My daughter is 7 and has been dx'd with GERD. She is an extremely picky eater. Is this normal?
My 7 year old daughter has GERD dx's by Dr. Sirlon. SHe started Prevacid and then began complaining of stomach aches. She now is suppose to be taking Zantac but I have not given it to her in about 2 months because she has recently been dx'd with Lyme Disease and needs to talke antibiotics 3 times per day. Apparently, I am not supposw to give the 2 together. She also takes Miralax for constipation issues. She is an extremely picky eater and my husband and family think she should be trying new foods. I am not a believer in forcing foods on her because of her reflux. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you. Paula
Hello Paula, It can be complicated enough dealing with GERD but when you add Lyme Disease too, it can be even more complicated. I wonder if the primary care doctor (pediatrician) can help you coordinate all of the medical treatments for your daughter. Is there another specialist involved for the Lyme Disease?
The primary care doctor can help by communicating with the other specialists and developing a treatment plan for all of the medical needs. Certainly timing of the medication and avoiding drug interactions is key to the success of the treatment.
I know many doctors recommend taking probiotics with antibiotics. When the antibiotics are doing their job (getting rid of the infection), the medication can also destroy the good bacteria or flora in the stomach. This can cause an upset stomach and digestive issues. It may be worth checking with the doctor.
In addition, I know constipation can cause digestive discomfort. Sometimes relieving the constipation improves the reflux.
It seems that more work is needed to refine the treatment plan to address the symptoms. This can take time as new treatments are considered and tried.
Now to your question about picky eating...ah yes, my favorite topic! I believe that children with GERD are careful eaters-not picky eaters. They eat what their stomach tells them it is safe to eat. It is likely your daughter experiences some discomfort related to eating and she is trying to "fix" the problem by eating certain foods, avoiding other foods and maybe avoiding eating altogether. Once the treatment is in place, see if the feeding improves. If you think there are some lingering food related issues, you might want to talk to the doctor about a referral to a feeding specialist. My daughter's gi doctor recommended a multi vitamin and a nutrition drink to stabalize her nutritional needs. It took a long time for the feeding to normalize. I thought she would be a picky eater for life but it was the reflux that was preventing her from eating well.
Hope this gets you started. Let me know if you need further assistance.
Jan Gambino
The Reflux Mom
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