Back in May Kieran collapsed in pain, screaming in agony and was rushed to the GP. After a quick examination we had to shoot through to the Friarage Hospital with suspected appendicitis. By the time we got to the hospital Kieran was absolutely fine, pain free and most put out at being subjected to numerous tests and scans. We were discharged without diagnosis or follow up.
Last Sunday (8th July) the same happened, screaming in pain, then it stopped. We rang NHS Direct but as he was “ok” and managing the grunt-inducing pain that came and went at that point it wasn’t an emergency. A nurse rang back at 7pm and said to keep him comfy and a doctor would ring within 6hrs to decide if/where we could be seen by an out of hours GP. Shortly after this he stood up (to demonstrate that he was fine) and collapsed screaming again. I rang back and asked where to take him, no more waiting, my boy was in agony again.
We were told to go to the out of hours GP which is now located in the Friarage Hospital (9 miles away). The GP saw him and on doing an abdominal exam (which set him off screaming again). She was quite certain it was an appendicitis problem and sent us to the bigger James Cook Hospital.
James Cook did the tests and what not and we were again discharged, exhausted, without diagnosis or follow up.
By this point I was tearing my hair out. I was convinced that all of these GPs and consultants were missing something as the unexplained pain kept returning (he really was in agony) and was worried that he would take a serious turn for the worse with something that could have been dealt with sooner had it been picked up. My tired and frantic mind was running all sorts of scenarios while we bounced from one doctor or hospital to another.
Monday I kept him off school because I wanted to keep an eye on him, and besides, it was after 1am when we’d got into bed. Tuesday I sent him to school, he was fine. When I picked him up on Tuesday he was pale and not himself, despite being fine all day. We’d not got 100 yards out of the school gate when he collapsed in agony again. I carried him, while pushing the pushchair, to the GP and demanded an emergency appointment. I know he wasn’t bleeding over the floor or anything but by this point I was past myself and poor Kieran was exhausted and confused.
The GP diagnosed colic. COLIC?! I didn’t realise older children can get it butof course since then have spoken to a few children who have had it as well as adults. The treatment for colic is basically to manage the pain. We were sent away with lactulose, although he has had no issues with bowels before or constipation, and that is that. He should, hopefully, grow out of it.
We had two or three episodes after that, screaming pain for ten minutes, then gone. At 8.30pm it started again, and didn’t stop until 7am gone the next morning. Ten minutes of agony, five of grunting and then five of tearful pleading… all night. The GP likened the pain to labour contractions and watching him writhe about in pain, I don’t think he was exaggerating. A horrible night for all concerned despite Kieran being incredibly brave about it all.
So that is where we are right now, a diagnosis of colic, little that can be done to treat the pain when it comes on and we’ve no idea when it will strike again. Shit doesn’t come close.
So there you have it, six year olds can get colic! Did you or your have colic as an older child and if so do you have any hints and tips for managing it? We are keeping a food diary in case there is a trigger although the GP isn’t convinced he has an intolerance and seeing how we get on. It may not come back, it may be weeks, it may be tomorrow, no-one knows but if/when it does I’d like to be better equipped to help him, or ease him. If you have any hints of tips they would be most gratefully received. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who has had an issue with this so your thoughts will help others.
Thanks x
I hope he gets better soon. Scary. Lots of love xxx.
Hiya my daughter is eight 1/2 old, this is exactly how my daughter is at minute she’s fine one minute next she’ll go white as a sheet and in agony. Yesterday we spent all day/night at A&E having blood test all come back normal and got discharged at 00.30 she’s just drained and tired most the time. But as yet shes not been diagnosed with it yet nothing is working I’m just keeping her topped up on paracetamol. I just feel so helpless at the minute. Hope your boy gets better soon xx
This sounds so scary. I hope he grows out of it very quickly. Poor little man. How horrible for you all x
Wow, sounds like you’re going through a lot. I didn’t realise older kids could get colic. Hope he gets better soon.
Hi
I am going through the same thing with my 5 1/2 yr old son and he too has been “dianosed” with colic. He’s getting severe abdominal pains several times a day and during the night and this has been going on for 3 weeks now. I have been giving him gripe water which seems to ease it a little after meals. All body functions are normal, wind, passing stools etc.
from your experience with similar symptoms do you have any advice or tips?
How your child is now happy & pain free.
Hey lovely, this is so weird. I just googled ‘colic in older children’ and up you popped!
My 8, nearly 9 year old has had a mysterious stomach pain on and off for years. It goes away for long periods but we’re very much in an on phase at the moment as 5 sleepless nights in a row will testify. In the past she’s been examined by doctors for a variety of possible causes from urine infections to obstructions- all clear. By 4am last night I had decided it was psychosomatic. But today I remembered being diagnosed with colic myself aged 12, so am thinking that’s she’s got too. She was certainly a colicky baby.
What helped me then was curling into a ball, face down, and Gripe Water. Not sure you can still get that, but balling up seems to have helped Evie today. Hope it helps Kieran too, if it comes back.
