by Heather Colley

Created on: September 01, 2009

School can be a wonderful place to be. Teachers delight in showing children new discoveries or how to solve puzzles. Math, reading, history and art can be magical places the children can visit. However, every so often, children will complain of having a stomach ache to the teacher or school nurse.

When the child presents with a stomach ache, it is a good idea to know when the pain started. Did it happen at home, or start at school? There are numerous questions to ask and just as many possible answers. It is up to the knowledgeable nurse to decipher the correct cause and solution for each ache.

Here is a list of questions to ask the child:

Did the pain start at home or at school? Sometimes the bus ride can cause car sickness, and the child will have an upset stomach.

Did you tell your mom or dad? Always make sure the parents are informed.

Did you eat breakfast? When was the last time you ate anything? Younger children do not recognize hunger pains and are vague in their descriptions of pain.

Have you been to the bathroom? Again, children need time to learn the signals that their bodies use.

Have you thrown up or had diarrhea? If the child is experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, they need to be home with a parent to care for them.

Do you have a test to take that you feel you are not prepared for?

Are any of the other children being mean or making you feel scared or intimidated?

Reviewing the list of questions can usually find the solution for stomach aches, but occasionally, it is more difficult to determine the source of discomfort. Because you cannot feel the child's pain, don't dismiss how he or she is feeling.

Offer the child comfort. Suggest he get some water. Dehydration can cause stomach pains. If the patient has had little to no breakfast or lunch, provide some crackers and juice. You don't want to overload the belly in case the stomach ache is due to a bug or virus.

As gross as it sounds, examine any signs of vomiting. The child may just be spitting up excess saliva and claiming it to be vomit. Always take their word with a grain of salt.

Suggest the child attempt to use the bathroom again, and to take their time. It can take several minutes to empty bowels and bladder, and the child should not rush, but try to completely finish.

Convince the student to do their best on the test, and to use this as a learning experience to spend more time preparing for future examinations, so hopefully they won't feel this way again.

Speak with the child and gently listen to what a child has to say. It's possible the home life is not the best, or other children are acting like bullies.

It takes some time to learn the nuances of how the stomach works, and how it can make the child feel. Don't rush the child, but realize he or she may be pulling the wool over your eyes so parents will be contacted to take their children home. Follow up with communications with the parents to see how the child is faring. You will be better prepared for next time.

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