Help W/ a "Always Vomiting" 4-Year-old

Another possibility is food allergies. Our now 4 year old used to throw up on a daily basis when he was younger, but seemed to have gotten better, though he will still just vomit at random times. Due to eczema and asthma, we decided to have an allergy test done about a month ago and were shocked to find that he is allergic to chicken and eggs. These are two things that he has eaten all his life (since he was allowed to eat those things in normal guidelines) and we never had any idea, since he didn't break out in hives or have problems breathing in a normal allergic reaction kind of way. He would usually throw up during the day, but it definitely happen at night time sometimes too.

Good luck. In any event, I would push for a second opinion.

Push it with your doctor, get a second opinion. She may have reflux or food allergies. (Assumsing she is not vomiting because she doesn't want to go to bed etc.) Trust your gut and know that doctors don't always have all the answers. Good Luck!

Does your saughter have allergies or asthma type symptoms? Lots of times drainage or coughing can kick in the gag reflex and make you vommit and kids tend to cough more when they are sleeping. Have you ever set up a video recorder in her room after she goes to sleep so that you could maybe see what was happening leading up to the vommiting? At any rate if you are not comfortable with your doctor's complacency, you have the right to get a second opinion. Ask your doctor for a referal to someone who could check her out further. If he has a problem with this fire him and get a new doctor. I have always felt that you should never underestimate mommy instinct. If you are going to be wrong let it be because you were overly cautious.

My daughter has always had this problem! It scares me because I'm afraid that she will aspirate the vomit and suffocate in her sleep!

I launched a thorough study of my daughter's eating habits and found that she has a sensitivity to sugar (the real stuff) and artificial sweeteners, especially aspertame. I found these sweeteners in lots of the foods that are popular with kids and aspertame is a popular sweetener in sugar-free drink mixes like Crystal Light.

We have greatly reduced the problem by limiting her sugar intake and eliminating sugar entirely after 4 p.m. She is absolutely not allowed ANYTHING with artifical sweeteners in it. I also took the opportunity to limit artificial food dyes and preservatives/flavor enhancers (like nitrites and MSG), because I am sensitive to these things as well.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Same as the other post my boys have acid reflux (my first one really bad) he would vomit at night if he ate too close to bed...or romped around to much he did grow out of it and he is 2 and half and healthy and fine I used plasic mattress covers and always kept a clean chang of bedding in his closet..I have a bucket that is for "sickness" it has wipes , spray, carpet cleaner, gloves , bags, brush, and fabreeze...I keep it all together it helps when there is an accident...I also keep those BIG tubs they send home after you have baby for the kids to keep with them if they are sick and need to throw up...I have about 4 of them I just rinse and spray with a bleach cleaner .....HTH! Good luck...btw you have the right to have a 2nd opinion and to have further testing done...if you are unhappy with your dr call your insurance somp and report the dr....

I saw an episode of Diagnosis X or Mystery Diagnosis (not sure which but they are both real stories, not dramas)on Discovery Health that dealt with this very issue. A young girl was having vomitting and gagging issues in the middle of the night and usually didn't wake up. During the day she was perfectly fine and it only happened at night. After much testing and frustration her doctor had her do one of those sleep tests where they hook you up to monitors and recored everything going on while you're sleeping. It turned out that she was having mild seizures during the night that was causing the vomiting. They were able to get her on medication and it worked great. Your daughter have something much more simple but as soon as I read your message I thought I should let you know about that episode.

I would definately be concerned about that. Listen to your gut. You might try having her tested for allergies. There is a very non-invasive way you can learn about at www.naet.com
I know a couple of people who have had tremendous success with this. You could try keeping a food journal and symptoms to see if you can find a common thread first.

P.

I think that you need to get another doctor, this isn't normal.

Dear J.,
I have an almost four year old too, I think if he were vomiting in his sleep every night and had been doing it for awhile (how much? Every night? Is she o.k. otherwise during the day, developing well and all that?) and the pediatrician was not concerned, I would get a second opinion. If you can't get in at some other area pediatrician, just for them to take a look, go somewhere else like a hospital (Akron Children's?) if you are still unsure. It might be nothing, probably is nothing, but it would certainly be nice to know for sure! Good luck, K

I would get a 2nd opinion with another doctor. Something is wrong.

