He won't GET an ulcer from stress because they are caused by bacteria (or viruses, I forget which), but stress can exacerbate an existing ulcer, if he has one.

I think I'd try Pepto Bismal or Alka seltzer, or maybe just 7-Up to soothe his tummy for a while. Often simple stress-relievers and placebos help a great deal. I think you're doing the right things by talking, but if he clams up I wouldn't push it. Kids also have a way of working through things themselves. He's a good boy, and will remain one.

Sherry

Don't know if you believe in homeopathics, but this sounds like a job for Gelsemium. Works for very similar symptoms in our family.

Some people, myself included, eat when they are stressed. Could it be that he is eating a bit too much or some fatty or milk items that he doesn't normally eat when he is stressed. Lots of fatty foods could be causing him distress with his pancreas (pain or naseau). If he is lactose intolerant, perhaps he's eating milk products and that is causing him distress? I'd take him to the doctor's just to make sure everything is ok.

"He won't GET an ulcer from stress because they are caused by bacteria (or viruses, I forget which), but stress can exacerbate an existing ulcer, if he has one."

That's not quite right. A large percentage of ulcers are caused by h pyloria bacteria, but not all. Stress can help cause an ulcer. I have a friend going through this right now and her GI specialist told her (after testing her for h pyloria) that she was going to have to work out her *issues* because this had caused her an ulcer.

When has he had a physical? I'd definitely have it checked out. Maybe your doctor can recommend something to help. As someone mentioned, I would watch his diet.

Hope you get some answers!

tina

There are a few products over the counter that work great. There is a digestive aid and Zantac.

When was the last time he was at the dentist? With his age; his wisdom teeth should be coming in; it may be a good idea to get him to the dentist to see if they are there & impacted. This was the age where my daughters issues started; little did I know her teeth were impacted. She had all sort of stomach issues around the same time her wisdom teeth came in. I ended up taking her to an ear/nose/throat (thought she was having tonsil issues) & when he scoped her, found she had reflux. Her regular Dr never found the reflux even though we were there regularly.

We never knew about the impacted wisdom teeth until right after hub was diagnosed with cancer. Daughter had complained every now & then of jaw pain; her orthodontist never took her serious; thought she just didn't want to wear the rubber-bands. It wasn't until I took her for a check up (she's ripped her braces off during the summer last year) that the new dentist said her teeth were impacted. I was looking through her various Xrays; trying to sort them out (she's having knee problems again) when I found one of her head where I could see the impacted teeth from when she was 15.

She's since had all of the wisdom teeth out & the reflux has not been an issue. I don't know if it's related to the teeth being impacted but figured I'd mention it because you never know.

Hi Sue--First off, just wanted to let you know you're not alone...my soon-to-be-13-y.o. DD has been getting into a pattern of getting sudden lower intestinal symptoms right when she's supposed to go onto the track for a race. We've taken to giving her Imodium beforehand, although we didn't give it to her early enough last Sunday...but she felt protected by it enough that even though she had 'an episode' right when her heat was waiting in the holding tent (she ran to and from the portapotty), she went onto the track and ran well afterwards. Most important, she felt that the subconscious saboteur didn't 'win' that round.

What she has and what your DS may have are stress issues displaying themselves in gastro-intestinal terms. Of course, rule out any strictly physical issues, and then you can deal with the stress-caused-physical ones.

One way we have found into talking about it is through books on sports psychology we got her, which have some anecdotes in which debilitating anxiety evinces itself as nausea in some people before an event. Her case is a bit lower :), but stress hormones can definitely cause physical symptoms that the person isn't consciously willing to happen--it's like one's subconscious fear is battling with one's conscious desire.

