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HELLO EVERYONE,
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER POSTED A MESSAGE ON ANY SITE LIKE THIS, I JUST REALLY NEEDED TO TALK TO OTHER MOMS WHO KNOW WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH. I HAVE READ THROUGH SOME OF YOUR LETTERS TO EACH OTHER AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR BABIES ARE IN A MORE SERIOUS CONDITION THAN MINE AS SHE WAS NOT BORN AS EARLY AS YOURS. SHE WAS 6 AND A HALF WEEKS PREMMIE AND HAS HAD REFLUX SINCE SHE WAS BORN. SHE HAS JUST TURNED 1 YEAR OLD AND I AM WONDERING WHEN THIS IS GOING TO END. AS SHE WAS PREMMIE THE DOCS WERENT TOO WORRIED ABOUT THE REFLUX TO START OFF WITH AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE GONE BY 6 MONTHS, THEN 9 MONTHS AND THEN THEY SAID IT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE GONE BY THE TIME SHE TURNED 1.
WELL SHE TURNED 1 TWO WEEKS AGO AND I TOOK HER TO A PAEDIATRIC GASTROENTOROLOGIST WHO SAYS THAT SHE SHOULDNT BE STILL HAVING THE REFLUX AND WANTS TO GIVE HER AN ENDOSCOPY TO FIND OUT WHY SHE IS STILL REFLUXING AT THIS AGE. I AM ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED
AND HAVE NO ONE TO REALLY TALK TO ABOUT MY FEARS AS NO ONE ELSE IN MY FAMILY OR ANYONE ELSE I KNOW HAS EVER HAD A REFLUX BABY OR KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT THEM. IS THIS PROCEDURE DANGEROUS FOR BABIES?? I HAVE HAD 2 ENDOSCOPIES MYSELF DUE TO STOMACH ULCERS AND THEY WERENT THAT BAD FOR ME BUT I JUST DONT WANT ANYTHING TO GO WRONG WITH MY BABY GIRL. I AM SO SO SO SCARED ABOUT THIS WHOLE PROCEDURE AND NOW THE DOCS ARE SAYING THAT THEY WANT TO DO BIOPSIES WHEN INSIDE TO SEE IF SHE IS LACTOSE INTOLERANT OR MAYBE HAS CELIAC DISEASE. PLEASE REPLY TO ME AS I REALLY NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THESE ISSUES. HELP HELP HELP
…. NAOMI
Hi Naomi,
Let me start by telling you you are not alone–SENDING BIG HUGS TO YOU!!! I can relate to your story–my friends & family all thought of reflux as “spitting up.” And, of course, every baby spits up so they did not understand how serious GERD can be. Hang in there, hon, you are doing a great job!!
The endoscopy is pretty simple (of course, I’m a veteran at all this now, so I can say that! LOL!). I would call the GI doc & just go over procedure so you know EXACTLY what to expect for the endoscopy. If possible, bring someone with you, make sure you eat a good breakfast & bring a bottle of water (helps me ease my worries!) & gum!!!
Emma’s endoscopies have gone like this (she has had 2, one at 8 mos or so, the other at 12 mos): We arrive at hospital & they do pre-op stuff (temp, blood pressure, etc.). I then carry her into the procedure room & lay her on the gurney/stretcher, they give her the gas then, as I’m still near (talking to her, stroking her hair, etc.). She screams, but that is good–the gas hits her quicker! Once she is asleep, I leave the room. Of course, nerves a bit bonkers at that point. Then, 10-20 minutes later (although it will feel like hours!!), I hear her screaming & they come get me. I talk to the doc about what he did/didn’t see & the we go to recovery. She screams quite a bit, but I rock her & before long she is fine. They usually ask that the child sips some drink before they are discharged. Then, that is it! I give Tylenol when we get home, because it can cause a mild sore throat.
The 2nd time around, it was a breeze, because I knew what to expect. So, if you call the doc before the test, you’ll be better prepared. The benefits of an endoscopy are so worth the nerves of us parents! We had no idea how bad Emma’s (silent) reflux was or the severity of her esophagitis until her endoscopy (& ph probe).
