Hi. My 11 year old daughter has been vomiting for at least an hour after everything she eats for 2 months. The gastroenterologist is struggling to diagnose her. She has had an endoscopy, barium meal and blood tests with normal results. She even vomits after water. She initially lost half a stone but she's been prescribed Scandishakes and is keeping enough down to sustain her. This is having a major effect on her life and we are at our wits end. Has anyone any experience of this?
Hi lor1311
Has your daughter been tested for food allergies/intolerances9 such as gluten, wheat and lactose…perhaps she should be referred to a dietician. Also, has she started mensturating it could be hormonal imbalance has she had her hormone levels tested imbalance can cause stomach upset. Also has she had her vit D levels tested low levels can cause digestion problems. Try keeping a food diary to see if there are any food triggers that cause her vomiting. Also, has she been taking antibiotics recently which also can cause stomach upset by upsetting gut flora by killing off good bacteria and may cause stomach candida…just a few possibilities mentioned here…hope you get a diagnosis
Have you tried a food diary and has your doctor done a stomach emptying test to look for gastroparesis?
Thank you for your replies. She hasn’t been tested for allergies/intolerences apart from Coeliacs. The Consultant was reluctant to try an elimination diet as he wants her to keep as much down as possible. He has prescribed some steroids which she is starting today in case an allergy is causing a problem. She hasn’t started her periods so I will ask about a hormonal inbalance. She’s had lots of blood tests but will ask about Vitamin D too. It’s heartbreaking to watch my daughter going through this…
Thank you, I don’t know how to go about a food diary as even water comes up! She hasn’t had a gastric emptying test though…
Simply write down everything she eats and note down her reactions.
One way of looking for a food intolerance is to eliminate only one food item at a time such as milk rather than a number of foods all at once. If it is not that, then reintroduce milk and try cutting out something else. Only eliminate the food item for one week. If a reaction shows up eliminate that particular food. If no reactions occur. then simply put those foods back in her diet. Since your doctor has not come up with anything, it would still be worth a try.
Hi lor1311
What steroids is she on are they ‘prednisolone’ these have bad side effects if taken for a long time..how long is she taking them for?..i would try getting her tested for food intolerance and get her tested first for allergies (not just in case she has allergies) before letting her take steroids…
The steroid is Budenofalk which he has prescribed for 3 weeks until we go back to see him. I think I will go back to the GP and see if she can refer her somewhere for allergy testing. The Consultant nor the GP have ever seen this before. She finishes what she’s eating and immediately starts throwing up small amounts, but keeps on going like that for up to an hour and a half. She has also had an MRI brain scan which was also clear thank goodness…
Hi lor1311
I can’t say i have heard of Budenofalk, but a steroid is a steroid. Have you read the instruction leaflet for the side effects. I am not telling you what you should do but if it were my daughter i would most definitely get her tested first because steroids are very powerful drugs. I cannot fathom why your doctor has prescribed this medication without a firm diagnosis, it’s a bit backward. In the meantime, while you are waiting to go back and see her, i would suggest, if you and your doctor agree, to give your daughter veggie and fruit smoothies mixed with yogurt containing cultures instead of solid food so she will get nutrition and vitamins. You will find lots of healthy smoothie recipes online. If you do not have a smoothie maker you can get nutritious ones already made up in bottles in popular supermarkets. Just half a glass to begin with and build up to a whole glass because perhaps her digestive system cannot digest solid food. I do hope you can get the allergy/intolerance tests done asap..it must be very stressful for you and your daughter…keep us posted…
Hi lo1311
I judt researched Budenofalk and it is for treating inflammation of the stomach and diahorrea, does your daughter have a bad stomach and diahorrea?..as well as sickness..this medication also causes upset stomach and sickness…which she already has. As all steroids they compromise the immune system and the patient becomes prone to catching infections after using for some time. Have a word with your doctor and discuss these things with him. He obviously is thinking ‘Crohns Disease’ this has to be diagnosed via an endoscopy and other tests. Try giving her gluten free foods and see what transpires she may have a gluten intolerance. You can buy gluten and wheat free foods in a popular supermarket beginning with ‘T’ on their ‘free from’ section …but still try the smoothies if agreeable to you and your doctor…
Hi Mary19068. Thank you for your help and advice. No, she doesn’t have any other tummy troubles, just the vomiting. She doesn’t even have nausea. He said if the steroids are going to work, we will know pretty quickly. There is no change yet. He has only prescribed them for 3 weeks, but if there’s no improvement after a few more days, I’m going to stop them. I don’t like the sound of the side effects either! It’s so hard to withdraw any food as we are desperate for her to keep as much down as she can. As you say though, think it’s worth starting with gluten free to see if that helps. Thanks so much
Hi lor1311
Just happy to be of some help..
