Can't figure out what's making my kid sick.
April 4, 2022 7:25 AM   Subscribe

In the last 6 months, my kid has had two very similar episodes of intense stomach cramping and vomiting that have resolved in about 8 hours....and we're not sure why this is happening.

Daughter is 12yo and always had a bit of a sensitive tummy. Frequently complained of stomach aches throughout her youth, until we figured out she has a dairy sensitivity. Usually manifests as mild stomach discomfort and nothing else. We try to avoid dairy, and when we can't, taking Lactaid before dairy has solved this issue.

A few months ago, she had a episode of what we thought was food poisoning. Returning from a road trip, she had eaten some food we didn't normally eat, and food that mom & I didn't eat. The next day it started with severely painful stomach cramps, and proceeded to intense vomiting, unable to keep anything down for hours. Then after about 8 hours....she was fine. No diarrhea, definitely did not follow the pattern of a virus. No one else in the house got sick.

This past weekend, the same thing happened. Only this time, we've all been eating the same food, so food poisoning seems unlikely. Same exact symptoms and progression. Intense stomach pain, vomiting and misery, and then fine after about 8 hours.

So if it's not viral, and it's not food poisoning...we're kind of at a loss.
Do these symptoms sound similar to anyone else? Food sensitivity? Gastritis, cyclic vomiting, abdominal migraine?
posted by gnutron to Health & Fitness (20 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Are there any commonalities in what was eaten both times? This could be a new sensitivity.
posted by stellaluna at 7:34 AM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]


I talk about propylene glycol sensitivity a lot. This seems to be a reasonable time to bring it up again.

PG is in a LOT of foods, especially cakes, frostings, sauces, flavorings and flavor syrups, and some fast foods -- it's a preservative _and_ a flavor enhancer, so it's hard for some companies to resist. Sensitivity to it is more widespread than people think.

I hope this isn't what's causing the problem -- it's hard (but not impossible) to avoid.
posted by amtho at 7:46 AM on April 4, 2022 [6 favorites]


We can do a lot of guessing here, but you need to see a physician about this. Besides any testing, they will probably recommend starting a food diary to help narrow down the possibilities.
posted by beagle at 7:53 AM on April 4, 2022 [9 favorites]


Perhaps Celiac disease in addition to dairy sensitivity?
posted by happy_cat at 7:54 AM on April 4, 2022 [1 favorite]


Just a note that if you do food allergy testing, you can be *sensitive* to something and not pop allergic. I cannot eat almonds or raw spinach without having terrible stomach discomfort, but I've never popped allergic.

There is also something called "Oral Allergy Syndrome" where if you have sensitivities to tree, grass, etc pollen, the proteins in some foods can masquerade and cross-react -- so again not an allergy per se but a cross reaction that is not great. My best friend has a host of these reactions because she's insanely allergic to everything that produces pollen. Melons, in particular, make her quite sick, but she doesn't test as "allergic to" melons.
posted by Medieval Maven at 8:05 AM on April 4, 2022 [4 favorites]


If your daughter has a uterus/ovaries, this is one of the ways that my endometriosis manifested early on, almost 15 years before I got a proper diagnosis. Sometimes these episodes were correlated with menstruation, but sometimes not.

But really, I agree with beagle: this could be a lot of things, and a check-in with a doctor is probably warranted.
posted by CtrlAltDelete at 8:11 AM on April 4, 2022 [9 favorites]


Yeah, this is pretty classic endometriosis presentation, and if your daughter is already menstruating or expected to do so in the future, it's probably worth tracking on a calendar along with keeping a food diary* for a month or two while you line up various medical check-ups. (As noted, endo doesn't always correlate directly to menstruation, but it does usually correlate to one of the several hormonal shifts during a typical cycle.) Whatever it is, having a log of it is going to be something you eventually get asked to do, so save yourself the hang time and start now.

*Food diaries suck and are an eating disorder trigger, so please make sure you are framing this as "pursuing the mystery ingredient that is causing such discomfort" and not "you owe the world every detail about your food intake and the sense of surveillance obligates you to take in as little as possible". To that end, it might be helpful if she and the parents all do it, and that also might be vital information over time - one of you might also notice some kind of reaction even if less intense, or it will help you differentiate if her reactions are largely to food from outside the home.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:30 AM on April 4, 2022 [8 favorites]


In some cases, you might be able to get a diagnosis from a stool sample (our local health dept. did this to shut down a dangerous restaurant years ago), but this is really pediatrician territory.

