Child and stomach pain from GERD
My 4 y/o daughter was diagnosed with GERD this past summer. Her ped. GI prescribed Prevacid, Carafate, and Axid. However, her stomach pain is terrible in the afternoon. In the morning it's a bit and by night there is no pain. I don't think these are working or the timing is wrong. I'm worried that when I mention this to the doc. she will just prescribe more meds. Help! Thanks. PC
Hello!
It does seem like there is more work to be done to refine the treatment so your daughter doesn't have to be in pain during the afternoon. She does have a lot of medications on board. You might want to review the dosing and the timing of the medications with the pharmacist and GI doctor. There is some evidence that children metabolize medication more rapidly than adults so a split dose might help (2 doses rather than one per day-same amount of medication). Also, the timing of the 3 medications could affect how well they work.
I wonder if her diet or eating schedule could be affecting the pain. It might help to keep a record of he diet for a few days to see if any foods are triggering pain. Some children really benefit from a small meal every few hours rather than a big meal. A big drink can fill the stomach with liquid, putting pressure on the stomach.
Does she eat in a hurry at preschool or daycare? Careful chewing can make a difference between comfort and pain. Does she go out to the playground right after lunch? Running and active movement right after lunch could cause pain.
Lots to think about.
I wonder if some other parents have ideas for PC. What do you think?
Jan Gambino
The Reflux Mom
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Thank you Jan (Reflux Mom) for your advice. The GI doc already split the AXID dose (once before lunch and once before dinner). If it's the AXID that's working because she has no pain after dinner, then why isn't it working after lunch? I'm already keeping a chart of pain/timing of meds/eating. I see no correlation. She does no strenuous activities after lunch and I've made her meals smaller. Thanks again for helping me. Pauline
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Thank you Jan (Reflux Mom) for your advice. The GI doc already split the AXID dose (once before lunch and once before dinner). If it's the AXID that's working because she has no pain after dinner, then why isn't it working after lunch? I'm already keeping a chart of pain/timing of meds/eating. I see no correlation. She does no strenuous activities after lunch and I've made her meals smaller. Thanks again for helping me. Pauline
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Hello! It is a mystery. I wish reflux made more sense...don't you?!
I am still wondering about the medications. All 3 medications need to be well timed and used at different times for different reasons. There is a good section on this website that describes all of the medications. You can locate it from the Acid Reflux Connection page.
Jan
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