Hi there. My son was 2 years old when he started vomiting nightly. He would start coughing, and that would alert us to his vomiting. He was also losing weight, lethargic and would take several naps a day, on top of loose, foul smelling stools several times a day. We were desperate to find out what was wrong with him.
Eventually, he became so sick that we had to take him into the ER. They ran some tests after taking a medical history and tested him for a number of ailments. They ran a celiac panel on him to check for Celiac disease, and one of the tests came back positive. They sent us to a pediatric GI and he did a small bowel biopsy which revealed that he had damage to his small intestine consistent with Celiac disease.
Now that we have a diagnosis, and he has started the gluten free diet, he has improved significantly. If you ped has not yet tested your daughter for Celiac, I would push for testing. New studies have found that 1 out of 133 people in the US have Celiac, yet 97% remain undiagnosed. It was once thought to be a rare condition, therefore many physicians don't think to test for it. Please join us at the website below for any questions you have about Celiac and testing. We are always welcoming new visitors who are looking for help and can steer you in the right direction. Just copy and paste link below into your web browser. Other sites to check out include www.celiac.com Good luck and keep us posted on your daughter's progress.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac
rhyanen :)
There are various causes for refractory vomiting in children. This can include GERD, metabolic abnormalities or anatomic abnormalities (i.e. pyloric stenosis).
I would consider a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. The barium study you mentioned would be a reasonable first step. If that is not revealing, I would consider an upper endoscopy for a more comprehensive evaluation.
Another consideration would be food allergy causing the vomiting - a referral to an allergy specialist should also be considered if the GI route is not revealing.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.
You don't list investigations of her GI tract in the evaluation during her hospitalizations. Were any done? It sounds like she needs a consultation with a pediatric gastroenterologist, and some studies of her GI tract.
The paediatricain has talked about doing some bareum studies but as of yet none have been done.