My 9 1/2 year old daughter constantly complains of aches and pains, which we assume are growing pains... she is tall for her age and we notice that she is having a growth spurt. But she also complains of feeling sick when she is hungry, then after she eats, she feels okay for a while then feels nauseous again, and sometimes it feels like butterflies in her stomach, like nervousness or motion sickness. She mostly has nausea when she first wakes up in the a.m. then again at bedtime. One of her friends (same age) said she has the same feelings. I am wondering if the ravenous hunger then subsequent nausea is related to her rapid growth. Has anyone else heard these complaints from their tweens? She has been to the doctor because for a while, she was actually vomiting at night because of the tummy troubles, but the pediatrician said she is fine, just maybe nervous about getting sick. Otherwise, she is very healthy, eats good food (hardly any junk food, and she loves stuff that kids don't normally enjoy such as spinach and salmon!)and she is very active playing sports.
When my youngest son was that age (he is now 33) he was always complaining of pain and stomach trouble. I took him to the pediatrician who told me it was growing pains and not to worry unless he was throwing up, running a fever etc. At 12 he worried himself so much about having something really bad wrong with him that he developed a slight stomach ulcer (my son was a worrywart and internalized when something was bothering him).
I used to get nausea too when I was hungry (I still do sometimes if I don't snack). She may need to eat smaller meals, more times per day to regulate her blood sugar levels. More snacks and in between meals will help to keep her blood sugars from dropping too much during the day. I used to have to eat as soon as I got home from school and then again at dinner and then a small meal before bedtime. In the morning sometimes I would be too nauseous to eat in the morning, but would need to eat as soon as I got to school (about and hour after I woke up). She may be able to eat something small like toast and cheese in the AM and then send her to school with a snack she can eat right before class. Some nuts during the day or popcorn, crackers or a few slices of cheese and apples (besides her lunch). Especially if she is an athlete, she may just not be getting enough calories. Another great snack are those handi-snacks, those would definitely save me from feeling car sick on many occasions. Good luck. I still know how those hunger pains can make you feel so sick that you don't even want to eat and you feel so sick, it's horrible. I just make sure I have food handy, especially if I am traveling. (Just to be on the safe side, I would have her checked for diabetes and food allergies, which she probably doesn't have, but just to be on the safe side.) Good luck and I hope this helps.
This is just a thought...and if you've taken her to the pediatrician...I'm sure he would have checked for this, but...
This happend to my son when he was 7 and to the daughter of a friend of mine when she was 10. Constipation and blockage. Once our kids are potty trained we all start to forget to check on their regularity. My son was embarassed to go at school, so he would hold it in. He was a good eater and active, so in theory he shouldn't have had any trouble. But because he was holding it, he got backed up, then he'd have trouble when he tried. He was embarrased to say anything to me or my husband. He started complaining about stomach aches everyday before and after meals....I would force him to go to school. Then on the morning that I was leaving for a business trip he vomitted after he ate breakfast. My husband took him to the doctor and he was seriously blocked. We had to treat with enemas and a stool softeners. It may not be severe, but she may be having difficulty and doesn't realize that it's not normal. I guess I'm just saying...it can't hurt to ask. Our motto now is: "Did you poop today?". Hope this helps.
Have you had her tested for food allergies or Celiac's?
You may want to have her blood sugar tested. I'm diabetic and I get nauseous when my blood sugar is low. It could be that she is rowing so fast her sugar drops if sh doesn't eat often enough!
hi C., growing pains are a sign that you daughter needs more minerals. go to a health food store and find her a good multi mineral, sometimes they are part of a multi vitamin. i dont know about her nausea but the minerals will help her growing pains. also make sure she is drinking enough water. hope this helps.
Why don't you try a nice warm mug of chamomile tea in the a.m. and then before bed? It is calming to the tummy and the warmth of it will relax her and hopefully help her off to bed! Look for decafinated though. Hope this helps.
I would be very interested in the info you get.... My daughter often has the same complaint!
Hey C.!
