stomach pain children causes
child has low threshold for pain?
My healthy, 9 yr old son has an EXTREMELY low pain tolerance. For example, I took him and my 7 yr old daughter to the dentist today to get a filling. My 7 yr old quietly got her filling. Then my son gets in the seat and immediately begins complaining of stomach pain, (nerves), the dr. gives him a shot (unbeknowst to him, of course) and then freaks out when the dr begins working on him. This was a new dentist, and you could tell he was shocked by my sons’ behavior. We were all being very reassuring but he was scared to death. Couldnt even fill the cavity. It takes 3 people to hold him down at the dr for a flu shot. If his sister hits him he SCREAMS. Any ideas on the cause and/or suggestions on how to handle him when he is reacting in this way? We’ve explained that it’s ok to be scared/nervous/worried about things — but it’s all about how you express those emotions. He just doesnt get it.
In my opinion, low is better than high. My 3 year old son has almost no reaction to pain. It had gotten to the point, about a year ago he fell and split his head. He didn’t say anything about, never cried, didn’t even flinch. It wasn’t until blood was running down the back of his shirt that I knew he had been hurt. At the ER, he smacked and spit on the doctors who tried to hold him down to staple him. They let me hold him, and again he didn’t flinch, just a little growl at the dr.
My friend is 21, and I go with her to have blood taken, she just needs to hold someone’s hand. When my daughter gets any blood work, or shots, I have to pin her body and head, while others hold her arms and legs.
I’m 24, and go to a dentist that uses mild sedation for ALL procedures. It’s not the pain that gets me, I can’t handle the noises and someone being near my head.
Give him a break, just be glad if he ever breaks a bone, you’ll know. You don’t have to teach him about pain and the way he should react, you don’t have to remind him to get an adult if he sees blood.
Nick’s Story: David Rich, MD, discusses Nick’s visit to Nationwide Children’s Urgent Care