J.,
If your dr doesn't seem to concerned I would find another
dr, there are too many good drs. out there. I would keep looking until I found one that would help you. Remember
your daughter is important to you, so keep looking OK.
You are the only one right now that can help her until you
find the right Doctor, and don't feel guilty about looking for another Doctor it is your privilege and your right as
a parent to do so. So get on that phone and start making
those calls. K.

As many of the other women have posted, consult another doctor ASAP! You know your baby better than anyone. Trust your gut J.! You know this isn't right...

Oh, honey. Find another doctor right away. A doctor should always take your concerns seriously and follow up on them, even if he/she doesn't think the condition is reason for concern. I'm wondering if your girl doesn't have acid reflux. I have this problem myself, and it is treated very successfully with medication.

Another mom here who thinks it is outrageous that your doctor isn't taking this seriously. It is NOT normal to vomit frequently at night!!! That's a sign that something is going on, and definitely it's important to find the root cause.

Other moms have already given you good ideas of possible causes to consider. When I read your request, my first thoughts were:
- underlying food allergy that is causing vomiting and/or reflux
- possible gastrointestinal issue (other than food allergy and/or reflux)
- some other underlying medical issue

I would NOT wait this out! Not only is it bad to have the trachea, esophagus, and teeth coated in vomit on a regular basis (the acid over and over is erosive!), but I can imagine it's not pleasant for your daughter to experience this. Additionally, it's (very naturally!!!) disturbing for you as her mom to see your daughter vomit so much without explanation. And, there's all the cleanup (changing bed sheets, PJs, etc.).

Trust YOUR gut, your wonderful mothering instinct. And ditch that doc who isn't helping you at all. Find a doctor who WILL help - ask around and get several doctor recommendations from people you trust. Interview the docs briefly by phone, explaining what you want (to find out the underlying cause of this nighttime vomiting) --> see how each reacts. You'll know when you find the right doctor!

Best of luck - hope you are quickly able to find the cause of your daughter's vomiting and resolve it easily.

Funny that I see this. I just was watching Mystery Diagnosis this past weekend. A little girl around age of 6 suffered from the same ailment. She would be fine all day but at night, about an hour after she would go to bed she would start this hacking cough (like she was choking), and end up vomiting. This only happened at night so her mother thought it had something to do with the foods she ate for dinner. At any rate taking her to the family doctor was to no avail...and the allergist found no allergies but prescribed anti-vomit meds...which only worked for one night. Long story made short...she ended up going to a different doctor and the child was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy. Her brain waves during her relaxed state would misfire and cause her to vomit in her sleep without her having knowledge of it happening.

I would talk to your doctor about having an EEG while she is sleep. That is what the doctor on television ended up doing, because during her sleep is when the symptoms would occur. Hope you find out what's going on.

I don't understand why your doctor is not concerned. This is certainly not normal. I would insist that she see a specialist & have tests run.

Are you giving your 4 yr old milk or milk products in the evening? My 3 yr old can have milk and milk products during the day, but can't after say dinner time. If he does, he vomits in the middle of the night.

First, I would switch doctors. I can't think of what sane person would hear that a person vomits in their sleep and doesn't seem concerned. She could drown in her vomit. That's just not normal.

She may have acid reflux or an underdeveloped flap on her stomach. The food may be coming up when she sleeps. She may also have an allergy causing phlegm, coughing, then vomiting to clear her breathing passage.

There are probably several scenarios. I woud go to a different pediatrician and consult a gastroenterologist.

My pediatrician is Andreanna Hodgini ###-###-####. She is a part of the Associated Family Medical Consultants in the Lutheran Hospital medical park. She could refer you to a gastroenterologist.

