My 8 year old granddaughter has recurrent tummy aches surrounding the belly button, but has normal bowel functions, ruling out constipation.  Her diet is healthy, drinks plenty of fluids.  This has been happening for about 4 years, her physician can fnd nothing wrong.  I was thinking it might be a food allergy?  My first cousin experienced the same symptoms for years and she finally had appendicitis occur as an adult and she was told those were pre symtpoms all along.
Hi, Indeed you have picked up the real point. * year old can have appendicitis and is under-diagnosed due to inability of a child to give proper history and misleading findings on examination. Other than appendicitis there are other reason of this type of pain, like abdominal lymph node enlargement, worms and so on. The best diagnostic investigation in such a child is High Resolution Ultrasonography examination by an expert Ultrasonologist. Sometimes the contrast enhanced CT scan of the abdomen can give you better diagnosis if ultrasonography can not. Food allergies causing such pain is rare, they would cause associated vomiting, distension, loose motions or so.