After starting primary school for few months, my daughter complained about abdominal pain for numerous times. The school teacher told me that my daughter frowned and asked what she could do to help her. I was clueless.
As a matter of fact, I have brought her to see a GP for a few times. One suspected urinary infection but the test showed nothing. We went to see a second GP, who suspected that my daughter was just not used to the school and sent us home to monitor. This continued for a few weeks, adding to my stress. The school form teacher opined that my daughter has no stress in school. She said that if a child has stomachache because of stress, he or she would complain about stomach ache at the first moment he/she stepped into the school. My daughter, from her observation, enjoyed school very much and the pain seemed to be unpreditable. Sometimes the pain just struck while my daughter was enjoying PE lessons. Certainly, my stress and worry increased.
One night, she complained about severe pain. In the middle of the night, I sent her to hospital. She looked really pale. The doctor performed ultra-sound, and X-ray. She was hospitalised for few days. A thorough check was performed on her focusing on appendicitis. However, the result was not conclusive, as she had no fever and the pain was not that acute. The specialist was very experience. However, he was not a surgeon nor an expert in gastronomy. Every time he walked the ward, he was accompanied by at least two-three younger doctors.
Few days later, my daughter was discharged. The doctor suspected constipation, but I was still clueless.
As I expected, the pain came back few days later. This time, I was much better prepared. I had read through a lot of information from the website, and I nailed down to few possible potential root cause. The doctor in charge wanted to hospitalise my daughter again. When we were at the hospital, my daughter refused to walk and she complained stomach ache. I insisted to see a doctor specialised in Gastronomy this time and refusing to be admitted. Luckily for me, someone canceled his appointment and I was given a slot. (Thank God for that).
Few days later, my daughter was discharged. The doctor suspected constipation, but I was still clueless.
As I expected, the pain came back few days later. This time, I was much better prepared. I had read through a lot of information from the website, and I nailed down to few possible potential root cause. The doctor in charge wanted to hospitalise my daughter again. When we were at the hospital, my daughter refused to walk and she complained stomach ache. I insisted to see a doctor specialised in Gastronomy this time and refusing to be admitted. Luckily for me, someone canceled his appointment and I was given a slot. (Thank God for that).
The Gastronomy specialist was a very experience professor. He spoke to my daughter talking about her coming holidays etc. The consultation was just 30 minutes but she just came out cured! Just imagine that a sick young child who needed to be on wheel chair, could not stand straight because of stomach ache could walk out straight, and even ran!!!! I am really thankful to Prof. He told me that worries could cause real pain. After talking to my daughter, she has a lot of anxiety and she tended to worry a lot over simple matter. However, he did not want to conclude psychological reasons as main cause.
Root caused can't be ascertain, plus recurrent of abdominal pain would be RAP (Recurrent Abdominal Pain). According to my other doctor friend, RAP refers to abdominal pain that cannot be explained. The pain did come back, but this time, I know what to say. I assure my daughter that she would recover and she completely recovered after 2 weeks.
P/S (1) :
Need to warn you that the hospital in Singapore is really overcrowded. It was hard to secure the specialist/doctors time. The appointment waiting time can be easily 3-4 weeks. Hard to secure doctors of your preference during emergency. Also, my daughter was admitted twice practically, but there was no bed available. This reflects how bad the situation is regarding health care needs in Singapore.
P/S (2):
Check out WebMD for details. In case the link got broken:
RAP stands for Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) with no cause is defined as at least 3 separate episodes of abdominal pain that occur in a 3-month period. These episodes are often severe, and the child is not able to do his or her normal activities. Some website said that RAP may affect 10% of school going children between 6-12.
Let me quote from WebMD about the symptoms.
- Sharp or dull pain.
- Severe pain that causes the child to look pale, become sweaty, or cry and bend over in pain.
- Pain that lasts a few minutes or hours.
- Pain in the belly button area or anywhere in the belly.
- Pain that may or may not be related to eating.
- Pain that occurs anytime of the day or night.
- Abdominal pain that occurs with vomiting, headaches, or pain in the arms or legs.
- Not being hungry like normal or skipping meals but usually without losing weight.
It took me 2-3 years to finish the book. I made sure I practice these habits before moving on to the next chapter. I always wonder why didn't I read this book earlier. I used to buy this book and give it to young colleagues. So, the challenge will be how to teach these concepts to kids.