Just reading that other people have this battle and have overcome it (as opposed to our just telling her that that's the case--hearing it from *other people* who have actually experienced it and gotten past it has been crucial) has helped DD *demystify* it and then begin to get on top of it, with the help of the specific strategies in the books that she's employing. The books I got are called _With Winning in Mind_ and _Finding Your Zone_. Both books were reviewed on Amazon as saying that they apply to more than just sports -- to performance anxiety and perhaps to event-related (e.g. flying) anxiety as well. Maybe you might want to find information on reducing generalized anxiety (without getting too pathological about it) if he doesn't relate well to the sports-focused books.

Just another angle on the issue--I hope it gives you something else to work with. Hang in there!

Well, I called the doctor's office, spoke to the nurse, and they are going to see him later this afternoon. She said it is possible that he has an ulcer. I hope not, but at least we're looking into it. This has been going on for a while -- milder cases but I'd say about once a month for the past 6-8 month he has had stomach discomfort that I'm aware of -- I wouldn't be surprised if it has been more frequent but he just didn't say anything. Every time it's happened, I say I'm going to call the doctor "if it happens again soon" but then a month goes by... and it hasn't been that dramatic until last night. So anyway, I'll report back!

He actually is a really healthy eater and doesn't really overeat -- he is one of those people I envy who can look at a plate of cookies and say, "No thanks, not hungry!" He's been mostly eating toast this week! He hadn't eaten one thing all day (1 pm here) and I finally made him eat some toast and juice.

rose, he is going to the dentist in a few weeks, actually, so we'll see.

P.S. DH had headaches at this age, so maybe it's the same genetic adolescent anxiety just manifesting itself in a different way!

Tina, I was relying on the Mayo Clinic and Web MD for my information. As you say, the majority of ulcers are caused by bacteria. Nowhere was I able to find that stress is responsible for any ulcers. This subject interests me, so if you could, please post a link to ulcers that are caused by stress.

From WEB MD:
Myth # 1 Ulcers: Spicy food and stress cause stomach ulcers.
False - The truth is, the majority of stomach ulcers are caused either by infection with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) or by use of pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen, the so-called nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Most H. pylori-related ulcers can be cured with antibiotics. NSAID-induced ulcers can be cured with time, stomach-protective medications, antacids, and avoidance of NSAIDs. Now that it is appreciated that H. pylori and NSAIDs are the cause of most ulcers and patients are being managed appropriately, the ulcers that are coming to medical attention are increasingly likely to be unrelated to H. pylori or NSAIDs. Spicy food and stress (except when associated with extreme medical conditions) may aggravate ulcer symptoms in some people, but they do not cause ulcers. http://www.medicinenet.com/digestive_disease_myths_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

From Mayo Clinic:
Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of your stomach, upper small intestine or esophagus. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is abdominal pain.
It wasn't too long ago that lifestyle factors, such as a love of spicy foods or a stressful job, were thought to be at the root of most peptic ulcers. Doctors now know that a bacterial infection or some medications not stress or diet  cause most peptic ulcers.
Peptic ulcers are common, affecting as many as 10 percent of Americans at some point in their lives. The good news is that successful treatment of peptic ulcers is possible.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peptic-ulcer/DS00242

My guess is that your son does not have an ulcer, Sue, unless he has been using nsaids or has some other digestive condition.

Nobody wants to go to the doctor, so I think that unless the boy is severely disabled by this he should be allowed to work it out himself, with mom and dad's help if he wants it. On the other hand, if he would be comforted in knowing that there is nothing "wrong" with him, perhaps a trip to his dr would help. No sense in stressing him out with all sorts of ominous possibilities that complete strangers suggest. Fourteen is often a very difficult age.

Sue, back when we were seeing the doctor they wanted to do the camera down the esophagus; I said no. Going to the ENT worked out better because he put the scope down the nose & it was over quickly; so keep it in mind.

Is he coughing or clearing his throat?

Actually Shermann, you'll see from my previous post that I relayed what my friend had been told by her doctor. I also said that stress can HELP
cause an ulcer. I did a search and this is from kidshealth.net:

"In certain circumstances stress can help cause ulcers. But this usually only happens when illness involving severe emotional or physical stress is involved such as when someone too sick to eat for a long period of time.

