[momofMikhail]

DS has been complaining for about 4 weeks of stomach pain. He did have a bacterial infection about a month ago, but that was treated. He started telling me his tummy hurt the day after he started the antibiotic for the infection. He sometimes goes for 2-3 days and is fine, then all of a sudden it is hurting again. He does seem to have gastric reflux and the Dr. has him on Zantac and Mylicon now. He has been taking both of these meds of 3 days now and started telling me his tummy hurt again tonight. We did a stomach x-ray last week and it came back fine. We have retested for parasites just to make sure, and everything came back neg.

I feel so bad for him. He lays in my bed watching TV (Which I usually limit) and cries because his tummy hurts. I feel so helpless, There is nothing I can do to make my baby feel better!!!!

[beckyww]

Does he have any diarrhea? When one of my girls was in kinder, she had on again/off again stomach problems for weeks. Tried all the home stuff. Finally took her to the pedi. Turned out to be parasites. None of the rest of us ever had them, but boy, she did.

Treatable w/some very vile liquid.

Becky
This Reminds Me

[momofMikhail]

He does have on and off diarrhea, but the Dr. tested for parasites and all came back clean! I should also mention that he has been losing weight (2 pounds in the last week), and will not eat dinner anymore. He will still eat a big breakfast and a small lunch, but barely touches dinner.

[Withay]

I would recommend a trip to a gastroenterologist for a full GI workup.

[Kasey]

If he has on/off diarrhea, what are his other stools like, soft or hard and is it hard for him to go?
I would also keep a food log of what he eats and when he eats and then note when the stomach pain starts. Aside from what you mentioned above, is he on any other daily meds?

While keeping track of everything I also agree getting a GI consult is something you should do.
Poor little man, I hope he feels better soon!

[momofMikhail]

Sometimes hard sometimes soft. No it's not hard for him to go. The Dr. thought maybe he was backed up (thats why they did the stomach x-ray). We head back to the Dr. tomarrow so we'll see what they say.

[billysmommy]

Originally Posted by momofMikhail

Sometimes hard sometimes soft. No it's not hard for him to go. The Dr. thought maybe he was backed up (thats why they did the stomach x-ray). We head back to the Dr. tomarrow so we'll see what they say.

Could there be a food allergy? My DD would complain of belly aches, and after allergy testing for other reasons, it turned out that she was allergic to cow's milk. Eliminated the milk and the belly aches are gone.
Just a thought....

[momofMikhail]

We saw the Dr. again yesterday and they are redoing all of the parasite tests and checking to make sure ds does not have a bacterial infection again. If everything comes back fine, they are sending us to a gastroenterologist for a full GI workup. We just had all these tests done about a month ago, but I do agree that they need to be done again (just to make sure). So wish us luck!

[sak9645]

Weight loss in a young child is a serious issue. See a pediatric gastroenterologist immediately.

The good news is that the problem is most likely that the antibiotic your son took wiped out not only the "bad bacteria" that were causing his initial problem, but also the "good bacteria" that help with digestion. If he cannot digest his food, he is going to be mighty uncomfortable.

You might start a trial of non-prescription items that stimulate the growth of the good bacteria. Yogurt will help, if your son will eat it; look on the label to be sure that it contains things like acidophilus. Otherwise, you can get acidophilus tablets in the pharmacy or health food store. They are harmless to children and adults, and simply contain the cultures that are in yogurt.

While you are at it, repeat the parasite tests. And ask that the doctor request the specific test for Giardia, not just a basic "O and P" (ova and parasites). Giardia, which can cause the symptoms you describe, is a most elusive parasite. You can do the O & P three or four times and get negative results, before you actually get a positive.

I would also suggest that you test for H. pylori. A lot of parents of Russian kids find that this parasite, which can cause stomach pain and ulcers, shows up on tests very often. Doctors don't agree on whether it is the H. pylori that is causing a child's tummyache, or whether it is just "there", while something else is causing the pain; still, there are a lot of Russian adoptees whose parents strongly believe that H. pylori is the culprit in cases like your son's.

Sharon

[Kasey]

Glad all the tests are being repeated! Good luck and keep us posted.