any ideas?

so im new here for a start, hi hello, dont know how this place works or what the people are like compared to my other forum but only one way to find out!
anyway to the point, my child had a fear of food and literally starved himself at a very young age, and i know people seem to think if a child is hungry they will eat, well not in his case
he suffers severe silent reflux and we didnt know until he was almost 2 and the damage had already been done, he was afraid to eat because he knew food meant pain
one we got him onto meds he started to come right, but lately hes fallen back into this old habit
the pediatrician was less then helpful first time round, so i dont expect much more from him this time either
but today all my son has eaten is half a bowl of cereal, a few crackers and a piece of meat, i literally had to force him to drink a milkshake before bed so he had something in hs tummy
because of his fear i have always had a no stress attitude, reasoning being he recognises what hurts and generally doesnt eat it, but a 3yr old can not survive on less then a handful of food a day, i dont really know what im asking as there is nothing he will eat, he doesnt eat lollies or chocolate or icecream etc, cant bribe him, star charts dont work, threats of hospital doesnt work
and it absolutely breaks my heart and i really dont know how to help him, and its late and i am rambling

I am so sorry to hear that you have had trouble for such a long time. Is the reflux still affecting him? Are there some foods that affect him and some that don't? Sorry I have no experience with reflux

A few things I can think of that may help
* Can you give him something like a protein shake (or a children's version) so that if he doesn't eat much then at least he is getting alot of the nutrients he needs? Or what about those Up and Go shakes?
* Would helping prepare food help? Jack who is also 3 loves helping me bake or make pikelets. Maybe you could sneak food into him by letting him lick the bowl etc when you make something, doesn't have to be baking, maybe when you mash the potaoes?
* A friend of mine who had trouble getting her boy to eat (not reflux related) used to play games with him like who could eat the piece of apple the fastest, her or him

Good luck and

ETA: what bad manners I have! Welcome to OB!!
You could also try posting your question in the Reflux Support section of the forum

Edited by Linzy

We've recently had something like this with our 3yo. She weighs in at the same as she did one year ago and has been complaining of constipation and sore tummy etc, though she was never a reflux baby/kid. We got her a blood test for coeliacs (family history), trialled her on a gluten-free diet and asked our GP to refer her to a dietician. That apmt happened just recently and was really very helpful. We found that gluten wasn't affecting her in and of itself (and the blood test came back negative), but the dietician noted that she was eating 2x the amount of fibre that someone her age ought to be eating. It also seems that the weight measurement last year might have been incorrect or just on different scales from this year.

We've reduced her fibre intake and she's eating happily again. Meanwhile I did the same for our 17mo and she is now eating a lot of different foods whereas before she was quite fussy. I'm not saying that fibre is your son's issue (I don't think it is - more likely dairy products IMO) but go ask your GP and get a referral to a dietician so you can work out a plan.

Hi Mrs Watts

Sorry to hear you are having issues.

Has anyone mentioned/investigated EE (Eosinophilic oEsophagitis) as a possible condition for your son? I suggest that you google it to see if the symptoms sound like your son.

My DD is 15months and unable to eat any food without screaming in pain (although she would love to if we let her). We are waiting for a gastroscope at the moment to see if that is her problem.

17kgs is not too bad though - about the same as my 4 year old, and he is above average weight. Still I would keep an eye on this to make sure it doesn't get out of control. There are plenty of supplements out there if you need them. Do you see a dietician? If not, plunket or your GP can refer you.

I can't think of anything else - but hope things start to improve soon and that you see a good paed this time - It's crappy, but the only good paeds we have seen have been the ones that we have paid privately to see...