3 Year Old w/ Gastrointestinal Problems

[CCKP]

Hi, My son is 3 years old and is generally a very heathly child.  For about the last 3-4 weeks he has been complaining that his tummy has hurt, off and on about every 3 days or so. We have tried Gravol, Gas_x and some diareahha/cramping medicine (although he has had no diareahah)

In the last week we have had to take him to Emergency twice because he was crying and screaming in pain.  They took XRays of his stomaach and intenstines and both times they saw a moderate amount of stool in there as well as air in the stomach and intestines (gas). They left it at that saying just to try a laxative which we have and has helped somewhat.  However, I cant get into see my family Dr for another week as he is on vacation. Can anyone shed any light as to what may be causing this? I am thinking  lactose intolerance simply because last night before this episode, he had a glass of milk and a yogurt before going to bed.

Thanks for the help!! I am getting really worried.

[kimmie_n_angus]

yes ...DS was constipated and the gas formed by the dairy just riled him with pain....it was awful. i also have heard that children developing this usually grow out of it and it is really common.

kimmie

[CCKP]

That is exactly what is happening with my son!! Its hard for him and its hard for us, he is inconsolable.  

I also read on the internet somewhere that it can be caused by antibiotics, which he was on a few weeks ago as well. Hopefully it will be over soon!

Thanks again.

[kimmie_n_angus]

oh i know....it was so hard to watch my son go through it. and i did what you did er and dr office and noone could find anything wrong. so i thought about what he had been eating or drinking and sure enough cutting out the milk products was the answer. i am hoping it is for your boy.

lactaid was jakes favorite and he had no prob drinking it, soy milk had to be flavored for him to touch it. they make a lot of lactose free foods and they r at the regular grocery stores in the whole food sections or organic sections.....they r a little costly but worth it when your little one feels better and is happy again.

i think my son was 5 when he grew out of it.....he has been able to eat and drink dairy products happily for the last 3 yrs.

kimmie

[cinnamonheart]

Checking out his diet is a good start.
Is he a good eater?? What does he eat? Foods high in fats will also cause constipation, Does he drink enough?
It very well could be milk products but make sure you check out all aspects of his diet.

[kimmie_n_angus]

my son did the EXACT same thing at 3 yrs old. he had developed a lactose intolerence. even his pediatrician couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. but everytime he ate anything with a milk product in it he would get so bad. it was awful.

i decided on my own to take all dairy products from him. i gave him soy milk and lactaid....they make flavors to keep kids wanting it. and made sure he didn't eat any crackers with whey in them and it worked. the grocery bill was higher for awhile but well worth it. slowly i started introducing it back into his diet. first crackers and then i got the nutrish B milk from oakhurst.

now my son is 8 yrs old and not lactose intollerant anymore. it disappeared as quickly as it popped up.

i would try to cut out the dairy stuff and see if it helps...and keep talking to his dr. together you will figure it out.

good luck....kimmie

[CCKP]

Thank you for that. We are going to cut out all diary for the next few days to see if that is what is causing it. I hope that is what it is.  

Was your son constipated and in pain?

Thanks for the reply!!!

[TwinkyPants]

It does sound like dairy is doing the deed. Took me a while to figure out with my 2nd that this was the problem. When ever I would eat dairy products and breast feed he would have horrible stomch aches. I swear we bought those gas drops by the case. After he came off the breast he had to have soy milk. He seemed to have grew out of it by 2yrs. I hope he gets to feeling better, poor little thing. I bet your just frazzled and worried.

[pmom]

MY SON IS HAVING THEY EXACT SAME PROBLEM. APPLE JUICE REALLY HELPS HIM AND LOTS OF FRUITS. MY SON HAS TO GO SEE A SPECIALIST BECAUSE MY FAMILY DOCTOR SAYS THAT SOMETIMES KIDS GET A CONDITION, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME, BUT IT IS WHERE THIER BOWELS GET LAZY. TRY APPLE JUICE AND FRIUTS BUT IF IT DON'T GET BETTER I WOULD TAKE HIM TO SEE A SPECIALIST.

[CCKP]

Thank you for the replies!! I feel so much better now!!  

I hope the next few days are going to be better once we cut out the dairy.  If not, then its back to square one.  

Thanks again.

[Still_AndiJ]

I agree, Lactaid is the best stuff! All of us (dh, myself, and both boys) have issues with lactose. We drink lactaid whole milk and have zero problems. It is sweeter than regular cows milk, so you may not need to flavor it at all to get him to drink it.

They also make tablets (possibly even something for younger kids) that may be cheaper for you in the long run. You give it with the first bite of dairy and it works with anything (cheese, ice cream, etc) Lactaid can get spendy, we pay $3.99 (sometimes $2.99 on sale) per half gallon, and we go through one every other day (sometimes daily).

WIC does cover Lactaid, so that is an option.

Good luck!

Andrea

[Butterfly_Baybee2005]

Hello,
My name is Holly. I am 20 years old. I am planning on going off the pill (i have been on it for 3 years now) in November. I hope to get pregnant right away so I can give the news to my in-laws and my parents as an xmas gift. Do people usually have problems conceiving the first few months they go off the pill? How does it work? I also want to lose weight before I have a baby. As it is I am not comfortable in my skin. If anyone has suggestions or would like to chat, please email me at butterfly_baybee2005***@**** I will respond to everyone!
Also, will you only conceive on certain days of the month? I can use as much information as I can

[christiancrunchymommi]

I know my daughter has had thios issue a few time she is almost 2 now.. the poop back up can be caused by milk fat not necessary lactose issues so tryi giving him skim milk to see if that helps milk fat can created constipation issues as well as extra gas in the belly