Hello, Bless her little heart. The hair loss is most likely from the malnutrition caused by the vomiting and should subside once the vomiting is stopped and the proper diet and vitamins are resumed. I agree she needs to see her pediatrician, and have some testing done because only testing can determine the exact cause. Here are some things that might help in the meantime. You can try to feed her 6 smaller meals verses 3 larger meals. Feed her before 6pm if she losses her appetite around 6. Maintain more of a Bland diet such as bananas, white rice, dry toast, applesauce, broth, crackers, jello etc. items like that until she is not vomiting, then slowly move to a more normal diet for her. Is it always at night? By your post it appears to be only at the evening meal so I'm going to assume that is correct unless you tell me differently. Does she lay down immediately after eating? What is her normal routine following that meal.
If it just the evening meal that is causing the vomiting it makes me first wonder WHY, if it is a GI or stomach issue she would likely vomit every time she eats, not just after supper. The 1st thing is to stop the before meal stress, try letting her help prepare the meal, make an appetizer tray with cheese, crackers, fruit, vegetables, or any other items she likes and discuss how yummy supper is going to be when you guys get it finished. You and her sneak several bites along the way while preparing it without mentioning the vomiting this way she will be concentrating on the preparation not the food she's consuming while doing it. Make a game out of it, if dad's in the pic tell her to not tell dad you guys are sneaking these goodies and not giving him any and pop some food in your mouth If she mentions the vomiting tell her tell her not to worry about that until supper time gets ready. Hopefully by the time supper is finished she will have already eaten her entire meal during preparation and not vomited. If you can read to her etc and take her mind off it and she doesn't vomit then it may not be a GI or stomach issue. There may be a problem with reflux if she is lying down shortly after eating. Make sure she maintains an upright position at least 1 hour after the meal and uses at least 2 pillows when she lays down to help decrease any reflux.
Another possibility that I feel I need to mention not to upset you but to make you aware it is possible because my daughter went through this same thing and also now has severe crohn's disease as well which may or not been triggered by the stress of the constant vomiting during that time. Her trigger was stress related, caused by parent's filing for divorce, in turn she started worrying so much she made herself vomit, the vomiting got attention from both parents, so she continued to make herself vomit and became anorexic. She is 22 now and told me she thought by doing that, she knew both mom and dad would be there because she was sick and that as long as she stayed sick we might get back together (she was 8 at the time).
You said she gets her self worked up every evening and has a fear of eating it could be possible she to has a psychological problem causing this to occur such as fear of going to bed, a fear of going to school the next day, or possibly even anorexia. You said she doesn't know why she vomits and that is probably the case, she may be stressed over something either at home, or school and is either blocking it out or is embarrassed or afraid to talk about it. You stated she was nice and thick before this started and now she is thin. (Are you sure she wasn't possibly teased by the kids at school)? Have you talked with her teachers at school to ensure she is eating her meals there? I don't know what is causing her vomiting but wanted to ensure all bases were covered so nothing got over looked, and hopefully the vomiting can be stopped once and for all. I Hope This Helps, Good Luck and God Bless. Please Keep Us Posted.
Type your answer hereI would suggest that you see a physician as soon as possible, it sounds like her symptoms are accelerating. Occasionally, a child will present with vomiting that appears to have no clear cause. Once infections, obstructions and various other ailments are eliminated as a cause, other, more exotic diagnoses must be entertained. It should be noted that, along with conditions that affect the GI tract, other conditions need to be considered. Any abnormality which results in increased pressure within the cranium can cause vomiting. These conditions can range from a simple concussion to an intracranial bleed to brain cancer. Any child who has unexplained vomiting for more than a few days should receive a head CT scan or MRI.
There is another condition, cyclic vomiting, which is sometimes considered in children whose vomiting has gone on for a significant period of time with no other diagnostic explanation. This unusual condition has no known cause, and no clear treatment. It can be seen in adults but is most common in kids aged three to seven years old. It is probably more common than some may think, occurring in one out of fifty children with prolonged vomiting, and the symptoms can be quite profound.
http://www.pedsforparents.com/articles/2979.shtml
Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
I am sorry to hear about your daughter. Commonest cause of chronic nausea and vomiting is acidity. Liver and kidney dysfunction is another cause. Hence kidney and liver function tests should be done. Other causes are diabetes and hypothyroidism. Electrolyte imbalance too can cause nausea. IBS, gluten or lactose intolerance, parasites in gut too can be the cause. A stool test should be done for worms, giardiasis etc. Also if nothing is found then food challenge test to detect food intolerance should be done. Once all possible causes of vomiting have been ruled out, there is a possibility that this is cyclical vomiting syndrome. This is characterized by bouts of unexplained vomiting that stop as they came (in her case after the hospitalization) with a symptom free period and start again. There is no test to diagnose it yet. Diagnosis is made by a careful history which shows that each vomiting episode was similar to the previous one in terms of pattern, duration and symptoms.
While this may not have triggers but often triggers are found like emotional stress, exams, fights in schools, inability to adjust to one’s environment etc.
Treatment is supportive with medications to stop vomiting, IV fluids, a calm peaceful environment, counseling of the whole family etc.
It is difficult to comment for sure on net hence discuss this with your daughter’s doctor. Take care!