Yet another question

Okay, so I can't take this anymore! I know it's only been 2 days on Prevacid, that's fine, I can wait longer to see if there's results.

But I can't stand to see my baby boys wake up from a deep sleep and arch their back SOOOO hard! You can basically seem them struggle to breathe! Their eyes are so wide, it's just creepy.

Even if you pick them up and try to straighten them out it's a struggle cause they're arching so bad.

Anyone else experienced this?

Besides Prevacid, is there anything over the counter they can take as well? (BESIDES trying rice cereal or any thickener).

 

I'm sorry. It's so awful to feel so helpless when your babies are in obvious pain/distress. I know, I have been there. :hug:

You should take a video of that behavior to show the doctor.

Sandifer's Syndrome

Are you seeing a GI or regular ped?

There are 4 classes of reflux drugs that I know of. Antacids, H2s, PPI's, and Motility drugs.

1. Antacids-Maalox, etc. They coat the esophagus/stomach lining. I was given the go ahead to use Maalox as needed, by my ped. You might ask about it. It's temporary relief, but relief nonetheless.

2. PPI's-Prevacid-Are you giving it 30 minutes before a meal? Also, how many doses? Babies metabolize things very quickly, so 2 doses(of course having the dosage ok'd by doc) would probably be better than one.

3. H2s-I know some peds give these in addition to PPI's. These are the drugs like Axid, and Zantac. My babies did ok on Axid for awhile(in addition to the Reglan).

4. Motility-These help the food move more quickly through their system. My babies ended up on Reglan, and it was an absolute lifesaver for them(and me!). Yes, there are 'potential side effects' like with any drug out there, but I had to weigh the benefits with the risks, and the benefits won.

Are you against thickening, or are you already doing it? The Prevacid will help with the burn, but it will do absolutely zip to keep the food in their stomachs.

As far as positioning, I would NEVER lay them flat. And to be honest, I would never lay them on their backs either, instead I would prop them at an angle on their sides.

From what you have described, I would be very concerned, and be on the phone with the doctor/hospital until you get better results.




:grouphug:

 

I have absolutely no advice but I wanted to say that I hope you can get them some relief soon. Poor babies and poor momma. I know watching your little ones in any kind of pain is just awful. Becky gave you lots of great info, I hope they feel better soon. :hug:

 

I'm not much help either except to ditto Becky on never laying them on their back, keep them propped at all times! Buy a wedge for under their crib mattress, or use a folded blanket or a pillow, or use bouncy seats, car seats or swings to let them sleep in! And call the dr! :hug: :hug:

 

:hug: I would consider the Maalox too. We did that before every feeding. Are you sleeping them upright? If not, I would for sure consider that. We tummy slept ours on an incline because our GI was concerned about them choking. But they also were on apnea monitors. I would give the Prevacid at least a week. If you don't see results I know there is Prilosec and Axid for reflux.

 

have you tried giving them some tylenol before you feed them (at least 15 minutes before) to see if that helps ease the pain of the reflux? while i don't have the greatest GI specialist in the world he did say that it was OK to give them tylenol if they seemed to be in pain, just not all the time. i used to give them .4ml (i think that's right) from the little dropper but we did it after the feed since that's when they would start screaming....i don't know maybe this might help?

 

I dont think Tylenol will do anything for reflux pain. The pain comes from the burning of the acid on the esophagus. It's like asking someone with a stomach ulcer to take Advil. It wont work. I would find a new GI. I dont think yours is doing his or her job by just sending you on your way. They have reflux issues and they should be addressed.

 

actually it did work for us so maybe it's worth a shot.

 

Oh my gosh. Thank you for saying this. Please do not give Tylenol to help with the reflux pain.

 

I would also not give Tylenol for reflux pain. IMO that is just very temporarily masking the symptoms of the issues that are being left untreated. Acid is still burning the esophagus, and that is what needs to be treated(with reflux meds/formula/diet changes/thickening) before more damage is done.

 

As someone who has acid reflux disease and has to take prescription meds for it daily, and if I don't I suffer horribly with pain, I am telling you the tylenol is not helping, all it's doing is putting them to sleep. Tylenol does nothing for the pain of reflux, even rolaids/zantac/maalox doesn't help bad reflux.

I agree with Rachel that I think you need to find a new ped GI if all they recommend is tylenol. Reflux disease can eat away the lining of the throat, and if left untreated can cause serious issues down the road (including not wanting to eat because of the pain).

 

Tylenol can actually be pretty rough on your stomach in the first place, so I wouldn't think it would be the best choice. Most pain relievers, including Tylenol & Ibuprofen, can cause stomach upset themselves & are rarely, if ever, recommended for stomach pain of any kind.