Question:

I have a five year old son who vomits all the time; so much that it has stripped his teeth of their enamel. a brief explanation of his history: born at 32 weeks gestation, hospital stay was 15 days, inguinal hernia repair at 2 months of age, no surgery since then except dental, very recently. He has also had all vaccinations, except flu, a few ear infections as a toddler and seasonal allergies that he seemed to grow out of. He is allergic to Vigamox, Zymar, and Singulair, all accompanied by head to toe hives, lethargy, and swelling of the tongue.

The symptoms of his condition started at around 15 months of age. First there were stools that were not stool, more like half digested food. I could actually see chicken, whole peas and pieces of other food. THIS “STOOL” SMELLED LIKE VOMIT, NOT POOP!(this particular symptom has befuddled every doctor he has seen and has been blown off!!!) These stools have continued to occur since 15 months old but have become less and less frequent. He still has foul smelling, sometimes abnormal, and difficult to pass stool. HIS STOOL IS NEVER SOLID, USUALLY A BIT RUNNY AND CHUNKY. I have given him a blue popsicle and not more than 20 minutes later, it has come out the other end still bright blue and barely warm(touched with gloved hand). Vomiting has always been a symptom, but it is not “regular” vomiting. When a normal person vomits, it`s more like a full body heave(and most, if not all children, cry after they vomit). When my son vomits, it`s more like a little flutter, a blip, and then out comes a little vomit. This has become so common an occurence (at the most 10 or so times a day)that he does not even tell me anymore. He spits it in a trash can or a toilet and goes about his day. THIS VOMITING IS NEVER ACCOMPANIED BY NAUSEA!!!

Diagnostics done to date include: ultrasound, barium contrast upper GI, full series traditional x-rays, full blood chemistry that included but was not limited to heavy metal testing and celiac testing, all negative, wbc count was slightly elevated but mine and my father`s are always elevated as well. It seems to be a family trait(but I`m no doctor).

Since the diagnosing began at age 15 months it has varied from lactose intolerance to GERD to intestinal blockage and even “there doesn`t seem to be anything wrong with him.” All of these have additional symptoms from which he does not suffer and no medications have worked to correct these problems. His physical symptoms include; frequent heavy nosebleeds(not caused by trauma),permanent bags and dark circles under the eyes, high fevers (104) unaccompanied by any other symptoms, complaints of pain in the legs (knees), and occasional headaches.

Recently, I placed him on chewable pancreatic enzymes(a shot in the dark) and within a 2 week period the vomiting stopped almost completely. He has taken them every day since for a total of about 45 days. I took him off of enzymes about 2 weeks ago and for the last week he has been vomiting several times a day. Tonight I gave him one with his dinner and there has been no vomiting.

Finally, my question…..what should I conclude from this and what direction should I take concerning a final and accurate diagnosis? What is wrong with him and where do I go from here?

Answer:

Thank you for visiting NetWellness. This question would be better answered in the Children’s Health topic. Please look in that topic for an answer to your question.

For more information:

Go to the Colorectal Diseases health topic.