Ulcers occur because of uncontrolled increased acid production in the stomach and changes in the immune system (the body system that fights infection). With any illness where the body's ability to heal is challenged (such as when someone has serious burns from a fire), there is a risk for developing ulcers."

I won't list any others, but do a search asking does stress cause ulcers.

I'm curious if an ENT can actually scope far enough down into the esoph and stomach? I've never heard of that. A scope is painless - you're sedated. And they might suggest that, the suggestion of reflux is something to consider.

If you'll look at the Mayo link Sherman provided, some of the symptoms match up to your son, but could go with reflux also (or something completely different!). Such as pain/feeling sick at night, symptoms occur then go away for a time, etc.

Luckily, reflux and ulcers are both usually easy to take care of. Hopefully it's neither of these and something very minor, but if so, getting him seen, tested, etc. and treated is a good thing.

Please keep us posted!

tina

Tina, in our case the Dr scoped down enough to see that acid was burning her esophagus; it does not go down that far but to me; was less invasive them the scope in the stomach.

When I was younger (7th grade was the end of middle school - 8th was high school) starting in 7th I had bad stomach issues which IMO were stress related. I used to get the runs really bad right before school & during. I remember my abdomen always being in pain; there were times I threw up. I was teased really bad from 7th to about 9th. I've had stomach pains as an adult & nothing was ever found which is why I refused testing for my daughter.

Completely understandable roselvr. I wasn't questioning what you did, I just didn't know they could do it like that. I was scoped as a very young adult, but fortunately had a good experience with the testing (well as good as you can have for that kind of stuff LOL).

I've had stomach *erosions* (years ago), but not an actual ulcer. Had the testing for H Pyoria too, was negative.

This is an interesting topic to me too - as I believe stress can do all kinds of things to our bodies.

tina

Completely understandable roselvr. I wasn't questioning what you did, I just didn't know they could do it like that. I was scoped as a very young adult, but fortunately had a good experience with the testing (well as good as you can have for that kind of stuff LOL).

I've had stomach *erosions* (years ago), but not an actual ulcer. Had the testing for H Pyoria too, was negative.

This is an interesting topic to me too - as I believe stress can do all kinds of things to our bodies.

tina

Well dang! Didn't mean to repeat myself - it said there was an internal server error and my request was not processed! Sorry!!

Weird! I got an internal server error message this morning when I paid my cable bill/roadrunner online - and it went through twice! This afternoon we got a taped call from the cable co telling us they were having software problems, please do not use the computer between 1 AM and 5 AM, and they will refund all double payments tomorrow!

I had the same error with my last post. I hit the back button then copied what I posted; kept hitting the back button till I got to the main page; hit refresh & I saw it posted. lol

I can't help but think of Celiac disease. My daughter's friend was just diagnosed with it, at age 14, after many symptoms life-long, just as you described...

Sounds like a nervous stomach to me! (Lots of people in my family react that way to stress, including me)

But I do want to bring up a syndrome called cyclical vomiting syndrome. Two of my co-workers have it, and are off-and-on miserable, just like he is. He's of the age when this syndrome typically takes affect. Since he's not actually vomiting, CVS probably isn't it, but just in case, I've posted a link.

sue - how did it go with the doc today? I had a thought that I wanted to offer. Just my $.02.

Perhaps your son could have a barium swallow test rather than endoscopy straight away for a variety of reasons. Mainly, the barium is less invasive, the patient only needs to drink a chalky solution and the radiologist has the patient lie in different positions, etc. to film. We had this done with DD when she was about your son's age. DH and I actually watched the study on the monitor with the radiologist as technician worked in the adjacent room with my then 13 yr. old DD. I will tell you that we were looking for something totally different than reflux. Although my DD did not complain of acid reflux at that time, the radiologist caught what she thought looked like a bit of reflux. We decided with the GI doc not to treat it until symptoms manifested. Fast forward two years and DD started having reflux symptoms - very similar to your DS' symptoms. Nausea, but not to the point of vomiting etc. My own DD also has a MAJOR phobia about the possibility of vomiting. I only suggest the barium as a first diagnostic tool as it is non-invasive and can reveal quite a bit. Just a thought to consider before you have an endoscopic study. DD's pediatric GI wanted to scope my DD so badly that he argued with me in front of my DD. The barium accomplished what we needed to know without unnecessarily scoping my DD.

