My son is 6, will be 7 in July and the problem is that at certain times when we sit down to eat a meal, my son may take only 1 bite of food and get a panicked look on his face and begins crying claiming he's dizzy and feels weird. We ask him ?'s and try to figure out what he means by feeling weird, but it's only until he lays down for 20 min's or so does he start to feel better and then doesn't come back to the table to eat as he says he can't. This doesn't happen every single time he sits down to eat as it seems for the most part he can snack after school just fine and I've pointed this out to my wife, but the panicked look on his face when this does happen concerns me and is leading me to further research what might be going on. 1 year ago we dealt with this for several month's and took him in to several Dr.'s, where we were told over and over again, it's just psychological and he's trying to get out of eating certain meals. We again informed them that this happens on some of his favorite meals such as McDonald's or Pizza night as well. They finally referred us to get some barium tests done. We took him in, had the barium swallow done and the specialists had him roll around on the table as he watched the mixture proceed down his trachea and into his stomach. The Dr. informed us that there was nothing wrong and couldn't find any reason to believe that our son had Acid Reflux or anything for that matter. Here we are again seemingly back with the same symptoms and I don't want to ignore something that could cause serious damage or complications to my Son's health as a concerned parent.

My wife and I are just trying to get some direction and see if anyone knows what might be happening or have any great suggestions of what we could try. Perhaps any links that you know of that we could do further research on this topic would be much appreciated as well. Thank you for your time and reading this post.

In Him,
Seth

Seeing as you posted on the allergy board ... have you had your son tested for food allergies? His reactions seem pretty swift. It's not a stretch to wonder if he could be experiencing an immediate IgE allergy reaction to certain foods. Could cause a feeling of itching or swelling in his mouth or gut, maybe something you can't see from the outside. Consider making an appt w/an allergist to have some scratch-testing done for basic food allergies. You want at least dairy, egg, corn, wheat, barley, peanut & soy tested.

My son started refusing fruit at age 10 after having eaten it all his life. Our ped said it was a psych power play ... that he just wanted to eat junk. But the allergist discovered that our son had severe oral allergy syndrome -- itching & swelling inside the oral cavity w/potential to affect breathing -- related to no fewer than 6 different fruits. Once we eliminated those offending fruits, our son then had confidence to pick up w/other fruits that didn't cause him symptoms. But he had had these bad experiences with a number of fruits, and had simply decided he "didn't like" all fruit, until we got things sorted out. And this is a bright, verbal 10 yr. old. who couldn't really describe what was happening.

Try to observe whether there are certain foods & beverages that your son eats without incident, and likewise, with what foods the incidents occur. That might give the allergist a few more things to test for.

Make sure there is not a dental problem. I had one child who panicked when eating w/a loose baby tooth, worried she would swallow the tooth.

Are there texture issues? Some kids do OK with soft snack foods (bread, yogurt, pudding), but have trouble with chewier foods like meats. This can lead to panic during swallowing, due to large bolus, if the meat hasn't been masticated enough.

Best wishes.

^ I agree with the allergy testing. As for reflux, if he had the barium swallow done and nothing came up then he probably doesn't have it. Sometimes the tests can be wrong, but if he were truly getting reflux after just one bite I can't imagine it wouldn't have shown up on that test. Mine showed up pretty clearly when I had it done!

I agree with food allergy testing. Does your son have any pollen allergies? Certain foods like tomatos, potatos, onions, and fruits cross react with pollen allergies. While waiting to get tested I would keep a diary of everything he eats and see if you can find a common denominator for when he has these reactions.

On the off chance that this is a power play, don't make a fuss over him. Show appropriate concern, but don't let it totally disrupt your meal. Deal with him very matter-of-factly.

I was a picky eater growing up. I absolutely refused to eat eggs or tomatos growing up. On pizza night, my dad made me a white pizza. And low and behold at age 30, I tested highly allergic to both eggs and tomatos. Kids also form mixed-up associations with foods. As a kid, I refused to eat McDonald's hamburgers. I would eat them at home, but not at McDonald's. Looking back, I realize now it was because of the ketchup and the pickles they automatically put on. But as a kid I couldn't deduce that.