Functional Abdominal Pain

[Jason6091]

My daughter is 10 years old and 6 weeks ago she started complaining severly about stomach pains and back pains.  Since then, we have had 4 series of blood work, urine tests, CT Scans, ultrasounds and a Scope.  Everything has come back completely normal.  Our GI has diagnosed her with Functional Abdominal Pain.  As he describes it, he says that she is registering normal abdominal functions as painful events.

She is in most pain first thing in the morning.  She has been taking Prevacid for 5 weeks now with no reduction in pain.  There is no pattern to the pain.  It can flair up at any moment.

Is this a real diagnosis?  Does it make sense?  How do we help control the pain?  Are there other things we should be doing or testing for?

[Fuzzz]

I don't believe your GI doctor knows what's going on, so he is giving you one of their guilt-associated diagnoses to make you and the patient feel like the symptoms are your/her fault to make you go away.

How are her bowel movements?  I ask because people don't like to talk about this subject.  Constipation is a very sneaky problem in my experience.  If she is having infrequent or difficult bowel movements or pain with them, please try giving her MiraLax on a daily basis and see if it brings her relief.  You'll know within a day or two.  I'd try it on the weekend so her system can get cleared out while she's at home instead of school.

I hope it's that simple for you.  

[ginny5]

i am a 41 year old female with interstitial cystitis and i have suffered for years and troubles inbetween. Now something new. i have developed chronic right side pain it hurts front to back or back to front and is getting really sore and hurts to sit and standup. I went to the ER 4 weeks ago (still bad and getting worse) and i had a kidney infection and they found a complex cyst on my left ovary and i do have pain there too but not soreness or in the back.  infection is now gone and they want to wait until november for another ultrasound it is 2.6 cm now.  my stomach is sick everyday and hurts and bloats/swells. i do have gastritis and gastroperesis should i worry? any ideas?