Reflux as a baby but now almost 2 and still vomiting.

[worryingwillow]

Dd was diagnosed as 'probabable reflux' as a baby. She was sick often, didn't cry much and gained weight really well. Slept well etc. We never gave her meds for the above reasons.

However, she is now almost 2 and still vomits pretty regularly. Some weeks maybe 8 times, some weeks none but usually once or twice at least.

She vomits sometimes deliberately (eg: when doesn't get her own way), when she hurts herself (esp banged face/head), when she gags on anything, when she tastes something she doesn't like and sometimes just with wind.

She eats really well luckily so isn't losing weight. When she vomits it is, more often than not, projectile and several 'fountains' of sick.

Has anyone else expereienced this? My HV has always said she'll grow out of it but she's almost 2? Also, it affects our life a lot. I darent leave her anyone as she will cry and vomit copiouslyy, I sometimes don't give her 'choky' foods even though shed like them because of the hassle and its really horrible if it happens at soft play / playgroup because people assume she is ill.

I'm going to talk to my HV and maybe GP this week. I had thought of cows milk intolerance but she doesn't have any other signs of it. I hope its not that because she has lots of dairyy.

Any ideas?

Bump

It's behavioural
which I think you've established
Is she in pain when she does this?
I think she's doing it to get her own way and it's working

I'm in the same boat-ish.
Ds is 2 in sept and has severe reflux and food aversion. He is tube fed due to failure to thrive. He has silent reflux more than anything.
If you think there's something underlying do get her checked out by gastro paed. See gp and ask for referal.
Hth

And it's a horrible thing to go through. I do really feel for the both of you
X

I don't think its always behvaioural. Definitely not. She just seems to have an extremely over sensitive gag reflex. She loves food thankfully.

Sorry to hear of your problems.

Hmm she's learnt how to make herself sick.
I would go to your gp maybe a bit of meds may help a little?
X

I think you are misunderstanding me, she is sick without meaning to be 80% of the time.

What kind of meds do you mean?

Domperidone and gaviscon are normally what they go for first (gps)
Domperidone helps stomach empty quicker so there's nothing there to bring up. Gaviscon thickens milk (if she still has milk) and is supposed to help with pain.
I am sorry I got the wrong end of te stick
It's not nice at all! I bloody hate reflux!
It completely takes over!
If you can get into gps tomorrow do so and I would ignore hv.
Yes they are supposed to grow out of it but the small percentage that don't usually need investigating
X

We tried her on gaviscon but she got terribly constipated.

She has milk morning and night but tbh rarely vomits with that. I would say the thing that makes her vomit most is if she chokes / gags. Also, she will eat / drink until she is sick if given the chance which obviously we try to avoid but occasionally if at a party / wedding / with other people its hard to keep track. She's so greedy she will literally eat and eat and eat.

Thanks for the advice.

No problem
It may be she has big tonsils which are just getting in the way of everything now and her primary reflex is to reflux.
They have just checked ds's and they were fine but it's Defo something to mention
I do hope you get some answers soon for dd
X

Good idea, I have enormous tonsils...

Ah yes, our HV kept saying DD would grow out of it

After she puked on both the carseat and buggy in the same week I went to the GP, who prescribed domperidone which has been magic for us, now she pukes once a month if that

See the GP.

My DS has just grown out of severe reflux (I hope) at age 3.5 - he was born very prematurely & was on home oxygen. Strangely, him outgrowing it has coincided with going into age 2-3 clothes & reaching 92 cm in height, so maybe this has something to do with it - I had heard about age 2 as well.

He has just come off Domperidone (didn't make a blind bit of difference, Gastro consultant says it's hit or miss in it's effectiveness) and Omeprazole. Gaviscon only helps in mild cases.

His reflux was worse with colds & teething or could just be random. I suspect there was a behavioural element - explained by the speech therapist as "learned behaviour" - ie not deliberate, perhaps more habitual. However, it was definitely not a choice on his part.

A speech therapy referral was invaluable to me, ruling out an over-sensitive gag reflex (because if it was over-sensitive he would have vomited consistently with certain textures) and generally reassuring me that my tactics were correct.

I would ask your GP for a Gastro & speech therapy referral: they certainly helped me

Thanks for the replies.

Interestingly she has long since been in 2-3 size clothes, she was 9lb4oz when born and has remained consistently at the very very tops of the centile charts.

I will make an appointment tomorrow I think. Interesting you say about colds and teething making it worse - that's definitely the case here too.

She had a small umbilical hernia when she was born, I'm wondering if that's related?