How do you really know if your child has DGE???? I am really begining to wonder if that may be part of my DD problems with the not eating, GERD, and constipation. What do you all think??? She has always had a problem with GERD and eating but I thought that the reflux was under control with 15mg prevacid and the not eating had some to do with her laryngomalacia. she has now started to have a major battle with constipation, her reflux has reared its ugly head and she was starting to eat more but has now stoped again. She had an NG put in @ 2 months old and now @ almost 4 months just had a PEG-G tube put in and when I do the bolus feeds the formula just sits in the syringe unless I push it in. If I pull back on the syringe before a feed (just to see) 4 or 5 hours after a feed I get a full syringe of formula-thats not good, right. No wonder the poor baby is not hungrey. She spits up when she eat, right after and several hours later and not just little drool spit up either. I am just afraid to go to her GI about this b/c I don't want her to think that I am a hypercondriact and want her to have another Problem. What do you all think????

I was told that all kids have some type of DGE when they have reflux. But I think if you are thinking that this is a concern you should bring it up with the Dr, the test you would need is a barium swallow which is very similar to an upper GI, and this will tell you one way or another.

A lot of Drs won't do the test and just try out a motillity med to see if that helps.

I say if it is worrying you don't worry about what you sound like, and ask the Dr.

sound like it could be to me

I agree with Rachel, you should ask the GI. Explain that you came across some info and you wanted her opinion on it. I don't think you will sound bad for asking.

I would definelty express your concerns to the GI. My ds had an UGI done and his stomach was still full 4 hrs after he ate. If your ds stomach is still full and she is spitting up several hours after she ate, it is possible that it is DGE. Is the food that she spits up undigested? That is another tell tale sign. Talk to your GI about your concerns, that's what they are there for. Good Luck!

well I called the GI nurse today and I guess we have an appt. tomorrow that I knew nothing about:angry7:. It was a post op for her PEG-G tube placement last wen. but since next week is thanksgiving they couldn't do it then but they failed to call and let me know about it so I am reall glad that I called otherwise we would not have been able to get in until dec. 15th (no way was I waiting that long!!!!!). So tommorrow when we see her I will be asking so manny questions b/c I really need some answers. We have been in this holding:banghead: pattern long enough for my liking I know it may be minimal compared to what a lot of you have gone through but I am basically doing this alone. My husband:censored: left me about a month ago with two kids and major debt and I just can't handle :hairpull:anymore right now.

Good luck with the GI, let us know how it goes!

Well, Jadelynn's tube site was infected so they gave us a cream to put on it. As far as the DGE goes it is going to take some time to get a study done but her GI really doesn't think that is her problem. She thinks that it is constipation and not tolarating her boluse feedings very well and maybe her tummy still isn't big enough for what we are giving her but she needs it to grow. We have decided to start the feeding by mouth (during the day) and then what she won't eat do through the pump over a hour of so and hopfully that will help. We also have to start giving her milk of mag. twice a day on a daily basis to keep her regular.
Wow, not really what I had hoped for but I can handle it. Maybe in a few weeks we will know more. Thanks ladies.:smt036

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now. Sorry to hear about your husband. It is awful to have to go it alone with sick kids, but you will overcome it.:hug:

Iain has DGE which has never been addressed. Our main indicator was complete skipping of meals with him and he still does this when he has a good feed, often skipping the next one or two meals. He was diagnosed via a milk test when his GERD was found. A "normal" stomach will empy 50 to 70% within one hour and Iain was at 24%. At 2.5 hours (the test was much longer than normal to check for some aspiration) he was at 45% when he should have been completely empty.

I agree constipation makes reflux WAAAAY worse and it could be the main source of your problem. Try to get it under control and if it still continues insist on addressing DGE as a possibility. Keep us posted.

As I have no experience tube feeding I would post that question to the tube feeding Moms for some advice in the proper forum. I do not think it is normal at all, but you should ask our experts. ;)