my back hurts...my belly hurts...i have a headache...

Every time we get into the car now, after about 10 min. in the carseat Emma tells me her back hurts. I am wondering if it's cold air sneaking up her back. She tells us every day her belly hurts. I ask "are you hungry? do you need to poop?" and am usually met with "no. no." We took her to the doc recently and I explained that she was complaining for a while that her belly hurt when she was eating and she wouldn't finish her meals which was unusual for her. He is questioning a resurface of her reflux issues. Yesterday she said her mouth was bleeding. Lately that's code word for something that's painful. She had a cold so I was thinking maybe her throat was a little sore.

So how do I figure out what IS wrong if anything? ardon: I almost think that she is saying she "hurts" when something is just not right.

When are they able to truly articulate what truly hurts?

 

I wish I knew. Sarah says something hurts nearly every day. Usually it's some part of her arm or leg, but occasionally throat, back, tummy, etc.

She does tend to be constipated and I think she says her tummy hurts when it's really bad. But the other stuff, I've never figured out. There was one point at which she consistently said her left leg hurt for at least a week, and I took her to the doctor and he found nothing.

I've asked about this on another message board and a number of people with kids this age said their doctors had said it was growing pains. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, just that nothing is necessarily wrong and there isn't much you can do about it.

Sometimes I give her Tylenol when it really seems to be bothering her, but I hate to be giving Tylenol every day.... :unknw:

If Emma is complaining every time she's in the car, could it be that her straps are too tight or something? Maybe it's pressing on her shoulders and she interprets that as saying her back hurts? Or maybe it's bending her at the waist in a funny way?

 

:hug: Michelle. I can imagine how frusturating this in! Lauren says something hurts when she is upset or about to get in trouble ardon:

 

That's a hard one...does she get carsick? Do they know the difference between being sick and just hurting? I usually ask my girls if they are sick or just hurting, and they usually tell me which. They usually don't say they are sick unless they are really sick...probably because they HATE the doctor.

 

YEs, Audrey says her legs hurt, or tummy.. if she doesn't want to do something. It is frustrating because I don't know if she is actually hurting. Good luck!

 

I don't know Michelle. We just got over a bunch of illnesses around here (colds, stomach virus, and then the flu), so my girls keep telling me they hurt or are sick, but then they are running so I think they are fine. Is Emma acting different like she is in pain? Poor punkin. I hope you guys figure this out :hug:

 

We just visited the Ped for this a few months back. It drove me BONKERS. EVERY night at bedtime & throughout the night, Conner woke up blood curdling screaming. When you'd ask what was wrong, he'd always say something hurt...his neck, his leg, his arm, his tummy, his head, his mouth, etc. It was horrible. We tried Ibuprofen, which didn't seem to help. He started moving his complaints to daytime hours & started laying on the floor complaining about them. He began regressing in potty training, too. I finally drug him into our Ped & he found nothing wrong. He felt it was behavioral. We changed how we responded to his complaints, even though we had no clue if they were valid or not. At times we'd outright say, "You're leg doesn't hurt. You're fine." After less than a week, he was sleeping through the night again, was no longer crying at bedtime, & had stopped his complaining during the day. I went from worrying that my child had leukemia or bone cancer or something to dealing with a chronic whiner for attention !

It kinda crept up on us again a month ago. He fell at daycare & hurt his hand. He went over 24 hours without moving it & screaming if we tried to touch it. We had it XRay'd & everything because he acted like he had shattered every bone in his hand! After we knew it was ok (although, I'm sure quite sore), we began focusing on it less & he began using it. Stinker. It's apparent he's going to be my drama boy. On the flip side, when he started complaining his neck hurt again a little bit ago, we began to pass it off as his normal whining. Within a few days, we took him in for it & sure enough, a raging strep throat. Man did we feel awful.

So, maybe she's doing it for attention? Just a suggestion. I thought I knew my child & that he would never make up stuff like that, but I guess not! Maybe try to alter how you respond to her & see how she does (which would be hard, not knowing if something is truly upsetting her).

Parenting is no fun, is it? It's supposed to be easier when they start talking, right?

 

I was just goggling today "toddler penis hurts" because that's what one of mine has been complaining about this morning. He said he didn't need to pee, but he kept sorta squeezing himself, and just wanted me to hold him. Looked fine to me, and luckily he hasn't complained since this morning, but it is so hard to know when it truly is something, or when to just tell them sorry!
Hopefully you'll figure it out soon!

 

That's what I was thinking too so I was taking time to make sure they were just right. But your post did remind me of something. We still had their seats in the recline position so I fixed them today to be upright. I also checked (since she is growing so fast lately!) that her straps were at the right height on her shoulders and they are.

Definitely not her. Lauren, yes but Emma doesn't do stuff like that....yet.

No, and that's my question. When can they start articulating the difference? That seems to be the issue here, she can't pinpoint it.

Good to know I'm not the only one!! :good:

 

Yes. She cries and truly seems uncomfortable. It breaks my heart because I can't figure it out!!

Not at all. We can just be riding along in the car, singing songs happy as can be and she starts to say it. Or she's happily playing at home, either with us or with Lauren, and she will say it. So it's very random and not at all for attention.


I'm going to just keep watching and maybe journal. I just wish she could articulate a bit more. I know it will come in time I guess. :good:

 

:hug: Michelle. I would definitely keep a journal and try to see if there are triggers for her pain. Then you can give that info to the pedi and help figure it out. Poor punkin.

 

:hug: I know this has you worried. :hug:

 

With mine I can tell when something is really wrong. Usually when they say they have a belly ache, I ask them if they need to go poop or need to toot. When they do that usually helps. When they have a headache I tell them to lay down on the couch and rest a while. Or I give them a snack or something to drink.

Sometimes if I can't magically mommy cure them they just want the attention, LOL!

 

:hug:'s Michelle. I know with the older two of mine, usually after we experienced a certain type of sickness that's when they were able to articulate it. However, I'd say within the next year she should be able to tell you more b/c she'll have more of the words. If she's home and complaining, have her tell you where by pointing. Maybe that would help? Definitely keep journalling and see if there is a pattern. Also if she's doing this at home, maybe she just needs some rest time like 5-10 mins on the sofa? Sometimes my girls will say something hurts and then I'll have them rest and then they are fine.

I'm not really sure what to tell you. :hug:'s It's just so hard sometimes to know. Trust your instincts and never feel bad about calling the pedi about anything. :hug: