After countless requests from my mom to see a
gastroenterologist for Ellie belly, we finally did. To back up a second, the various pediatricians we have seen
have all told us that Ellie’s reflux would get better once she began sitting
up. Then we were told it would get
better once she starts walking.
All not true. She refluxes
throughout the day and night, leaving behind little spots on the carpet,
bedding, and her clothing. Some
days it is so bad that it involves outfit changes. Yet, every time I went to the doctor they looked at me like
I was crazy and over dramatic. My
mom has a family friend that told us we needed to stay on the reflux medication
for years not months, and if we went off the meds Ellie would be at risk for
developing esophageal cancer due to constant acid from the reflux. Again, I got
the same look from her doctors when I brought up these concerns.
Well, today I finally received confirmation that I was
right. In truth, my mom’s friend
that is a retired pediatric nurse practitioner was right. Jim and I agreed it was the best $30 we
spent all year. Once we moved to
Atlanta, I was lucky enough to find a pediatric gastroenterologist group. I picked Dr. Gold after reading about
how he is a national leader in the pursuit of critical questions regarding the
epidemiology and pathobiology of acid-related diseases in children, in
particular, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
We were told that Ellie most definitely needs to stay on her
medication and will be followed by a team of specialists. In three months she will have testing
done to make sure her GI is working properly. Children born with these
abnormalities are of particular interest and Ellie will be tracked for long-term
studies. In conclusion, Ellie has
been given a different prescription since her compounded formula goes bad after
two weeks. We had a prescription
for once a month. BAD!! Some breathing issues were also detected. Another thing people thought I was
crazy for pointing out.
What a blessing this has all been. Maybe the reason why the Lord sent us here.
