Brendan will be six in February. He is a VERY picky eater and any meal time is a battle. There are very few things he will eat and hates to try new things. For example the other night I gave him pizza for dinner (one of his favorite) and he tried to negotiate down to eating just a couple of bites. I told him if he wasn't going to eat he was going to go to bed without watching a movie first that night, well he went to bed moviefree because he kept coming up with reasons he couldn't eat it. (not enough sauce on this piece, to much on this one, it feels wet, etc...)

Now the thing that bothers me is that as an infant we went through several different formulas and ended up on Nutrimigen (spp??) and has always been a fussy eater. Now has a almost six year old it's not any better and I feel like there may be some underlying issues there. I've really started taking notice and during and after eating he seems to be gassy (burping alot and almost flinching because of something). There are times where he eats and almost immediately says his tummy hurts and will say he doesn't want to try new things because it will hurt his stomach.

Now, I'm a protective mother I tend to go on the extreme with things especially when it concerns Brendan. Also with my medical background it tends to make me have sometimes a imaginative and I think things are wrong when they aren't. He also suffers from ear infections and sore throats so most months we end up at the doctor at least once if not twice. He has had tubes in his ears and I really believe once it's all said and done with his tonsils will have to end up coming out.

I like my doctor but he is a family doctor and not a pediatrician, I also feel like sometimes he doesn't take me seriously because I tend to worry. I recently had him do labs to check his iron and white blood cell count because he ALWAYS has dark circles under his eyes.

My question is should I go with my gut and maybe find a new doctor? Does anyone have any experience with GERD? (Debbie, I think I read your post somewhere...) Is this just a stage? Should I be pushing it more, there are literally days I have to force him to eat and he really only wants one meal a day.

There is a family history of stomach problems, his dad has reflux (is that the same as GERD), my dad has heartburn, and I've had a stomach ulcer. Also should I switch to a pediatrician or just ask my doctor for a gastrologist?

I'm so confused on what to do. Help!

By Tarable on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 03:26 pm:

I don't have any experience with GERD but I do have experience with having a dr that thought I was paranoid and ignored my complaints. I went to a new dr and he found something really wrong. If you think that there is something else there besides him being a picky eater (like GERD or reflux, my DH has had reflux since he was about 12 ,Diagnosed, probably started long before that) I would definately take him to a pediatrician or a GI.

Good Luck and I hope he starts feeling better soon.

By Vicki on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 04:16 pm:

ALWAYS follow your mommy instincts. If you think there could be more to it and your doctor won't take you seriously, it is time for a new doctor.

By Debbie on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 04:53 pm:

Yes, it is me, I have a child with GERD. He was misdiagnosed until he was 4. He had lots of trouble with formula, they diagnosed him as being lactose intolerant. He was a very fussy baby, and didn't sleep well until he was almost 18 months. He also would not sleep on his back. At 3 months he started rolling over, and was a stomach sleeper. He too, was always burbing and had terrible gas. Looking back it all adds up, but at the time I didn't put it together. He also had tubes in his ears at age 2 for multiple ear infections, and he has asthma. My current GI doctor feels that it is all interrelated with the GERD. At around 3, he just basically stopped eating. He was put on an 8 week treatment of Prevacid. He was tons better after that. However, within 6 months it came back. He got to the point where he was vomiting a lot at night. He went on another round of Prevacid, and once again it cleared up. But, it came back again. Finally with a lot of nagging and persistance, I got a refferal to a GI doctor. They did an endioscopy and found errosions in his throat and stomach. He was officially diagnosed with GERD. He has been on medication ever since. We still have ups and downs with it, but it is for the most part under control. He is still very picky, but we are slowly overcoming it.

My ds always complained of a stomach pain. I finally got smart and pointed to his upper chest and asked him if that was were it hurt, he said yes. He was saying tummy, but was really complaining of his chest/throat/heartburn pain. I would ask your ds to show you exactly where it hurts when he complains of his stomach hurting. Can you switch to a pediatrician? I would suggest doing so, if you can. I would also start keeping a journal of his eating, also note when he complains of stomach pain....my ds has triggers... chocolate, acid juices, ketchup, fried/fatty foods. Also, he has to drink skim milk. You may see a pattern. I would definitly try and get a referral to a GI doctor. I say better safe then sorry, especially with all the problems he has been having.

I will say that right before Josh was diagnosed, I knew he just didn't feel good. He seemed to be sick a lot, and just not himself. It sounds like you know something is going on with Brandon. This stuff really wears you out when it is acting up. Think about it, it is just constant heartburn. I had it during pregnancy, and that was enough for me. It is really terrible stuff.

By Debbie on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 04:57 pm:

Oh...also is it worse at night? My ds would start out fine in the morning. But, would hardly eat anything by dinner. He would also say he was hungry, but would only eat a few bites and then say he was full.

By Jjb on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 05:11 pm:

My DS who is 19 months has GERD. He also has a milk protein allergy. He was in a lot pain as an infant and was on Neocate formula until 16 months. Your son does have GERD symptoms. I would pursue seeing a GI doc....but make sure find a good one. We've had two and the first one wasn't all that great. I would ask around your area for a recommendation. I would pursue a specialist first since it sometimes takes awhile to get an appointment. Our GI doc. was able to give us some advice prior to the appointment which was very helpful. We were able to get into see a nurse practitioner within a few weeks but had to wait much longer for a dr. appointment. The nurse ended up being better than the dr.

Not to add to your worry, but have you considered if your son might have a food allergy? My 4 year old had similar symptoms and his ended up being an allergy. He goes to the same GI doc. but for the allergy. Once we cut out all milk products he stopped being a picky eater, became much happier and began to gain weight. Your pediatrician can order a blood test to see if he has any of the common food allergies. Good luck!