Dietry changes for my son.
#18966 - 08/29/03 06:26 AM
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BarbaraS
Reged: 02/12/03
Posts: 1939
Loc: Wisconsin
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My eight year old has a lot of tummy aches and his tummy hurts in the middle to lower tummy.
After talking to his doctor yesterday i decided to make dietry changes for him. Rather do that than have him go trought all the testing. To have him tested would require a one and half hour drive. (the disadvantage of living in a small city).
Does an IBS diet for adults work the same for children? Is he better off drinking rice or soy milk? He does like vanilla soy and the yoghurt.
Any advice will be helpful.
One more thing he suffers with C, so taking him off all dairy should be helpful.
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Barbara, I would still take him to be tested as I believe that is very very important and you wouldn't want to miss anything or self diagnose him. When they are young blood work and stool work is a good start for the testing. As well as a lactose test.
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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Hi Barbara - You can certainly change your son's diet so he's eating safely for IBS (the diet is healthy overall, for any age, regardless of whether someone has IBS). But I would still make sure your son has the tests the doc is recommending. At a minimum, they need to rule out inflammatory bowel diseases and celiac.
Children generally require fewer tests for diagnosis than adults, because they're just not candidates for some of the illnesses that can mimic IBS (like colon cancer and diverticulitis). But, they can certainly have IBD or celiac. It's also important that your doc is using the Rome Criteria (do a board search for info) to make sure your son's symptoms fit IBS.
So, go ahead and change his diet, but follow up with the doc too.
And soy or rice milk are both fine - whichever he prefers!
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks for the info. and I'll call the doctor about the blood tests.
Some of my hesitation for some testing is school is starting next week and in January I'll be looking for a CNA job. My insurance will change, since I want to work for the other Health Network in my city. It has a better hospital and there is wing devoted to only children and that is where I want to work when I become a RN.
Big part of me hates the thought of starting testing with one doctor and than have to switch to another doctor. Also my kids pediatrician specializes in behavior medicine and diabetes. I told the doc I'm concerned about IBS and told him I'm IBS-C and the doc didn't know that you can be C and have IBS. He also said IBS doesn't occur in children.
Those were red flags for me the doctor doesn't know much about IBS. The doctor has been awesome with my son who is ADHD. My other thought is switching doctors for my other two children.
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Hi - I think your concerns are really valid. If your son doesn't have red flag symptoms (fever, join swelling or pain, non-abdominal symptoms like skin or eye problems, passing blood) my guess is that it would be just fine to delay testing until the doc and insurance situation is settled.
And I'd totally agree with you to avoid the doc who didn't know that IBS can be constipation-predominant (huh?!) or that IBS can occur in children (double huh?!). It's never good to know more than your doctor about the very fundamentals of an illness you may be dealing with.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Well that doctor doesn't seem to know much for sure.
There are quite a few functional disorders as well as organic ones.
Here is some info on somethings for you.
J Spec Pediatr Nurs. 2003 Jul-Sep;8(3):81-9. Related Articles, Links
Recurrent abdominal pain in children: forerunner to adult irritable bowel syndrome?
Jarrett M, Heitkemper M, Czyzewski DI, Shulman R.
Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. jarrett@u.washington.edu
ISSUES AND PURPOSE: Review the etiology and pathophysiology of recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) and its potential role as a precursor to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in adults. CONCLUSIONS: Physiological mechanisms not easily identifiable as an organic cause may underlie symptoms in RAP patients. They may be triggered by psychosocial factors that result in greater functional disability, more clinic visits, and lower academic and social competence. Of these children, 25% will experience similar symptoms as adults; many will be diagnosed with IBS. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nurses can provide early and efficient management of these children's care if they view the issues of abdominal pain/discomfort from a broader focus that includes the context of the child's experiences.
PMID: 12942886
Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children and Adolescents: Classification, Epidemiology, and Etiology/Conceptual Models
http://www.med.unc.edu/wrkunits/2depts/medicine/fgidc/pediatric.htm#rap
Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Adolescents
http://www.med.unc.edu/wrkunits/2depts/medicine/fgidc/ibsandadolescents.htm
Aboutkids GI a website for children with GI problems
http://www.aboutkidsgi.org/
Hope this helps some. I am glad you will be taking him in at some point soon however.
This is some testing info for you.
http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/diagnosis.html
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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Thanks Shawn for the info. I'll read it all after my kids go to bed tonight and let you know what I think.
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Barbara, I have one more for you from pediatric pain experts.
Moderator: Welcome to WebMD Live's World Watch and Health News Auditorium. Today we are discussing "The Mind-Body-Pain Connection: How Does It Work?" with Brenda Bursch, Ph.D., Michael Joseph, M.D., and Lonnie Zeltzer, M.D.
Brenda Bursch, Ph.D., is the Associate Director of the Pediatric Pain Program, Co-Director of Pediatric Chronic Pain Clinical Service and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine. She has written about asthma, developmental & behavioral pediatrics, emergency medicine, AIDS education and prevention, chronic digestive diseases and pediatric bowel disorders. She has membership in the American Pain Society, American Psychological Association, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy Network, and the UCLA Center for the Study of Organizational and Group Dynamics.
Michael Henry Joseph, MD, is an assistant professor of pediatrics and co-director of Chronic Pain Services at the University of California at Los Angeles Children's Hospital. He is a recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Lonnie Zeltzer, M.D., is an expert in the field of pediatric pain. She is a former president of the Society for Adolescent Medicine and member of the National Institute of Health?s Human Development Study Section. She is currently a Professor of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology at the UCLA School of Medicine. She is Director of the UCLA Pediatric Pain Program and Associate Director of the Patients & Survivors Section, Cancer Prevention and Control Research Branch of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. She has well over one hundred scientific publications, reviews and chapters in medical journals, and has lectured internationally.
my.webmd.com/content/arti...1713CA348}
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My website on IBS is www.ibshealth.com
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Re:Shawn
#19156 - 08/30/03 08:16 PM
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BarbaraS
Reged: 02/12/03
Posts: 1939
Loc: Wisconsin
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Thanks for all the reading you gave me. 
I find it interesting and scary the doc is taking tummy pain and C so casually. My son was prescribed Mirlax in April and after a month I stop giving him the med., because I don't want him becoming dependant on it. My son finally had a BM today, but not without the tummy pain and sharp pain under his left rib. He did feel better after his BM. He fits the criteria to be further examined by a Gasro.
Can you give a child a fiber supplement? The doc told me no.
I am also surprised about the % of children who do have IBS and have to be referred to see a Gastro. Now I'm upset the doc isn't taking this seriously and how little knowlege he has of Gastro. disoders.
I have a lot to absorb here and hopefully my husband will read the articles and be more open minded to changing our son's diet and seeing a Gastro.
Will keep you all posted.
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I've never heard that they can't be given to children. I was told to take Metamucil at age 15, and have heard from many parents of younger kids who were told to take the supplements. The daily fiber dose can be lower for children, so thus the supplement dosage lower too, but why on earth wouldn't the supplement be allowed at all? Kids are eating soluble fiber from foods every day, and the supplements are just another version of the same thing.
Is this the same doc who said that kids can't get IBS at all?
Also - enteric coated peppermint capsules actually have clinical studies with children who have IBS that show they're highly effective. They're completely safe so another option for you...the studies are in the library.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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