Thowing up blood

N

Naveen

New member
if he is actually throwing up blood and just given the other symptoms,i wouldn't wait for a doc appt,i would take him to the local ER for at least blood work and an ultrasound of the abdominal area or CT. he has tenderness in the abdomen which can be an indication of many possible things such as liver issues,kidney problems,gallbladder problems. he simply needs some bloodwork done anda full hands on exam by a doc soon,really soon. there are many possible reasons for the other symptoms,but anytime someone is actually vomiting blood,it can indicate some bigger issues,espescially in a child his age.

when you combine all his signs and symptoms,this could indicate possible problems with the liver(or GI problems somewhere else as well). this could explain the tenderness and swelling and the vomiting of blood and the 'heartburn" or reflux issue too. i don;t want to freak you out or anything here but this is exactly how my son presented in 99 with portal hypertension that was being casued by a liver disease he somehow ended up with from a kidney disease(polycystic kidney disease) we did not even know ran in our family(i found out i actually had this same kidney disease only when our son got sick and the rest of the family had to be tested,i was actually 40 years old but was born with this crap too). he vomited up blood at school one day and it was all down hill from there. but my son actually had the exact same symptoms as yours is currently dealing with. just curious here. has your son ever had any unexplained vomiting at any time when he was younger? i mean just vomiting for no real reason or unexplained stomach aches? my son also had this during his earlier years. has your son ever had sudden nosebleeds at all?

like i said,i am not trying to freak you out here,what i explained is a rather rare occurance, but honestly,anytime i see unexplained vomiting of blood in a child or sudden nosebleeds for no real reason ,i immediately think of my son and the way he presented,and his liver issues. something is causing his symptoms that really need looking into much sooner than later. i would get him to the ER just for that baseline testing anyway. it will at least get that ball rolling towards a reason or Dx of what may be going on alot quicker than waiting for the doc visit and then waiting for referrals to places ya know? does your son complain of a 'pressure' in the center of his chest or to the right side other than what you explained with that right side?

i would get him into the ER today if possible,like i said,just to get some baseline tests going(something could be actually "blocked" in there given the symptoms). they can do alot more at any hospital as far as testing than any docs office possibly could. if he is in any pain or still vomiting(blood or no blood) he needs to be seen much sooner than later. hopefully there is another more minor reason for his symptoms,but things do need to be ruled out in him, the sooner the better,ya know? i do wish you both luck with this. please keep us all posted here whenyou find anything out. this could also be as simple as a gall stone blockage,but you do just need to know soon. take care, FB
 
He is feeling better, he is 50%. What I mean is he stopped throwing up, he had a cough and sore throat but that is gone. The doctor gave him penicillin when he thought he had strep because he said very weird but strep throat can sometimes mimic the signs of appendecitis but this time it didn't.
I dont' know if I've already posted this but he has mesenteric lympeditis. It has been a week and two days, all of this symptoms are gone except for the stomach pain, he said it is not any better and its not any worse.
He felt better when he got up this morning, went to school and started hurting again when he went to school. The doctor said if he is still hurting to bring him back thursday or friday and he'll run more test.
All of the worst care scenarios are running through my head right now.
What can I do at home for now to help him feel better? The doctor says just get him to drink plenty of fluids and eat, but he sure doesn't have a loss of appetite, that is good at least. He drank about half a gallon of orange juice by himself last night but I just let him. I figured the vitamin c would be good for him.
 
I am worried about my 14 year old son. He told me later this evening that today at school around noon time that he wasn't feeling very well. He told the teacher he had to go to the bathroom. He said he had a headache and has had gas and has been passing gas all day. He said he went to the bathroom and felt like he was going to throw up. His stomach started hurting really bad and he said he threw up. He said the throw up was a dark red color like blood and smelled really bad.
I asked if he drank red gatorade or anything that was red that could have made his throw up look like that and he said no. He has also had really bad heartburn tonight. I took him with me to the store and we walked outside and he threw up before we got in the car and it was pink.
I am going to schedule a doctors appt monday morning to find out what is wrong.
Please help someone!
I am so scared and worried about him. He said his stomach is bloated and tender to the touch, he has heartburn and keeps passing gas, no fever though.
 
Remember that Monday is a holiday and you may not be able to schedule an appointment.

IMO, your son should be seen sooner than that. He has serious symptoms and may be gravely ill. I would take mine to an emergency room today.
 