My nephew suffers from the same symptoms as your DS when it comes to stressful events for him. He also has reflux, diagnosed by endoscopic study over a 24 hour period (in-patient) at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. That was a very uncomfortable test for my DN and his diagnosis would have easily been confirmed by barium study per his GI doc, but DSIL didn't insist on barium first. Really had no idea barium was a good alternative starting point.

If it were me, I would first get a recommendation for a good pediatric GI doc. and discuss a barium study to begin your search for a cause of the nausea. The barium study really is a breeze of a test and reveals alot. I am not saying he may not need the endoscopy, but my feeling is the less invasive the better if a dx can be made.

I don't want to get into a tete-a-tete with another poster regarding what can and what cannot cause ulcers. I am a sufferer of an ulcer caused by ongoing/longstanding stress. I have been tested three separate occasions over a 5 year period for other organic causes by my GI doc, and each time I have tested negative for all tests pointing toward bacterial or viral causes.

Whether or not your son's stomach issues are caused by his stressors or something organic that can be proven on a "test", is really less important than finding out if there is something physically going on. Rather, finding out whether he is suffering from either ulceration or even mild reflux, would be a great place to start.

I hope you will post tomorrow regarding how it went today with your doc. I have been where you are now with your DS and it really is frustrating.

My DD is undergoing testing for GI problems now. Her symptoms are different so I won't go into detail but her stress levels are high since she was laid off and that exacerbates the problem. So far she's had blood work, an abdominal ultrasound, an upper GI (barium swallow) and a Gastric emptying study where you eat scrambled eggs mixed with a radioactive material. I think the next test will be an MRI. There are several conditions that might be causing her issues - IBS, ulcer, Crohns etc.

I don't know if this will help but she's been keeping a journal - jotting down when she eats, how much and which GI symptoms she experiences during the day. This has been going on for 6 weeks and the longer it continues without a diagnosis the more anxious she becomes.

Please let us know how things are going.

First of all, thank you all for your thoughtful comments.

Not much to report, really. First an almost-funny but not really aspect of the visit... earlier in the afternoon DS said to me, "They're not going to stick that q-tip thing down my throat are they?" I said of course not, that's for strep. Again, he is the best kid, never a drama queen (older DS has that job), but he has this vomiting phobia which includes a huge fear of that strep test because of the gagging issue. He has had strep once, and has had the test maybe twice, but it was so traumatic! And PS the last time he had it done was at least 5 years ago and it was a huge ordeal.

So, we went to the doctor -- who was not our usual doc, but one we haven't seen before -- and explained the situation. By then DS was beside himself, could not get comfortable in the exam room, kept going back and forth to the bathroom, etc., while we waited in the exam room for the doc to show up. Doc examined him, noted that he has gained something like 15-20 lbs. since Oct. (he has also grown about 4-5 inches since then), and sees that he has a low temp of 99-point-something. So he says, "It could possibly be strep -- sometimes the only symptom is stomach upset. We need to do a test." And DS loses his mind. It was almost comical but not really. It took a good 20 minutes to get him to cooperate. It was ridiculous, really. And again, this is my kid who gives us NO trouble, ever, so it's just weird to see him act like this (tears, refusing to open his mouth, acting like he's going to leave the room). Anyway... after all that, the quick test was negative. (I was actually hoping it was strep so we could show him that the test was worth doing! Not to mention an easy fix w/ antibiotics.

