What do you do with your "Stomachache" kids?

[MHDNURSE]

Just curious. I HATE that complaint with a passion and of course, it is the most frequent one. My kids are all K or 1 so usually not trying to get out of class. I always take a temp, ask them when they last had a BM and then send them to the bathroom, regardless of their answer. They always return 3 minutes later saying "it didn't help". I palpate the abdomen, make them jump up and down and hop, sometimes auscultate the abdomen...I don't have saltines here, don;t have tums or pepto here...I actually love when they vomit b/c then I get to just send them home

[beachynurse, ASN, BSN]

ohiobobcat said:

The first thing I ask is "what do you want to do?" For middle schoolers it is great because it makes them think about what they want to do to solve the problem (probably not good for younger kids). I further say "do you want to go home, rest for 5 minutes, drink water, use the bathroom, eat something, etc?" If their stomach issue isn't accompanied by fever, diarrhea, or vomiting I just generally let them rest for 15 minutes and send them back to class. They also have to call their parents.

I'm in a high school, and my biggest complaint is abdominal pain and nausea. These kids are able to sit and talk to each other, text, laugh and joke. In this population asking them what they want to do is opening the door for them to go home. That is the last question I ask. My goal is to keep the well children in school and send the sick ones home.