Need advice pls!!!!

[mikkol]

Hello, I have a two year old daughter who has been dealing with reflux since she was 3 months old. She recently had a Gastric emptying scan done and it showed that she has a delayed stomach and silent reflux. My daughter goes days without eating. If she does it its things like applesauce or crackers. She doesnt like to the peidasure or boost for children. She also has to see a slp for swallowing issues. There are times where she gags or coughs after trying to eat, when she drinks liquids like juice or water she chokes and it comes out her nose. She also tends to choke on her medications which she needs because she has epilepsy. Since she has been on meications for her reflux for so long and nothing has helped and she at times has complete food refusal or eats very little, should my daughter be a candiate for tube feedings? I think it would help ease the frustruation on me since feedings can take longer than an hr at times, and she wil be able to take her medications without having such a hard time. She is also constantly hospitalized for deyhdratio, she has also been fed by NG tube but since she doesnt like things on or around her face she kept pulling it out. In addtion to this she has PICA where she is eating things like paper, dirt, plaster, chalk,and the stuffing out of the couch. We have an appt on Wednesday to see the GI doctor for 2nd time, the last time she was seen by the pediatric GI dr was when she was six months old and was placed on prevacid, zantac, reglan, and some other medication that is supposed to help strengthen the schpinter but nothing is helping her.Her reflux causes her asthma to act up, she has had pneumonia, and constaly has croup. She also seems to havie trouble chewing, it seems as if she chew for a long time and then gets tired and ends up spitting out her food. she has even fallen asleep while eating. she has also had a seizure while eating which was very scary. I am beiginning to think that there are certain things that she cant swallow. She has an appt to see the speech therapist but its not unitl the end of September. This has been going on for two years now. Should I suggest trying PEG tube feeding and the nissen surgery. I dont know what else to do.
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[patient915]

You can try getting a second opinion by another pediatric gastroenterologist.

[mikkol]

She has been seeing a ped GI since she was 6 months old. We are going back this Wednesday after being on almost every medication under the sun. Her peditrtician suspects swallowing issues and shes doesnt has an appt with a speech pathologist until the end of September and I dont want to wait that long for recommendating the feeding tube because we have been dealing with this for 2 years now, and now she has pica from lacking important nutrients and shes loosing her hair.

[patient915]

I think you can bring up the topic of a feeding tube to your doctor without sounding crazy.  Also, a speech-language pathologist might help you with the recommendation to the doctor.  Are you seeing a gastroenterologist about this or just her pediatrician?

[mikkol]

I guess my next question is can I suggest the feeding tube to her Doctor? I am afraid they will think I'm crazy. I have made videos for them to see that she does not eat and chokes and gags on certain things. I really would like my daughter to be healthy and I know she is not getting the calories and nutrients she needs on a daily basis, also her eating non-food items is and can be very dangerous. Im afraid of the doctor not listening to me and blowing me off. We have already tried appitite enhancers but nothing is working

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!  Yes it sounds like you should consider a feeding tube for your daughter.  A PEG tube will probably help her a lot.  You can also try a PEG tube before deciding to do a nissen.  I have a GJ tube so let me know if you have any problems.