So, basically the doc said there is a stomach bug going around (as well as strep), and that is likely what he has. He said to call if it gets worse, of course, but he thinks it will resolve itself. He didn't seem overly concerned about the on-and-off minor stomach issues that I mentioned, but I also didn't press the issue because frankly, after the Huge Drama over the strep test, I just wanted to get out of there.

My plan now is to see what happens over the next few weeks, especially as school gets closer. He's going to high school in Sept., so I'm thinking a new school may mean some anxiety and we'll see if stomach issues come up again. If so, we will make an appt. to see his regular doc and talk about what to do.

What I think, knowing DS and observing him all this time, is that he gets nervous about things sometimes. Older DS has major anxiety issues and is very vocal. Younger DS probably has some minor anxiety issues but he is not vocal about them at all, so he stuffs it inside and it affects his stomach. Then he has this vomiting phobia which compounds the original problem, because then he's afraid of vomiting, which makes him more nervous and thereby makes his stomach feel worse. I could totally see it yesterday. When he was home, he seemed OK -- not eating much, still going into the bathroom occasionally when he thought he might vomit, but basically OK. When we got to the doc's office, I think he became even more worried about vomiting in public, so he was antsy and going back and forth to the bathroom every 5 minutes. While I was watching him, I realized he was acting the same exact way in the airport in June when he was feeling sick. We were in the security line and he was convinced he was going to vomit and his whole demeanor was exactly the same as in the doc's office... and he never did throw up. And he was totally fine by the next day.

DS is sooo much like DH in almost every way -- they look alike, they act alike, and I suspect DS has inherited the adolescent stress issues that DH had at the same age. DH confirmed last night that he was the same exact age when he started getting really bad migraines. They stopped after a year or two. Maybe it's growth/puberty related? He has been growing like crazy -- as I said, about 4-5" since last fall.

Anyway, I will definitely keep an eye on him and by the way, he slept through the night last night without getting up, and is still sound asleep, so I suspect he might be feeling better today. I still can't be sure if this particular stomach issue is really just a little stomach bug, or if it's anxiety about camp, but either way, hopefully the 'bug' will pass within the next 1-2 days, or the anxiety will pass once he gets to camp and gets into the routine there. (Camp is only an hour from home, so worst case scenario, we can run up and get him at any time.)

Then I'd like to visit his own doc at a time when DS is actually feeling okay, so he's not emotional or just feeling ill, so we can talk about the whole situation. He actually has a physical coming up in Sept/Oct so that may be the perfect opportunity, unless things get worse before then.

Sue, I haven't commented on this thread but have been reading it. Max has neurocardiogenic syncope. Stress and nerves used to make him faint. His idea was to push himself until he didn't feel stressed about doing something he had issues with (talking in front of an audience, etc.).

He doesn't have many episodes anymore. The last one occurred when he got mugged in San Francisco. He startled and passed out. Didn't even get a look at the person. He was OK but had a broken nose, busted tooth and his money stolen... What a great target his mugger picked, though!! We laughed about it after all was said and done. He was likely passed out before he was punched in the face!

While I don't think every child would willingly do what Max did, I'm here to lightly caution you against picking him up from camp if you think his tummy issues are stress related. You are raising a man who will be head of household someday. If he is always rescued from his issues, he won't learn to persevere. A week at camp is healthy. I can understand a much younger child being picked up but not someone his age (unless he is ill).

I'm all for supporting him to learn how to cope with stress. Fly had some great ideas.

Has he been tested for ADD? ADD symptoms include hyper-focusing on phobias, combined with anxiety... (Ask me how I know. LOL!)

gold, I am not picking him up from camp unless the nurse calls and says we have to get him! I didn't mean to say that he'd call us and we'd come and get him because he was homesick or something. (He'd never do that anyway, he'd suffer in silence.)

He definitely does not have ADD.