I hope the docs can find the right medicine mix for Eden & that her reflux gets better. I know your frustration & fears. Sending LOTS of hugs your way!! Take care!
Hello everyone,
and thankyou all for your kind thoughts and wisdom. everyone on this site is so nice and it is great to talk to moms who know what i am going through. i have spoken to the doc today so i know what to expect but it still didnt stop me crying on the phone
when he said that i could be with her when she goes to sleep and when she is waking up ( it just sounds so scary) . he says that she will only be away from me for like 20mins but like all of you have said i know it will be the longest 20mins of my life. i am anticipating the hardest thing will be leaving the room once she is asleep. i am still terrified
but have booked her in for the endoscopy this tuesday morning. she seems to be coming down with the flu though so i may have to cancel and re-book for the week later. will have to wait and see. anyway will keep you updated. a HUGE thankyou
to all for all your help and support and i am sure i will talk with you all again soon.naomi and eden
Hi Naomi,Just wanted to check in & send ya some hugs for tomorrow. I really hope Eden is feeling better and able to get the test done and over with!! You & she will DO JUST FINE!!! Just keep telling yourself this is a GOOD thing that will give you answers. And, that is the only way to really help your precious baby.
The one thing I constantly try to do when Emma is undergoing tests or surgeries, is to remain calm. She reads my cues, my face, my breathing. I try to take slow breaths the more she cries, or stressed I get. I smile & try to sing a silly song or talk to her about something fun. I think it helps her get through those scary times, if I’m level-headed about it. I never let her see me cry (but, trust me, it is OKAY to shed a few tears after you leave the room!!). Keep telling Eden “it is okay,” that “mommy is right here” & you BOTH will do fine! I also do tell Emma (even though she may not really get it) ahead of time what is going on. So, for endoscopies, I say “Okay, the doctor needs to look in your tummy. You are going to go night-night so he can do that. You’ll wake up & see Mommy. And then we can make your tummy feel better.” Or something like that. I had back surgery as a child, & hearing the truth as a kid is way better than not being told anything (your imagination & fear can make things so much worse).
Let us know how things go & what all you find out! Take care.
(((HUGS)))
Hey Lauren Am so happy to get your post, it made me feel really happy that you even remembered that i was taking eden in for her endoscopy today. It all went well, she is such a great baby didnt make a sound the entire time except for the 2 hours in the waiting room as the hospital was running behind today (ofcourse)…
But when I took her into lay down on the bed and they put the gas mask on her the anaesthetist warned me that she may cry as most babies dont like the smell of the gas, but she proved us wrong she honestly just lay there as calmly as if nothing was even going on. I cried though, i knew i shouldnt have but i couldnt help it!!!! I was so so so so nervous all morning waiting and then when we went in and she was so good i just lost it.i brokedown in tears, fortunately it didnt affect eden though she just lay there completely unphased slowly breathing in the gas until she fell asleep
. It was so incredibly hard to leave her laying there in that room, i was a mess but it was over before i knew it and they let me go into the recovery room with her as she was waking up, she coughed alot as she was waking up and that had me worried but the nurse assured me that she was fine and that she probably just had a sore throat. She woke up so quickly, the nurse was amazed, he said that it was the quickest he had ever seen a baby wake up from the gas, he warned me that she would probably be groggy as she woke up but just to prove everyone wrong again she was laughing nearly immediately
. She was so alert and looking around the room waving at the nurses, she then proceeded to pull the (heart moniter/blood pressure moniter?????) off her finger and decided that she would like to eat it. 
It was just so good to have her back safely in my arms again, and i realized that i had gotten myself all worked up for nothing after all.
the doc said all looked good and that he took some biopsies and will hopefully have the results for me tomorrowanyway i would really like to thank you so much for your kind thoughts in my time of need, it is great to know i have a friend that knows what i am going through
thanks again lauren, your support means the world to me…. will let you know any updates asap ok??
by the way how are your two little girls?? talk soon…..
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