I hear your pain. My ds is almost 13 now, and he has always had issues with nausea when he gets too hungry- I do, too. He will actually throw up in the morning if he doesn't eat soon enough after waking up. I just make sure he has healthy snacks available at all times, and I help him to recognize when he needs one before he actually gets to the sick point. I get the same kind of troubles- if I don't eat at regular intervals, then my blood sugar drops and I get nauseas and can't decide what to eat! And I don't have diabetes or anything, it's just how my body responds. You're doing great- no worries!
Hi C.,
My niece started with these same symptoms, at the age of 13.
At first all thought growing pains and puberty but it turned out to be a reaction to products with yeast.
When her stomach had the butterflies, my sister-in-law would have her munch on crackers….which contained the yeast.
She is on a very special diet and therefore no reactions to bread, crackers, pasta, etc …..
GOOD LUCK !
Please have your daughter tested for celiac disease, which can manifest itself as joint and muscle aches as well as gastric distress.
The only treatment for celiac---a gluten-free diet---may make a huge difference for her, and with the increasing availability of GF food, is not the burden it once was.
There is a blood test that can check for celiac (so she wouldn't have to endure an endoscopy), but do also check whether she is a carrier for this genetic disease as well, because sometimes carriers feel much better with a GF diet, too.
(Both my daughter and I are celiac; my daughter, we knew about since infancy, but I endured over 35 years of unexplained body aches and headaches before I found out!)
Growing pains per se doesn't sound like a likely cause. At this age, though, there are a lot of things going on. I think it is possible that a food allergy or intolerance is at play, possibly with acid reflux and some intestinal stuff such as constipation or a partial blockage. I would try Reliv nutritional products - great nutrition and, since she is already oriented that way, it won't be a hard sell to her. There is a great combination of basic nutrition, a hydrator (which is also a great sports drink, far superior to Gatorade or Vitamin Water or any of those others), and a fiber product which can detox the intestines as well as cleanse the blood vessels (great for allergies). Reliv is patented, has been around for 20 years with great results, and there are other parents you can talk to to share stories . It's a great network, like MamaSource, where you can talk with people who have similar issues and have had phenomenal success. Your daughter does not need to feel this way! She may be getting agitated, but who can blame her, with all this pain and vomiting? She may be eating right, but the AMA has just recommended that everyone be on a supplement because even a "good diet" isn't nearly enough anymore, with all the declining nutrients in our food. Vitamin pills don't work - the papers have been full of research over the past few months about undigested pills of all sorts winding up in the sewage system and in the water supply! So Reliv's balanced nutrition in a liquid form is 95-99% absorbed, and within 20 minutes! I'd love to connect you to some friends of mine, including one whose kid had over 50 food allergies, who responded beautifully to Reliv. It's available through distributors - contact me for more info! Good luck!
Anytime I hear this, I think gluten intolerance/celiac disease. It's usually hard to convince drs to test for this and blood tests are not accurate, you would need endoscophy with a biopsy for proof positive. Some people just go gluten-free and if it helps - there's your answer! I have gluten intolerance and in my online group alot of moms say their kids had symptoms like this before going gluten-free.
My husband has the same problem with nausea before eating and right after eating and when he first wakes up and stuff. I've checked out the symptoms of Chrons Disease and it sounds very similiar. I just can't convince him to go the doctor but you should look up Chrons Disease and see if it sounds like what your daughter might have.
When I was in highschool I was never able to eat breakfast until about 9:30 in the morning...since school had already started I had to bring crackers or something that I could get away with eating in class. I woke up sick to my stomach. I still do if I get up too early. I have a lot of stomach acids. Same for if I went too long without eating.....I would get very hungry and if I didn't eat right away I would get sick to my stomach and then couldn't eat at all. Now that I am an adult I don't have the stomach problems that I once did. I personally think it was nervousness about school and until I reached college age, I was never comfortable with my surroundings at school. You know how kids that age can be. I would talk to your Pedi just to be sure its not anything more serious like the Celiac like one mother suggested...if that comes back clear it may just be an acidic stomach. As far as the aches and pains....I always had leg cramps and that sort of thing when I was going through a spurt. I am about 5' 7" and was at full height around 15 years old.
