6yo with reflux/IBS

[SomethingNewEveryDay]

Hi. My ds (6) has had tummy trouble for the past 2/3 years which has just been diagnosed as IBS but doesn't have typical symptoms. He's had loads of tests to rule out other stuff so I guess IBS is all that's left.

He suffers with reflux and 'stingy tummy'. He has an excess of saliva that he feels is too much to swallow and which makes his speech unclear. He also feels constantly sick although he never is actually sick. It comes up into his throat then goes back down. He doesn't have diarrhea nor constipation although he will sometimes have an 'accident' and isn't aware it's coming until it's out.

We can control it most of the time with diet, cutting out milk and restricting other dairy products, only eating small amounts of white bread, no other breads or wheat breakfast cereals, restricting other wheat products.

However stress is also a factor and this year he has a nightmare teacher who he is scared of. He has spent most of this afternoon in the corridor outside his class with a sick bowl .

Any advice on diet or relaxation techniques would be fab.

Thanks for reading

Wheat definitely plays a part, so you are doing well with cutting it out (my ds also reacts to wheat/gluten so I know where you are coming from). I think stress also plays a part, but I reckon you could maybe work with foods.

What I noticed in me as well as my ds is that if we have cereal/carb breakfast we both don't feel right in the stomach, I would get reflux about an hour after, so I avoid bread/cereals totally, even gf. We normally have cooked breakfast or continental (not croissants, but ham/pate/cheese/olives etc with maybe a ricecake).

When you think about it, stomach has HCl waiting to digest protein, but if it doesn't get protein but carbs, then that acid will just hang about and end up backing up - my understanding of it anyway. I noticed considerable positive difference when we stopped cereals and gf bread wasn't worth buying tbh.

So, speaking from experience, try scrambled egg etc for breakfast, add a slice or two of ham. As for de-strssors, vit Bs are good and they are also in meat.

He's not tongue tied is he?

ds1 is having gastric trouble, although not quite the same as your ds's, and i have been reading about a possibility of there being a connection.

The theory is that tongie tie affects chewing/swallowing and too much air is swallowed, which in turn can cause gastric problems.

Thanks for the advice, we've found the gf bread to be a complete waste too.

No, he's not tongue tied. I should have mentioned though that he is on omeprozole for the reflux.

my ds2 is 8 and still has reflux, his is largely linked to anxiety we use gaviscon it helps with the symptoms, we are also working on his anxiety.For him much of it is about not being able to communicate his needs (he also ahs autism can speak bit not always able to articulate his needs)
If he is feeling anxious it is important for him to have a "get out" strategy so that he doesnt feel trapped in a situation.
Feeling like you are unable to swallow, mouch either dry or full of saliva is also a common anxiety symptom.
It can be as simple as being allowed to step outside the class & get a drink of water& ahve a few deep breaths but it may be enough to stop the anxiety overwhelming him.
Can he tell you what specifically he dislikes about his new teacher?
Also when ds2 has a bad bowel period (swinging from constipation to explosive diarehea (sp) we swap from cows milk to goats milk & restrict his dairy.
Tomatoes, tomato sauce, orange juice & other acidic foods also make him worse.

His new teacher is very 'shouty' and tends to give rows for behaviour that the children don't know is wrong, for example in this class they have to sit and wait for the teacher to come to them but she didn't tell them this (in the last class the kids went to the teacher) and so a few kids got shouted at for following her. This is really unsettling for them and quite a few kids are upset over it, not just my ds.

We have an appointment with the head on friday to discuss what makes him anxious in class and how they can help him cope and I'll definitely mention your idea of him being able to leave the classroom just for a moment. Thanks.

mawbroon just read some of your threads and we seem to have remarkably similar children! My ds was very prone to ear infections as a toddler so it seems that it's been going on for longer than I thought as well. He also has a slight lisp so maybe you're onto something, I'll be checking his tongue again as soon as he wakes up!

tonguetie.net has a lot of information, not so much about tt and gastric stuff, but it does mention aerophagia.

DrBrianPalmer mentions gastric stuff on his page.

I will put a pic of ds1's tt on my profile. For years I didn't think he was tongue tied, but it's not where it attaches to the bottom of his tongue, it is where it attaches to the floor of his mouth, or rather to the back of his gums that I think is the problem.

Mawbroom I wouldn't have the first idea what to look for but I've looked on the website and ds always has his mouth open, sometimes with his tongue out and his top teeth resting on it, he can't make sounds where his tongue touches the roof of his mouth such as 'l' and 'r', can't eat meat because he can't chew it and often feels as though he's choking (this last one has been put down to scarring due to reflux but could equally be a chewing problem).

All in all, not a diagnosis by any means but definitely an avenue to explore. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.

You're welcome.

I don't know how much of my other posts you read, but we are waiting for an endoscopy for ds1. The docs have said that if that shows nothing then they might consider the tongue tie option.

It's a sloooow process, and of course, I have no guarantees that snipping ds1's tongue tie will work, but it's worth a try I think.

PM me if you like

Is there more than one class for his year, if so ask for him to be switched from shouty.
DD 18m is still on omeprazole and ranitidine, also has lots of ear infections. I read a study that linked ear infections with reflux. Pepsin was found in the ear canal of reflux sufferers who needed ear ops. Gastric fluids may travel up the eustation tubes and cause inflamation of eardrum.