I am glad to say that he seems like he's feeling better today. Still not jumping around, but he's eating more and says he feels a bit better. (Which makes me think it is not stress about camp -- because I'd think it would get worse as camp got closer, not better.) I did say to him "I bought you some little cans of ginger ale to take to camp if you're still feeling a little queasy... because you ARE going to camp, you know."

I'm going to check out the books fly suggested...because whether this particular illness is stress-related or not, he does have nervous-stomach issues sometimes, and we need to help him deal with that.

sue - You wrote: "It could possibly be strep -- sometimes the only symptom is stomach upset. We need to do a test." And DS loses his mind. It was almost comical but not really. It took a good 20 minutes to get him to cooperate. It was ridiculous, really. And again, this is my kid who gives us NO trouble, ever, so it's just weird to see him act like this (tears, refusing to open his mouth, acting like he's going to leave the room). Anyway... after all that, the quick test was negative."

Does your DS always react this way when he he will have to undergo a strep culture, or was his anxiety over the strep culture heightened by the possible anxiety over going to camp which may have come to a head right there in the doc's office? My DD freaks when she anticipates that she may have to have a strep culture, but we always talk about the possibility of it in the car on the way to the doc, before the visit and she has never not complied or freaked out in the doc's office. When she was your DS's age, she wouldn't tell me that she had a sore throat because she didn't want to undergo a culture which is mandatory at our pediatrician. I could tell from the fever and to be blunt, her "sore throat breath". From your description, it sounds that the doc visit was quite nerve wracking for everyone involved.

Did your son request to attend this camp and planned same with you and DH, or is it a camp stay planned by you and your DH? I am trying to put myself in your shoes. In other words, I wonder if I would be able to force my own DD to attend something that she was making herself literally sick over doing. If it were going to school on a daily basis, that is one thing, but camp, is an option not mandatory. I get that you want him to have the experience of sleep away camp, and you mentioned that he previously had a great time. I can't help but wonder if it is possible that he is not yet ready emotionally for going this year? I know he attended last year, but in reading your original post I get the impression that this past year or so has been a quite anxious time for your DS.

I am also curious as my DSIL is going through similar problems with her son, my nephew (13,) having trouble with when to force him to do certain things that he has a fear of or aversion to doing. He has signed up for summer LAX and now doesn't want to go to practice or show up for games. She is making him go as it was his idea/request to join the lacrosse team.

Boy, I wish you luck with your DS. I know this can't be easy for you and your DH, let alone, your DS.

Sue,

Sorry you two had such a traumatic day at the dr.. but glad you could find a *little* humor in it.

I think it was wise to go to the dr.. but I had similar issues in my teens and i went through many, many tests and they never found the problem. I did have some ulcer-like symptoms in my 20s-- I remember keeping a styrofoam cup of mylanta on my desk at work. I still have a "sensitive" stomach but it doesn't really interrupt my life much.

While it's easy to blame stress and anxiety on our stomach issues, I have found that it just makes it worse. In my teens, I learned a few things: my BIGGEST stomach issues are related to what I eat. I am very sensitive to some acids and can't drink fruit juice at all.. and if my stomach is iffy, I must stay away from tomato sauce and products. The other thing is milk and milk products.. I was not allergic as a kid but as I got older, I became more and more sensitive to it. If I do drink milk or have ice cream, sometimes I just feel a little ill--sometimes I have extreme pain and will even throw up on occasion. One of my sisters also developed her milk allergy in her teens/early adulthood.

I am definitely not trying to be an internet diagnoser but I think it may be worth just making note on what your son eats before one of the episodes.. it could be that it's something simple that is triggering the stomach initially and then the puke anxiety kicks in and escalates the discomfort and illness.

I hope your son has a great trip ..

work... yes, he has reacted this way before when he had strep tests. Like I said above, he maybe has had the test twice, and every time it was like this time. So I think he has this fear of the gagging thing that has nothing to do with the camp thing. My friend's daughter has the same reaction so I guess it's not all that uncommon for kids to get really upset over this test... although his reaction was over the top. I think his reaction was exaggerated because he already felt nauseous and worried that he might vomit in the first place. This "vomitaphobia" as we call it in our house is getting old... DH talked to DS the other night and said, basically, it's time to grow up about that.

