My 4 year old daughter has been battling acid reflux since she was born. Or so we and the doctors have assumed. Prevacid does help but many days and nights she is still in a lot of pain. I am starting to wonder if it is something more that may be wrong with her- something internally that isn't functioning correctly or some reason why she is producing too much acid. Anyone else experience reflux themselves or in their child that is older than 1 or have any idea what else may be going on with her? Thank you for your help and thoughts!
Sounds like you need to take her to a gastro Doc to have good testing done and see if they can try her on some new meds that will cut down the acid producing glands.
My son had it from the day he was born, but the family doctor just kept insisting that he was just spitting up and all babies did that. He went from 50% on chart to not even on the chart at age 1. At that point, I found a pediatrician and within minutes, was diagnosed with Acid Reflux. He was put on chewable Previcid SoluTab (I think that's what it's called – crushable pill). He went from taking 1/2 pill, to 1/4 pill, to even less and less. Within a year he was off the meds completely and was fine.
Oh, we also had him see a chiropractor and I do believe in them, but not for Acid reflux.
You may want to see a naturopathy doctor. I have more faith in them than I do with doctors who prescribe pills.
Go to the chiropractor. They can help ALOT!
i always say moms instincts are RIGHT! of course this is not normal . your kid shouldnt be on medication like that . First look at your diet . If you have a healthy diet then I would look into food intolerances/sensitivities. Now there is no easy way to test this. Try to go on an elimination or allergy diet, or at least a modified one (which will take longer)to see if symptoms improve. good luck and good job not wanting to have a medicated child!!!!
Im no master on the subject at all. But I have a nephew who is now 6 and he was "diagnosed" with acid reflux then when they couldn't help him with that they sent him to a GI specialist who determined he had a very bad case of gurd<~~ not sure if thats how to spell it. Around 31/2 4 years old his case got REALLY BAD for about 4 months then BAM it was gone all of the suddun. But diet and activity can trigger reflux. I get it a lot from things most people dont get it from and the only thing that helps me is a glass of ice cold water chug it then lay down for about 5 minutes after i drink it up really fast.
Try probiotics. You do not need to buy special probiotics for children. Just buy a good probiotic (look in the vitamin section at whole foods and ask for help), and make sure it is a capsule. Either pour it right into her mouth, or mix it into food like yogurt (right into the mouth is best). Try for a week before putting her on more meds. Try taking her to homefirst www.homefirst.com. They have a lot of success with treating reflux without meds like prevacid. My daughter had a sensitivity to milk, and now she can digest it and is fine.
My son is 2 1/2 and was diagnosed with reflux via a scope when he was 11 months old. He started prevacid then and is still on it. I also talked with an intergrative medicine specialist and he put him on a digestive enzyme and a probiotic as well. These helped alot!! We also cut out gluten because he would vomit horribly after eating it and that was a trigger to his reflux. He used to wake up often at night and it has gotten less and less often. Now he sleeps through the night more often than not. That's our story hope it helps a little.
Probiotics will help, but won't solve the issue internally. (though highly recommended) Here is an article I wrote about probiotics in my family health column: http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...
Have you considered food sensitivities? Particularly to gluten and dairy? Dairy, despite popular belief actually increases acid production as do too many simple, processed carbs. (crackers, cookies, etc). I suffered from terrible reflux and other GI issues, once I found out the foods that triggered it, no more meds. Reflux meds help reduce the acid, but the acid is needed to help digest the foods, really doing a disservice to our digestive track. I would also look at possible Celiac disease to rule out whether she has an actual problem or just a food sensitivity. I would also look at food allergies as well, there is a difference between the two. One that tests, IgA, IgG and IgE levels, not just one or two out of the three. University of Chicago has an excellent GI program and Celiac testing. It's a good place to start.
Good Luck.
J., MPH
Maternal, Child and Family Health Educator
Hey there,
I would suggest getting her on a probiotic asap. Reflux is a sign that her body isn't digesting properly. I would also see about getting some digestive enzymes for her to eat with her meals. We use the Renew Life Brand. They probiotics are chewables and they're called FloraBear. I get them at Whole foods or the local natural market. As far as digestive enzymes for children I'm not exactly sure, but I'm sure you can ask someone at Whole Foods or do a search online.
Alternatively you can also make her some homemade ginger ale out of the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, it is awesome. I drink a few sips with my meals and it truly helps digestion--ginger is notorious for helping GERD. Also, cut up some little strips of fresh ginger root in some veggie/chicken stirfrys, that will help too.
Hope that helps!
blessings,
J.
My triplets had reflux when they were little. I know that similar symptoms can come from pyloric stenosis. You might want to have her screened for that.
good luck,
