Sunday, January 25, 2009

Anyone know why

a child might just puke a few times in a row and then go on with life? No fever. Not tired. Generally refused a meal beforehand but no other irregular behavior. And it happens every 2-6 weeks...

When Mike checked on Brianna before going to bed last night he discovered a bit of vomit on her sheet next to her. Ew. So I picked her up and rocked her a minute while he changed the sheets (only to realize it was all in her hair and she needed a bath). Then she threw up three more times in a row while we sat on her bedroom floor. That was it. In the tub, off to bed, nothing else wrong. Today she got up and was fine all day. It was almost 2 weeks ago- on a Monday- that she came home from school, threw up that afternoon, then was fine the rest of the day and all day the next (tho I kept her out of school on Tues).

What's up with random throwing up??

(ps, if you're not feeling well to start with, sitting on the floor holding a child that's puking isn't the best idea, in case you're wondering...)

12 comments:

  1. How much does she puke up? Maybe reflux, and maybe based on what she's eaten, how tired she is or what position she's in, it might be more prone to come on up. My son (who is 10) has reflux (was due to being premature but never grew out of it), and he randomly pukes. Usually before bedtime. He use to yell down, "I puked again" and i was sort of surprised at home much it was and how easily it came up for him. I noticed that it would happen more often on days that he was really tired or on days where he was more physically active then others (ie gym class). He's on prevacid. When he was little they had him on propulsid but that was taken off the market.

    Other than the reflux idea the only other idea i have is that maybe she has a food sensitivity or an allergy? Oh wait, I have another idea too.. is she congested? Maybe she's gagging on mucus and its making her puke?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is she on reflux meds? That would be my first thought, reflux. Ask your pediatrician to give you a reflux med and see if that puts a stop to it. I hope she gets past this soon!
    Ruby

    ReplyDelete
  3. My oldest son did that for years. Sometimes it was every couple of weeks and sometimes it was a few months between. We never did find out why but it never really bothered him and he hasn't done it for a few years now (he's 15). Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My first thought would be a very mild case of cyclic vomiting syndrome. {http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cvs/index.htm}
    Have you kept a log of occurences? Perhaps there is a food sensitivity or some other perhaps random trigger.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No, she doesn't have reflux that we know of. It doesn't present itself that way either- like it's just coming up (Micah has reflux). It's like she's THROWING up, if that makes sense. It's generally a 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time, not a ton (EW) but more than just a little spurt or burp. Sometimes she's sitting with me, sometimes, playing, this last time sleeping... hard to tell... and sometimes it's 1 time and she's done, sometimes a few times over a period of a few hours, but once she's finished she's finished... so weird!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would think of cyclic vomiting (after a doctor ruling out anything else)- the medical profession is really not sure why it happens but kids just randomly vomit a few times for a day or a few, then are fine for a while. I'd mention it to her ped next visit- or next time you see the ped for any of your little ones.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I was thinking allergy of food insensitivity too. Also, has she had her celiac screen done?? That could be the culprit as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've had fun with random vomiting in my house thanks to the post nasal drip from my kids' allergies. Weird thing is, it's ONLY at night when they're in bed.

    Hope everyone feels better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Once my son got older his reflux did seem like vomiting. It wasnt like the erps he had when he was a baby, it was more forceful. I guess I'd ask your ped next time you are in the office and try keeping a journal of when it occurs

    ReplyDelete
  10. Maybe it's something she's eaten? Or something they give her at school for snack?

    I also thought like Stephanie, reflux and/or mucous. My niece with DS pukes whenever she is really snotty.

    ReplyDelete
  11. My first thought was reflux as well (both my sons, one with DS, the other not) have had problems with this. The older one has had problems most of his life with vomiting, triggered by exercise, gagging, greasy or acidic foods, and whatever unknowns. He also has asthma so when he exercises I can tell when the asthma is becoming an issue, and when I give him his inhaler it can often prevent the throwing up. The younger one with DS is on a constant does of Apo-Renidine. But if I stop it for a few days, he starts throwing up again and coughing because of the irritation from throwing up. Another thing you could consider is abdominal blockages or constipation. When the bowels are blocked and the food can't go down, it comes up. Also a possiblility is a diaphragmatic hernia.

    ReplyDelete