son came home sick. what would you think?

[mtemm]

my 7 year old son loves school. he's very bright and thrives academically.

Today I dropped him off and he was totally fine...had a normal morning at home, seemed fine, ate fine, nothing out of the ordinary. I went off to the gym and when I got home there was a message from the school nurse. he went there as soon as he got to school (well, went to his classroom then went right to the nurse) complaining of stomach pains. she checked him out and no fever, nothing she could see/feel wrong with him, he just said it hurt right around where the band of his shorts hit. she ended up sending him back to class, and a little while later he came back saying the same thing.

he NEVER goes to the nurse unless he is very sick.

his shorts were not tight at all.

his teacher said when in the classroom he was not acting like himself (usually very eager, looks for extra work, etc).

when I got there he seemed a little pale and not himself and when I asked if he wanted to come home, he said yes. this was huge because he hates to miss school, not to mention he had a friend coming home for a playdate that he was very much looking forward to and would have to be cancelled.

I figure he's sick.

10 minutes after getting home he looks fine. he's been fine ever since. totally fine.

???????

my thoughts are he just needed a day off. I figure we all get like that from time to time, and even though that isn't normal for him, well, you never know.

but now my mind is wandering....did something happen between drop off and him getting to his classroom? am probably overthinking things here. I've asked him, but he says no, nothing.

am curious...what would you think?

 

[Mouse House Mama]

It sounds to me like something had to happen at school. Maybe someone is picking on him hence the stomach pains. Good luck and I hope he feels better.

 

[DMickey28]

I wonder if something stressful to him happened. Something he doesn't realize therefor can't tell you. Maybe he was nervous about his friend coming over, is it a new friend? Maybe something coming up in class that while he was excited about but was nervous about.

 

[XYSRUS]

Did he have a good breakfast? I've seen a thousand kids get icky at school and then you come to find out they didn't eat. Talk to him, try to get what he was feeling and why.

 

[KAMLEM]

Did something happen between him and his friend who was coming over for the playdate? Maybe he was trying to get out of that.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

This may sound weird but did he maybe....well...yah know...have to go number 2???? Something similiar happened to my ds last year. Same sort of thing and my children HATE to miss school and we really stress attendance at our house....well except if we're going to Disney Anyway it happened once and he acted fine almost as soon as he was home...I was worried that maybe some child was mean to him. A couple of weeks later, the same thing. This time I was determined to get to the bottom if the situtation..no pun intended. Poor guy was only 6 yrs old and didn't figure out that his tummy hurt because he had to poop. As soon as he got home....well yah know...the situation resolved itself and he miraculously felt better. He later told me that he was embarassed to go in the school bathroom. Strangely dh has major issues with public pooing also...must be inherited. I've since made arrangements for the school secretary to let him use the private bathroom in the office if necessary.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That is anxiety probably brought on by not doing homework, studying for a test or something happened at school with his schoolmates. Or it is something that is making him anxious that is happening at home. If is was a #2 issue he would have said something is my guess.

My almost 13yodd is the anxiety master. She is on meds/counseling to help her now.

My suggestion to you is to start looking for missing work or projects/tests that are coming up. Go from there.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Could it have been a bathroom issue?

When my DD was younger she didn't like to use the schools bathroom to do #2 and a couple of times kept complaining about stomache pains right after getting to school. I'd go and pick her up and within an hour she would've used the bathroom at home and was just fine afterwards.

 

[mtemm]

thanks all!

the nurse and the teacher both thought bathroom issues immediately. they both had him go and try, but honestly he said he didn't need to and he hasn't been constipated at all. he did have a healthy breakfast (raisin bran and yogurt) and does all his homework as soon as he walks in the door from school (including extra credit). tests are a non issue for him. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out if something at home is making him anxious, but can't put a finger on anything.

I just don't know what to think, other than maybe gas? but he says he didn't toot, lol. just said hey mom, isn't it funny, I feel all better!

his friend that was coming over is a good friend, he plays with her every day at school and loves having playdates with her. he started crying when I said no playdate, even if he was feeling better. (later this afternoon I did let him play outside with neighbor kids once it was obvious he was fine).

I called a friend of mine whose son is in the class and she probed her son a bit (sneakily) to see if anything happened and he just seemed to think my son was really sick.

so I guess its a mystery. we'll see what tomorrow brings. thanks everyone for your ideas. I know I am most likely overthinking this but it is just so off for him I keep expecting to come to an explanation that solves it definitively.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

It's possible he had a bad gas pain but it didn't come out. That can be very uncomfy and raisin bran does have fiber in it.

Or stress of some kind. My son gets headaches and stomachaches lately right after he gets to school. I told the nurse not to send him home unless he has a fever now.

 

[3boymthr]

Aside from the #2 issue and the stress I would suggest you keep an eye on him. Watch for a fever or other complaints of stomach pains in the next day or so. My boss had similar symptoms for about 2 days - stomach pain that came and went - turned out it was appendicitis.

ETA - another illness that causes random stomach pains is kidney stones. Ask if he's having any trouble peeing. Most common in adults but kids with high calcium in their diet can also get them.

PS - I hope it's as PPs suggested and just a number two or gas issue - BTW I found that my kids won't admit this is the problem even when asked as about that age they started to get embarrassed about the whole thing.

 

[maroo]

was the pain right around the belly button? For some, it starts right at the belly button and then later goes to the lower right side.

I agree with PP - I would be on alert for appendicitis.

Long shot...but sounds like you know your son very well and that would explain the pain and it going away. If it is appendicitis, I am sure it will come back.

 

[mickeyboat]

DD10 has been having #2 and anxiety issues on and off from the beginning of the school year. I am keeping a close eye on her and she is involved in a morning group at school with the school counselor where she will have an opportunity to discuss any anxiety she might be feeling in a small group setting.

I have agreed to allow her to take cold lunch every day this week because she thinks her belly feels better when she brings her lunch. So far so good.

Hope this was just an isolated gas / #2 issue and that your little guy is o.k.

 

[mtemm]

thanks again all. will definitely keep a close eye on him. he said the pain was around where the waistband of his shorts were, but when I got there he said it was a little lower, more toward his groin, but all over, not localized on the right side. still, am not ruling anything out. we did ask if it hurt to pee or felt weird or anything and he said no.

its just so odd for him. the nurse was concerned because it is very unlike him to come to her at all, unless he is very sick.

have been thinking more about anxiety. am wondering if he's watching too much news. we usually watch a bit of news in the evening (half hour or so) and the first 15 minutes of the today show in the mornings, and he joins my husband and I to watch...in fact, he's a bit of a news junkie. we change the channel if we find the content too disturbing, but I wonder if some of the stuff on there might be getting to him?

I just don't know.