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Our diagnosis started early in life for my son with a milk scan that showed our sleepless nights and hours of him screaming in pain weren’t in vain—our son had an acid-related disorder called GERD. Even though we were tired and exhausted, the optimism of the doctors was strong. “He’ll probably grow out of it in a couple of years.”
But he didn’t.
And now in his late elementary years he still suffers from it. While there are periods we go through of a remission like state, there are times our heart just breaks from the pain he is in as we watch him struggle with it.
Our experience has been a tough one and we find that one solution that works when he was younger doesn’t work so well now that he is older. We have also found that during periods of growth spurts he experiences more symptoms—something that medicine can have difficulty keeping up with.
We have tinkered with his diet, sent him with antacids in his pocket to school, changed his medication, and sent him to bed with a bowl by his bed through the years. We’ve consulted and used every natural or herbal remedy we came across. Even with the marked improvement from medication and diet, he still has his days. Some mornings are sluggish as he struggles with symptoms when he first wakes up in the morning. By nine or ten, the symptoms seem to subside as more fast-acting medications and antacids given to him first thing in the morning finally kick in. Some nights he stays up late, sobbing from pain as he sits by the toilet with one of us rubbing his back, reassuring him that it will be okay.
We know that each child born faces their own specific challenges in life, and for him this is his. Some days his GERD gets the best of him, but for the most part he takes it all in stride and doesn’t let one bad night ruin his day. He never lets himself slow down and stays active in soccer, football, and other sports (like endlessy tormenting his sisters) that keep him busy.
If you feel your child may have symptoms of an acid-related disorder, talk to your pediatrician. While my son’s journey suffering from GERD has been a challenge, I’ve learned there are treatment options out there that I never knew about – ones that I plan to talk to my doctor about to see if they might be able to help. For more information about this condition and treatment options that are available, please visit http://clvr.li/1LJTSGM.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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