dont know what to do.

hi there.

I have a daughter named Chelsea thats just finish turning 1yrs old (07/09/06). Chelsea has been a vomiting baby since birth but no doctors were worried about her vomiting.
Since 6 months old we have tried giving her baeuer's natural medicines of stomach calm and the colic relief. The medicines worked sometimes but as she got older it didnt have any effect to her.
Chelsea recently went to hospital about 3 weeks ago with a cold with runny nose, very bad coughing, not weeing much at all, and with very bad vomiting (she vomited every bottle and every solids we gave her). The hospital just said its a viral infection but she'll be fine. The doctors were only worried about trying to keep her fluids down and not worried about her weeing and her coughing. The doctors gave her some hydralyte to stop the vomiting (which she even vomited that up too). They kept Chelsea in hospital for 2/3 days.
On friday Chelsea caught another cold with runny nose, lightly dry chesty cough and very bad vomiting (she vomited every bottle, solids and even the nurofen panadal plus extras that was in her stomach).
On Sunday (yesterady) I took her to see a doctor and the doctor said its just another viral infection. He also said if i think she gets worse take her to the hospital. So sunday night I took her to a different hospital and only deals with childrens. They said its just bad reflux with a viral infection but all they did was gave her the hydralyte drink again (but this time the hydralyte drink stayed down. This time they sent her home.
I did check out the RISA reflux website and by the sounds of it chelsea has reflux. As Chelsea does these:

Irritability/crying/screaming
Vomiting, posseting or regurgitation;
Recurrent hiccups;
refusal to feed or only taking a small amount despite being hungry
pulling away and arching their back
crying during or after feeds
gagging/spluttering
displaying a fear of food or unwillingness to eat
Sleeping issues
catnapping (10 min to 1hr) during the day
frequent night waking (though some refluxers do sleep well at night)
easily disturbed from sleep sometimes
Congestion, ‘snuffling’ or appearing to have a cold
Recurrent ear, throat or sinus infections
Wheezing/coughing
Gagging themselves (using their hand/fist/fingers)

Should I still be worried, if so what can i do?

Hi Kerri,

It sounds like you have all been through a lot, and are still going through quite a lot too. I think that everything depends on your instincts, and how concerned you are. She certainly sounds like she is distressed enough to warrant treatment, but is she like that only when she has been sick, or does she always display those signs? Had it eased off at all since you tried remedies at 6 months?

A lot of things can flare reflux, with illness being one of them, so if she is normally not quite so bad as what she is now, then things may actually settle again as well (hopefully soon). Whether she needs to have medication to help her, temporarily, or for a longer term, I guess depends on those factors.

Was she ever diagnosed with reflux before now?- or was the diagnosis only made just recently? Did the drs at the hospital indicate what kind of treatment they thought she might need for her reflux? There are so many options, and it isn’t always an easy thing to decide on- do you think they expected you to follow that up with your own doctor? Have you talked to your local doctor about your concerns? I would definitely recommend you do that, if you haven’t already, so you can hopefully get the support and treatment you may all need.

Are you concerned because of her age? Many parents are told that reflux will no longer be a factor when bub is 3 months or 6 months, and so when it becomes obvious it is still an issue after the age of 1yr, it can be quite a shock. Unfortunately, reflux can still be a factor at that age, and even beyond, so please don’t let her age put you off seeking help.

I'm just wondering too, if anyone has ever mentioned food sensitivities- cows milk protein allergy/intolerance seems to be the most common, though there are others as well. IS there any allergy/sensitivities in the family that would make you more suspicious? If you keep a diary, including what she eats, her feeds, sleeps, behaviour etc you may find a pattern in there somewhere (keeping in mind that it can take a couple of days for some reactions to show up).

I hope I've given you some ideas, but please trust your instincts, and please talk to your doctors about your concerns.
I hope that helps, and I hope she feels better soon,

Glenda
Reflux Infant Support Association

Note: This information is general in nature and should not replace the advice or care of your doctor.