You can’t avoid me, I’m everywhere!
Curling up was good for Kieran too. His worst night was an all night session of what could only be described as contractions (which the GP told a horrified me that was what it would feel like for him) however *touch wood* we’ve not had an episode since. Here’s hoping that continues.
Hugs for Evie (and a tired you I imagine), I hope she settles soon x
Hi Nicki 🙂
I’m so sorry about what your son is going through. My daughter (aged 9yrs, almost 10 now) has been going through similar. Its been 15days now and counting. Shes in so much pain when it hits, and its mostly night time, or basically anytime after lunch. For her it now usually ends in vomiting as the pain gets so bad and she makes herself throw up to make it stop, which works most of the time. Ive seen numerous doctors, even had her admitted to hospital after 2 full nights of no sleep in the ED. A whole team of pediatric doctors and all the tests they could think of, and still they found nothing. So they diagnosed her with abdominal migraines. I don’t even know where to start explaining that, so it would be best to google it for yourself. I have done all the research on it, and found incomplete studies which indicate they are caused by too much serotonin and too much histamine in the body. Ive been treating her based on that with correct diet and giving her Quick-Eze for the excess stomach acids. It has all helped a lot (the docs prescribed pamol and Ibuprofen, both didn’t help and the Ibup made her more nauseous than before). Although its getting better and the pain is way less for her, it hasn’t gone yet. I don’t know if it just needs more time or not. But last night I noticed (while watching her try to throw up again) that she burps a LOT before vomiting, and the more she burps the better she feels after vomiting. Which got me thinking. This is how I found your post. I am going to give it 1 more day with the diet and natural antihistamines (etc) and if shes still not getting much better then I’m going to try and use some colic treatment and see if that helps. The only reason I am making this comment is just in case you, or the others who have commented, haven’t heard of abdominal migraine (I never had), as it might be worth looking into for you also. If it works and I can get her pain to go away I will be sharing all the details online and I will share the link here for you also. No one should have to watch their child go through pain like this. NO ONE! 🙁
Oh Bobbi! That sounds awful. We have been lucky *touch wood* in that since the first episodes which would last 8hrs+ and went over 2 weeks all told we haven’t had further trouble yet I am always on the look-out. The GP who finally diagnosed colic after so many hospital trips and suspected appendicitis problems said that the pain he had was akin to the pain I would have had in labour which is a harrowing thought, especially as there was no treatment other than lactulose to keep him regular which he already was.
I hope you find the perfect solution soon – I’ll have a good read up on abdominal migraines too.
When i had this symptom i was diagnised my fallopian tube twisted..
Ouch! That sounds awful.
The six-year-old in this post turned ten last week and so far *touch wood* we’ve not had any problems since.
Hi Nicky,
My 5 yr old son had these symptoms on Tuesday night, we rushed him to the ED as the pain he was in was excruciating, it scared the hell out of my husband and I. When we got to the ED, the pain hit him again and he vomited once. After that he felt better, so the nurses sent him home. He hasn’t had a bout again but I was wondering do you give your son anything special to help with the symptoms. Any advice would be appreciated.
Melissa
Am literally sitting with my 4yr old daughter now who after Calpol & hot flannels & water & digestive biscuits has finally (hopefully) fallen back to sleep. This is the 3rd night now she’s woken up screaming (at roughly the same time too) – there’s been no change in her diet & her stools have been fine … although I did suspect constipation, my gut instinct was thinking colic – so how glad I was to find your post ! Watching her in pain I would certainly liken it to labour pains & I’m really hoping this bout won’t last too long … The hot flannel on her abdominal area seems to have comforted (if not cured) her back to sleep right now 🙂
I just wanted to say, I had this as a child and was given medicine. My almost 10yr old gets it on and off and has also been given medicine. Our gp diagnosed it straight away. Told me something about worrying or stress being a cause.
Hi. My 8 1/2 year old son has just been diagnosed with gut colic (and stomach migranes were mentioned). He doesn’t have as extreme pain as the children referred to above but is in a large amount of discomfort in the day some days, quite randomly, and keeps missing school. We’ve been told to keep a food, poo and pain diary and go back in 3 weeks. Dr said there may be medicine to help. Do you have any more information, tips, websites to recommend esp. re. diet or yoga exercises or anything that might help? How’s your son now? Many thanks.
Hi Ester.
We’ve had *touch wood* no more attacks since the bout at the time so can’t really help but do keep searching and I hope you find the answer you need soon.
My 4 year old daughter has suffered for a month now with crippling stomach ache and nausea.6 different doctors,6 different diagnosis and trips to the a&e and we’re still no wiser.she is due back at the gp today so might query colic and see what they say.i’m glad I’ve found your article as it’s given me something less serious to contemplate as my mind has been running scattered because I know there’s something wrong with her but no medical professional can tell me what, she hasn’t even had a single test yet and has to wait weeks for a pediatric referral. Stressed isn’t the word. Xxx
Hi
my 5 year old son has the same kind of colic problem.it started when he was about 5 months. It is because of abdominal bloating and flatulence. Since he got this pain our doctor prescribed him Colic Syrup which has no side effects. I give him before or after meals when he has the pain and he will get relieved of the pain within few minutes and go to peaceful sleep. I continue for 3 more days and stop. At least for 6 months the pain will not come back.try this and if that helps with your son’s pain.All the best.
