14 year old daughter

[marcia]

I am the mother of a 14 year old daughter who has  always suffered from stomach problems.  I remember as a baby she always had a lot of diarreha.  I have spent all these years saying that it is stress and she will outgrow it but she is getting worse.  She has frequent diarreha and pain which is always there but she can usually cope with it.  But she has occasional spells with vomitting and diarreha that really get her down for a few days.  She has had an ultra sound, upper and lower gi.  All those test have been normal so they say she had IBS.  I am very frustrated at that diagnosis because I don't think they have looked into it well enough to label her with IBS. I feel like no one listens to me, I think she needs to be scoped, I think there has to be something else wrong with her.  She has been put on Levbid and now I am suppose to start her on fiber therapy.  She doesn't feel like the levbid is helping her.  It slows down her diarreha but she still has frequent pain. This really effects her everyday life, she stays home all the time, is afraid to do anything.  It is very sad and I don't know what to do to help her.  She is sick so often. Help

[HFHSM.D._gastro-RF]

Dear Marcia,
The x-ray studies that were done can usually identify structural abnormalities of the GI tract.  If your daughter has not seen a gastroenterologist, now might be a good time to consider such an evaluation.  There are many causes for the symptoms that you describe e.g. malabsorption, dysmotility, and a specialist may have a different perspective on your daughter's problems.

This information is presented for edcuational purposes only.  Ask specific questions to your personal physician.

HFHSM.D.-Gastro-RF

[NRO-Sx]

Has she had a lactulose/mannitol test to r/o celiac disease?  Also, has she been tried on buscopan?  In light of her frequent diarrhea, neg U/S and upper

[marcia]

No she hasn't had any test other than upper and lower GI and US.  It seems like IBS is an easy diagnosis and my doctor seems stuck on it.  I will mention this to her doctor though and see what she thinks.  Any other advice would be welcome.  Thank you!

[shelley marcy]

I agree with the Dr. who said it may be time for her to see a gastroenterologist.  Please take her as soon as possible.  There is such a thing as a pediatric gastro dr.  but now that she's 14 I imagine a regular gastro dr. would be fine.  

Though I'm older than your daughter, I have suffered for 15 years with a condition called Collagenous Colitis.  I won't go into detail about the condition itself, other than persistant diarreha and pain.  These two things in and of themselves have caused me great problems holding jobs.  I now own my own successful business and can work out of my home......even that is difficult most of the time.  The only way this condition can be diagnosed is through a colonoscopy WITH BIOPSY.  A gastro dr. will order the test.  It's quite possible the colonoscopy will be very helpful.

Good luck.....I know how she feels.

Shelley

[Barbara]

I also have a 14 yr old daughter that has constant stomach pain.  This has been going on for 6 years.  She has been diagnosed with gastroparesis and has been on and off medication.  Lately we have been going to the ER once a month.  I have been in contact with her gastrologist and we have done everything but the scope,lately.  She had one 3 years ago but I feel we need another.  I can understand your frustration because I have just about reached the end of my rope.

[VLB]

Marcia,
It looks to me like lots of people are recommending evaluation by a gastroenteralogist.  That is certainly a must.  However, not all GEs will aggressively and creatively seek answers, as a friend of mine is experiencing.  If your daughter's gastroenterologist seems resistant to comprehensive testing, I advise you to find another gastroenterologist.  In this forum, I see over and over again people being "diagnosed" with IBS, when not enough tests have been performed to draw that conclusion and rule out other possible causes.

[Helen Dynda]

First of all, I am not a medical professional;  however, I have experienced 27 years of being misdiagnosed - and have been put through many invasive tests which all proved to be negative or normal.  

I finally found a gynecologist, whose specialty is endometriosis.  After 27 years of living in chronic pain, I finally found a doctor who listened to me!  

He suggested and did a diagnostic laparoscopy for me August 1997 - with the result being: "massive adhesions attaching my omentum to my abdominal wall" - which had resulted from a surgery I had in 1970.  No wonder I had been experiencing so much chronic pain all those years!!

I am not saying that adhesions are your daughter's chronic pain problem.  I am telling you to take charge of your daughter's situation by learning everything you can about the possible causes of your daughter's problem - and following through with HFHSM.D.'s advice along with the suggestions I have listed below.

Has your daughter ever had surgery?  If she has, she could be having problems with adhesions.  Unfortunately, adhesions can only be diagnosed by one test - a diagnostic laparoscopy, which is a surgical procedure.

Endometriosis is another disease/disorder which can only be detected and verified via a diagnostic laparoscopy.


The following suggestions are some things which you can do to try to determine if either of the above could be the cause of her problems:

*If she hasn't been seen by a gastroenterologist (as suggested by HFHSM.D) -- this is a very wise first suggestion.  

*If this specialist finds that tests are negative, then I would suggest that she be seen by an obgyn, who *specializes in endometriosis*.

In the meantime I would encourage you to

[am]

Does your daughter suffer from allergies?  I had similar symptoms and found they could be all but eliminated by (1) eliminating milk proteins from my diet and (2) taking a combination of antihistamines and decongestants.  It sounds too simple to be true, but I have found that the post-nasal drip associated with allergies causes extreme pain, distension and diarrhea.  

If nothing else, it is easy enough to get tested for allergies and see what the results are.

[charley]

Has your daughter ever been tested for cystic fibrosis? These symptoms sound similiar to cf. she maybe a mild case. does she have asthma? Or frequent respiratory problems. Maybe someone missed this along the way!!! It's probably not, but may be worth checking into.