I'm still recovering from Z's birthday on Thursday and her birthday party on Saturday. It all went well actually, which can only be the result of all my magically protective worrying. (Shhhhh. DON'T TELL ME MY INSOMNIA WAS IN VAIN.)
Now it's back to reality.
The usual Monday morning mundanity: a tower of laundry, a dog who needs a vet appointment, a house of things out of their rightful places....and a daughter with a tummy-ache, just like many days the last few months. When these tummy-aches started, Z whimpered "Mommy, my tummy hurts" and I ran at her with a bowl in one hand and a thermometer in the other. She's had her fair share of nasty tummy bugs in her life which have seared nightmarish images into my brain. And they all started with those fateful words: "Mommy, my tummy hurts."
But nothing happened. And she kept complaining at random intervals.
I started keeping track of what she was eating, First I wondered if it had to do with the green veggie powder I was adding to her breakfast smoothies in an attempt to get some vegetables into her Cheese and Carb Diet. Then I wondered if it was the Cheese and Carb Diet itself.
But nothing we take out or adjust seems to make much of a difference.
We do have a doctor's appointment to talk about this, of course, though I can't imagine the doctor will have a quick and easy explanation. It could be lactose intolerance. It could be something else more exotic. But it's starting to seem like it may be an acute case of Nervous Tummy, which would be yet another crappy inheritance from me. A deeply emotional girl internalizing stress in her tummy? That's something I know a little about.
What else I know? The next time she actually DOES have a tummy bug, she's going to tell us her tummy hurts and we'll nod and murmur "uh huh" and turn away.
Hopefully we turn away in time to miss the .....you know what.
12 comments:
I was a nervous tummy girl. I hope she feels better, whatever the reason.
I, too, was stricken with a chronic case of nervous tummy. Poor little girl (and mommy).
Calum does this EXACT SAME THING. It's been going on for at least a year, and the child is perfectly healthy. Here are the most common causes for his tummy aches, as far as I can determine:
a. He needs to poop.
b. He's hungry.
c. He's tired.
d. He needs some attention.
I hope sweet Z's tummy aches are the same. Though really, I wish for the tummy aches to just go away alltogether.
Marin says her tummy hurts often too, but I think she says it more often than not when she wants a little extra attention or snuggles. Also, she often says it at the end of meal time (My tummy hurts! I need to go lay down.) And I think she does that to get out of eating the rest of the meal (she's picky).
I've wondered if it's something more (and it might be, for Z too) but mostly I think it's just "fake", for lack of a better word.
My daughter has a "tummy ache" any time we get stuck in traffic. I have tried to explain to her that one of these days she is going to be sick for real while we are in the car, and I am going to completely ignore it.
Patrick used to say that all the time, too. Generally it was because he didn't want to do/eat whatever it was. It's so hard to know what's going on in their little minds, and so stressful. I hope her tummy turns out to be just a Thing she's trying for attention. Have you tried asking if she needs to go to the doctor? I've found that to be helpful sometimes in seeing what the real motivation is, like if someone is Sick or just unhappy/worried/wanting attention.
Oh, how I can relate to the nervous tummy :( The fact that she has a mom that can empathize will make things a little easier.
Also- what is this green veggie powder you speak of? I'm intrigued (both for the kids and myself).
My daughter had a tummy ache every day for her entire 3rd year. I, too, took her to the doctor, changed diet stuff, etc. I chalked it up to more awareness of all things tummy related (poop, gas, anxiety, all of it). At 5 now, she seems to know the difference between all of the above.
Eli is always saying his tummy hurts at the end of meals, and it's almost always that he's just done eating, or that he has gas or needs to poo or whatever. I do think sometimes kids go through phases of being freaked out by their digestive processes and not understanding that sometimes the stuff they're feeling, even it's vaguely uncomfortable, is normal, daily stuff.
I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that this is so common! I'm trying to find a balance between being dismissive and overly concerned. I mostly say "I'm sorry to hear that, Z" and then move on to something else all while quietly keeping an eye on her for other symptoms. OY.
B- The green powder we use is called "Amazing Grass Green Superfood" and I buy it at Wegmans. It's not too grainy and if your smoothie has dark fruits in it (We use a lot of raspberries and blueberries) then you can't see it. The only problem is how to get it in the smoothie without the kids seeing! Luckily for me, Z hates the sound of the blender so she helps me load the fruits in, adds water and then leaves before I turn it on (and before I add the powder!).
Nervous tummies all around. I think I'm in the right place then.
And this green vegie powder is very interesting... I might have to check it out.
Amazing Grass also makes this yummy chocolate milk drink called Kidz Superfood (must it be spelled with a Z?). We call it "chocolate shake", it's really yummy and loaded with fruits/veggies.
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