Feelbad, yes my son can relate to some of the things you are saying. He does have frequent nosebleeds, I was told by his doctor that he has very fragile capillary veins or surface veins I think is the way he put it in his nose and when his nose gets really dried up these veins "pop" and cause the nosebleeds.
My son has a very sensitive stomach and throws up easily. Also, I don't know if I already said this in my first post he bruises very easily, just one tiny bump and he has a bruise within hours or minutes.
I am worried now that the ER doctor just shoved us out the door too soon because he couldn't really give me an answer, just that the pain in his stomach could have been caused by these swollen lymph nodes.
What kind of testing would I need to ask for to determine if my son does have your condition Feelbad?
I am going to call his doctor first thing in the morning and get him in. Since I told the hospital who his regular doctor is will they send the reports over from all the testing they did at the hospital? Will he already know what has went on or do I have to explain all over again?
What kind of tests can his regular doctor do tomorrow that the ER hasn't already done?
Could his sinus infection cause swollen lymph nodes in his stomach?
 
Hi, Hamilton . . . I would say if the acid from the fruit juice is not irritating his stomach, by all means let him drink it. If he likes potato soup or mashed potatoes, this is a good thing for him to eat because it contains high potassium which helps replace electrolytes lost due to loss of fluids from vomiting.

I looked up mesenteric lymphadenitis in my home encyclopedia for you to help you better understand it.

There is a membrane (mesentery) that holds the abdominal organs to the wall. These contain lymph nodes and this is what is inflamed. It mostly affects children and is generally caused by a virus.

Since it mimics appendicitis, this must be ruled out to determine mesenteric lymphadenitis. Mild fever, sore throat, chest infection and swollen glands often accompany this.

Anti-inflammatory pain medication is often given to ease the symptoms.

Due to the fact that this has gone on for a while, it is likely a bacterial infection (caused by the virus) and this is why he had to be on antibiotics. Eating pro-biotic yogurt that contains L. Acidophilus and L. Casei will help replenish the good bacteria in the stomach that the antibiotics are depleting.

Hope this helps and I hope he gets completely well soon.

Lindaru :)
 
Just got back from 6 hours in the er. It was swollen lymph nodes in the right side of his abdomen that was causing the pain the doctor thinks.
He did a CT scan of his abdomen with contrast, he had to drink barium and the contrast dye. They were going to put a nasal-gastric tube down his throat but one of the nurses talked him out of it and they just did the barium.
The doctor also did a rectal exam to check for blood in his poop and a urine sample to check for blood in his urine. He had me leave the room for this.
On top of all of this they started an iv, the nurse missed the vein three times and had to call in another nurse to start it, they couldn't get the needle pushed all the way in where she was trying to put the iv the first three times in the top of his hand on his wrist actually, the other nurse tried the bend of his arm at his elbow and got it the first time.
I started crying apologizing to my son for putting him through all of this.
One thing that really makes me mad though that didn't have a thing to do with his stomach issues...ok let me explain. My son plays football and like me he bruises very, very easily, one bump and he'll get a bruise. He had several bruises on his arm from football and two sores on his legs, probably from contact or his cleets or something rubbing. He asked him at the first initial exam where the triage nurse takes your blood pressure, finds out what is wrong and everything before taking him to a room. She asked my son does your mom or dad beat you? Of course my son said no because we don't even spank but that made me mad and hurt my feelings really badly at the same time. I was shocked to say the least. What is this all about? She said one bruise on his arm looked like a bite and looked right at me as if accusing me, and gave me a funny look. I don't know what the expression on my face was like but I said there is no telling, someone could have bitten him in football, there is no telling. I mean what am I supposed to say to that?
But the most important thing is my son is ok, his appendix is fine. If he really was throwing up blood the CT scan would have shown if he was bleeding internally right? They gave him tylenol 3 to take for pain and he has to follow up with his regular doctor in 2 days.
Thank you all for your concern!
 
HI,

The doctor actually told him to stop the antibiotics after 48 hours because it wasn't strep throat like he'd thought. Should I give them to him anyway?
It is penicillin.
He told me today after school that his stomach was still hurting and I asked is it any better at all because I'm really starting to get freaked out here.
So mesenteric lymphaditis is common? It has went on since the saturday of labor day weekend when it actually started. He said it hurts worse when he eats. What could that mean.
His doctor wants to see him thursday or friday if it is still hurting then and I'm scared that he'll put him in the hospital if he has to go and it won't quit hurting. Other than that he is eating and drinking fine. He started coughing really hard and threw up after dinner two nights ago but other than that he is fine. I did read where mesenteric lymphaditis is connected with an upper respiratory infection of some type too, probably why he has the cough and sore throat.
Thank you all so much for your support. Please help me pray for my sons health to get better. I am so scared!
 
There could be many causes but likely it is something that spurs stomach acids to the point that the stomach or esophagus starts to bleed. Excessive stomach acids can make vomit, stools and gas smell really bad.

