Re: Cyclical Vomitting?

Posted By Sherry R on March 12, 1999 at 20:49:54:

In Reply to: Cyclical Vomitting? posted by Donna on March 12, 1999 at 15:31:34:






My daughter is 10 years old, a normal happy child.  For the past year or so she has been experiencing, every 4 - 6 weeks, horrible stomach pains accompanied by violent vomitting and diarrhea.  The episodes last about 3 hours, come on very suddenly, usually in the middle of the night, and then go away just as quickly.  She has recently been thru all the tests -- parasites, Upper GI for hernia or malrotation, ultrasound to check for gallstones, and all came back negative (and that's a GOOD thing!!).  We have deleted all dairy from her diet (doctors advice) with the thought that perhaps it is lactose intolerance (it's not), and have increased her fiber, thinking perhaps IBS.  After being on this regimen for about a month, she had an attack that was milder than all the rest; however, the next attack was just as bad, if not worse, than the other ones.  We took her to the Emer. Room during this attack and they did a Liver function test, which showed slightly elevated liver enzymes, which we were told were okay, and not related to her episodes.  Her gastro doctor now believes she may have a syndrome called cyclical vomitting, which he said he sees in girls her age who are overweight (she is probably 5 - 10 pounds overweight for her, although she is 5' tall all ready).  He has put her on Periactin, an antihistimine.  She's only been on it for 1 1/2 week, so we don't yet know if it's working. Could you please give me your opinion on this medicine as well as any information on its effect on this syndrome, and any info at all on cyclical vomitting itself.  Do you think the cyclicality of this could have anything to do with hormones beginning to kick in (i.e. menstruation).  She suffers so badly during these attacks, and is afraid to sleep over any where for fear one may occur, and I am at my wits end!! Any information would be greatly appreciated, and I do so appreciate your web site!  Thank you very much.




Hello.  My 4 yo daughter has also been through some of those same tests, and was given the same diagnosis.  I've never heard of it being associated with the childs weight, though.  My daughter is actually on the small side (always 10% for both height and weight).  
I know how you feel when your daughter is going through this.  It's so hard to see them so ill, and you're helpless to do anything about it.  Fortunately, my daughter's case is mild, with episodes only every few months.  However, when she does have one, they always require rehydration therapy with an i.v. solution.  She had her tonsils removed in December to try to lessen the frequency of bouts.  Every time she got a strep infection, it would set the CVS off.
If you do a web search for "Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome" (use the quotation marks for best results), you'll be able to find a few sites with helpful information.  There are also ones that offer support, since this can be hard to find.  CVS is considered a rare disorder.
Good luck to both you and your daughter!  I know how hard this can be to live with.  If you need someone to talk to, my e-mail address is listed.