..i agree to stop the steroids if there is no change in a few days, especially as your daughter has not been given a firm diagnosis as to what is causing the vomiting and she is sooo young to be taking steroids if they are not really necessary, just to see 'IF they are going to work.'Good idea! to change to gluten free no harm in that to see if it has any affect. If there is no change after a few weeks try gluten free with lactose free products which can be found in same supermarket in ‘lactose free’ section. Does your daughter vomit after eating sweets and chocolate or is it just foods?..I do hope you get some positive results with gluten free foods…keep us posted…good wishes..
Hi Mary19068
Yes, she is sick after sweets and chocolate. She is so fed up. Thank you. Will keep you posted.
Hi lor1311
i think you should go for an another opinion from any other doctor. i know maybe u are consulting the best gastroenterologist but sometimes it is necessary to take a second opinion. don’t take any chance because health is a very important .
Dear Lor1311,
I am NOT a Dr., but it sounds like the beginning of Achalasia and possibly she has ulcers right now.
Endoscope should have found it if it was. But in my rare case. My sphincter opens and closes. And it bleeds.
So on first endoscope the LS (lower sphincter) was closed to the width of a noodle.
I went from 220 lbs. to 82 lbs. before getting a feeding tube that saved my life.
The second endoscope showed my sphincter open, which got me disqualified for Heller Myotomy surgery and was diagnosed as end stage sigmoid esophageus.
I screamed , yelled, and then begged for the surgeon to do surgery.
Because what you do NOT know. Is your daughter can ASPIRATE from vommitting!!!
4 days after being denied surgery. I had my 13th aspirate and got a cancerous lung nodule from it.
They gave me the biotic cocktail and cured it in early stage.
I had to gain weight back up to 150 lbs. before being considered for surgery.
After I got surgery, I started drinking and eating by mouth which I had not been able to do for 4 years.
The trick to get food and milk down my throat and into my stomach now they have cut the sphincter open.
Is gravity+weight. Heavy things go down..anything like water, crackers. chips, etc. are too light to get past the bend in my dead esophageus.
Where am I headed with this boring story? My problems have branched off into the same symptoms your daughter is having. I get ulcers from lack of hydration.
It also causes anxiety attacks if she gets gastritis too.
Her NOT being able to drink water is our connection. Milk and the feeding tube formula will go down.
Because it is heavier than water and more like a shake and some reason it helps.
Also try chocolate milk. Chocolate is great for many diseases.
I will go ahead and post how too survive an aspirate. Your nostrils will close up. And you will be out of air because the food and fluids are in your lungs after aspirating. You must throw up, and inhale air on rebound intake. Repeat for about 15 mins. Then get into bed because pnuemonia will set in afterwards.
The doctors are becoming more familiar with achalasia so if its that. She can be cured by surgery.
But her NOT being able to get water down scares me…it causes stomach to heat up with lack of hydration..then the acids eat away at stomach walls.
If she gets into life and death weight situations. Go for feeding tube!! Keep her alive till it can be solved.
Keep being positive. The doctors are very good nowadays at this area!!
Hi Corvette007
Thank you for posting about your condition. It sounds like you have had a terrible time!
My daughter has had an endoscopy and achalasia wasn’t picked up. Also it doesn’t sound like the food you were vomiting gets as far as the stomach due to being stuck in the oesophagus? Sometimes my daughter brings up partially digested food. If she has water hours after a meal, it can trigger the vomiting all over again. She always brings up fluid first though. Thank you for warning me about aspiration of vomit. Yesterday she was so scared due to food getting stuck in her throat coming up and she thought she was going to choke.
We aren’t due back to see the Consultant for another 2 weeks but feeling desperate.
Good luck with managing your symptoms and feeling better…
Has your doctor tried meal replacement drinks?
Correction: has your daughter tried meal replacement drinks?
Hi lor1311
Sorry to read your daughter is still having problems keeping food down. When you see your doctor suggest an Ultrasound scan to see what is going on in her stomach and digestive system. Is she still taking the steroids? I do feel for you and your daughter it must be sooo stressful for you both, i hope 2 weeks go by quickly so you can see your doctor and request and ultrasound scan…