Vomiting, Pain Below Belly, Loss Of Apetite In A Child. Whats The Cause?

Posted on Sat, 7 Jul 2012

Question: My 7 yr old son has woke up the last two nights with vomiting he also has pain below his belly button that comes and goes and he has a loss of appetite.

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (1 hour later)

Hi there.

Thanks for the query.

Does your son have jaundice, diarrhea, anal itching, passage of blood or bubbles in stool ?

Does he have fever, decreased activity and energy levels ?

Most cases of abdominal pain with vomiting in children could be due to a viral stomach infection or the stomach flu which usually do not require specific treatment. Since there is vomiting, one must make sure your child does not get dehydrated.

You can mix a XXXXXXX of WHO ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) in a bottle of previously boiled water. This can be drunk as much as your child wants. You may start feeding your child the ORS first using spoon so that he does not feel very nauseous. You can procure WHO ORS from any Pharmacy.

If he has fever, you can do tepid sponging, where a cool wet towel or sponge is wiped along the forehead, face, neck axillae and groin 5-6 times a day to reduce body temperature. Also Tylenol syrup can be consumed by your child under medical supervision.

Once the infection is eradicated by itself due to body immunity your child will become normal and feed normally again.

If your child's condition is not improving or deteriorating like lack of feeding, lack of tears on crying, sleeping most of the time, it would be wise to take him to his Doctor or a Child Specialist for proper care to prevent dehydration and complications.

I hope I have answered your query. I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Wishing speedy recovery.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (23 hours later)

He did have decreased energy and diarrhea. His pain worsened so I took him to his pediatrician and he had strep, which I wouldn't have guessed because he never complained about a sore throat and did not run a fever.

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (20 minutes later)

Hi there.

Thanks for the reply.

It is possible that Strep infection of the throat could have had access to his bowel due to swallowing of the sputum into the stomach.

Keep your child well hydrated. This is the most important part of treatment. Feed him home-available natural fluids like water, tender coconut water, fresh fruit juice etc.

Rarely antibiotics will be needed as his body's immunity would help eradicate the infection.

Wishing speedy recovery.

Regards,

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar