Abdomen Pain

Stomach pain and children both seem to go together.  “MY TUMMY
HURTS”, “MY STOMACH IS PAINING”.  As parents, we have
heard these sentences many times, but someday your child wakes
up in the middle of the night complaining of tummy pain. Do you
tend to ask “do you feel like vomiting”? “Do you have any loose
motions?” “Exactly where does it hurt?”

Now, what do you do?
Stomach pain is the most common complaint in children. And it can
be trivial to life-threatening requiring immediate medical attention. 

The common cause of abdomen pain in children are
1. Psychological factors
2. Food-related illness.
3. Medical cause
4. Surgical cause

1. Psychological factors

• School going children often complain of recurrent pain, usually
  located around the navel. In most cases, the pain is not
  severe and the child does not complain about it if he is
  involved in doing something interesting.
• It rarely wakes him up from his sleep.
• He is perfectly all right in between the attacks, which may last
  for a few moments or longer, but rarely for more than half an
  hour.
• Be alert to see if there is any reason for the child to become
  emotionally upset. Is he being bullied in school? Is he afraid of
  his new teacher? Are the pending examinations causing him
  too much anxiety? Is the child upset because of a quarrel
  between e parents?
• If the symptoms persist, take the advice of a doctor, who may
  even refer him to a family counsellor, psychologist or
  psychiatrist.
• Don’t upset the child by remarks like. You are just acting or
  “Do not try to fool us!. I believe that such children do get pain,
  the symptom is probably due to some, not yet fully understood
  mechanism that is related more to the mind rather than the
  body-possibly a subconscious way of attracting the parents?
  attention for more body contact.
• Hence, the treatment lies in understanding the child, helping
  him with underlying emotional problems. if any, rather than
  being harsh towards him.

2. Food-related illness

• Gas:-Gas pain or indigestion is common in kids of all ages.
  Diet often plays a role. Carbonated drinks, such as soda may
  upset the stomach, especially if the child drinks through a
  straw. Spicy foods, beans, citrus and caffeine (including
  chocolate) may cause gas.
• Constipation:-Younger kids may not know what constipation
  is or that it can lead to stomach pain. If your child complains of
  stomach pain around the belly button or the left lower side of
  the abdomen, ask them when they last pooped, or if they’re
  having problems doing it.
• Overeating:-Too much of anything, from pizza and popcorn to
  candy, can cause abdominal pain. Kids often eat quickly and
  don’t realize they’re full until they’ve overdone it. Plus, eating
  too quickly can contribute to discomfort.
• Lactose intolerance:-Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk
  and milk products. “In order to digest lactose properly, the
  body produces an enzyme called lactase,”  “People who do
  not have this enzyme have a condition called lactose
  intolerance. When they consume milk products, they may
  have symptoms such as abdominal cramps, gas, diarrhoea or
  constipation.”
• Milk allergy:-Milk allergy is a reaction to protein casein in milk
  that may cause cramps. It is not the same as lactose
  intolerance.

3. Medical cause 

• Worms:-Ascariasis, threadworm, pinworm, whipworm,
  hookworm, giardiasis, amoebiasis, bacillary dysentery, which
  can cause persistent or recurrent stomach pain for which
  doctor’s advice is needed for its treatment.
• Food poisoning:-It should be suspected when those who
  have eaten the same food start getting abdominal pain,
  diarrhoea and vomiting with or without fever.
• Stomach pain with a sore throat and vomiting:-Sore throat
  with enlargement of glands pain in the abdomen can cause
  abdominal pain in children above 2 years of age. The pain
  disappears when a sore throat is treated. Severe bouts of
  cough or vomiting leading to muscles soreness of the
  abdominal muscles may also present as abdominal pain. The
  remedy lies in treating the cause of sore throat, cough or
  vomiting.
• Tuberculosis of the Abdomen:-Tuberculosis of the abdomen
  should be considered if the child who complains of pain in the
  abdomen has complained of associated features connected
  with a possible diagnosis of tuberculosis. These features
  include A history of close contact with an adult having
  tuberculosis, loss of appetite and weight; distension of the
  abdomen.
• Constipation:-This is the common cause of abdominal pain
  in children. The child does not look ill, nor has a fever, but gets
  intermittent colicky pain in the stomach. There is no vomiting
  and appetite is generally not affected.

4. Surgical Conditions 

• Appendicitis:-Appendicitis refers to inflammation of the
  appendix, a tail-like structure of the large intestine located in
  the right lower abdomen. If not detected early, an inflamed
  appendix may burst open, leading to a serious condition called
  peritonitis. A child with a possible diagnosis of appendicitis
  needs immediate doctor’s attention.
• Intestinal obstruction:-The child has pain in the abdomen,
  constipation, distention of the abdomen, and projectile
  vomiting. Urgent medical attention is required
•  Inguinal Hernia:-Most often the inguinal hernia is noticed as a
  swelling in the groin or the scrotum. Swelling is prominent when a child cries, may disappear on its own or by gentle
  pressure.

When should I be concerned about my child’s stomach
pain?
If the child has abdominal pain but otherwise looks well and the
pain is not affecting his routine activities, you can almost be sure
that the problem is not serious. However, if your child is
experiencing any of the following symptoms make your appointment
with the doctor.

1. Frequent constipation
2. Blood in stool
3. Diarrhoea
4. Fever and cough
5. Pain while passing urine
6. If the look of your child causes anxiety,
7. Pain is constant. and severe and it’s lasting more than an hour
8. If your child is less than 12 months.

CONCLUSION: – At last I would like to convey more often in
children its needs to understand their fear, anxiety, unresolved
conflicts, to rule out mild to serious medical and surgical
complications. In homoeopathy, we go in-depth in understanding a
patient during case taking (physical, emotion, intellect and lifestyle)
into account, Thereafter we arrive at a solution that is sustainable
and long-lasting.
Homoeopathy has a large potential to treat many if not all diseases in
this busy stressful world of ours.
 “Listen to your body and begin applying a holistic approach to
wellness. Treat the whole being, not just the symptoms”.