# 8 yr old with IBS?



## 21157 (May 12, 2006)

I also posted this in the General IBS forum.. sorry I didn't see this here. Hi all! I'm new here! My name is Lodema, I'm 33 and from Ohio, USA.I have an 8 yr old son, Jacob, that has recently been diagnosed with IBS.His symptoms started out with constipation on and off for about two months, which of course caused stomach discomfort. Then he would be on the toilet going #2 and vomiting. This really concerned me, so we went to his doctor. He also then started having severe stomach pain and was burping a lot. His dr. felt all around his stomach and right away diagnosed IBS. He gave him an RX for Hyoscyamine .125/5 ml that he was to take 1/2 tsp every 4 hours as needed. Well, I was a little hesitant about giving this, but left it up to Jacob to let me know when he was feeling major pain. I think he lied often so that he didn't have to take the "yucky" medicine. After about 2 weeks, I called his doctor back and said we wanted to see a specialist. He got us in to see a Pediatric GI Specialist.The man did the exact same thing. Asked us questions, felt around his belly, and confirmed it is IBS. He gave him an RX for Dicyclomine 10 mg/5ml syrup. Jacob really puts up a fuss about taking it. Should I force him to take it? Do you know if this med really works? Should they have done more tests to be sure?Sorry for so many questions. Jacob still has pain in his stomach off and on. We are trying to keep track of what causes these symptoms, but I just feel so bad for him. I wish I could take all of his pain away. I even feel guilty wondering if I could have done something to prevent this? Maybe kept him away from fast food? It just seems like my little guy doesn't eat much lately. I'm just so worried that he could have been misdiagnosed and we're putting off getting treatment for something else. Is that a common worry?One thing we have noticed, if he drinks pop, it irritates his stomach!! We let him drink Diet pop if we go out to dinner or juice. Those seem to have no harsh effects. Well, I am so happy I found this wonderful community. I am hoping to continue learning through others who have IBS, so that I can help my son in anyway I can. Thanks in advance for your help!Lodema


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## 18829 (Mar 20, 2006)

big hugs i hope he gets help soon im in scotland and i had terrible trouble as a child and i beleive i suffer alot from physchology related ibs -c as well, the fear of pain i think peronally does scare children into not going and i think it still lives with me now as soon as my boys get the hint of not going (they both go twice a day every day) i give them 2.5 ml lactulose (which i have to say i dont need to do very often but y doctor supports this)not really needed but id hate for them to suffer like i did and my boys have porridge every day and eat so much better than i ever did also they love veg and fruit (they are 4 and 19months!!!!!!) and drink 2-3 litres a day but still get their treats as well and they both still come into the toilet with me in our house its an open toilet door policy and we show each other our poohs!! sounds strange but i always thought pooh was disgusting horrible thing and would never until i was pregnant go anywhere but my own toilet!!! when i woved to my own flat at 19 i used to go home to my mums to pooh and when i met my partner i used to send him in the town for shopping when i needed to go. i only started being able to talk about my movements when i started working with people with disabilities as the people i work with cant say when theyre sore etc and it all had to be in a diary and my manager made everyone talk about their own bm's(bowel movements)and that feeling of being able to talk about it freely and hearing other peoples problems helped me to deal with my condition alot so if theres any real advice i can give id say make sure he isnt embarassed by his condition and dont make it a subject that cant be talked about in public encourage the family to talk about their own movementsxxx love mel


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## 17663 (Jul 11, 2006)

hey im zoeyi have suffered from ibs from around that age 2 i am now 16 and i have stil got ibs. it is one of the worst things that anyone could have. tell your son from me he's not the only young person out there that has ibs and also tell him i feel for him and know what it feels like to have ibs.the symptoms that i get are bloated feeling sick very sore stomach cramps and i also pass wind alot. i take kolanticon which is a medicine for the spasms it doesnt taste very nice but it helps me a little. i have to take 2 5ml spoonfuls 4 times a day.right now i am having an ibs attack. i have had it for over a week now sometimes my tummy can be ok but days it kils me i cry alot and i feel i have no freedom to do what i like. its kinda ruined a life.


