[Ali Berman]

Hello, everyone. I am new to this site and wanted to introduce myself. I am advocating for my eight-year-old daughter, Danika. In August 2012, we were rear ended at 60 mph and my sweet little girl ended up with a TBI. It has been almost 3 years and new symptoms are arising. On top of anxiety and a new formed phobia of the dark, she is also urinating more frequently before bed (4-6 times). Danika is also experiencing what I believe to be gastrointestinal problems. She "throws up" in her mouth almost daily.

My husband and I, as advised by her pediatrician, had Danika on Ranitidine, but we stop the medication after finding out the long-term side effects. There are too many to list here, but the last thing that we wanted was for her to end up with even more issues as a result of the medication.

Any advice?

[Mark in Idaho]

Ali,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear about your daughter. Anxiety is a common symptom of TBI and phobias are an extreme form of anxiety.

Do you know a good chiropractor with gentle pediatric skills ? There are some upper back issues that can cause gastric issues like GERD and such. I dislocated a rib at the spine and ended up with severe GERD for two weeks until a chiro found the problem. In the mean time, I lost 14 pounds because it was difficult to swallow with the strange feeling like nothing wanted to go down and everything wanted to come back up . Upper neck issues can also be an issue.

But, anxiety can also cause all of these issues.

Has she had any blood work done ? Her B-12, D-3, magnesium, folate and some others should be checked. Low levels can contribute to anxiety. Her gastric issues can contribute to poor nutritional absorption.

As a wild idea, has anybody suggested that she may be starting some hormonal changes prematurely ? TBI's can mess up hormone systems.

Lots of out of the box ideas but I bet nobody has consider any of them. When all else fails, start thinking out of the box.

My best to you both.

[Ali Berman]

My husband and I have taken all of this into consideration and plan on getting blood work done, on top of a GI referral. I was wondering about early onset puberty. We are also going to get her kidneys checked out. Thank you so much for your input! We are always wondering what will come up next. We know that TBI is a lifelong condition and new things will continue to arise.

[mrsD]

There are two other possibilities for your daughter...

1) diabetes insipidus is excessive urination and originates in the brain.

2) regular sugar diabetes, starts sometimes this way, with excessive urination in children -- type I
They would also have excessive thirst and some weight loss.
Eating a high carb high sugar diet will make this more pronounced too.

Diabetes insipidus is hormonal but does not involve sugar/glucose.
It is treated differently from sugar diabetes.

[Ali Berman]

Thank you again, Mark. We plan on getting her tested for all of this ASAP. The strangest thing is that, the frequent urination only happens at night. She has not lost any weight and she is not drinking more than she usually does. In fact, we have to remind her throughout the day to drink more water because she forgets to.

[Mark in Idaho]

Recent research articles about drinking water say that the "drink x amount of water a day" concept is being overstated. Water consumption should be more based on thirst. Pushing water can be a strain on the kidneys and other systems. Maybe she needs to consume less in the afternoon and evening.

Anxiety can also cause a focus on various sensations. I cannot go to sleep with any level of bladder sensation. I could understand how this could impact her, especially as the dark part of the day approaches and her anxiety levels rise. Has anybody suggested CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for her ? I don't know if it is effective with somebody as young as her.

More questions to consider. I know you are already at overload.

My best to you.

[Ali Berman]

I was wondering about liquid consumption. Thank you so much! We just worry about her water intake because she forgets to drink it for long periods of time. Maybe we should try to stop pushing her to drink? I just worry about dehydration...

[Mark in Idaho]

If her mouth does not get dry and her skin can be lightly pinched without making a temporary mark, she should be fine. The elasticity of skin test is a tried and true test of dehydration.

The other test is the color of urine. If it is bright yellow, she is fine. If it starts to get darker, is shows dehydration.

But, if she just drinks some water when she is thirsty, she should be fine. Thirst has worked since the beginning of man. It was not until the advent of bottled water that people started being so water conscious. Until then, we survived quite well just following our thirst.

[Ali Berman]

Mark,

Today was her very first appointment with a trauma-based cognitive behavioral therapist. I shared with my family your advice about the water and we have not been making her drink today. Instead, we have been letting her guide us. You have been the only one to reach out to me so far, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. Much love and gratitude! <3

Sincerely,
Ali

[krisgrt]

I was just getting on here to look and see if anyone had posted about vagal nerve issues and gi issues. My husband was rear ended in early february. Over the last few months it seems that he caught a bug or some food disagreed with him without actually getting sick. He is showing symptoms of IBS. I am beginning to think that there was damage to the vagal nerve. Damage to this nerve can also cause problems with urination and other gastrointestinal problems like gastroperisis. I am wondering if the throwing up is a result of gastroperesis.