DD9 vomiting regularly--cyclic vomiting or something else?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

DD9 woke up vomiting this morning for the third time this week. Before that, it was a few weeks ago, and then about two months before that. It only happens while she's sleeping--either in the middle of the night or, more often, early in the morning, which wakes her up (what a way to start the day :().

 

It's been happening for a few years now, and none of the rest of us is ever sick. After the vomiting is over (might be once, might be a few rounds), she's completely fine and goes on to have a normal day.

 

What on earth could this be?! I looked up cyclic vomiting disorder, and while it does seem like that's what it could be, some of the major symptoms don't quite fit. Has anyone else experienced this? I would love to help her shake this off, but I have no idea what to do.

 

Thanks for listening.

[Katy]

Could it be allergies?

 

I went through a period of vomiting before I was diagnosed with allergies as a child, the doctor took one look at my throat and declared it was allergies and that the drainage was bothering my stomach at night.

 

ETA: Drainage wasn't bothering me during the day because I'd blow my nose. At night, it would run down my throat instead.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Katy

[klmama]

Acid reflux?

[LinRTX]

This was my first thought. I've had two children do this. The funny thing is that is was not the two with the worst allergies. The ones with a constant runny nose and sore (swollen) throat did not have stomach problems.

 

Linda

[MiniBlondes]

When my DD9 was about 1, she would do something similar to this. She would wake up in the middle of the night and vomit 1-3 times and then she was fine. This went on for about 4 years until I finally discovered that she's allergic/sensitive to Red 40. Now it only happens about once or twice a year.

 

I'm slightly familiar with CVS and while what you're experiencing seems to loosely fit the profile, it doesn't sound 100% like the problem. CVS is a cycle, happening on a 'schedule' of sorts where the vomiting is extremely forceful and constant. It is my understanding that it's also quite painful.

 

My firs guess would also be allergies of some kind. I hope you get it figured out. :grouphug:

[plansrme]

Is there a history of migraines in your family?

My son's did not match CVS precisely, either, but this was the first question the ped. asked us. His take is that CVS is something like an abdominal migraine. Perhaps your daughter is having hormonal activity that would provoke a migraine? If it is any comfort, my son's CVS was a lot like your daughter's, but once it stopped, it did not come back, and it has been a couple of years. We do, however, now that we are looking for it, see other signs that migraines are in his future.

 

Terri

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Is there a history of migraines in your family?

My son's did not match CVS precisely, either, but this was the first question the ped. asked us. His take is that CVS is something like an abdominal migraine. Perhaps your daughter is having hormonal activity that would provoke a migraine? If it is any comfort, my son's CVS was a lot like your daughter's, but once it stopped, it did not come back, and it has been a couple of years. We do, however, now that we are looking for it, see other signs that migraines are in his future.

 

Terri

 

We don't have a history of migraines in either side of the family, but that doesn't mean they can't start somewhere. What other signs are you seeing (if you don't mind sharing)?

 

It's possible about the hormonal activity, but this all started when she was 7. It has increased in frequency over the past year, though, hmmm.

 

I don't know about acid reflux--she doesn't seem to show any symptoms, and in the past when she's awakened feeling nauseated, I've given her Tums. Never helped :( As for allergies, we think she has mild seasonal allergies, but nothing significant.

 

It's all so frustrating. This is my formerly emetophobic kid--needless to say, she's had to get over that! It still stresses her out greatly though. I'm thinking back over what we ate yesterday, and it was a very quiet day, foodwise. I think I'll have her start food journaling and see if anything shows up.

[shanvan]

DD9 woke up vomiting this morning for the third time this week. Before that, it was a few weeks ago, and then about two months before that. It only happens while she's sleeping--either in the middle of the night or, more often, early in the morning, which wakes her up (what a way to start the day :().

 

It's been happening for a few years now, and none of the rest of us is ever sick. After the vomiting is over (might be once, might be a few rounds), she's completely fine and goes on to have a normal day.

 

What on earth could this be?! I looked up cyclic vomiting disorder, and while it does seem like that's what it could be, some of the major symptoms don't quite fit. Has anyone else experienced this? I would love to help her shake this off, but I have no idea what to do.

