Quick history - our DS 7yrs has had gastro issues almost since birth. We've tried numerous medications and have now determined through diet trials (without the ped and pedGi's help) that he has a gluten intolerance. Our DD 4yrs also has issues with GERD and are suspecting the same concerns.
Our pediatrician has been quite snippy as we have decided to try the diet route (noninvasive) rather than subject our 7yr to undergo and endoscopy (very invasive). With celiacs (gluten intolerance) the treatment is the same you need to be on a gluten free diet. So if we did the endoscopy and if it came back positive he would still be on the gluten free diet. Since he has been on the Gluten free diet all of his gastro issues have subsided!!
Anyway - needless to say we are now in the process of trying to find a new pediatrician. We would like one who isn't med and procedure happy unless there is a true medical reason for it.
We live in the Twin Cities and are looking for an awesome pediatrician who is willing to work with the diet and not judge "mom's instinct"!
Congrats on taking it into your own hands and figuring it out! I don't know a MD that understands holistic health (post it here if you find one :)). If you want to try homeopathy or chiropractic, send me a message and I can get you a couple of names.
Did you find a doctor you like?
Hi S.,
My family's recent experiences with conventional medicine has been much like yours. I would urge you to consider seeing a Naturopathic Doctor or Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor for your son.
My family sees a great Naturopathic Doctor in St. Paul who is not afraid to refer on to an MD when/if necessary. She has a private clinic, but also works with "complicated diagnosis" at Children's. She specializes in pediatrics and obstetrics, but sees anyone. Let me know if you want her contact info.
(Note: Naturopathic Drs. are not covered by medical insurance in MN. My ND charges $150 for a 1-hour visit, but that's 1 full of hour of face-to-face time! This sounds steep, but in the long run, this is SO much cheaper than a lifetime of prescription meds or even just 1 invasive test. She is mindful of helping to keep medical costs low and will walk through all possible treatment options. We walked away with real "solutions" to our health problems and everything was presented as a choice we could make.)
Good luck!
I just wanted to mention that I also feel that an endoscopy is not as bad as it sounds. My daughter just had one a month ago (she's now been diagnosed with Celiac Disease as a result of the endoscopy). She bounced back from the procedure in a matter of hours. It is a very quick procedure and the only effects afterwards are a sore throat (which we treated with gluten free popsicles!) and general side effects from the anesthesia. My daughter isn't school-age yet, but the discharge instructions said that children can go to school and resume normal activity the day after the procedure so I can only imagine the recovery is the same for an older child. I am very glad that we decided to go ahead with the endoscopy. Our GI pointed out to us that it is very important that we know for sure what we are dealing with, because if it was something other than Celiac, a diet change alone wouldn't restore our daughter to good health. It took me a while to see the value of an endoscopy because I was terrified of putting my little girl under anesthesia. If you choose to go gluten free and then do the endsocopy later, you will have to put your child back on gluten for several months otherwise the endoscopy will provide incorrect results and/or false negatives. Just my two cents. Trust me, I understand it is a very personal decision.
I just wanted to share my experience so that you are fully informed. I would not call an endoscopy invasive. I had my first one around the same age as your son and several more since. Yes, they give you medication to make it a more pleasent experience, however the recovery time is minimal. I had unexplained and inconsistent gastrointestinal issues. They found I had a hiatal hernia which was very inflamed. This then helped them form an appropriate treatment plan, which included aggresive medication to heal the inflamation. If the inflamed tissue is not allowed to heal, it can develop into a precancerous condition. This is what my dad has from years of ignoring his own GERD.
While I completely agree that traditional medicine does not always have the answer, I feel it is still important to consider them experts with your son's well being as their priority. I'm glad you are looking for another Pediatrician that is willing to be open to all possibilities. I'm wondering how yours would be if you allowed your son to have an endoscopy? Often times they like to rule out the most common things before they dig deeper. And even if your son does have a Gluten intolerance, his digestive track could be damaged because of it and still need to be treated. Does that make sense?
Just my thoughts and experiences. I do believe mommy intuition is by far the best thing out there. Keep strong for your son and I sure hope you can find a doctor who will be the answer to your needs. Good luck!
