Hi, my nephew (just turned 12 months) has been diagnosed with severe GERD and erosion that showed up on his upper GI and endoscopy. He was fine when he was younger, but all of a sudden he started gagging on solid step one baby foods. The gagging turned into vomiting, and the vomiting became more frequent. After an Upper GI, and endoscopy he was put on zantac, which did not help. After a second opinion at Children's Hospital in Detroit, he was put on prevacid solutabs. After being on the medicine for a week, he started to eat some solid foods, without much of an appetite, and still gagging but not throwing up. We thought that he was progressing, but then it all went downhill. Because he was still gagging and having aversions to some foods, my sister and the doctor decided to try upping his dose of the solutabs. However, before the dose was increased, he started throwing up again. It seems as though everytime he is fed bananas or green vegetables, he throws up 2 hours after eating. After slowly getting back on track, my sister increased his dose as originally planned, and he was back to eating his normal diet of formula, sweet potatoes, graham crackers, and nilla wafers. Also, a while back at daycare while doing an art project he threw up when he got shaving cream on his hands. My sister passed it off as a fluke. However, at his 1st birthday party last weekend, we gave him his own piece of cake just to see what he would do with it. When he got frosting on his hands, he immediately threw up everything he had eaten that day. My sister was very frustrated and discouraged. Not only does he throw up after eating, but also if a new food touches his lips, or if something with texture touches his hands. We are very confused and do not know what to do. Today he threw up again 2 hours after eating bananas, and what he threw up was formula and banana pieces, nothing else he had eaten ( like nilla wafers and gerber puffs). If you have any ideas, we would greatly appreciate it.

confused aunt :sad2:

Hi,

He has developed a serious food aversion, probably due to long term GERD. He would benefit from the therapy a skilled pediatric therapist, usually an occupational therapist, can deliver to one with an eating disorder like this. Whether his GERD is treated well or not, I'm not sure. I'll bet it is treated well and the symptoms you are seeing are part of a behavioral eating disorder. These can happen quickly.

Good luck, dr. Olson

Hi,

His GERD may very well be treated completely but he is left with a significant eating disorder. Food aversions are common in kids with GERD and can develop into strange likes and dislikes with resultant vomiting. He needs to see a skilled pediatric occupational therapist who is adept at treating food aversions.

Good luck, Dr. Olson