Vomiting - Emeryville,CA

Please see the gastrointestinal specialist for a proper diagnosis. There could be a problem with her esophageal muscle allowing food up her esophagus (throat) and causing reflux/vomiting. Otherwise diet is often the culprit. AS a teenager my husbands mother gave him orange juice with extra vitamin C in it for breakfast. He felt bad and vomited every day by his first period class - then he felt better. Never knew why. As an adult he learned he had reflux and excess acid in his stomach. The acidic orange juice and vitamin C (very acidic)was the worst thing in the world he could eat! His reflux ruined his teeth (most dentists thought it was grinding but it was acid etching away his enamel)and they have all been crowned. He has been on an acid reducer medication for years now and it's great. Regular vomiting can erode the esophagus and the teeth. Hopefully it's just diet which is easily fixable or she can be on an acid reducer if it's appropriate. Perhaps she could eat slower too. If she eats too much too fast she might be uncomfortable (from eating too much)and has found that vomiting makes her feel better. Eating over a longer period of time allows food to "register" properly and people rarely over eat. This is recommended for everyone in general by dieticians/doctors. Good luck!

My son used to vomit alot. It got to where he would vomit every day. Turns out he is lactose intolerant. Does your child usually get sick after meals with heavy dairy?
if so, you may want to try cutting back or elimimating the dairy and see what happens.

It would be highly unusual for her to just suddenly develop reflux issues at 3 1/2 without having experienced any issues with it during infancy and toddler-hood. Reflux in infants is common, and caused by a non-developmental, and very normal "immaturity" of the digestive tract, and the normal anatomical placement of trachea and esophagus (which is why children "outgrown" their reflux as their bodies develop naturally and their trachea and esophagus grow "apart"). My own daughter, now 3 1/2, suffered from severe reflux in infancy and was medicated every day until she grew out of it on her own at 9 or so months of age. If your daughters issue were reflux due to the immaturity of her digestive tract at birth, she would be FAR past the age where it would have resolved itself naturally.

Have your ped refer you to a pediatric gastroenterologist: pediatricians are not educated or trained to deal with more unusual, involved situations such as this, and have neither the equipment or specialized knowledge to properly test for and diagnose what else might be going on with your doctor.

If she is not acting ill, or is underweight, or seems as if she is feeling poorly or wasting away due to the occasional vomiting, I wouldn't stress about getting her in to see someone immediately. It may be something as simple as, if she is filling her tummy to capacity at each meal, she needs to sit and relax for a little bit after eating to let herself digest. Make sure she isn't eating too quickly, and if her diet is comprised of a lot of acidic foods (think oranges, pineapple, tomatoes/sauce, etc) you might want to cut back.

This also may be as simple as a food allergy - not all allergies cause hives, rashes, or inflammation of airways, so pay close attention to exactly WHAT she is eating before she vomits. It could be a lactose intolerance, or just a sensitivity to a specific food.

My daughter had a vomiting issue when she was young. She would especially do this if she played hard or after she'd been sick. It turned out to be Reactive Airway Disease (Childhood Asthma)- mild case. It was not a big problem for her. Just something I had to be aware of to watch out for. I think it was also her bodies way of getting rid of phlegm, as she was too young to get it up on her own. She grew out of this as she got older.

My nephew suffers from both lactose intolerance and acid reflux. He drinks lactose free milk and although his mom was given meds for the reflux early on but she can't get him to take it so we have to keep an eye out if we see him looking like he's going ot be sick. My sister in law knows that greasy/spicy foods will probably upset his stomach and could lead to vomiting. It gets especially worse when he's running around or playing. Once he gets short of breath,the coughing starts and there will probably be some throwing up. It doesn't seem to bother him, luckily. Once he's done throwing up, he's fine.

Hi C.,
My girls were born at 26 weeks and we were told about the possibility of reflux issues. Only one of my girls had reflux and we were referred to to pediatric GI specialist in the Sacramento/Roseville area, Dr. Yinka Davies. She is the best in the area. Typically, most infants out grow reflux by around 18 months. I would try to get a specialist opinion on your daughter to determine what is causing her vomiting. Also, to make sure that there is no damage being caused by the tummy acid coming back up. Good luck.

Sounds like it could be acid reflux. My neice who just turned 8 has it and it sounds like the same thing. Good Luck.

Dear C.,

You should try acupressure! It will help naturally stimulate your daughter's ability to address her reflux problem.

Warmest,
Dr.T. Shen
easternmedicalcenter.com