Is this silent reflux?

[Kez06]

Hi Glenda,
My daughter is 4months old and from day one she has been a very difficult baby.

She always has the hicups, arches her back while fussing with her bottle and only will drink half the bottle so she wants it every 2hours, get her to sleep in my arms after fighting with her for an hour and she wakes as soon as i put her down, crying all the time when shes awake, after she sleeps(only 40minutes at one time) she wakes up grumpy, nighttime sleeps are worse every 2hours she wakes,bad breath, bad cough and sounding congested in the head.

I had a midwife look at her yesterday she seems to think it is, so i took her off to the doctor today and he DOESNT believe in silent reflux.

I was told about a test to confirm silent reflux but this doctor just keeps saying she is just an unsettle baby.

I dont know what to do next, in your opinion is this silent reflux or am i going crazy...please help any advice would be much appreicated.
Regards Kerrie

[RISA]

Hi Kerrie,
Thanks for contacting our organisation. It sounds like things are very tough for you, especially as it sounds like your doctor isn’t listening to your concerns. I don’t think you are going crazy, and I agree that she is displaying lots of classic reflux signs- but as a parent and not a medical professional, I can’t comment on whether it is reflux or not. I really wish I could tell you, yes it is reflux, but that has to be diagnosed by a medical professional, especially as there are other conditions that can present similarly (like urinary tract infections)

As you don’t sound happy about your doctor’s opinion, there may be a few things you can try. You may be able to video tape her behaviours so that your doctor can see what you mean, rather than trying to dscribe her behaviour. Sometimes seeing it can make believers out of the best of them.

Another possible tactic is to keep a diary. Keep a record for several days. Write down when she sleeps, when she feeds, what the feeds are like, and all those other things like you explained to me. I have done that one, and for some reason, sometimes it doesn’t make sense until they can see it in black and white. For us, it had a huge impact, and was actually good for me to see it written down too. I think it was a better record than my memory, especially as I was so stressed and sleep deprived by that stage.

Another option is to take a friend with you, or some family member- anyone who will back you up to say that yes, this is more than an unsettled baby. Sometimes this shows the doctor that it is more than a stressed, tired mum, and they often pay more attention to that as well.

Alternatively, are you able to get a referral to see a paediatrician or paediatric gastroenterologist? Perhaps it will help to get their opinion on this too.

They do use some tests with reflux, but a negative result doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have reflux, so that can be a double edged sword. All of them have their place, but are generally not necessary to make that diagnosis.

I know from my own experience that silent reflux does exist in babies. All of my children were silent refluxers, and it can make life pretty difficult. I have heard it said that babies with silent reflux can often be more distressed than those who vomit, because instead of being vomited straight out, the stomach contents can go up and down in the oesophagus for a while.

Please continue to listen to your instincts. I firmly believe that a mother’s instincts are worth listening to, and it you need to continue to go to the doctor to get their attention, then do so. I used to worry that the doctor would think I was neurotic, but then I decided that if I was worried about my child, I was taking them to the doctor and didn’t much care whether they thought that or not.

I hope that helps and please continue to seek help for your daughter. If it isn’t reflux, then surely it must be something more than just being unsettled. She isn't your first child, i notice, so that in itself should alert your doctor that you know something about babies and their habits. Did your other children have reflux?

Glenda

[Kez06]

Hi Glenda,
Firstly thank you for getting back to me.

I will start keeping a record on her daily routine but firstly.

As i told you i knew something was wrong, so last wednesday afternoon i took her to the childrens hospital at westmead.

The doctor i seen listened to everything i said, i told him i started to thicken her milk, raised the end of her bed, it helped a bit but then he suggested some tests (yeah finally someone was listening to me).

I got the results back on friday morning and to my SHOCK she tested positive for "whooping cough" so straight to specialist and then straight to mt druitt hospital, we only stayed one night.

We were told to give ourselves (me and hubby) a pat on the back for NOT listening to the gp's as we cought it early.Yes i do immunise my kids but in crowed shopping centre is where she picked it up (or should i say where she was coughed on).

Yes my son had reflux when he was a baby but it was easily picked up because he had the projectile type, thicken his milk and no problem after that.

Im going to wait for 2weeks so the medicine can do its job and then i can get her into a routine. As at the moment she has lost weight because last wednesday afternoon she was refusing to drink her milk, its going to be one step at a time.
Regards Kerrie

[RISA]

Hi Kerrie,
A HUGE pat on the back for you as you most definitely score heaps of brownie points for listening to your instincts and getting her the care she needed!!! I can imagine your shock with her test results though, and how scared you must have been!! (and I can imagine the shock and the steep learning curve your doctor will be on when he gets the results too!!!!!!!! I bet you wish you could be there) :)

I agree with you too, one step at a time, and it may be tough to get that routine going. Often reflux will flare when they have been sick too, just so you know to expect that.

Would I be able to ask a favour of you? Could I get you to email us at info @ reflux.org.au (no spaces), if you don't mind? Nothing serious, would just like to ask a question of you. Thanks so much too, for letting me know how things transpired. It's always good to know things like that.

Glenda