Son Gets Nervous and Throws up and Gags

HI C.,

I haven't experienced this personally, but have seen this behavior when I worked with young children. You may want to rule out anything medically with his pediatrician and then see about speaking to a behavior specialist, since it is getting in the way of everyday life. It could be that he is just getting himself so worked up and anxious, from the anticipation of events and is causing him stomach upset etc...

Hi
You may want to talk to your Dr. about this. My husband gets ill when he is stressed out too. I am not sure if he did this when he was younger but he also gets the intestinal problems and vomits. Good Luck!

Dear C.,
Even if he knows what is wrong, he may not be able to articulate it at his age. Maybe try asking him to draw with you, then when he is relaxed and occupied, ask him if he could draw what he feels like before school. then let him draw. After he has finished, maybe you could get him to describe what he's drawn for you and that will give you some insight as to what he is feeling. It sounds like he is very nervous but doesn't want to miss the experience-and maybe even knows that once he gets there (or to the game or wherever) that it will be ok, but he has to get through the anxiety part first. I have one sister that has diarrhea before every stressful experience(like was almost late for her wedding due to that) and another that throws. Your poor guy has both! It might be if you can get him to start opening up it would tell you if a child psychologist would help. Good luck!

As an adult who has anxiety....I now realize that I had it as a child as well. And I hate to say it but these were the signs of it..gagging, throwing up, stomach ache, and diarreah(sp?). My parents could never tell me we where we were going until we got there because I would make myself sick. It may not be what your child has but your description brings me back to my childhood!

Hi C.
My son was like this before school and what I did was talk to him about what it feels like and kind of talk him down and focus on what the feelings are in his body that he is feeling....and also talked to him about how his brain is talking to his belly and tricking it into feeling sick and that he needs to talk to his brain and let it know that everything is going to be okay and he is safe...soon he learned when the feelings were coming and we would talk about them and see what was causing the anxiety....took a long time but I just kept reasuring him that he was safe and okay...sounds like he realizing that there is a great big world out there...poor guy...be patient and gentle and he will come along :)
Take care

OMGEEE this was my daughter to the T. Turns out she had really bad separation anxiety. Our doc says that some kids are more sensitive than other s and mucus will pool up and make them throw up See if this helps, this is what we had to use to help. My daughter was hysterical and would throw up and it didn't get any better. This program worked wonders https://buyhere17.accounts.clickbank.com/info/jmap.htm?ve...

Yes, I encourage taking him to talk to someone professionally. He is already experiencing too much stress for such a little guy and he has so many more experiences ahead of him that will cause trouble. It will also help you cope, offer suggestions and allow you to come to terms with what is going on and how you can help. Also, maybe he'll reveal something you do not know, which will help the situation. God luck!

Hello,
Please stop asking him what's wrong. It implies something's wrong and that gives him more to worry about.
If it's medical, then the doctor will know what's wrong.
If it's nervousness at the thought of separation, a very common situation, asking him what's wrong makes it much worse. Just keep in touch with his teachers to make sure the days are going well, don't ask what's wrong, don't "prepare" him for going to school by talking about it, keep it low-key. I know this is not fun, but you will get through it. Really :)
P.S. I am concerned about your husband getting mad. This sends signals to your son that he is doing something wrong. He is not. Ask your husband to think of it this way "It's not like he gets up every morning and thinks to himself, let's see, should I have a pleasant, good-feeling morning or should I vomit and have diahrea?" It is very importnat that your husband talk to the doctor with you and be involved in the solution.

Hi there!
My oldest daughter is 7 and ever since she was about 3 she has done the same thing.It's definitely anxiety...before swim class at 3 she would throw up or dry heave before birthday parties or anything exciting same thing, and yes sorry to say that it got worse as she got older. I finally could pin-point it everytime and before any event i would just not tell her about it or down play it. Slow breathing in and out helps her now and it does'nt matter what it is but try and make sure you get a little food is his belly before school....even if it's an oatmeal cookie or something he likes.He will outgrow the gagging thing once he is able to talk about it such as being able to tell the difference between being excited vs. being nervous or scared. It's absolutely the most exhausting thing and i know your heart breaks. Now at 7 she will still gets very anxious but no throwing up or bathroom issues as much and i can tell when she is worried about something now and the best thing to do is just keep on talking (i used to yell i would get so frustrated) but that only made it worse, and the other thing is to lighten the load...meaning less activities even if it seems like he wants to sign up for everything it's not the best idea.Well i could go on so if you want to get back to me feel free...you are not alone!!