Keep him off of carbonated beverages, caffeine, fruit and juices that are high in acid, and spices. You may want to try something over the weekend like Pepcid A-C, Mylanta or Maalox (though some of those may cause loose stools). I do not recommend Pepto-Bismol because it contains aspirin and this can aggravate digestive bleeding.

If this gets worse, bypass the appointment and go to the emergency room.

Please do take care. Let us know how it goes.

My thoughts are with you both.

Lindaru :)
 
Hamilton,

Thank you for getting back with us. I think it is safe to say we were very concerned.

I'm not a medical person so I may be way off base here, but if I'm understanding this correctly they do not have a diagnosis. Although the swollen lymph glands may be causing the pain, it is my undertanding that the lymph nodes act kind of like the tonsils except for the body. In other words, they're swollen because there's an infection going on someplace....somebody, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Hamilton, I do hope you will take your son into the er or a medical center if his condition gets worse. Sometimes it's hard for doctors and other medical people to know what's happening as soon as it happens....if his condition changes, do take him in again.

I'm so very sorry you are upset about the nurse's questions/accusations about beating your son. That must have been very hurtful, especially when you're so very worried about your son, and especially since you are doing the very best that you can to keep him safe and healthy. As difficult that it may be, the nurse is trying to keep children safe and healthy, too, because not all parents/relatives/friends/people are as loving, caring, and responsible as you are. By allowing her to ask those questions, she may be helping/saving another mother's child. But I would hope and pray that she's getting better training on how to identify and address the possibility because it really sounds like she doesn't have the people skills to do it well. But again, I'm so very sorry you had to have that experience.

I can't answer your questions about the cat scan except to say like everything else mistakes can be made and tests aren't (for whatever reason) always 100 percent acccurate....so again, if there are any changes, if he were my son, I'd bring him in again.

Take care, Hamilton. I'll be thinking of you and of your son.

Bethsheba
 
It will be up to your doctor if you need to take him back as to whether or not he needs to go back on antibiotics, but usually it gets better on its own. The yogurt is just to replace the good bacteria lost from his digestive tract when he was on antibiotics, not a suggestion for him to go back on them. I was recently told by my doctor that even though my last round of antibiotics was a few years ago, I still needed to rebuild the "flora" in my stomach now.

I would recommend he eat or drink whatever he is comfortable with. I knew he had been vomiting which dehydrates you, so that is why I thought potatoes (and bananas, too) for potassium.

I do send positive thoughts to your son. I know how miserable he must be. I really hope he gets well enough that he is not hurting by the time Thursday or Friday rolls around. Wishes for his wellness.

Lindaru :wave:
 
Thank you. I am leaning towards gallbladder issues right now. He threw up twice today, he said there was no blood in it the first time but just a while ago he threw up again. I was at the store and came back and he told me.
He said first he threw up greenish brown looking stuff then it was red, a dark red. He swears to me that he hasn't eaten or drank anything to make it red.
He also tells me that on the right side of his stomach he has a radiating pain from the top of his stomach down to his pelvis, the whole right side and his kidney area hurts. He said his kidney area hurts worse.
He's had a sore throat for a few days too and a stuffy nose.
Can a 14 year old have gallbladder problems? I can't wait any longer if he does throw up and I see it and it is blood we are on our way to the ER.
 
I am so scared for my son, could this be Hodgkins?
If his doctor suspects I'm sure he'll order more tests. What types of testing can detect if it is Hodgkins?
Today he isn't feeling any better and he has a bad sinus infection, he can't taste or smell anything. He fell asleep and I plugged in the steam humifier for him and gave him Vicks to rub on his chest to help him breathe a bit better.
He said he was feeling weak and dizzy so he went and laid down, he says his stomach still hurts. I want tomorrow to hurry up and get here, I am going to be at the doctors office with him at 8am sharp tomorrow.
He is so worried now he can't play in his first football game of the season tomorrow :) My little football player :)
I just want him better I don't want anything to happen to him, I don't know what I would do.
 
ditto on everything beth just told you. there is some newer law or protocal all hospitals are now having to do where they have to ask that question to every patient who comes in with things that just look "off"? in some way? the thing is,that nurse should not have even asked that question with you even in the room,it should have been asked when you two were seperated. i mean geez,how honest would any child who actually IS being abused actually be with a potential abuser sitting right there?? kinda stupid actually. but you did not deserve that at all. sorry he had some inept unexperienced people trying to start his IV. believe me,i CAN relate to that one. my son has needed blood draws of all kinds(weekly before his liver failure) and we had some great people and some real idiots too.

