Reflux Getting Worse Even Though He's gluten-free

[e&j0304]

My son's reflux is getting worse lately and I'm not sure what to do. I know that it flares up even more with gluten, but he has been definitely gluten-free for quite awhile now and his stools are totally normal, but his reflux is awful. He will be 2 in November and he just spits up in his mouth all day long. It is worst after eating, but can go on for hours after he's eaten. He will have a whole mouthful of food/drink and his little mouth will look like a chipmunk and then he swallows it back down. I'm worried about his esophagus.

Do you think he should maybe be on meds for this? We were prescribed meds for it when he was 4 months old or so and we decided to try to manage it through keeping him upright after feedings, etc. It seemed to be better. At 14 months he had and endo and they said they saw slight damage from reflux but that they weren't worried about it. Now it is much worse than it was then. I thought kids were supposed to outgrow this??

I'm going to ask at his checkup in a few months, but I just wonder if giving him meds is the best answer or should be be trying to figure out WHY he is continuing to suffer with this?

Thanks in advance!

[Ursa Major]

Shannon, is he eating/drinking dairy? If yes, I would eliminate all dairy (and soy, if you give him any) and see if that makes a difference before trying meds again.

[chrissy]

my baby had really bad reflux-----she had a fundoplication just before she turned 10 months old. we discovered she had a good sized hiatal hernia. she had alot of esophageal damage and she was on prevacid and carafate. i think if it were me, i would get him on meds ( a PPI is best) and look more into what might be causing the reflux.

[NoGluGirl]

My son's reflux is getting worse lately and I'm not sure what to do. I know that it flares up even more with gluten, but he has been definitely gluten-free for quite awhile now and his stools are totally normal, but his reflux is awful. He will be 2 in November and he just spits up in his mouth all day long. It is worst after eating, but can go on for hours after he's eaten. He will have a whole mouthful of food/drink and his little mouth will look like a chipmunk and then he swallows it back down. I'm worried about his esophagus.

Do you think he should maybe be on meds for this? We were prescribed meds for it when he was 4 months old or so and we decided to try to manage it through keeping him upright after feedings, etc. It seemed to be better. At 14 months he had and endo and they said they saw slight damage from reflux but that they weren't worried about it. Now it is much worse than it was then. I thought kids were supposed to outgrow this??

I'm going to ask at his checkup in a few months, but I just wonder if giving him meds is the best answer or should be be trying to figure out WHY he is continuing to suffer with this?

Thanks in advance!

Dear e&j0304,

I agree with Ursula, watch the dairy! Also, has your boy been on a lot of antibiotics in the past or recently? If so, you may want to get him tested for yeast candida. It can overpopulate the gut. This causes all kinds of trouble. I am currently taking Prilosec twice a day, but before I went gluten free, it was not even helping much! Candida is notorious for causing stomach problems. I know the kid's misery. My doctor believes Candida may be the cause of the nausea and other things I have difficulty with. Another idea is Barrett's Esophagus, but that should have been diagnosed with the Endoscopy if it were present already. I hope this helped.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[AndreaB]

I would also say cut out the dairy if he has that......and check into other reasons if dairy free doesn't help at all. Definately bring it up with his doctor, even before his normal checkup if it doesn't get better being dairy (and soy) free.

[Guest nini]

I would eliminate dairy and soy before trying more medications... also the candida connection should be explored as well. He may need digestive enzymes with probiotics as well...

make sure he's 100% gluten-free, no cc, no playing with gluten laden play dough, no gluten containing finger paints or bath soaps or shampoos or lotions, (even vitamin e can be a source of gluten from wheat germ)... having had a child with horrible reflux I def. sympathise. Although we didn't know at the time that hers was because of gluten. We did the medications and they really didn't help and overall I think they caused further problems... it was a major pain to try to get her to take the medicines and they would trigger her gag reflex and make her projectile vomit across the room. When she was on the meds her already terrible diarrhea and diaper rash became MUCH WORSE, she developed bloody rashes and had blood in her stool (she didn't have this when she wasn't on the meds)

[e&j0304]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Jack drinks soy milk and he does eat yogurt on occasion as well as sometimes a piece or so of cheese.

