy felt funny after dessert. My husband and I ate the same brownies, with no ill effects. They were very rich. It is strange and concerning to me that my son is having the exact same issue he did a month ago. His stools today look the same as they did last month. Could the brownie have set it off? I have wondered about food allergies and I am keeping a journal, but he hasn't had any symptoms for a month. Last week we were at the beach and even though some days my son did not have the best diet, he was fine. I don't think it's dairy, since pizza, milk, and ice cream in the same meal didn't bother him. I have been looking into Celiac's or gluten intolerance, but he doesn't seem like he is in any pain, and he can eat products with wheat and gluten without any problems. Any ideas out there?Would colitis or Crohn's cause more persistant pain?
Wow - such great responses. You have all really got me thinking now. I have mild IBS (my son's adopted, so nothing inherited from me) but his symptoms remind me of mine - one day I might just make a lot of trips to the bathroom due to a trigger food. For me it's anything rich, strange combos of food, or too much food in one meal. I know that Crohn's and colitis come under the same umbrella as IBS, so I'm wondering if he has something mild that causes episodes once in a while. I'll continue to keep a journal and present my concerns at my son's physical next month. Today he is fine. Also - the idea of intolerance to chocolate is very intriguing. My son does not really like chocolate. He enjoys a s'more or a small candy(like a Hershey's kiss) but he will never choose to eat chocolate cake, ice cream, etc. If he is at a party with chocolate cake he will eat the icing and pick at the cake. He usually gives me and my husband all the chocolate from his Halloween stash. I think the warm brownie was too tempting, but also maybe too rich. Maybe there's a reason he does not choose to eat chocolate - could be one of his trigger foods. Thanks for al the input ladies!
Chocolate is a dirhettic (SP) and can cause diahrea. I think the brownie was just too rich for his system.
At 9 years old, they may not want to do full allergy testing. You could try an elimination diet if you truly suspect allergy, but I am thinking that this could be a case of post hoc ergo propter hoc logic or logical fallacy. It means that just because event B followed event A, event A caused Event B. In this case, your son ate a brownie and his stomach problem returned so the brownie must have caused it. Firstly, the symptoms you describe are not typical food allergy symptoms. You would expect to see rash, hives, swelling of the eyes, lips, tongue or throat, or even wheezing (not all of these would occur but these are the most common). You might have him tested for parasites. Also, germs can live on hard surfaces for long periods of time. Could he have re-infected himself with the same virus he had a month ago? One last thing to consider, if he eats yogurt and you changed the brand, it might be the change in the little buggers in the yogurt, they do vary from brand to brand.
I would suggest if you think it may an allergy to have him tested.
Colitis and / or Crohn's are real possibilities. Suggest finding a pediatric GI to talk with. I have Crohn's and was diagnosed at 14. If he's been under some stress when the bouts of tummy pain and diarrhea happen, I vote for the colitis / Crohn's theory. He needs some tummy testing to determine what's up. Best wishes ...
My daughter's ulcerative colitis started out with a week long bout of bm's of mucus, followed by bloody diarrhea. It stopped for a month, then came back again and lasted longer. She never had any pain. I think you should have the doctor test for ESR and C reactive protein, markers of inflammation, and then refer your child to a pediatric GI to get checked out further if they are above normal. (She also has food allergies, but the two aren't linked).
In the meantime, see if a probiotic supplement, or just yogurt, help his bowel movements. That could be all that he needs. The viral infection might have thrown off the balance of good vs. bad bacteria in his intestines.
A relative of mine has an intolerance to chocolate. It's not a 'real' allergy - no hives, etc. But causes stomach problems. Any chance it's that?
My son had the same issues with his stools. We had been seeing a gastroenterologist for awhile. She tested him for a fructose intolerance. Easy test. He ended up diagnosed with fructose malabsorption. His body cannot digest fructose. We eliminated all high fructose corn syrup foods and fruit, especially tomatoes. He has been much better since with his stools. He now reads the labels of everything he eats. He does have fruit but in limited quantities and sometimes he has some food with HFCS when we are out but since it occasionally it is not so bothersome.
it doesnt sound like allergies. milk and eggs are in brownies but if he was allergic it would be more often than once a month. If it affected him directly after eating, why not give it a day or two and if it continues then get a referal to a gi specialist?
