[Guest]

My daughter is 23 months old, and has a problem with vomiting, slow digetion, no appetite, slow weight gain and diarria since birth. She now weighs 16 pounds and her doctors at U of Mich, say there's nothing I can do but change her diet. I've run out of things to feed her when she won't eat or can't hold it down. Her doctors seem to think that she has IBS, so what does this mean? Any treatments available? Any suggestions? I'm at my wits end. I can't get her to gain weight.

 

[Homebound]

Hi mars. My brother was the exact same way as a baby. The doctors told my mother that there was nothing that could be done and that he had an Irritable colon (IBS). In those days they didn't tell her anything that might help. She learned by trial and error what he couldn't have and started eliminating foods. Milk was a big one, and raisens was another food that would trigger it for him. You know whats wierd though is that he grew out of it. He's fine now (well except for when he's stressed like the rest of my family) and he can eat what ever he wants. Try eliminating certain foods and maybe check in to see if she's lactose intolerant. Good luck, keep me posted ok?~Jennifer

 

[moldie]

Wow, so young mars. I feel for you and your baby. One of my brothers was diagnosed with celiac's disease and he had to stay away from wheat and was fed a lot of bananas. This proved to be helpful. I heard from someone on the internet that you have it for the rest of your life, but he seemed to grow out of it too, and is one of the healthier ones in our family GI-wise now. What have you tried diet-wise already? It must be very frustrating and make you feel very helpless as a mother at times. Those are normal feelings. Rice is usually what seems to be tolerated well they say. I know it gets very confusing. Have you looked into food allergy testing or tried the food elimination diets you might find on the internet or at the local library? Is your baby on vitamin and mineral supplements as well? ------------------[This message has been edited by moldie (edited 06-28-99).]

 

[Guest]

So sorry to hear about your little one. My daughter had the same problem and they thought she would have it for life. 23 months is a great age too. What I finally did was to take my kidlet grocery shopping and watched her closely to see what made her eyes light up , or what she grabbed for...ok not the toys. Then I bought a bit of it and WALLA, it WORKED. After her guts calmed down I started giving her more nutrious foods and she did just fine. She was totally fine in 3 months. I know your frustration and want to assure you that alot of kids go through this. Another thing I tried was cooking everything from scratch...after she got better. No preseratives etc. Good luck to you and hang in there. If all else fails go SCREAMING back to the Dr. And I MEAM SCREAMING!!!They listen best that way and besides, it's your little one your trying to help.Let us know how it goes.Deb

 

[kaj]

mars, My daughter just turned 2 on the 27th of June. I don't have any problems with her eating. She just doesn't want to eat very much. She still takes about 3 bottles of milk a day. She snacks, like a couple of bites of this or that. I just decided she will eat when she's ready. My sister in law, had problems with her son, who is almost 3, and she gave him Ensure. You are probably familiar with it, but in case you are not. It is a liquid supplement, you can find it in the drug section. It comes in 6 packs and a variety of flavors, tastes just like a milkshake. It is loaded with vitamins, protein, etc. I had IBS so bad when I was pregnant, I basically couldn't eat. All I could drink was ensure. My doctor told me that if all I consumed was the Ensure, that it would be enough nutrition to fit the daily requirements. I was drinking 5 cans of it a day for the last 3 months of pregnancy. The doctor told me a lot of AIDS patients and the elderly use it.My other child is 16 on the 30th, I forgot what the terrible two's were like!kaj

 

[Ty]

I had the exact same problem as a baby. No one knew why I was like that, but I had to be on a special pre-digested formula. I grew out of it (unless this IBS thing is linked, but I only got that last year). Anyways, if you have any questions about what my parents feed me, etc. let me know and I'll ask my parents.Ty

 

[Guest]

Thanks to all my replies. I really appreciate the concerns. It is very frustrating watching my baby go through this and feeling helpless. I haven't tried the ensure yet, I'm kind of leary because she can't tolerate milk at all. I will have to check with her doctor about the food allergies. She seems to go through phases where she is fine for a week or so, then starts the vomiting again. She can't even tolerate diluted juice at times. Her doctor said to stick with solids and fiber. But if I can't get her to eat, what do I do? I'll check the internet for some good diets concerning IBS and see how she does. Thanks again all of you and I'll keep in touch on how it goes. Marci

 

[Guest]

Hi marci,Sorry to hear that your lil one is going thru this. Check out this web site. It is diet for those with IBS. Lot of people swear by it. You can decide for yourself.You and your daughter are in my prayers

 

[Guest]

Hi marci,Sorry to hear that your lil one is going thru this. Check out this web site. It is diet for those with IBS. Lot of people swear by it. You can decide for yourself.http://www.inform.dk/djembe/scd You and your daughter are in my prayers------------------A clean house indicates a broken computer