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## kazzy3 (Apr 11, 2003)

Hi Lodema. My son has had abdominal pain and vomiting as well as d and c at an early age. He is 16 now had still gets symptoms that make him miss school pretty often. He had many tests when he was very young and was hospitalized a lot for dehydration. Things have gotten somewhat better for him but it is still a battle. It is hard to persuade him to change his diet because sometimes that helps. Note the types of foods your son eats and when his symptoms kick in. Try to convince him to relax when things flare up, since stressing makes it worse. Support him and try to observe when his symptoms come on,sometimes by doing that you can find some things that work. Ibs seems to be trial and error and different things work for different people. Hang in there.


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## 21310 (Jul 12, 2006)

PLEASE HELP if you can give me any advice.My daughter is 9 years old, she is seeing a pediatric gastro specialist. She just had a colonoscopy done a few months ago and he stated she has IBS. He has me giving her a laxative every other night and she also has prescriptions of the Dicyclomine and the Hyoscyamine, but she says they don't help her. She has had this problem for over a year and he just now did a colonoscopy on her, before he did a throat scope and said she had acid reflux, which is now gone. We thought it was weird that even taking acid reflux medications she still complained of her tummy hurting really bad down by her belly button. I don't know how to help her and she cries on a daily basis, which seems to be more in the evenings. She don't understand that I can only give her the medications the doctor prescribes and she cries for me to help her and give her something else. Is there anything else that can help ease her pain? Or any other know medications that are safe to use on children that I can ask her doctor about?


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## kazzy3 (Apr 11, 2003)

Seeing your child in terrible pain and not being able to take it away is one of the hardest parts of being a parent. You could try a heating pad, or peppermint tea for pain, if you can get her to agree to those they may help. Try talking to your doc again see if he/she has any ideas. Try to get your daughter to relax when the pain starts, I know that can be difficult but if you could teach her some deep breathing or maybe a distraction, it may sound silly but you could be surprised something like a fav movie or something like that. Hang in there and keep us posted.


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## Sandeera (Apr 21, 2006)

Sorry to hear about your daughter. I have 4 children and know how it feels to not be able to do something for them. I read the other day (probably on the internet, so it must be true. haha) that people who listened to music through head phones reacted less to pain than those who don't. Try getting her to lay down and listen to her favorite song. Hey its worth a try. I just bought me a small MP3 player so that I can try it. I love music and figure it might be a good relaxation technique. (I've said I couldn't spell right?)


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Just popping in quickly - a possible suggestion - there are several children using clinical hypnotherapy via the IBS Audio Program to help ease their pain and IBS symptoms and it has proved to be quite helpful.If I can be of help, please do let me know - there are a few adaptations to make with kids for the program, but it has a very good success rate, many have eliminated or eased up on their medications, and it breaks the mind-gut connection early on - not a cure - doen't work for everyone, but does so for the majority of folks who try it.I will bow out now, unless someone has questions - also feel free to post them on the forum listed below.All the best to your children - it isn't easy, my daughter too suffers from similar, not with IBS as I did, but is better now too via hypnotherapy with her meds.


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## 14706 (Jul 18, 2006)

hey there,I'm 16 and I've had IBS for a few years now. I also have an anxiety disorder and my doctor says that the 2 problems are most likely related. Do you know if your son has anxiety attacks or any anxiety problems. I also take Dicyclomine as needed, mine are in pill form (would your son be able to take them in pill form) it works out well for me. I take them whenever I'm having a "flare up" before I eat. What REALLY has helped me become regular so far though has been fiber pills. I take one a day every day and I have been doing so much better than before. It has been the only thing that has really seemed to make me regular. Best of luck.


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