Unexplained vomiting 5 yr old

gcsjr

GERD is fairly common in children and can cause many of the symptoms you mention (nausea, vomiting, hoarseness, the acidic taste in her mouth). It can be tough to diagnose in children because they have a harder time describing how they're feeling, but her symptoms sure fit GERD. In kids the acid doesn't have very far to travel from the digestive tract up the esophagus and it can usually be treated with common acid reflux medications. You might consider having her see a pediatric gastroenterologist to confirm that it's GERD.

Ol'Line Rebel

Hi, I hope you can find out. I just wanted to make a couple comments.

Yes, a child could have GERD (even from birth).

But you also must distinguish between vomiting (forceful muscular expulsion from gut) and regurgitating (incidental "losing it" by accident, such as open sphincter, food not past the sphincter burping back up, etc). If she has tummy pain I'd suspect real vomiting, but GERD does not involve that. It involves more accidental regurgitation, including burping up stuff because the sphincter won't block it.

Does your DD have any odd symptoms along with the vomiting, such as not knowing what's happening, or not remembering when she vomitted? I saw an episode of M-YSTERY D-IAGNOSIS (hope this isn't deleted; useless when 1 can't post direct references) where the little girl kept suddenly vomiting in the night. Turned out she had epilepsy that affected her vomiting center (my dad has epilepsy, so I know something about it, including that there are many variations). Don't want to scare you, but just wanted to let you know of other possibilities.

Also check for gastroparesis, gastritis, and other rather common gut problems, maybe even colitis. How about gall bladder?

bopper

Thanks for the reply.

You are suggesting that it could be that something like stress or anxiety could be causing her to throw up once then her body is not able to shut it off after the first time? Hmmm. Would that be accompanied by stomach pain...?

DMBF

Hi there
I feel for you! I am now a GERD sufferer, but many years before my symptoms, my then 4 year old daughter had the same symptoms/episodes!!! WIth her, it always happened around midnight with vomiting until her gut was empty, and then she was fine the next day. After a few times, I took her to the pediatrician, who ordered a GI series of x-rays, just to rule out a few things. That was normal. She had us worried with the other possibility, but she checked out fine otherwise. I did start charting her diet on the days when it happened, and realized that she had eaten an unusually large amount that day (like yours, she was petite and not usually a big eater). My family dr. was the one who finally suggested it could be REFLUX and she was colicky as a baby (now seen as probably GERD in infants). We had some food sensitity testing done with a naturopath, and she ended up sensitive to citrus, milk, chocolate and a few other things. We drastically reduced these things for one month, gave her acidophilus for kids (the good bacteria found in yoghurt--but you can get it in pill form) and she was fine. We gradually re-introduced those things and she has essentially been fine. In the last two years, she has had two episodes which I think were GERD in that she got up in the middle of the night and was sick in the toilet (she's now 11), went back to sleep, adn was fine. I might add that someone told me as well that what comes up with the stomach flu is often very thin and grose smelling where as what comes up with GERD can be thicker (I know, this is grose, but it was so true for us!) and not as foul smelling. Does that make sense? I have another friend whose daughter went through the exact same thing and it was diagnosed as GERD. SHe took medication for a few months and was fine after that. Occasionally, my daughter will now ask for a ROLAID and I give her half. I suspect she will follow in my footsteps as she gets older (though I hope for her sake that she doesn't). I really try to encourage her to watch what she eats, esp. at night (e.g. chocolate, acidy fruit, etc). HOpe this helps!

bopper

Bloodwork has all come back normal.

Waiting now for a referral appointment with a pediatrician.

She also has her appointment next week with the chinese medical clinic.

midi77

My son had something similar, he would throw up in the morning. This happened for about a month and a half, they did all the tests, gave him prevacid for a couple of months and we have been ok so far.

binkyholder

I just watched a show on tv the other night called medical mysteries.

The couple had the same thing happen to their daughter every night, around the same time, vomitting. The doctors had no idea what was wrong. Next day the girl was fine and didn't remember the episodes.

Then one evening, the vomitting increased and they noticed the little girl was slurring her words. They thought she had a stroke. Took her to the ER and they discovered she was having some kind of seizure. Maybe a neurologist should be considered in your case as well.

Anyways, hopes this helps.

binkyholder

How is your daughter?

bopper

Hi there;

Still having the episodes of vomiting. In fact, since Feb. 5th, we are on bout number 3.

She has seen a chinese medicine doctor who is also an acupuncturist and a naturopath. He identified numerous foods that she is sensitive to and treated her for them.

That was in early January.

She has an appointment with a pediatrician next Tues. (Feb. 24th) really hoping that he will provide us with some hope and conduct additional tests.

We are so very worried about her.

bopper

DD had appointment with the pediatrician.

He has diagnosed her with Acid Reflux. Prescribed Prilosec.

Waiting on barium swallow, bloodwork.

Seeing him again in 4 months time.

binkyholder

Did the doctor mention to you to raise her bed up, so she's not flat on her back when she sleeps? Is it usually at night when this is happening?