speedmom4 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Hello Hive, I really need some advice about my sweet little 10-year-old ds. He has had GI issues since he was a baby. By the time he was 4-years-old he was not only having multiple bouts of diarrhea a day but he began vomiting regularly at night. He quit eating and finally the GI doc agreed to scope him. His colon was fine. They did a biopsy and found nothing. He did however have a very large stomach ulcer. He began taking medication but it didn't make that much of a difference. He then had a gastric emptying scan and found that his stomach wasn't "working" and his food was just sitting in his stomach which led to an overproduction of acid. No wonder he was vomiting undigested food hours after he had eaten. He was on Reglan for a time and that made a difference. Now he is 10 years old. He is very small for his age. The doctors have always believed that is because my husband and I aren't big. He only weighs 55 pounds although his weight to height ratio is good. Recently his stomach issues have gotten worse. He is having severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. He woke up at 5 a.m. this morning in so much pain. He has also begun running a low-grade fever when he is having problems with his stomach. I have called his GI doc because this is the second time in 2 weeks with these problems. Over the past 2 months we have seen a dramatic change. He has no energy and can barely keep anything down when he going through a "phase". He has lost a couple of pounds this month already and he doesn't have any to lose. He seems to recover after a few days and is back to almost normal until the symptoms return. Ds is also a competitive gymnast but I've noticed lately that he is so worn out after gym. I'm worried that he won't be able to maintain his weight between vomiting, no appetite, and gymnastics. Anyone have any suggestions? I have been researching Crohn's disease, Celiac, etc. He did not show signs of those when they scoped him 5 or 6 years ago. Could that have changed? Should I insist GI scope him again? What should they look for with blood work? Any advice is greatly appreciated! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 While waiting for the doctors to figure it out, I would at least take him off gluten and dairy. Trying the autoimmune version of the paleo diet is another thing to consider. It is possible he has Celiac disease, but the area they scoped wasn't where the damage is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I would demand a scoping. My brother has severe Crohn's and that isn't something to fool around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disney Dreaming Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) You mentioned a stomach ulcer when he was younger. I would ask the dr about ulcerative colitis. :grouphug: Edited June 27, 2012 by ugamom11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 While waiting for the doctors to figure it out, I would at least take him off gluten and dairy. Trying the autoimmune version of the paleo diet is another thing to consider. It is possible he has Celiac disease, but the area they scoped wasn't where the damage is. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Although there are many things which could cause those symptoms, dairy and gluten are proven to cause them, and the diagnosis is easy: eliminate dairy and gluten. Aren't there other tests for celiac? A DNA something or other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Nightime vomiting is a celiac symptom, along with everything else you listed, small size, diarrhea etc. Celiac tests are horrid, it often takes many years for a diagnosis. My son used to vomit at night as well, along with the diarrhea he couldn't control. Didn't grow, etc. He is still small but not near as small as he was and he is actually growing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 The first thing that came to my mind is Celiac or colitis. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Still waiting to hear back from the doctor. :confused: I'm not good at being patient. I have thought about taking gluten out of his diet to see if he improves. My only issue is that if they do test him for Celiac again (endoscope or blood test) I don't want him to be off gluten for a diagnosis. I just want some answers. I know many times it's not that easy but I just wish I knew how to make him better. Does anyone have any recommendations for a gluten free (good tasting) cookbook. I don't know a lot about gluten free food. Thanks! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 My son has a lot of gi issues. We finally found a great gi doctor in Winston-Salem who specializes in gastric motility. Ds had been followed by a regular gi doctor for several years but we never saw any improvement until we found the right gi specialist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Has he ever been tested for H.Pylori? My twins contracted it as newborns (we believe from my MIL) and they weren't diagnosed with it for 7 years. One dd had symptoms (nausea, vomiting, easily upset stomach, etc.) the other did not. They were small also, but are now TALL! They started growing like crazy not long after we got that treated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Has he ever been tested for H.Pylori? My twins contracted it as newborns (we believe from my MIL) and they weren't diagnosed with it for 7 years. One dd had symptoms (nausea, vomiting, easily upset stomach, etc.) the other did not. They were small also, but are now TALL! They started growing like crazy not long after we got that treated. This. Also, have they ever checked his enzymes to make they are correct? Have you seen a geneticist to rule out any odd/rare disorders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 My son has a lot of gi issues. We finally found a great gi doctor in Winston-Salem who specializes in gastric motility. Ds had been followed by a regular gi doctor for several years but we never saw any improvement until we found the right gi specialist. Would you mind sending me a PM. Winston-Salem is only about an hour from me. I would love to know who your GI doc is. I've been very frustrated with ours many times. Thanks, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Has he ever been tested for H.Pylori? My twins contracted it as newborns (we believe from my MIL) and they weren't diagnosed with it for 7 years. One dd had symptoms (nausea, vomiting, easily upset stomach, etc.) the other did not. They were small also, but are now TALL! They started growing like crazy not long after we got that treated. Yes. He had a biopsy of his stomach when they found his ulcer. He was negative for the bacteria. Thanks for the suggestion! Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 This. Also, have they ever checked his enzymes to make they are correct? Have you seen a geneticist to rule out any odd/rare disorders? He was negative for H.Pylori bacteria. He has never had his enzymes checked or seen a geneticist. Thanks for the suggestion! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eloquacious Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 While waiting for the doctors to figure it out, I would at least take him off gluten and dairy. Trying the autoimmune version of the paleo diet is another thing to consider. It is possible he has Celiac disease, but the area they scoped wasn't where the damage is. Yes! Paleo, and if possible the autoimmune protocol. Also look into the GAPS diet / Specific Carbohydrate Diet. (Both are nearly identical to Paleo, with specific healing protocols for intestinal health, including probiotics, etc.) And don't trust the 'scope.' Testing for such diseases with a scope is like testing for heart disease by asking if you've had a heart attack. By the time damage is visible, it's far too late in the process. (That being said, it sounds as though by now even a scope would reveal problems.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssavings Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Did they resolve an underlying reason for the gastric motility issues before taking him off of Reglan, or have they done a more recent gastric emptying scan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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