Mother Shocked When Doctor Made Her Then 11-Year-Old Daughter Take Pregnancy Test During Check-Up

In 2012, then eleven-year-old Jayde Pitt was struck by an illness that left many doctors baffled. It started with a bit of nausea until she was vomiting up to 40 times a day. Her mother, Leanne Rodrigues, took her from appointment to appointment. At first, she thought it was food poisoning. But when the tests all returned negative, the doctors gave Pitt a pregnancy test as one of the last-ditch theories. In the end, Pitt got diagnosed with Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome, a rare condition involving anxiety-induced vomiting. [1]

“She spent the majority of her days being sick repeatedly”

It all started with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Then the tests began to extend from food poisoning to pregnancy.

“It was awful to watch Jayde go through all this and not be able to help her in any way,” said Rodrigues. “I was so worried about her and it didn’t matter how much I pleaded with doctors, they just couldn’t pin down what was wrong with her. I have two younger daughters and I couldn’t be in the bathroom seeing to Jayde all the time as well as looking after her sisters. We have since found out it is a notoriously difficult condition to diagnose and when Jayde first fell ill it felt like whichever way we turned we came to a dead end.”

But after weeks of tests and five doctors, Jayde got her diagnosis. She was put on medication but if she feels anxious she could still end up vomiting five or six times a day. And it was a very difficult journey.

“It had got to the point where I felt like we would never get answers and seeing Jayde suffer was just horrible,” said the mother. “We tried so many different things to help stop her from being sick but there was nothing we could do. She spent the majority of her days sitting in the bathroom just being sick repeatedly.”

Giving an Eleven-Year-Old a Pregnancy Test

At that point, Jayde was suffering from almost constant vomiting and severe abdominal cramps. After 48 hours of this, Rodrigues became extremely concerned.

“‘I expected doctors to maybe say that it was just a virus, not something as extreme as this.”

While the doctors considered Jayde to be bulimic, this theory was eliminated since she didn’t have any weight loss. So they decided to give her a pregnancy test. They thought it was either pregnancy or Jayde was inventing the whole thing. Her mother was astounded to hear this theory and she knew the test would return negative.

Finally, Jayde pediatrician from when she was a toddler recognized her CVS and began treating her. After three months of vomiting, Jayde can live normally, only vomiting when she feels very nervous or anxious. Her quality of life has greatly improved and her mother is relieved.

I am so pleased we have finally found a diagnosis and Jayde can almost live a normal life again,” said Rodrigues. “As a mom it was heartbreaking watching her being so ill and being unable to do anything for her. ‘Now as long as she takes her medication and doesn’t worry about things we can have a relatively normal day.” [2]

More About Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome

While this story is now several years old, it helps to bring awareness to the rare disease of Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS). Because of its rare nature, it’s hard for people suffering from it to get a proper diagnosis. Like Jayde Pitt, there’s often a marathon of doctor appointments trying everything from food poisoning tests to pregnancy tests. However, a diagnosis could help ensure proper treatment, hopefully improving the sufferer’s quality of life.

CVS often begins in childhood. They involve repeated episodes of nausea and vomiting that are not caused by an infection or other illness. The cause of CVS isn’t known. These episodes begin with intense nausea and sweating, lasting for a few minutes to a few hours. Then the vomiting phase begins, which can involve abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Then there’s a recovery phase where the vomiting and nausea stops and the symptoms improve. And the cycle continues, often becoming predictable.

Moreover, vomiting episodes could be triggered by:

Emotional stress, like anxiety or panic attacks
Physical stress, like an infection or exhaustion
Certain foods like caffeine or dairy
Extreme hot or cold weather
Periods
Motion sickness
Overeating or fasting
Migraines
For treatment, it’s important to stay hydrated during an episode. It’s also imperative to find the triggers and try to avoid them. There are also nausea and vomiting medications available, or drugs for abdominal pain and migraines. It may take some trial and error to find a helpful medicine or combination.