The nervous stomach...

[battlemaiden]

Who else has this or a child with this? I have a child that gets nauseous over any sort of excitement, anticipation, dread, etc.

 

Good or bad.

 

This child has thrown up on their birthday for years- because they are so happy, excited, and we usually do something unusual.

 

They also worry. Not constantly, but a lot. They don't like new things- roller coasters or movies, it doesn't matter.

 

Honestly, I'm starting to get annoyed. I know it's unreasonable for me to be so, but that is why I'm asking if this is more common than I know.

 

Jo

[muffinmom]

My sister used to do that a lot. I can't remember a Christmas holiday where she wouldn't throw up. It used to drive me crazy!

 

The good news is that she seems to have grown out of it. The bad news is, now I'm the one that gets wound up easily!:willy_nilly: But I don't throw up, thank goodness.

 

I don't know what you can do, other than giving your kid some relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises, which would be useful for a lifetime. Wish you well.

[Harriet Vane]

I do not have a nervous stomach, but I do tend to worry. So does my dd. Not in a clinical, OCD kind of way--we're just worriers by nature.

 

Trying to get your kid to toughen up will probably just make it worse (it does for me). Showing exasperation will also make it worse for the kid.

 

I have tried, with my own dd, to focus on giving her "tools" to cope with her worries. We have talked through things like:

 

--Prayer ("Tell Jesus what's bothering you.")

 

--Researching facts or reminding oneself of the facts of the situation. For dd and I, the more concrete information we have about something, the better. We calm down when we have more information. We become MORE anxious when no information is provided and/or people tell us to "just relax."

 

--Distraction, like filling the hours before a birthday party with chores or whatever. Books are great distraction for dd and I, because we are able to lose ourselves in the world of the book. Another distraction would be some form of exercise.

 

--Soothing rituals. What helps calm your child? For me it might be a cup of tea. I also like to take a moment, when badly stressed, to rub nice-smelling lotion on my hands. When I have more time, a shower or hot bath are very soothing. I also like taking walks.

 

I would also advise that you speak honestly with your child about wanting to help them worry less. Do this in a matter-of-fact way, much as you might discuss managing allergies or housework or whatever. As an example, "I have noticed sometimes you worry about stuff so much it makes you sick. Let's think of some ways to make it a little easier on you." Give your child a little time to think it over (a day? a couple hours?) and then come back and tell you what seems to make their worries less worrisome. Together you can brainstorm some (do-able) suggestions. (Sometimes the suggestions from the kid can be outrageous, like "It would really help if you could massage my feet and let me eat some chocolate." :glare:) Then when the next worrisome episode occurs, help coach your child through using some of those "tools."

 

Hope this helps.

[battlemaiden]

Thanks.

 

I wish I knew how to derail this stomach reaction. It's tough to teach coping techniques when this happens even for happy days. KWIM?

 

I'm still frustrated.

 

Once this child's stomach gets off kilter, it takes a while to recover. [sigh]

 

Jo

[jail warden]

I had this as a child. I used to double up in pain, it was terrible. I would throw up or have a BM and then it would finally get better. I am better now, but it took until adulthood.

 

I was told to avoid fried foods and caffeine, no pop except root beer. This did help make so it wasn't so bad. Try and have her eat only healthy foods, no junk food it tends to aggrevate the stomach.

[battlemaiden]

I had this as a child. I used to double up in pain, it was terrible. I would throw up or have a BM and then it would finally get better. I am better now, but it took until adulthood.

 

I was told to avoid fried foods and caffeine, no pop except root beer. This did help make so it wasn't so bad. Try and have her eat only healthy foods, no junk food it tends to aggrevate the stomach.

 

Lori!

 

This is exactly my child. Any sort of change in diet coupled with excitement- which it often accompanies- just aggravates the situation.

 

Thanks for your input. May I also ask how your family dealt with the situation? It just seems to make all celebrations a bummer, ya know?

 

Jo

[nancypants]

Yes, I have one child like this. He's been diagnosed with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. You should look it up... you'll probably be amazed at how many of the descriptions fit what your child is going through.

 

My husband was like this for years (even up to about 8 or 9 years ago) as was his mother (threw up before school every day during her Kindergarten year)... And his brother has migraines which is probably related.

[jail warden]

Hmmm.. I'm trying to remember. We made several trips to the emergency room because of how severe the pain was. Once it was diagnosed it seemed to help me not worry so badly and I don't remember more than 1 or 2 trips to the ER after that.

 

My parents were not very social, so there were not a lot of social events and I can't remember more than one incident of getting sick when there were people around. Massaging my stomach did help a lot in a half circle towards my left side. I don't know if that makes sense or not. Now that I'm thinking of it, I think most of the time it was afterwards because there would be Doritos at the party. I love the taste, but boy are they way too much for me to handle! To this very day!

[Jen500]

My ds worries a lot and used to get frequent stomach aches. I read a library book-"The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them", by Elaine Aron. I cannot tell you how much it has helped our whole family! Not that I agreed with everything she said in the book. But enough that I bought it and strongly urged dh to read it. I don't know if your dc is highly sensitive but the worrying and stomach upset you described reminded me of my ds. Good luck!

[battlemaiden]

Now that I'm thinking of it, I think most of the time it was afterwards because there would be Doritos at the party. I love the taste, but boy are they way too much for me to handle! To this very day!

 

Lori,

 

You are freakin' me out.

 

I think the latest bout started with Doritos. I'm not imagining it. You're my hero.

[battlemaiden]

My ds worries a lot and used to get frequent stomach aches. I read a library book-"The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them", by Elaine Aron. I cannot tell you how much it has helped our whole family! Not that I agreed with everything she said in the book. But enough that I bought it and strongly urged dh to read it. I don't know if your dc is highly sensitive but the worrying and stomach upset you described reminded me of my ds. Good luck!

 

Yes, this child is highly sensitive- which is a gift in many ways. I've written down the book. I think reading up on the issue will help a lot. Thanks.

 

Jo

[jail warden]

Jo, If this helps your dc, I will be so happy to help someone else! It was not a fun thing to deal with. And my poor parents never knew what to do with me and they didn't know about healthy eating at all, so it never got better until I learned about eating better myself. My family thinks I'm nuts for the way I freak out over my dc eating habits, but they just saw what happened, they never felt the pain, so when my dc get a stomach ache from all the junk food both sets of parents give them, it really makes me feel terrible.

[FlockOfSillies]

Stress, anticipation, etc. sent me on repeated trips to the bathroom. Funny thing is, it began to diminish dramatically after I became a Christian. Hardly happens at all anymore. Or it could just be I grew out of it. But the correlation was pretty strong.

[Nancy in MI]

I used to be this way, and my 13yo was this way for a long time. He's better now, but he still gets worked up about certain things.

 

The other posters had some great suggestions. The only thing I would add is that I taught ds some breathing techniques to try and relax. In for a count of 3 through the nose, and out for a count of 3 through the mouth. That really helps me calm down and I think it helps him too!

 

Nancy

[chai]

My dd doesn't actually vomit, but she does get anxious a lot. Reading this book with her helped. It provides some coping skills and helps her recognize her fears.

 

What to do When You're Scared and Worried by James Crist