Health
or sore tummy? By Dr Joanna McMillan
S
ore tummies are common in kids and it can be really hard to identify what exactly is causing the problem. Food is often the first thought and indeed many sore tummies are the result of a digestion issue. Wind, caused by trapped gas, constipation, food intolerances or allergies, eating or drinking too much can all result in abdominal pain, as can medical causes such as gastro or appendicitis.
Your first step therefore is to assess whether your child needs medical help. If you are at all unsure, the pain is severe, the pain doesn’t go away, or becomes a chronic problem, see your GP. And if there is blood in your child’s poo or vomit take them to accident and emergency at your local hospital. Putting these more serious medical causes aside, what can you do to identify digestive issues and prevent repeat sore tummies? Here are my top tips:
Check out their poo Constipation is common in kids and can easily go unnoticed, especially once your kids are toilet trained and going on their own. The pain will come and go, may be accompanied by cramping, bloating, nausea and/or a loss of appetite. Ask your child how often they go and about the state of their poo. Passing a few hard dry pellets might mean they tell you ‘yes I’ve had a poo’ but this means they are constipated. Check out the Bristol Stool Chart online and ask your child which one their poo most looks like… honestly that’s the easiest way to get your answer! The cause can be dietary, but it may also be practical. Lots of kids don’t want to do a poo at school and so hold it in. That makes for dryer poos that are hard to pass and constipation results. This can become an ongoing cycle as it may be painful for the child to have a bowel motion and so they avoid it even more.
64 Peninsula Kids – Winter 2021