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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Upper Abdominal Cramp In A Child?

my soon to be 10 year old daughter is now sleeping because I gave her motrin, but before that she was complaining that she had a pain in her upper stomach that felt like a muscle cramp. She could not get comfortable, but she did not have fever she ate a good dinner and desert. She also has not had any bathroom issues. Should I be concerned about appendicitis? I only ask because what she described is different than anything she would normally complain of.
Mon, 7 Nov 2016
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hi there,

It does not sound like the type of pain associated with appendicitis. Appendicitis can be felt in the central area around the navel early on, but rarely in the upper stomach area. It is also usually a constant pain rather than cramping, and accompanied by a fever.

In that location, it is more likely to be directly stomach related, like in gastritis if she had a delayed dinner, or has tendency to irregular meals. It is also possible to be colic with indigestion if she had an unusual type of food, or a meal that was larger than usual.

I would advise to just wait and see, since the pain has just started, and is somewhat controlled. She might even develop some diarrhoea later on, which would then make it a simple case of gastroenteritis or food poisoning. Be careful though, with Motrin when it comes to stomach related issues, because ibuprofen has a risk of aggravating gastritis. Paracetamol would be a safer bet when unsure.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have further questions.

Regards,
Dr. Teh
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What Causes Upper Abdominal Cramp In A Child?

Hi there, It does not sound like the type of pain associated with appendicitis. Appendicitis can be felt in the central area around the navel early on, but rarely in the upper stomach area. It is also usually a constant pain rather than cramping, and accompanied by a fever. In that location, it is more likely to be directly stomach related, like in gastritis if she had a delayed dinner, or has tendency to irregular meals. It is also possible to be colic with indigestion if she had an unusual type of food, or a meal that was larger than usual. I would advise to just wait and see, since the pain has just started, and is somewhat controlled. She might even develop some diarrhoea later on, which would then make it a simple case of gastroenteritis or food poisoning. Be careful though, with Motrin when it comes to stomach related issues, because ibuprofen has a risk of aggravating gastritis. Paracetamol would be a safer bet when unsure. Hope this helps, and let me know if you have further questions. Regards, Dr. Teh