Stomach pain-not hunger

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Hello! I'm a new nurse and a new school nurse. What do I do when kiddos come in for stomach pain. They say they are not hungry. What should I do?

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

Assess. Palpate to make sure there is no guarding or rebound tenderness.

Ask if they are nauseated.

When was their last bm? If it wasn't that morning (or you think they are lying when they said they just pooped) tell them to go try.

Fever?

Until you get your feet wet and get a feel for the particular students to know if they are a FF, you can let them have a little rest, I typically only do that if they truly look like their stomach hurts, otherwise they will be up all the time.

Encourage water and a snack if they get a snack time in class.

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Specializes in School nursing.

Do they need to poop?

Because this is often the case.

Also what age are you working with? Old enough for menstrual cramps? Old enough to tell me what they had for breakfast was large Dunkin' Donuts strawberry coolatta? Any other symptoms being reported?

Also: peppermints. They help - they really do.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

Ask:

When did it start hurting? Did you eat breakfast? If so, what did you eat? Did you eat at home or at school? (You'd be surprised to learn the number of kids that eat at both places).

Where does it hurt? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Have you thrown up? Want to use my bathroom?

Check for fever. Assess/palpate, if necessary.

If nothing jumps out at me, or symptoms other than the initial complaint are null and void, I send them back to class. If they are truly not feeling well, they will make their way back, and I will then call home to let parent know I have seen them twice and then let them make the decision.

Often, the student simply has Mathitis- a stomachache induced by math class :)

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I do what the other above have said, as well.

I'll also add that sometimes hunger can present as pain and they don't realize what they're feeling is actually hunger pains. When I've had them try going to the bathroom, drinking some water, and I've assessed and palpated, I'll offer a peppermint. Like Jen said above, they really do help. I explain to the kiddos that the peppermint oil in the mints actually has a calming effect on their gut which is why I give them for stomach aches.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Temp first, followed by the questions, poop, snack, etc. and finally the water challenge. I give 12 ounces of water, if it is a virus, they won't be able to hold it down.

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Aww thanks so much for all your help and advice. I will go to Target and get some peppermints. I can't believe how fast ya'll responded. I'm so grateful to be part of this forum

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Aww thanks so much for all your help and advice. I will go to Target and get some peppermints. I can't believe how fast ya'll responded. I'm so grateful to be part of this forum

*(channels OldDude)* We're school nurses! That's what we do!

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

yes to all of this. if they can hold down the water and can comfortably remain in my office for 20 minutes or so then it's nothing too serious usually and a visit back to class is in order (and whatever they were dodging is usually over ). Peppermints / green mints are key, however i work with a mixed population and my own rule is that I won't give them to anyone under 3rd grade.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Learn so much from school nurses wise advice that I've used at summer camp.

How about peppermint tea for Kindergarten-2nd grade to soothe tummy's?

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I use peppermint lifesavers. They're not dissolve, sort of like after dinner mints, but a bit more slowly. Sam's Club and Amazon are great for bulk mints!

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

Didn't someone her once say something like - Don't look for the zebra in a herd of horses?

Meaning, by and large, stomach aches that we see are just that...random upset tummies due to hunger, nerves or other benign issues. Not to say we don't occasionally catch a hot appendix, because it has happened. But most of the time they just need a little rest. Or to poop.

Along those lines...headaches are usually from being tired, being thirsty, etc.

It's good to have those zebras in the way back of your mind, but start with the simple & go from there.

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