 

Thanks for listening.

 

It could be CV. If you haven't already, you might want to have some gastrointestinal testing done to be sure there isn't a blockage or anything going on that you aren't aware of.

 

My son had CV and outgrew it. What do your Dd's episodes look like? Do they continue for several hours? Is she in a lot of pain? Does she tell you she wants to die? That's what my son's episodes were like and it took him more than a day to recover. He would also get irritated with me and ask why I didn't do something about it (even though he was old enough to realize that there wasn't anythingI could do). His abdominal muscles were usually sore for several days after.

 

Maybe your Dd has CV, but not as severe as most. One doctor had us try a migraine med as soon as he felt it coming on. Another gave us anti-nausea meds, and they did seem to help some. There really wasn't much I could do other than stay up with Ds and pray with/for him, and keep him company. It took a real toll on our family when he had an episode.

 

We have noticed signs of migraines developing. I was so relieved when the vomiting stopped. I pray that he doesn't develop full blown migraines with all their devastating symptoms.

[plansrme]

We don't have a history of migraines in either side of the family, but that doesn't mean they can't start somewhere. What other signs are you seeing (if you don't mind sharing)?

 

Headaches! I know, duh. But I think it is unusual for an 8 yo to have headaches of any sort. His come in groups, they hurt in odd places, and dark, quiet places help them. My husband, his brother and his dad all had severe, classic migraines starting when they were not much older than my son is now. I know they are in my son's future, which is why I have been super-aggressive with my husband about seeking out all sorts of treatments for them. This is how we found acupuncture: I pushed him out the door one night with directions to the acupuncturist, saying, "You passed these on to our kid, you had better figure out the best long-term, least-toxic way to fix them." Nice, huh? But it worked!

 

I know that this is a long shot, but if it is CVS, perhaps acupuncture would help? I am not generally so pro-alternative treatment, but it works for migraines...

 

Terri

[Mom-ninja.]

Take her to a GI.

 

I was vomiting in cycles. I thought I had parasites. Nope. Celiac.

 

I would have a GI run a bunch of tests. It could be so many things.

[Shellers]

My DD16 has always been prone to throwing up. When she was about a year and a half I finally figured out she had a corn allergy. If she gets too much she will barf.

 

Corn is in everything!

[Dory]

Acid reflux?

 

This is what I would've thought. I used to have issues with nausea in bed as a kid because of acid reflux. I remember keeping a pail by my bed in case I woke up vomiting.

[I.Dup.]

My sons and I have both had cyclic vomiting before we discovered we had food allergies. It would often happen at night/early morning. For them it was wheat, for me it was egg/dairy. I would cut one of the major allergen groups out and see if that helps.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Take her to a GI.

 

I was vomiting in cycles. I thought I had parasites. Nope. Celiac.

 

I would have a GI run a bunch of tests. It could be so many things.

 

My sons and I have both had cyclic vomiting before we discovered we had food allergies. It would often happen at night/early morning. For them it was wheat, for me it was egg/dairy. I would cut one of the major allergen groups out and see if that helps.

 

That's very interesting. I'm pretty sure I don't have celiac, because I don't have any problems with cross-contamination, but I'm definitely gluten sensitive. Starting with gluten would be fairly easy (and taking the whole household GF is something I've been working toward, actually). I'll focus harder on that now.

 

The NIH page on CVS also said that some people can identify their triggers, like chocolate and cheese. DD9 had chocolate before bed last night, and chocolate is a common treat in our house because our youngest can't have food colors. I'll be watching that as well. If neither gluten nor chocolate are the problem, I'll look at the other major allergens too.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Sweet Morning Air

[I.Dup.]

FWIW, none of us has celiac. It was a culmination of too much of the allergens over a period of years.

[Guest LorKlop]

DD9 woke up vomiting this morning for the third time this week. Before that, it was a few weeks ago, and then about two months before that. It only happens while she's sleeping--either in the middle of the night or, more often, early in the morning, which wakes her up (what a way to start the day :().

