Chronic vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain in kids

my daughter Ashley (age 16) had similar issues starting 3+ years ago. She was finally diagnosed with Gastroparesis a year ago. Check out

http://www.g-pact.org

for more information. Also, you can read my daughter's story at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/AshleyJenkins

Also there is an excellent you tube video created by a young lady with Gastroparesis to raise awareness about this rare disease. You can check it out at-

Hope this helps and that you can get some answers for your daughter...

You may want to get another opinion from a different GI doc. Ask them to do an endoscopy and take biopsies for Eosinophillic Esophagitis and Gastroenteritis. Also, check out the American Partnership for Eosinophillic Disorders for support and information. It's a great source. http://apfed.org/drupal/drupal/

I have IBS and celiac disease. If your daughter is stressed out, it might explain a lot.

thank you so much for telling me about Ashley! I get her updates by email and pray for her all the time. she is such a brave and amazing girl and I ask people at my church to pray for her. I have never met her but she is my heroine!

I am happy to report that my daughter is 100% better--we don't know why, but she is eating again and gaining weight after a 7-month illness. She still has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which we think was caused by the same virus that attacked her digestive nervous system and made her so ill for so long. She also had C. difficile along the way, which was AWFUL. We don't know why she got better but think that taking her off food and nourishing her by feed tube (NJ) helped her nervous system reroute or calm down or whatever happened. She slowly learned to eat again and now can eat anything. She takes neurontin (gabapentin) for the pain, which is gone, so we're down to just minimal maintenance dose), and salt tabs (1 g twice a day) and fludrocortisone (0.1 mg/day) to keep her blood pressure up, which fights the dizziness and nausea that POTS causes. She does great if she doesn't miss a dose. We think she'll outgrow the POTS by her 20s, so we are happy. I will repost if anything changes, but please know we keep Ashley in our prayers always. You are an awesome mom!!!!

Rare function disorder common to begin in children is Cyclic Vomitting Syndrome. http://www.cvsaonline.com sounds similar to what I went through and still do. Diagnosis can take years of testing and hospital visits and most cases unfortunately no cure or real treatment. Sometimes seeming almost healthy in between episodes.

To concerned mom....when I read this it was like it was written about my son...he has been going through the same thing since Memorial Day 2012. He swallowed pool water and I just thought that he was sick from that...although he has not gotten better and its over 7 mos later...he usually awakens between 4-6 am vomiting and then has diarrhea. They have tested for all the same things except for the milk allergy, and only because he wont eat any of the white foods he is supposed to eat 24 hours prior to the test. He has an upper endoscopy scheduled next week. The doctor has diagnosed and is treating him for Cyclic vomiting syndrome, but I dont think thats whats wrong. This happens at least once a month, goes away and comes back. Any suggestions for me. My son is VERY thin as well..he is 9 yrs old and only 48 pounds

Hi, other concerned mom, and thanks for posting! We JUST got back from our week at Mayo Clinic. It took us a year to get in, so if you haven't filled out an app yet, do so! We found out that our daughter has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and a fructose malabsorption. (She also had two Clostridium difficile [C. diff.] infections last year that really complicated everything, but she's fine now.) You can read about POTS on this site, but it's basically an autonomic nervous system disorder. Hers manifests as dizzyness, fatigue, occasional headache, nausea/vomiting, and weakness. Sort of like you feel when you first get the flu. Prognosis is good! Exercise, lots of water, and lots of salt. I have read about cyclic vomiting, but we didn't have it because the nausea/vomiting never went away. I understand it comes and goes, so that diagnosis MIGHT be right. Does migraine medication help? But it could be POTS! You can learn more at http://www.dinet.org and click on the POTS link. Our daughter vomited at night a LOT.

Have you tested him for C. diff? I do know C. diff. (the bacterial gut infection) can be very hard to catch, as there are many ways to test for it. It is a killer--not for kids but often for seniors--and it makes you want to die. MISERABLE. Our GI told me the gold standard test is the "cytotoxin B" test, but I believe they always test for A and B toxins together. I read a paper that said you should get the culture test, too, as this is most reliable. Well, I requested that, and the cytotoxin B test came back positive in a couple hours. The culture test took a few days and was also positive. Not all labs test with the same protocols, so you have be very aggressive and demand multiple types of tests, especially the toxin test.

The fructose test is fairly easy and the positive result was a surprise (and a bummer--it's in every food group!) but she is on a restricted diet for 4-6 wks, then we can slowly reintroduce it. Are you a Mayo patient? If you are, you can call the Barbara Lips Patient Info Center and ask them to do research for you. If you want to chat by email, please send a private message. Please don't hesitate to write me, I feel for your son--and you! This is a very tough thing to get through. Many many people helped us,I'd love to help you if I can!

Again, don't be shy--private message me!

Hi,
I am sorry to hear your daughter is feeling so ill. I am 15 and I have very similar symptoms to your daughter and I also have no answers. I was diagnosed with celiac disease when I was 13 years old, but it didn't stop the GERD, diarrhea, and tummy pain that has been plaguing me for quite some times. I got a colonscopy and an endoscopy too, but they found nothing. Eventually my GI and physician pretty much just diagnosed me with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and told me I would just have to deal with it. It's been quite frustrating too because I am 5'4 but I weigh 85 pounds, so I am very thin. I guess I am still searching for answers.

So far the only thing that has given me some relief is massage therapy and yoga.

HI, Little Dreamer, thanks for writing! I am sorry it took me so long to get back to you, most mostly I am sorry for your suffering. I know how hard this is for you, and I hope you will get answers from a doctor willing to go the distance. Please read my other posts on this page under Concerned Mtn. Mom. I am happy to report we got the help we needed at Mayo Clinic and my daughter's diagnosis was Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and fructose malabsorption. A year ago we were told it was "just IBS" and also just "something to deal with--if she throws up, just act like nothing happened." Well, she was throwing up every day, 10 times a day or more, and ended up in the hospital. It was a "go-away" diagnosis and one some docs will give when they can't figure you out. Dont' give up! Get to Mayo if you can, but in the meantime, you may want to ask your GI to test you for FODMAPs--that's "short chain carbohydrates and monosaccharides which are poorly absorbed in the small intestine." At Mayo my daughter did a fructose absorption test and found the source of her nausea, vomiting, and chronic abdominal pain. Restricting her diet to eliminate most fructose made a huge, wonderful difference. So it's not all in your head, but it could be in your intestines! : )

Mostly I would encourage you to never give up. You need an advocate to push your case on any doctor who will listen. A diagnostic team is a good thing, doctors working together with open minds.

I am happy to report that with the treatment plans they gave us to handle my daughter's two diagnoses, she is back in school and living a mostly normal life. In a month! You might also look at Gastroparesis. Today is also SMA awareness day, to raise awareness of a dangerous condition patients who lose too much weight too fast can face (Superior Mesenteric Artery). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_mesenteric_artery_syndrome. this is very very rare, I am just sharing this info for the spirit of the day. I am not a doctor! just someone who knows that it's worth it to keep looking for answers and better health. Good luck and I hope you get comfort and healing fast!!