Some people seem to have sensitive tummies and may benefit from freshly fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, and prebiotic foods (supplements are unproven), and there's no risk.
posted by theora55 at 8:33 AM on April 4, 2022


I agree with everyone here. I suffered from gall bladder disease for years before I had the damn thing taken out. If your kid is experiencing endometriosis, please look into it. She's probably suffering more than she tells you.
posted by SPrintF at 8:58 AM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]


Also a possibility, Abdominal Migraine

The main symptom of abdominal migraine are recurrent episodes of moderate to severe stomach pain that lasts for between 1 and 72 hours. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and pale appearance. (These symptoms rarely occur between episodes.)
posted by oflinkey at 9:58 AM on April 4, 2022 [3 favorites]


The next day it started with severely painful stomach cramps, and proceeded to intense vomiting, unable to keep anything down for hours.

Nthing could be reproductive system related, if applicable. I don't have endometriosis, but I had episodes like this that loosely correlated with my period when I was a teen through my 20s. Sometimes it'd be vomiting, sometimes diarrhea, sometimes both. I still sometimes have an episode like it every now and again, but it's milder and much less frequent.

Slightly differently, my cousin had something similar, and while they originally attributed it to her reproductive system, turned out to be her gall bladder. She was lucky enough that her medical providers didn't get stuck on their first diagnosis when things weren't improving. So keep in mind it could be a bit of a journey.
posted by ghost phoneme at 10:37 AM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]


This is exactly how my former spouse reacted to chickpeas and chickpea flour, if that helps!
posted by centrifugal at 12:23 PM on April 4, 2022


How are her stress levels? This is also a classic presentation of anxiety, which sounds like a blow off diagnosis but can be very seriously impacting. If she is having this around periods of high stress, could absolutely also be abdominal migraine being triggered. Another question would be whether she had less or impacted sleep in the nights preceding. Some people get very upset systems with even moderate lack of sleep, which then resolves with a full night's rest. Regardless, this is pediatrician territory because there are simply too many things that it could be that should be ruled out. (Such as picking up a parasite! They can cause cyclic discomfort following their life cycle.)
posted by Bottlecap at 2:17 PM on April 4, 2022 [4 favorites]


I get something similar once in a while. The doc and I have agreed to call it a "12-hour virus" and let it go at that. (This is probably bad medical advice, don't rely on it, but you have already acknowledged that IANAD and that's OK.)
posted by JimN2TAW at 2:17 PM on April 4, 2022


The physical possibilities seem worth checking, but don't forget to check in on possible anxiety. Parts of my childhood would have gone much smoother if we had connected the stomach upset with the mental upset.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:58 PM on April 4, 2022 [2 favorites]


My thoughts went in a darker direction, so I'm mentioning for your interest but not suggesting anything more than whatever level of convo your daughter is comfortable with.

Any exposures to folks who could be treating her inappropriately, especially sexually?

Just throwing that out as another more specific possibility for a 12yo with a sensitive stomach. :( sorry, I know that's a horrible thought, but it's horribly common too.

Peace and answers to you all.

On the food poisoning front, dose and immune function are important, so can't rule out enteric dz entirely based on 2 adults consuming similar foods, though agree makes it appear less likely.
posted by esoteric things at 11:38 PM on April 5, 2022


This is what I would get during ovulation.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 2:03 PM on April 6, 2022


I came in to echo Bottlecap and Tell Me No Lies with a suspicion of anxiety. My older son used to have stomach cramps and vomiting on Sunday nights for a few weeks. We tried adjusting all kinds of things, including his use of video games. It finally turned out that he was getting bullied on the school bus and was stressed about it starting all over again each Monday morning. (that child was banned from the bus: my son was not the only one affected).

Perhaps something was coming up that your daughter was worried about? Either way, I hope an answer is found and she is much better very soon.
posted by annieb at 6:01 PM on April 7, 2022


Response by poster: Well, I can close this thread for any future readers. My daughter had another episode of intense abdominal pain & vomiting...that led to her appendix being removed. Pretty sure the earlier instances were attacks of chronic appendicitis, and it finally became acute.

Definitely (and thankfully) not endometriosis, that was cleared during the lap surgery.
posted by gnutron at 7:17 PM on December 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


Well boo for appendicitis, but that's great that you've found the problem!
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:11 AM on December 18, 2022 [3 favorites]


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