Ds 2 has reflux, colic and I am not coping.

[nickytwotimes]

He is being treated for the reflux but he seems no better. Gaviscon and Ranitadine. It is silent reflux. He is bf.
His colic is getting worse.
We have the occassional good day like yesterday, but most days hre cries and screams all day.
I cannot cope anymore.
DH has taken him out in the car for a few hours before I kill either him or myself.
I want to pack a bag and bugger off.
I feel so sorry for the poor wee thing.
I don;t know what to do.

Have you told your GP how you are feeling?
I had a tough time in the the first couple of months with my DD. The health visitor went through a PND questionnaire, which showed I was depressed. I went to the GP and went on anti-depressants for a while which really got me through that difficult time.
HTH.

Thaks for your reply.
My Gp is pretty useless tbh.
I am on antidepressants long term. I don;t really want to up them as I don't feel it'll make any difference.
The only thing that will help is seeing ds more comfortable.
I am SO exhausted and burnt out.

Nickywotimes it doesn't last forever. I know this isn't much consolation at the moment though. My DS3 had really bad eczema and suspected silent reflux (although GP wouldn't do anything about it) and was very miserable for a long time. He's now much better and happier, now he's matured a bit and the eczema has been treated. I used to hate seeing him so miserable and I felt so guilty for being so unhappy because of the constant crying. He's now lying on the floor being tickled by his older brother and giggling away. Cranial osteopathy really helped him with both conditions - is that an option for you?

Thanks Becky.
Cranial osteopathy not an option but my friend's sister is a chiropractor and treats babies so I am going to give that a go shortly.

Nicky, both my ds's had this. It really is hell and I know what you're going through. Dh used to spend hours every night on the M1. As Becky said, the key thing to focus on is the fact that this phase will pass - although you won't be able to see it like this at the moment.

How long has he been on ranitidine? It worked for ds1 but I had to try a couple of other drugs for ds2 until I found one that made him better.

As well as looking into that I think the key thing is support. You must must ask any family etc. for any help they can possibly assist with. And any paid help you can afford will be worth it. It is a period you need to get through.

What do you think you might be able to get help with in terms of family / cleaner / night nurse etc.?

ALso, is he bf or bottle-fed? Maybe it might help to cut out dairy and soya / change formula?

Thanks.
Yes I am off dairy. He is bfed.
Been on meds for almost 2 weeks.
He is alot better today for some reason - not sure what might be a helping. Quite upset tonight, but the day has been good.
Have dh home for th esummer as he is a teacher so that is a huge help. Also my Mum lives nearby and has been a help.
Would love a cleaner but dh will have to dofor now!

Ack...reflux is crap. I hate reflux. My DS1 had it and it was very hard to deal with. I was always the stressed out mummy jiggling the fractious child at mother and baby things. It is very hard day to day when they're so upset and grumpy. How old is he? I didn't find the reflux meds to be an instant thing - more of a slow burn to getting better. I think initially depending on how bad the reflux is sometimes the oesophagus takes a little bit to heal before the meds can really help too much. But I wouldn't leave it too long before going back to the Dr and seeing if you need the dose of meds increased or a change of meds (maybe another week?).

My DS was also prescribed domperidone which helps speed the contents through the stomach as another tool in the reflux armoury. And sometimes losec is better than ranitidine - but I think you'd only be prescribed that under the care of the hospital (which you might not have been referred yet?). Anyway, 2 weeks is still early days - I know each hard day feels like a life time though.

I guess you know about all the non-med reflux things that can help. Feeding them as upright as poss, keeping them upright as poss for at least 20 min post-feeding, elevating the head of the cot, some babies seem to sleep better in a swing/car seat as they're more crushed up (altho' I've also heard it makes it worse for some reflux babies).

Anyway...I don't know if it helps but how you're feeling is understandable. Reflux is awful and I felt just completely overwhelmed by it all. PLus people who haven't been through it are quite dismissive about how all encompassing its effects can be/seem on you and your baby's quality of life. But once the meds truly kick in, or you get the right combo then you're going to see your happy little camper DS emerge more and more. Just hang in there and accept all helping hands from any offers to let you have a break or whatever.

Nicky - sorry to hear things are still shit . Less than 2 weeks until DH home and he'll hopefully be over the worst by the time the holidays are over. It is so hard.

Is there another GP you can see ?? Can you get another referral to peadiatrics ?

Thank you for the excellent summing up of the joy of life with a refluxing kid there zam- spot on!
We were at hospital today. basically a case of keep going as we are as there has been an improvement. Kind of starting to come to terms with the concept of managing this rather than eliminating it. Would like to fast forward a few monthe though...
Tilly, luckily dh is off already as we are in Scotland. I think I'd be in the looney bin otherwise! I am hoping things will be a good bit better by the time he goes back to work mid-august.