Getting A Diagnosis

RMacLean
December 2004

Many people struggle for weeks and months (or even years) trying to get a diagnosis for their refluxer.  There seems to be a lack of knowledge in the general medical community about reflux and GERD in infants and kids.

If you believe your child is suffering from reflux or GERD, trust your gut and be persistent.  There are some things you can do to help your child's doctor or pediatrician come to this same realization.

Here are some tips:

• Make a list.
  Compile a list of the symptoms of reflux or GERD in infants and place a check next to which ones your child is experiencing.  Take the list to the doctor.

• Earn their respect.
  It's very difficult to get some to listen to you if they don't respect you.  Dress appropriately, be neat, clean and well put together. Convey a professional demeanor, as though on a job interview.  Do your research.  Learn everything you can about the illness, symptoms, treatments, etc.  I mean  really learn and understand what you are talking about, don't just repeat something you read or throw around big words to give the impression of knowledge.  Make sure you can pronounce everything correctly.

• Bring someone with you.
  Parents can be overprotective and overly concerned about their children, that's their job.  Bringing someone else with you, an objective third party (perhaps the babysitter) can help the doctor understand that it's not just parental emotions clouding your judgment when you explain how sick your baby is.

• Never over exaggerate your child's symptoms.
  Sometimes a parent may feel like if they just exaggerate a little the doctor would listen.  For example, if telling him little Johnny threw up five times today doesn't get any reaction then maybe they think by stretching it and telling him little Johnny threw up twenty times today the doctor might think it's a little more serious and help.  This actually doesn't help, it will only undermine everything else you say and make it even more difficult for the doctor to judge the severity of the reflux and determine the proper course of treatment.

• Keep a diary or journal.
  Start a dairy or journal charting everything that goes in and comes out of your child and when.  If you are breastfeeding, it may be wise to chart what are eating and when, you may begin to see a pattern between your eating habits and their reflux being worse.  If your child is particularly difficult to feed, chart that as well.  Makes notes about everything they do when trying to feed them...these details can help the doctor determine what is wrong.  For example, in silent reflux the child won't spit up.  This makes silent reflux particularly difficult to diagnose as spitting or throwing up tends to be the most common symptom of reflux.  If you are charting their actions and have it in writing to show the doctor, he may begin to see a pattern of other signs of reflux appear.