What kind of milk would you recommend for him? Can too much juice make reflux worse? He does like his juice. He is such a picky milk drinker that I don't know if he would switch to another kind easily. We had been trying to get him back to drinking regular milk for awhile and he refused it.

He has not been on any antibiotics for at least one year, so I guess it's probably not Candida?

Thanks again. I will definitely cut out all dairy today and see what I can do about the soy milk.

He aleady spit up in his mouth several times tihs morning and actually spit out his breakfast all over me when I picked him up about 45 min. after he ate...

[AndreaB]

You could see if he likes Rice milk (Not Rice Dream), Almond milk.

Blue Diamond (I think that's the brand) has almond milk that has some soy in it. Pacific makes almond milk that is ok. I assume blue diamond tastes better since it has the soy in it.

One thing I tried with my kids is combining two milks. Combine rice/almond with the soy start out at 1/4 to 3/4, move to 1/2 and 1/2 and then 3/4 to 1/4 then full on the milk of choice. Whereas my son got used to the milk, my daughter didn't. I now use calcium fortified orange juice or apple juice for their cereal.

[Ursa Major]

I really liked almond milk when I still drank that. And yes, juice can cause reflux, it sure used to for me! And even though the last antibiotics were a while ago, that doesn't mean they couldn't still be the cause of candida now, if the problem wasn't addressed (if it is a problem).

[NoGluGirl]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Jack drinks soy milk and he does eat yogurt on occasion as well as sometimes a piece or so of cheese.

What kind of milk would you recommend for him? Can too much juice make reflux worse? He does like his juice. He is such a picky milk drinker that I don't know if he would switch to another kind easily. We had been trying to get him back to drinking regular milk for awhile and he refused it.

He has not been on any antibiotics for at least one year, so I guess it's probably not Candida?

Thanks again. I will definitely cut out all dairy today and see what I can do about the soy milk.

He aleady spit up in his mouth several times tihs morning and actually spit out his breakfast all over me when I picked him up about 45 min. after he ate...

Dear e&j0304,

Ursula is right. Candida can surface even years after antibiotics treatment. The sugar in the fruit juice (not to mention natural molds) can irritate the symptoms and make the Candida grow. The milk situation seems like almond milk and rice milk are the best bets. The poor kid. I have reflux to the point it can be debilitating, so I know how he feels. At least it has improved since going without gluten. I have trouble today, because I ate too much fat. I had my gallbladder out a few years ago, and still must be careful about my fat intake. I get sick when I go over my fat limit. Also, has your child been on steroids for any reason, like for asthma? That is another factor you may need to consider.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[chrissy]

one of my twins had and endoscopy last year for her reflux and it showed little white bumps all over in her esophagus. she had a yeast infection in her esophagus.

[NoGluGirl]

one of my twins had and endoscopy last year for her reflux and it showed little white bumps all over in her esophagus. she had a yeast infection in her esophagus.

Dear Chrissy,

It is scary what yeast can do to someone's body. I cannot afford the testing right now, but the doctor feels it is a very likely possibility considering all of the antibiotics I have been on over the years. According to "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About" by Kevin Trudeau, the leading cause of acid reflux, nausea and other stomach problems is Candida. That is why I first began doing research on it. I am amazed at all of the misery it can cause. I have Fibromyalgia, Thyroid trouble, and hypoglycemia along with the digestive miseries. The shoe certainly fits. It is a good thing they did an endoscopy and found that yeast infestation before it was worse!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[chrissy]

you can ask to be put on a round of diflucan. we suspected esophageal thrush in my baby after she had her fundo----the doc put her on diflucan (without scoping her) and we saw a major improvement.

[NoGluGirl]

you can ask to be put on a round of diflucan. we suspected esophageal thrush in my baby after she had her fundo----the doc put her on diflucan (without scoping her) and we saw a major improvement.

Dear Chrissy,

I could not take Diflucan. My mother and I both did not tolerate it. I am nervous about any meds really. I just do not tolerate meds well. There are some herbal formulas out there I am considering. They have garlic and a number or other things to kill Candida. Hopefully, the baby could tolerate this stuff, though. Some people just do better with the pills.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl