Reflux
Reflux is common, particularly in babies, and nearly everybody suffers from Acid Indigestion at one time or another. When it’s an ongoing issue the cause is often a weak muscle at the base of the oesophagus. This allows stomach acid to leak up.
In our house Molly didn’t outgrow it and she vomited every day until she was seven. Sleeping was particularly tricky and we were advised that she should try to sleep in a sitting position propped up on pillows. Not easy.
The difficult thing about Reflux is that there can also be a physical cause, so all talk of allergies or intolerances were dismissed as investigative surgery showed reflux. It was only by chance that a specialist who was covering for our normal gastric consultant said that reflux can be a result of allergies and recommended an elimination diet.
I’ve since discovered, thanks to Allergy Uk, that reflux is a known symptom of intolerances:
Molly was put on ranitidine and omeprazole and while it reduced the vomiting it didn’t disappear. Only an elimination diet which identified the triggers of dairy and egg have solved the problem. Fat and sugar are also triggers so we have to be careful there as well.
Asthma and Reflux
When Molly was 9 months old she was diagnosed with Asthma. The key symptom being chronic coughing, particularly at night. Inhalers and steroid pills didn’t solve it; the symptoms only improved when her reflux was controlled. There is a link, apparently, between the two conditions as the body responds to the reflux by creating more mucus.
This is a helpful website to better understand the link http://asthmaandallergies.org/asthma-allergies/asthma-and-gastroesophageal-reflux-disease/
Our experience was that once we got Molly’s diet under control, and understood the triggers, we could reduce, and even eliminate, the acid reflux medicine. We now use omeprazole for flair ups but she is not on medicine continuously.
