Chronic nausea in a 12 year old

[ParrotHeadRN]

Hi all,

My 12 year old son has been nauseated for about a month now, pretty continuously. He has had an upper GI, which showed reflux but no ulcer or other problems. He's been on prilosec for 2 weeks with no results. I've tried to do all the dietary changes, but he's not eating much anyway because of his nausea. He has missed much school because of this; I am actually considering having him be homebound for the rest of the year as I am concerned he won't pass. He does vomit occassionally and c/o intermittent pain/burning/bubbling. Also, he has a history of IBS and constipation, but that has been doing fairly well lately.

Is there anything else I should be pushing for? I am at the end of my rope, it's awful seeing my little man sick all the time. Last night he was in bed with me crying because he doesn't think he will ever feel better again.

Thanks

[CHATSDALE]

MD's have a tendancy to decide if you can't see any cause of anything on a lab report or on a x-ray this it is all "in the head"

this has been the way with PMS and with CFS don't let them do this with your child.....my neice went though all this and finally was dx w/Chrons

use your common sense to withdraw foods and meds on a rotating basis u may find out more than the docs

best of luck

[susanmary]

:)

[ParrotHeadRN]

Hi everyone, I want to thank you all for your encouragement and support. We just got back from the ER because his doc couldn't see him until Friday and I couldn't take it anymore. Apparently he is constipated up to his eyeballs!!!! So now we know why he is nauseated all the time. We are going to start miralax today and get things moving. Thanks again to you all, all the support really made a difference. :kiss

[flute822]

Hello. I am very sorry about your son. I am 18 and have been dealing with chronic nausea since I was 8. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and acid reflux and put on Prevacid and Zantac. I also have an anxiety disorder and take Prozac for that. My anxiety worsens my nausea, and I have cried several times and wanted to kill myself because my nausea takes over my life. I think you should talk to a psychiatrist and see if maybe the nausea isn't related to emotional issues. As soon as I got nautious, I would get a panic attack and it would worsen my reaction. Since your son was up all night crying, it sounds as though anxiety plays a role in the nausea. I have been up many nights crying, and I commend you for being so patient as I know my mother would become very annoyed and convinced the nausea was all in my head. It sounds like you do realize that even if the nausea is related to a psychological illness, it still feels just as real and is just as debilitating. My sickness is actually affecting where I am applying to college, since I want to be near home. Please try and get your son under control before his nausea starts affecting his life.

`As far as IBS, I also was diagnosed with that and I find that eating at the same time of day regularly helps keep me regular. Pepto Bismol is also very helpful. For the acid reflux, I would add Zantac to the Prilosec and use Mylanta or Tums for immediate relief during severe nausea attacks. Also, for the acid reflux, make sure your son isn't eating anything at least three hours before bed, wears loose fitting clothes, and try to elevate the bed with blocks so less acid is likely to wash up. Tell him to eat lighter at dinner, as a big and heavy meal before bed is likely to leave you waking up more nauseated then usual. I would give the Prilosec three weeks, and if it hasn't helped go back to the gastroenterologist and ask about delayed gastric emptying. They can give him Arythromycin, which moves the food out of the stomach faster so it doesn't sit there and feel heavy, and also helps with IBS symptoms, especially constipation. Also, if he isn't vomiting, try and convince him to go to school, because sometimes getting your mind off of the nausea will get rid of it. I hope he feels better soon.