I just recently learned that my 23 month old son may have Sensory Intergration Disorder. He will be evaluated in December to find out for sure by Early Intervention though.
But I will share a little with you because I feel your son may also have it and it may be worth looking into.
My son doesn't mind being in the car or his car seat however when the car starts to slow down, stops and stop signs or red lights he freaks out until the car starts moving again. Also he is nervous to walk up & down stairs (he can do it just gets nervous) and hates having his teeth and hair brushed.
For the longest time we could not figure out what the heck was going on and we would get frustrated. I knew however that it was not normal because it was too extreme. My husband like yours would get aggravated and some times yell. But I helped him to understand that he is fearful of something it's not him just being a "brat". So now we try and stay calm and understanding & soon we will find out what is really going on. Talk to your sons pedi ask about an Early Intervention eval. Or just all Early Intervention your self you do not need a referal from your doctor and EI comes to your home!!
Good luck.
Try looking up Sensory Integration on line or one book I just bought is great called The Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Beil. Helped me to understand SI better (my neice has it) and know I know he does have some of the signs as well as my husband & I.

Did you ever talk to a pediatric gastro doctor to see if he has acid reflux or other issues? Everyone gets butterflies in their stomach, but for kids with acid reflux, it can often turn into gagging, throwing up very easily. My daughter used to carry around a bowl - especially at school - because she would throw up for many different triggers - one of which was being anxious.
I'm sure there is the psychological factor contributing here, but if he has reflux it is all the harder.

I dunno hon, but if that were my son I believe I would take him first to his doctor and see if there is a medical reason for these symptoms, then if all is fine, I would take him to a counselor and find out what is going on there.
It does not sound like the usual separation problems. Gagging for an hour?
Seems to me that there is a possibility here of something physiological going on.
Definately something other than simply going to school.
How well do you know the teacher? His/her reputation?
Is there a bully in the class?
Really upset me to read your husband got angry. This is a five year old for goodness sake. Does hubby always put such pressure on this boy? Does the boy need to "earn" love and approval from his dad? That is a big load for a little fellow just past babyhood. Lot of stress there.
Is your son afraid of traveling in a car? Perhaps he saw an accident or something that terrified him on TV?
As a mother of seven, grammie of 14, great gram of one...I would certainly follow thru with investigation into this situation.
But please relax about it all a bit. If you keep after the child he will project into what IS wrong with him. Not good.

Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

HI. I have a 6 year old son, same issue. However I must say taht he has health issues.. he was diagnosed with hydrocephelous at 4days old and had a shunt placed at 5 weeks. He has always had a sensative gag reflex... like my other 2 children. It has gotten worse over the last few months. He seems to get anxiety over certain situations. One is at dismissal time when they go outbto play, he doesn't want to be around a certain little girl... another is when we have to go to the gym , he doesn't want to walk in if a certain gal is there.. I know cute, all girl related and he's only 6. The school counceler has called and is helping to work threw this with me. We see the neurosergeon this week for his yearly checkup and will bring this up as well. They say that anxiety is not uncommon at this age. I would speak to your doctor and see what they say. Good luck.
P.

I agree with the first posting, I would check in with your pediatrician first. Especially because of the timing in the morning, being that it happens at the same time each day. It wouldn't hurt to make sure he doesn't have a physical issue before addressing it as behavioral. Your Pedi should also be able to help you with advice if it is a behavioral issue. Poor little guy! I also agree with the second posting, at 5 many kids can't actually put into words what is bothering them, or connect the dots so to speak. Drawing is a good way to help him, as is using symbol based language like Mayer Johnson symbols to help him to have choices of what he wants to express since he isn't really reading yet. I did this with my kids and it really helped alot. Best of luck with your little guy.

I'd start out by talking to your pediatrician first. You should rule out any medical issues before you decide it's nerves causing his behavior. Maybe he has some stomach/digestive issues.