Acid reflux and transient tics in 8 year olds
My 8 year old son was told he had acid reflux at about 4 years old and was prescribed gaviscon and then doperidone, after which it cleared for some time. he then started displaying transient tics after a traumatic event at about 5 years old and the habits included shoulder shrugging, blinking clearing of the throat and nose rubbing he has almost lost thease habits apart from, on occasion when he is ecxcited or anxious, he starts to clear his throat, i believe this to be acid reflux and his dad thinks it is habits I have been to the doctors(of many) and he feels he would have more stomach issues if it were reflux and believes it to be habits. I am confused if he had reflux can this just go and why does he say he feels sick in his throat with snake like feeling inside his throat, (acid symptons), where can i go from here I feel like a neurotic mum but just want to get to the bottom of the throat clearing.
Hello Dafedil,
Reflux can cause pain and discomfort ranging from mild to severe. It could be that your son is used to the symptoms he experiences and thinks everyone else feels the same thing after a meal. Its like giving a child prescription glasses for the first time and they say, I didn't know that I was supposed to see the writing on the chalkboard!
See if you can track the symptoms and figure out how often the throat clearing and other symptoms are occurring. If you are seeing daily symptoms or symptoms several days a week, it is worth going back to the doctor.
Other causes of the symptoms include food allergies so it is also important to track his diet for a few days to give the doctor an idea of what he is eating. Environmental allergies (dust, pollen) can cause coughing, throat clearing and nose rubbing. My kids have gone through periods when they do this and the allergy medication clears it right up.
Some children do develop habits for a variety of reasons. You might want to talk to his teacher and see if the tics, shoulder shugging, etc are seen at school. Is there an increase in tics when he is speaking to the class? Playing? After eating? There are many reasons for tics so this needs to be explored too-especially if the other children notice it and if he finds it to be a problem.
It can be frustrating when the symptoms are not common and there is disagreement about what is going on. I know a moms instincts are very, very strong and we often have a sense about these things before everyone else. Also, when the symptoms are not common, it can take longer to get a diagnosis.
Let me know if you want to talk more about your son. You can reply to this message or email me privately.
Jan Gambino
The Reflux Mom
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