Hypochondriac children? Anyone else?

[ilovedogs]

My ds always has a complaint, yet he's VERY healthy! I mean he has allergies and tics but for the most part we don't frequent the doctor or anything.

I'm just so tired of hearing: "I have a weird lump in my throat", "I have a cramp", "My head hurts", "My legs ache"....you get the picture. Now, I know that most of it is viable complaints: I'm sure his head WAS hurting after spending a day in the sun and I'm guessing his leg pains were growing pains or overexertion from football practice, etc.

I guess I'm looking for advice on what to say and when to take it seriously. He's also VERY sensitive(which I know most of you are familiar with this personality type) and takes things seriously and literally. So, I can't joke with him about it or make fun of him lightheartedly b/c he'll get offended that I'm not taking him seriously. Some days I just feel at the end of my rope, KWIM?

Thanks for listening,

 

Bonnie

[Chemar]

Bonnie

 

it may be related to OCD

 

my son often would obsess over aches, pains and imagined illness etc

[michele]

I agree with Chemar. My son frets over every bruise, bump or ache. If someone bumps him he overreacts. He is afraid of getting hurt and is very careful. Won't take the training wheels off the bike, won't swim in water that is past his waist. If he bleeds even the tiniest bit he is hysterical. He freaks out that he will get bee stings when outdoors. I think it is the obsessive compulsiveness.

 

Michele

[quote name='Chemar' date='Apr 22 2008, 05:31 PM'

Bonnie

 

it may be related to OCD

 

my son often would obsess over aches, pains and imagined illness etc

[ilovedogs]

Bonnie

 

it may be related to OCD

 

my son often would obsess over aches, pains and imagined illness etc

Maybe, but he drops it soon after the complaint. It's like he just needs to have something to say! He doesn't seem to obsess but he will make comments that make me wonder about what's going on in his little brain. My grandfather is a major hypochondriac and so was I when I was a child. Come to think of it, so was my aunt! Maybe it's genetic!

[amym]

I like the book "Talking Back to OCD"---it helps you talk to your child about OCD/worries and gives you strategies....my child is so similar to yours...she's ultra sensitive and worries about everything and is afraid of so much. She always asks about a little bump on her knee --- the littlest things. This book is helpful. I ordered my copy on amazon and refer back to it frequently---hang in there...

[Calicat]

Hi Bonnie,

I do hear from my daughter very frequently, "My legs hurt"... "My tummy hurts"... etc. She is definitely NOT the oversensitive type; she's very down to earth and reasonable about most things. And when she falls and hurts herself and gets a big scrape or bruise, she acts tough and holds back tears. So I really wonder when to take her seriously, or whether it is some type of weird focus on aches and pains. MY tummy always used to hurt when I was a kid, so perhaps she comes by that naturally? But she mentions aches and pains so frequently that I call her "My little bundle of owies."

[Caryn]

Sometimes it is just to get attention from the adults in a child's life. It is affirmation that they matter and the attention and sympathy they get is equated with love. I think how we respond makes a difference in the patterns they repeat. Caution is a natural born instinct and part of a child's true self, but I really believe that we can help them to focus on positives rather than negatives through our example, and that can help them overcome some of the 'health' and social stresses they encounter as they grow up.

Just my two cents. Don't mind me.