If Allie doesn't ever really feel hungry (only eats 2 oz at a time and is full after that) but barely ever spits up, could she still have DGE? She is totally content not to eat at all.

I saw that vomiting is a symptom of DGE, but she does not vomit, so I wondered if we should demand an emptying scan?

Thanks.
Christyn

What's her daily total? (I just read in another post that she'd only take 5-10 oz. per day on her own, but how much do you manage to get in her?) How often does she eat?

I suppose DGE could be part of the problem. You could also ask your ped (and I know you love him) about a trial run on periactin. It's supposed to stimulate appetite. It kind of worked for us for awhile, and I know others on the board have had success with it.

Your ped would have to answer this but a big sign of DGE is not being hungry because they are always feeling full. You don't have to be a puker to have DGE.

she will do about 18-20 a day when we keep at her.

I talked to the GI's nurse and she said she doesn't think an emptying scan will help us. What is with these doctors? Do they not care?

I am totally upset.

I am so sorry you are going through this. Sarah has DGE and she isn't a big puker. She only vomits like every other day sometimes less. She only emptied 35% after 90 minutes and normal I believe is above 50%. She sounds very similar. Sarah will only take 2 oz if you let her. I have to sleep feed the rest to get to 4 oz a feed. I think she doesn't take enough to vomit. You could do a trial of DGE med to see if it helps if they won't do the scan. We found erythromycin to be helpful although right now it appears as if the effect has worn off.
karie

My son has it and doesn't puke either. He has on occasion when he gets closer to a normal amount of intake....I agree with Karie in that if they drank a normal amount they would be big pukers----my son starts to spit up a lot and even vomit small amounts if he has a lot in a day (a lot for him though still isn't normal) so if he has his normal intake of anywhere from 12-18 ounces, aside from silent refluxing, it stays in. He was tested with an upper GI with a small bowel follow through which showed delayed emptying in his stomach and small bowel. He is going to have an emptying scan now because we need more detailed information about his problem since he is not taking in very much. He only takes in 2-4 ounces at a time too, and the times where he takes in 5 or 6 at once he doesn't want to eat again for like 6 hours.

I would suggest bypassing the nurse, because although some of them are great, some of them--well---are not! Go straight to the GI and insist on the scan because knowing whether or not this contributes does matter and will help.

My personal opinion is to not try DGE meds unless you know they need them. But others prefer to try the meds, and based on how they work determine if DGE is a problem or not. The only problem I forsee with that is that not all of them work well for your child, and many have potential side effects--i think this could cloud judgement when figuring out if DGE is in fact a problem or not. I hope that makes sense.

My GI suggested a feeding eval too in order to see if any of this is developmental or related to any swallowing problems. We are in the process of figuring out if he can't drink more or if it is that he doesn't want to....or both! We are seeing a dietician, a OT for feeding and the GI for the reflux/DGE and together hope that we can get somewhere. You could request an eval from the state early intervention program and for free, they will come evaluate and provide therapy if a developmental problem is found. We have not completed the eval process yet so I don't know if any of this is developmental or not for Gavin, but we can pay out of pocket for an OT if it is a medical based problem only and maybe get our insurance to cover it. Often times, the lack of eating can be related to aversions or sensory issues, an OT can help with these. The dietician help you get more calories in them. We haven't seen her yet, but I hope it helps.

So anyway, I hope some of this helps you to decide what would be best for you guys!

Your ped would have to answer this but a big sign of DGE is not being hungry because they are always feeling full. You don't have to be a puker to have DGE.

Agreed. My youngest son is a silent refluxer and has DGE.

I am moving this thread to the DGE forum... HOLD ON!:-D

I am so sorry you are going through this. Sarah has DGE and she isn't a big puker. She only vomits like every other day sometimes less. She only emptied 35% after 90 minutes and normal I believe is above 50%. She sounds very similar. Sarah will only take 2 oz if you let her. I have to sleep feed the rest to get to 4 oz a feed. I think she doesn't take enough to vomit. You could do a trial of DGE med to see if it helps if they won't do the scan. We found erythromycin to be helpful although right now it appears as if the effect has worn off.
karie

Karie - do the meds help her at all? I think I remember you saying she still doesn't take in good amounts. Is she on erythromycin and reglan? Do you think reglan made her tummy hurt? I gave Allie two doses of it last weekend and both times afterwards she was MISERABLE so I quit.

Thanks,
Christyn

Another thing to remember is that DGE can cause symptoms of reflux for obvious reasons. So, if you treat the DGE successfully than the reflux symptoms become less if not forgotten. Which is a big bonus! So, I say, you should try to treat the DGE if you can because it may be causing the reflux itself.