Kaylee is never sick so how could i tell if she had or could have DGE??

The only reason i ask is that when she did a poop today she had bits of prunes in it that i fed her at the weekend!!
Also we are having problems with constant constipation since starting solids!! no matter wht i feed her.

She also refluxes all the time no matter how long ago she may have eaten!

We are seeing the dr in November again but not sure if he will agree or suggest any tests as she is not FTT.

I would assume that even a silent refluxer could have DGE. I mean, silent refluxers are still refluxing--you just don't see it, so it would make sense that the contents of their stomachs could be backing up b/c of DGE, too.

Our NP has said since the beginning that she thinks my dd has "GI dysmotility" (a fancy term for "something in her innards isn't moving very well"); however, we have never done a test to determine the extent of the emptying issue. My dd gets severely constipated and takes Miralax to alleviate these symptoms. For the last year, the Miralax has worked wonders (this past week has been awful, but I think something else is at play).

Constipation can really exacerbate reflux, no matter what causes it. You might really want to call your doctor now to explain the problem with constipation to see if s/he can recommend or prescribe something to help alleviate it while you're waiting for your next appointment.

*sigh* Good luck--these issues can be so difficult to figure out. :hug:

I would imagine they can, it is just harder to read the symptoms. I know you breast feed so it's hard tell tell how much Kaylee takes. Do you ever express your milk? How much you produce is a rough indicator of how much she takes. If it's only a little, it would show she gets full quickly which is a classic symptom.
I suppose it's hard to go on how much solids she is managing as it is early days so I assume she is only having little tastes.
As April doesn't FTT I have the same problem getting April investigated properly. I had to go to the GP today to request that I see a Paediatrician. I haven't seen one since they diagnosed her and sent me away with Gaviscon with no real explanation of the disease. This website has been my only means of support and guidance. Good old NHS, huh!

i know what u mean, the last time i saw a NHS pead he told me she needed more water!!!!:mumum: what has that got to do with reflux........he never did tell me!

**sigh** we went to London to see a private Pead GI after that experience and the pleasure of waiting 3 months for an appointment. The thing is its a long trip to get there and it costs loads of money that i don't have really!! He wants to see her again and this time i'm gonna have my questions ready and not leave till i get answers!!!

She doesn't feed very much or for long but i think its more because she is uncomfy but not sure if she could be full up as well!? The constipation is the real concern for me and i am giving her lactulose as the pead said i could if her medication caused it but i hate having to give her more meds.

Sometimes i feel this kid has more meds to eat than food:sob:

Our GI also suggested more water. We were told is was because of constipation.
We were also told that Hailey probably has DGE, or at least slow motility, but they won't test for it. They prescribed domperidone a while back which caused cramping, but its supposed to have less chance of side effects than some of the other motility meds, and I believe it is also available in the UK. If you think this might be an issue, than you might want to investigate more.

**puts hand up and waves** Iain is a silent refluxer, with DGE. Iain was diagnosed as such via a milk test for having mild to moderate DGE. A "normal" child will have their stomach empty out at 50-70% within one hour. Iain was 2.5 hours to get to 45%. He has never been medicated for it, but probably should have been when he was at his worst.

Our main problem with Iain was and still is his skipping meals once he has had a good feed. Yes, toddlers commonly do skip meals and seemingly live on air at times, but you can not treat a child who was previously FTT and a non-eater as a "normal" child in this regard. We still struggle with this, albeit less of a problem than it once was. He would have a feed and literally skip the next two meals with NO snacking in between.

Refluxers still do reflux, even on the meds. It is normal as Iain still does, but again to a lessor degree than he once did. Iain will reflux anytime of day, often during the night, and mainly after a meal, but he can do it anytime during the day at all. Most of the time, we do not see it anymore, only when it is bad.

As far as water goes, it is a knee jerk reaction for peds and even some GI's to suggest you increase water content to see if that helps with motility issues. The truth is, it does not. The water is absorbed so fast and long before it has a chance to get to the intestines in any great quantity to make a difference. I had Curran drinking a gallon of water a day and he still had issues...And so does Iain. It is medications like lactulose which actually bind to the water and carry it to the intestines which *might* make a difference. For us, it caused incredible abdominal pain for Curran and he likely had some huge absorption and intolerance issues with that med anyway.

Constipation alone is not necessarily a sign of DGE, it could be a sign of food intolerances, too. Try altering the diet a bit to see if you can eliminate some things and then bring them back in again for trial. If not, then you have to get rid of that blockage and then feed things like prune juice (if age appropriate) or rely on an OTC or med from the ped/GI to keep things moving. As Mary said, constipation makes reflux MUCH WORSE.

Thanks everyone i will see how things go!! I think i have cleared the constipation but something else seems to be flaring the reflux now!!! (teeth would be my guess her gums look very swollen *sigh*)

I wonder would DGE affect the meds for reflux as you are meant to take them on an empty stomach and then wait 30mins and feed?? Wouldn't it mean they should wait longer to have an empty stomach and longer to go through before you feed them?
Anyone had issues with this at all?

No clue as I have not ever medicated Iain for his DGE, my ped did not want to address it.

Here is a blurb on DGE though with the meds commonly used:

http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/gastroparesis.php

Peanut has DGE and my GI says that as long as most of the food is gone in the stomach the meds can be absorbed. However, my peanut is NOT a silent refluxer (trust me, I have the stains to prove it, LOL). Hope this helps.