 

It's been happening for a few years now, and none of the rest of us is ever sick. After the vomiting is over (might be once, might be a few rounds), she's completely fine and goes on to have a normal day.

 

What on earth could this be?! I looked up cyclic vomiting disorder, and while it does seem like that's what it could be, some of the major symptoms don't quite fit. Has anyone else experienced this? I would love to help her shake this off, but I have no idea what to do.

 

Thanks for listening.

 

 

I came across your post this morning in my never ending search for answers. I totally sympathize with your situation as it sounds exactly like what we've been going through with my 2.5 year old son for the past 6 months.

He woke up this morning vomiting for the second time in 3 days. (was only once this morning and 7 times the other day. ) Once he snaps out of it he goes on to have a completely normal day. This all started shortly after he turned 2. He and his twin brother had the flu in May and since then he has had many episodes where he wakes up, sometimes a few days in between, sometimes a week, sometimes almost a month. It's always happens very early in the morning, it wakes him from his sleep, he vomits once or twice (sometimes quite a few times) and then snaps out of it and has a totally normal day.

I took him to our family doctor in September and she asked me to document what he eaten the day before an episode, what his activity level was, and anything else I can think of that might be important. So far I have not seen any obvious triggers. We go back to our family doctor in November for follow up and I am going to push for GI testing and allergy testing and hopefully find some answers. I feel so bad for him and want answers so we can deal with whatever it is that's causing this to happen.

[Cindy in FL.]

I remember a Mystery Diagnosis episode where a girl only vomited at night while sleeping. It turned out she was having some kind of seizures. Her doctor kept prescribing medicine for post nasal drip, which obviously didn't help! I know that's a long shot, but thought I'd throw it out there in case.

 

Cindy

[Pamela H in Texas]

one more options is hormonal changes if she's going to be on the earlier side of things. Many kids have some wacky hormonal things going on a full six months before starting their period. Just a thought.

[Mandylubug]

used to do that when I was younger as well. It was always food related soy/sesame related typically for me.

 

Hope you can figure out the trigger soon! :grouphug:

[Tiramisu]

First of all, lots of sympathy and hugs! :grouphug:

 

My dd is older but she has been having a lot of trouble with nausea, with vomiting on occasion. As we have been trying to figure out what this is, I remember that there are patterns for vomiting for different problems. Well, duh, I know this is obvious to everyone. But I'm bringing it up because any good pediatric GI will be able to zero in on what the possibilities are so you can start eliminating them. I would try to see one sooner rather than later. It could be easier with a quicker resolution. Just a thought...

[gardenmom5]

my son was diagnosed with cyclic vomiting when he was 11. it covers a whole host of issues with the common facet being repeated vomiting. I would suggest having her checked out by a ped neuro, AND a good chiropractor.

 

My son actually had a pinched nerve on his spine from a fractured vertebra. (it was clear on an x-ray the western docs did, but none made the connection.) while the Rx the ped neuro gave him worked, actually finding the cause and treating that meant he didn't have to take rx anymore.

 

mayo had what was the most useful site for me. but at that time, they were barely calling it cvs and even less was known about the disorder.

 

eta: my son had about 4 - 5 episodes a year (episodes consisted of progressive pain, vomit, sleep, lethargy, all over a period of hours. repeat. each subsequent "episode" would be worse than the previous one. until we finally were able to treat them.) He would cycle for up to eight days, and would take up to three days to recover. He couldn't even keep a teaspoon of water down. He received IM narcotics that didn't last nearly long enough before he could have another dose (but they were literally the ONLY thing that made a dent in the pain), and IV's for hydration.

and the idiot school psych who had the audacity to suggest he was just stressed out by school. "oh, children's hospital doesn't think so." hard glare. she backed down.

Edited October 13, 2012 by gardenmom5

[The Girls' Mom]

You could have her tested for H.Pylori. One of my dd's did this her entire life (until age 7) She was finally tested for it, and once treated she has never had that amount of trouble again. (other than typical stomach bugs occasionally) FWIW, her twin sister also had it but presented no symptoms. They both had HUGE growth spurts after treatment.