He wanted (wants) to go to camp -- it was actually his idea in the first place.

By last night he was feeling a lot better. Perhaps I was overthinking a legitimate stomach bug, because he HAS had some stomach issues related to being nervous about other things in the past. Again, I still think we need to deal with the other nervous stomach issues, but in this case, at this moment, I think he had a stomach virus of some sort.

Good idea to try to pay attention to what he's eating before these episodes. Once I get DS#1 out the door (leaving for college in a few weeks) I can work with DS#2 on that! DD is lactose intolerant so we know all about that!

Sue-

I don't know if I've ever posted here, so guess I qualify as a lurker :) I just wanted to briefly weigh in on a couple things:

I've had a bad stomach almost all my life. I had a few ER visits during my pre-teen and teenage years due to stomach issues. I had exploratory surgery at one point, and they took my appendix out, but said that probably wasn't the cause. One doctor said it was growing pains. Another said "RAP" or "WRAP" pains (I can't remember what this was or stood for, I just remember the acronym.)

We tried to determine possible food causes and/or combinations (ie: spicy foods with ice cream for dessert). The only thing we were able to really figure out was I had an intolerance/allergy to regular soda. Diet didn't bother me at all, but even one sip of non-diet soda and I'd be in agony. I also learned that certain veggies didn't sit well with me, and others I had to eat with something (ie: I couldn't eat just a salad, would have to eat it with something).

But in all honesty, we never really found a cause or diagnosis. I ended up getting an endoscopy my sophomore year of college, which found an ulcer. I don't know how long it was there, or whether it had anything to do with my childhood problems. I wouldn't say I've grown out of my stomach problems, but they're much better managed, partly because I've outgrown any embarrassment I may have had about them when I was a teenager...I was mortified at the thought of asking for Immodium or any other "bowel related" medicine, so most of the time I suffered in silence. So I guess the whole point of my rambling is I would definitely look into keeping a food journal. It could've saved me some years of suffering.

I also wanted to share about the vomit-phobia. I can totally sympathize with your son, and it's not really something one can just "grow up" about. Now, mine's a little different in that it's other people that I'm concerned about, not myself. I can't be around people that are sick, can't sit through it on a TV, movie, hear it, nothing. If there's any chance of it happening in a movie (ie: The Hangover) I make my husband preview it for me, so he can warn me when it will happen and I can shut my eyes, plug my ears and say "lalalalalalalalalala" until he gives me the all clear. It's the only way I can relax while watching a movie with the potential for vomiting. I brought my iPod with earphones on a trip solely because we were going to visit a friend of mine who was pregnant, and I was afraid she might have morning sickness. I have no idea where it came from, but it's definitely there. My hubby knows he's on his own if he drinks too much :)

So, try to be patient and understanding with him about it. I know it seems silly to most people, but it can be extremely anxiety producing to those of us who have this problem. I can only imagine how hard it would be to a teenage boy who probably have friends that think various bodily functions are hilarious.

Actually, that gave me a thought: I know that people are pushed pretty hard at sports camps, sometimes to the point of vomiting from exertion. Could that be causing him some anxiety?

How is he doing?

Thanks for asking... well, he is having a great time at camp, totally happy there, but the stomach issues are persisting. He said his stomach bothers him at least once a day. Still the same nauseous/queasy feeling. But it hasn't interfered with him playing soccer from about 7 am til 9 pm every day! He is home this weekend for a concert, and since he has been home (less than 24 hours) I've noticed a couple of "extended stays" in the bathroom, and we made the mistake of going out for Mexican food for lunch, and he hardly ate anything. (He did say he's been eating well at camp, though.) So, it continues... I'm going to make an appt. w/ his regular doctor after camp (he has one more week).