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Children's health

Reflux in older children

10 replies

used2bthin · 08/09/2008 22:34

My DD was admitted to hospital twice last year after vomiting blood, both times were very dramatic then there was a third time when it was less so. She was eventually prescribed ranitidine and the second diagnosis seemed to be that she had irritation of the stomach lining which may or may not have been an ulcer and that it was possibly caused by her steroids(she's steroid dependant due to a genetic condition) and the fact that she was a very sicky baby so was having it them on an empty stomach a lot of the time.

That was last summer between 7 and 9 months then nothing till now, no sickiness(apart from when ill with a bug) and eats normally etc. The last week though, she's been bringing up sick when she burps. She is also eating slightly less enthusiastically I think although actually this is not really consistent as she has been her normal self some of the time.

I'm worried that she is having problems with reflux again, and worried about why this is happening when she is already on ranitidine which is the treatment for such problems. Nothing else has changed I don't think. I will talk to her doctor about it but wondered if anyone here had any ideas or experience? She also isn't good at chewing things really and I keep wondering if this is linked to her poor speech.

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used2bthin · 08/09/2008 22:35

She's nearly two btw.

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likessleep · 09/09/2008 09:50

I don't know about reflux for older babies, but isn't the Ranitidine dose related to the child's weight? Will the dosage need upping if you daughter has put on a bit of weight?

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pagwatch · 09/09/2008 09:53

Just to mention my DS1 was diagnosed repeatedly with reflux from 6 months to two and a half years.
He was actually hugely intolerant to milk and wheat and I soon as I changed his milk to rice milk he stopped vomitting at all ( and gained weight)

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used2bthin · 09/09/2008 13:40

Thanbks liketosleep and pagwatch. I was wondering if her dose should have been upped maybe. Also wondered about intolerences but she was tested for lactose intolerence after the blood thing, they did a stool sample and tested for a few things I think. I'm a bit worried but we are having her two year check with the nurse next week so I'm not sure whether to leave it till then and ask her or whether to make an appointment with the GP.

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pagwatch · 09/09/2008 13:47

used2bthin
with my DS1 he was not lactose intolerant he was actually intolerant to casein - there were no tests to check. I just took him off casein for two weeks and watched what happened....

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used2bthin · 09/09/2008 13:50

Sorry what is casein?

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used2bthin · 09/09/2008 14:05

Just googled it and it seems to be a protein is that right? Found in milk and other dairy products like cheese? I have wondered about intolerences as she also has psoriasis and chronic constipation. Only problem is I don't want to do anything too drastic with her diet because I don't think I could get anyone medical to agree with me and she is monitered quite closely due to her condition. Well what I mean is, I don't want to take her off ranitidine etc without thier say so and it may be hard to tell what is working if she was on them too. Any good tips about a diet avoiding it pagwatch in case I do? Did you ever get a diagnosis about his intolerence? Has it made a big difference then? Sorry for the 101 questions I'm just very interested partly because I was lactose intolerent as a child andf still get many digestive problems despite (or because of?)having lactose re introdced around age 5.

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pagwatch · 09/09/2008 14:13

I Sytarted the diet because my second son developed autism and lost all his speech when he was two - and at the same time he started being really reactive to certain food.
I read about gluten and casein affecting children like him and got a book called Diet Intervention and Autism by Marilyn Le Breton and started the diet.
I put my elder son on the diet as well and he stopped being sick imediately.

I had a test doen at the Sunderland Univeristy ( Autism Research Unit) and that confirmed that both DS1 and DS2 could not break down the proteins.

I know that is not at all the same as your daughter butthought I would explain what happened with my two as DS1 had the reflux and the constipation symptoms and my DS2 had speech probelms and the constipation/bowel problems too.And they both had excema until I pulled milk.

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pagwatch · 09/09/2008 14:14

I get all my recipes from the AiA cookbook and get casein free product via goodness direct.
I tend to use rice milk with calcium instead of ordinary milk.

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used2bthin · 09/09/2008 14:22

Thank you pagwatch that is very interesting. DD has also lost speech although for her I think it is beginning to come back a little now. It is definately worth a try for my DD I think, particularly as she has a group of complaints which never seem to completely go away. What we seem to be getting is more and more medical intervention partly because we are already "in the system" so to speak, with lots of medical professionals already involved in her care. I am glad to hear that the diet changes have helped in your sons cases I think there is a lot we don't yet know about the impact of diet. Have you found that doctors have been discouraging about the changes you have made? I have felt very put down before by DD's peadiatrician and a couple of GPs when I've suggested intolerences.