did the doc go over his CT report with you at all? 'something",like beth stated above,is going on in him or the swollen lymph nodes simply would not even be there,you know what i mean? did they do a full set of labs on him while he was there just to check all levels and organ functions? if i were you,i would call that hospital on tues and ask to have them send out a release of info for you to sign so you can obtain every single test result and lab number. having this info may help at some point to just figure this all out in him. believe me,it is VERY handy to have all of your own medical records if something else should happen to pop up in him. you also just need to read thru some of the test results(like the labs) and see what may have been out of range or not within certain parameters.

depending on how your son continues to feel,you can always take him back to the ER(i know that doesn't sound like alot of fun but you may have to at some point) or wait til he can be seen by his own doc on tues. but either way,this child needs a real Dx of what is causing all his symptoms,ya know? something simply is not right in him right now or he would not have been displaying the symptoms. just an FYI for ya,but just becasue your son actually did throw up blood,does not mean that becasue they did not 'see' anything show up in the abdominal area upon that CT,it may not be occuring somewhere,even within the throat area. a bleed has to be active or have recently bled in order to be picked up on CT. what were the results of the tests they took with the rectal exam to check for blood,did they tell you?

i would keep a close eye on him for the next couple days and if something happens again or you just don;t feel good about something,take him back in and make them find the problem. you also NEED to know the lab results too. they would have checked his clotting ability while testing his blood too becasue of the bruising. hopefully whatever this is,it will pass. but you do need to know much more than you do right now. lymph nodes,espescially within that area,just do not swell for no apparent reason. please keep us posted, FB
 
No, if he doesn't have a bacterial infection, I would follow your doctor's advice (and antibiotics don't work on viral infections). Taking antibiotics unnecessarily can build up an immunity to that drug...so if you don't have to take it, don't take it and the drug will work if you need to take it in the future.

I have no experience with mesenteric lymphaditis so I can't address your questions there. But I agree with lindaru about the potential for an imbalance in his electrolytes, especially given the voming and possible dehydration. As lindaru mentioned, potatoes and bananas can replace some of the nutrients he has lost (plus they are easily digested)...and orange juice is very high in potassium so I suspect his thirst for the oj was his body's way of replacing what he has lost thru this illness. Keep in mind that enzymes are needed to break down fruits/fruit juices and it is possible for a "healthy" person to eat too much fruit/fruit juice at one time causing the stomach to cramp, and causing pain...so if he is hungry for any one thing, best not to overdue it at once (like the juice) but to spread it out over a few hours.



Yes, we are thinking of you and your son and praying for a rapid and complete recovery...in the meantime, take good care of yourself. Your son needs you to be well rested and healthy!

Bethsheba
 
I wouldn't wait till Monday. Maybe a trip to the ER to get him checked out would be best? Rather be safe then sorry. Yes a 14 year old could have gallbladder issues. I actually had mine removed at 16. Good luck and please let us know how he is.
 
gosh,i am so sorry i didn't see your newer posts hamilton. i am hoping you made it into see his regular doc today on this. do you know if they actually did ANY bloodwork on him while he was at this ER? i would think they would have at least checked out his chems and did the hepatic labs. my son ended up with a mutated form of polycystic kidney disease. i have only the polycysts imy kidneys and liver but my son,who we did not have a freaking clue he was even sick til that day he threw up blood,had what is called congenital hepatic fibrosis. he was actually born with tiny fibers kind of overtaking his liver that was the mutated part of just having the type of kidney disease. he otherwise had always seemed very very healthy. this all took place back in 99. he had also JUST had a full sports physical to play football and actually passed it!! somehow,someway,the stupid NP(not a doc) who did his supposed "full" physical(no routine bloodwork is ever done at these types of physicals,why i don;t have a clue but they should include it)well she managed to actually totally miss a hardened,enlarged,displaced liver. she never 'felt it during her exam. unreal believe me.

i would not actually count on any hospital to really "do" anything as far as sending stuff to his docs office. sometimes it can take forever for them to send anyones stuff anywhere. i would tell you that you yourself really DO need to get your very own copies of everything that was generated that visit. and i mean all test results all docs notes,everything in that medical file they now have on him. just for you to have for your own sons records. you never know how things can go and you may need this stuff.

is there ANY kidney problems that run on either side of his family that you are aware of? some diseases can be passed on. and some canjust bethere that you are not even aware you have.that much i do know. i do hope that things went well. please let me know how his visit went. you should have been given much much more real solid info from that ER visit than you were,like a diagnosis or referral? keep me posted hon. FB
 
Don't wait, he needs to go to the er. Vomiting blood is serious and needs to be addressed right away.

Although there are many conditions with these symptoms, appendicitus (spelling??) comes to mind immediately.

Bethsheba
 
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