Reflux and weaning

cyning

My little girl is 6.5 months and has reflux. She's breastfed and has never reacted to anything I eat except Nutella. We just had it sort of under control and it was time to wean her: we have literally being through three weeks of hell. Every solid I have tried causes screaming: anything from 20 minutes to 6 hours. I've tried porridge, pear, apple, sweet potato, avacado, banana, egg, carrot, parsnip and broccoli. I got her losec upped during the week so hopefully that might help, and back at the paediatrician next week. She gets full body sweats which are very distressing for all of us. This week she's started to develop patches of eczema (which are admittedly very mild). She can bring up solids up to 4 hours after eating them.

I'm at my wits end. My two year old has taken to putting her hands over her ears and screaming when S screams. It really is affecting all of us. Has anyone been through something like this with a reflux baby? Does it pass? Any tips to help her? I'm exhausted.

January

I'd probably pull back on so much variety and keep to one new taste every three days...

cyning

January wrote: »

I'd probably pull back on so much variety and keep to one new taste every three days...

When the screaming started I stopped and tried something else a few times. But since we realised it was everything we tried three days per food on things like sweet potato which is apparently very safe but it is literally every food... Everyone told me solids would help reflux. So the opposite!

January

I was told to start on baby rice at 4 months (not breastfed) with my little reflux man and he hated it, screamed like your little one. Stopped for two weeks and started on sweet potato today and he milled it...

Maybe she's just not ready? The rash, could it be a reaction to egg? If she had a reaction to Nutella in your breast milk, it wouldn't surprise me... I'd look into allergy testing with a paed asap if I wear you.

yellow hen

Cyning I really do feel for you, it sounds horrendous. Be really persistent with Paeds to get some sort of solution that works. It's hard to believe that a problem as common as reflux is still so complicated up treat. I really hope you all get a break from it soon.

cyning

Tried egg Monday of week before but rash only started Wednesday so 10 days between them... They've said all along highly unlikely to be allergies because no rashes etc. Guess that's changed. GP pulled her off all solids wed and thurs, back on them today, so today wasn't too bad. I gave her banana (which I consider one of her safer foods) and videoed her to show paed. She screams even in the middle of feeds. She's teething too which doesn't help...

I'm back with paed on Tuesday so going to see about allergy tests. I wonder can they be done anywhere, or will she need to go to Cork/Dublin?

January

Prob only Cork and Dublin... I know there's a specialist in Cork? Think it's Prof. Hourihane maybe?

The poor baby though

yellow hen

It could be a food sensitivity rather than an intolerance/allergy. I think the allergy scratch tests can be done in lots of places. We had ours done in Dublin but it's the sort if screening/testing that could easily be done anywhere.

yellow hen

January wrote: »

Prob only Cork and Dublin... I know there's a specialist in Cork? Think it's Prof. Hourihane maybe?

The poor baby though

Think he's a nut specialist.

pwurple

yellow hen wrote: »

Think he's a nut specialist.

We go to Prof Hourihan. Fantastic service. Not just nuts, does the whole range, from insect stings to dust, foods, medicines. Bad news though is that we got fast tracked because we were part of the baseline study and saw him at 6 months, current waits are very long. Is private an option for you?

Cyning, the rashes, dry skin and vomitting can be allergy symptoms sometimes as well. They were for us, but the vomitting reaction typically came 20 to 30 minutes after the food. Rashes on the face or where her hands touched the food were common too. It sounds really confusing with all the stuff you are seeing. She has immunity issues too, I think I remember you saying? I don't know how you are coping at all.

Weaning my first daughter was the absolute nightmare you describe. I was a nervous wreck giving her any food because of it. She had several allergies.

My youngest had reflux with no allergies, and weaning has been a completely different experience. No reaction to anything and her reflux has dramatically improved. You sound like you've hit the worst of all worlds. Hang in there.

cyning

Ya we are back at doc for the results of the immunity tests on Tues but same doc for both. Although we've had 4 weeks now of not being sick at all so fingers crossed

Private is no problem, at least that's something.

It is really, really tough going. In saying that when she's happy she's really good, and thriving in every other way: crawling, yesterday she pushed herself into a sitting position, well able to feed herself. She's such a smily little thing inbetween the obvious pain.

Sligo1

cyning wrote: »

Ya we are back at doc for the results of the immunity tests on Tues but same doc for both. Although we've had 4 weeks now of not being sick at all so fingers crossed

Private is no problem, at least that's something.

It is really, really tough going. In saying that when she's happy she's really good, and thriving in every other way: crawling, yesterday she pushed herself into a sitting position, well able to feed herself. She's such a smily little thing inbetween the obvious pain.

O cyning, I really don't have any advice here but I would try maybe going privately to a paediatrician if that's a possibility? I really don't know how your doing it, uve had such a hard time . My little one is 6 months and she doesn't have reflux but getting her to eat anything at all is a complete mission. She doesn't want anything I try... All she will take is the smallest but of baby rice. And it's driving me mad.

I really hope you get your LO sorted. It must be so difficult to hear her in pain . Goodluck with the paediatrician.

cyning

Ya I'm seeing paediatrician privately and honestly it's a godsend... Even when we needed the barium swallow done I rang on Monday, was admitted on Tuesday and had it done on the Wednesday. There's no doubt that there's reflux there but it's just not getting any easier, it's getting worse. Especially when C is being affected too there's too much tv being watched because I can't do the fun things when S is just screaming.

Sligo1

cyning wrote: »

Ya I'm seeing paediatrician privately and honestly it's a godsend... Even when we needed the barium swallow done I rang on Monday, was admitted on Tuesday and had it done on the Wednesday. There's no doubt that there's reflux there but it's just not getting any easier, it's getting worse. Especially when C is being affected too there's too much tv being watched because I can't do the fun things when S is just screaming.

Sounds awful. Really hope you get it sorted

Moonbeam

My little one has dreadful reflux too,she is also lactose intolerant and I am hoping once she starts eating more it will be over.
My 1st had it too but grew out of it eventually.
I can barely remember what having clean clothes was like.

twomaddogs

Both mine had very bad reflux (silent reflux) and constant colic symptoms, screamed pretty much constantly and didn't sleep for more than 3 hours at a time. It went on for around 15 months with the first and 9 months with the second until we got a diagnosis

We paid for a scratch test to be done but it came back that there was no allergy. It was only when we paid to see a paediatric allergy consultant that we got a diagnosis of non-IGE dairy allergy.

So just to warn really that a scratch test alone may not give you the answers as a non-IGE allergy won't show up, it can only be found by an elimination diet.

cyning

In what a difference a week can make

S is doing so much better since the upped dose of losec kicked in. No non stop screaming anyway... She's eating anything she even had rice and mince with peppers in a tomato sauce today

Paed said with the way losec works sometimes they get worse before they get better with increased doses. He really doesn't think that it's an allergy because the reaction is to every food: he does want her eating iron rich foods as with the level of puking etc anaemia may be a concern.

So basically a very cautious yay for now! And the tests on her immune system were clear too. Good week all round.

Sligo1

cyning wrote: »

In what a difference a week can make

S is doing so much better since the upped dose of losec kicked in. No non stop screaming anyway... She's eating anything she even had rice and mince with peppers in a tomato sauce today

Paed said with the way losec works sometimes they get worse before they get better with increased doses. He really doesn't think that it's an allergy because the reaction is to every food: he does want her eating iron rich foods as with the level of puking etc anaemia may be a concern.

So basically a very cautious yay for now! And the tests on her immune system were clear too. Good week all round.

Absolutely delighted for u cyning