My 6 years old daughter has been experiencing pains in her abdomen under her belly button for the past two nights. I took her to the walk-in clinic but like everyone else the doctor could not find anything wrong with her. He asked whether she does not like going to school. I was a bit offended by the statement as my daughter loves school. I also do not believe that any child will stay up all night tossing, stretching in pain to get out of school. The doctor further told me. That if th pain shifts to the right side of her abdomen then I should take her to A&E.
Then I remembered colic in babies. As I have never heard of it in older children I decided to research it which brought me to this thread. Now I am happy that I found this thread, my daughter has not slept properly all night. I just told her to coil up as mentioned in one of the threads and she slept off after a few minutes. My daughter is not vomiting or stoking and her belly is still tender. I am going to get her gripe water or colic syrup as soon as the Chemist opens.
I will keep the thread informed on if this works for me. Thank you all for comments made regarding your experience. It is being ver useful.
My 10-year-old has the same problem, it started two years ago. I have had her to the ER and to her physician several times, no diagnosis. I finally came to the colic conclusion myself just today and googled colic in older children to get some ideas. Here is what has been helping: Beano taken with every meal, Pepcid complete taken at the beginning of an attack, promethazine when it’s accompanied by nausea (only occasionally, this is very sedating), peppermint candies for the nausea, and chamomile tea with honey which helps the cramps. We also use an ultrasound massager and a warm shower for the pain, and stay away from certain foods, such as beans, cabbage, broccoli, and lemonade, and we’ve just added pork to the list. All of these things have helped. We are usually now able to prevent most attacks (down to one every couple weeks instead of almost every day), and head off an attack before it gets severe, but if it does get bad these things tried one after the other tend to end an attack fairly quickly, lasting 5-10 minutes instead of 1- 1 1/2 hours. I wish you all well, this is very scary for us moms.
Thank you for this candid account. I have just come home from an emergency appointment with our GP where I was told my 6 year old has colic. Our account is very similar to your own with bouts of severe pain recurring over several weeks but no problems with bowels or being sick and perfectly health otherwise. Although its awful for our children its comforting to know there are other parents out there – thanks to them for sharing their advice too. xx
Hello, my little girl has always had an intolerance to Corn/Corn products. If she has anything contain Corn like vegetable oil and critic acid too she has a night of abdominal pain/colic. She is 4 now and the last 3 weeks she has uffered with comic symptoms every night. Severe pains in the tummy and lots of wind. I’ve taken her to a Naturopath, she diagnosed a yeast infection of the gut!! We’ve been to the ED three times! Blood tests, ursine samples show up possible UTI. Bowel movements are fine. They even treated for worms. I have cut back on all gassy foods (trying to!) Last night was a shocker. Had an ultrasound today- lots of gas!! I’m going to give Infacol a go (symithicone) to expel the gas tonight!! It’s interesting to read so many similar stories!! Surely professionals need to start exploring colic in children because I feel I’m trying to work this out for myself, and it’s extremely stressful!!
We felt like that at the time. Thankfully we’ve not had anything since. For us, colic couldn’t be diagnosed until there was a pattern to the attacks. Not a fun time!
Wow, this sounds just like us … to top it off as soon as we get to the paediatrician or emergency room the symptoms mysteriously disappear and we have a happy, giggly 4 year old jumping around! We were recently in quarantine at the hospital for 4 days as she had pain for up to 20 hours a day!! Blood count, stool test, urine test … all fine!! The only abnormality thy could see on the ultrasound was a very active small intestine, filled with gas and surrounded by some swollen lymph nodes. Symithicone does not seem to help, neither do ibuprofen or paracetamol. She also tends to vomit A LOT but apparently she doesn’t have a hiatal hernia and the angle between her duodenum and oesophagus doesn’t seem to predispose her to reflux. At the moment we are avoiding milk products because that seems to aggravate the vomitting. Usually once she has vomitted, she is absolutely fine and dandy, but recently she has started developing indigestion, too. She has vomitted like this since birth… we are highly skilled at catching vomit!! We always carry sick sacks with us … else a cup / cap / hat etc. are perfect receptacles for catching the vomit! Being investigated for food intollerances / IBS / IBD etc. on outpatient basis now. Glad your son’s problem resolved itself!! Hoping ours will too 😉
My son has been up rolling around in pain for the last 7nights, the doctor has said he has colic and given an anti spasm drug which so far hasn’t helped, he has said if he is still like it in three days he will admit him to hospital, I just can’t stand to watch him in this much pain for the next 3 nights,
Horrible.