-S. Frane
http://www.myspace.com/staceefrane
http://www.diamond.extremecreation.com

Since this is a frequent thing I personally would push the doctor more about it...I was shocked to hear that the doctor did not seem concerned about it.If you cannot get her doctor to look into it more I would get a second opinion from another doctor.The fact that she is doing this while sleeping should be a concern for her doctor since there is the possibility that she could choke.This is just my personal opinion...I never had any problem like this with my 4 year old son but I really do think you should push the issue more with her doctor.Best of luck and I hope you find out what is going on with your little girl.

Hi J.,
Sorry to hear about your little girl's vomiting. That must be getting really old, for all of you. I would keep on bugging the docs until you get answers. You might want to call your insurance company and see if they have a pediatric gastro-enterologist they could recommend, or another pediatrician whose training focused more on GI disease,
You may want to consider having a baby monitor going in her room, so you can hear her if she vomits. I'd also think about extra pillows to raise up her head to reduce the chance of her choking on her vomit. Plastic coverings on her mattress and pillows would help, too. I'd also stay away from acidy foods(Oranges, Pickles, etc.) and spicy foods, especially at dinner. This may help.
I like peppermint tea for upset kids. You can find it at any supermarket. I sweeten it and put an ice cube in the cup of tea to prevent burns. It settles little tummies. All the best, A.

Hi J.~
I have a son who has a history of acid reflux and he experienced vomiting at night when he was an infant. But is now 2 without problems. In my opinion, I would consider a second opinion. It never hurts to get another pediatricians point of view. Keep us updated and good luck!

I would take her to a different dr. Could it be like an acide reflux thing. I have gerd. And i could get sick sometimes but i know to sit up
and take meds

I don't know that this would help, but I saw a show on the Discovery Health Channel called "Mystery Diagnosis" that aired an episode where a little girl was doing the same thing as your daughter. After doctors doubted the mother for months, a neurologist tested the little girl for a few nights in a hospital and found out she actually had a rare form of epilepsy. You may be able to search the web-site for more info on that families struggles. The little girl was 6 and her name is E. Walsh. Good luck on your journey!

My girlfriend has semi the same problem right now, since her son was born he has been vomiting 6-10 times a day with no explination of why. He has seen his doctor a bazillion times and ruled out almost everything, due to his weight and growth size they have pushed it off as something he will grow out of. He is not lactose intolerant no allergies not drinking or eating any type of dairy product or anything like that. Its been 2 years now and still nothing,she has been to a gastro doctor at the sick kids hospital and planning a scope but for now they are all saying nothing s wrong....my question to you, is has anything changed? did they find a reason for it? im just looking for any kind of possiblity to her situation??

I would definitely talk to your doc (or go to another one if this one won't listen). Talk to your doc about reflux, totally sounds like that to me.

J. I would be very worried about this. If she is laying on her back when she is doing it she could sufficate and die. I think I would see a specialist or at least another dr to to consult with.

I would get a second opinion. Maybe she has reguritation
problems. Make sure she does not eat or drink at least an hour before she goes to bed and see if this helps.

I would suggest taking her to a pediatric gastroenterologist. In the meantime try propping her up to sleep and ensuring before she goes to bed that she has had a few hours to digest whatever she ate last.
Good luck.

I would try to push very hard. I would be concerned with the vomitting especially since it sometimes happens when she is asleep. Doesn't the doctor know that you can suffocate on your own vomit? Dont' mean to alarm you. I cannot see how this doctor does not think anything of this?

J.-

"always vomiting" is a sign of diabetes. I would look into that and see if your child is displaying other symptons. Something to think about, but def. get a 2nd opinion/new doctor!

-K.

Interesting... I think this can go either way... harmless or serious.

I threw-up every night for about a week when I was 6. It was usually part of sleep walking too. I simply outgrew it without a diagnosis.

However, I remember something similar on a Discovery Health program (Mystery Diagnosis, maybe?). Anyways, this little girl would do that at the same time every night for months and they got opinion after opinion. Finally, it turned out to related to a seizure, but unfortunately I don;t remember what caused the seizure. I would definitely get second opinions if this continues for more than a week.

By the way, on a personal note, if they try to prescribe Reglan, do your research before filling the prescription. The potential permanent side effects may not be worth the benefits