Feeling overwhelmed and confused!

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Permalink Reply by Sara B on February 18, 2012 at 13:33

I would think calpol is more likely to cause a reaction than help one, but if it is giving some relief from gut pain it is possible that it gives him some short term help. The teeth are an ongoing nightmare, my daughter would drink clapol given the chance when teething, my little boy who struggles far more than her with allergies and reflux just keeps on smiling through it all, so it really depends on the child, which is where your gut feel as a mummy needs to be trusted!
I would be suspicous of the egg, especially if the syptoms coinsided with it. Xx

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on February 18, 2012 at 16:55

Hi Jenny,
Just to say that we can all empathise with the feelings of confusion!
If it helps at all, I have 2 refluxers.
My elder girl was in extreme pain with the reflux itself (she had a very sore oesophagus) and was prescribed medinol 4x a day from6 weeks of age until 8 months. It helped her. I have no idea exactly how or why, but it did! 
I know a lot of people say that calpol has made things worse for their child (and indeed my younger daughter can't tolerate it) but my experience with my first was that somehow it helped.
Just thought I would share, because I know people worry about giving paracetamol, especially longer term, so thought the fact DD1 was prescribed it might reassure.
Xxx

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on February 18, 2012 at 16:59

Ps. DD1 was an absolute bloody nightmare with every single one of her flipping teeth. She worried at them, grizzled and vomited, and whinged and cried for 6 weeks a tooth. I wad very grateful when she finally got them all through.
DD2 hasn't really fussed about her teeth at all.... Couple of days of red cheeks and grizzle and a few slimy nappies and then they were there. It must just be luck of the draw unfortunately
Xx

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Permalink Reply by Jenny B on February 18, 2012 at 20:29

Thanks to both of you. I thought living with a refluxer was hard, but living with a teething refluxer is awful. I've spent so much time trying to decide what my 'mothering instinct' is telling me and it's so hard! His first two teeth came without us knowing, but this second lot of teeth seem to be really causing him pain, I don't think it's helped that he's had a bad reaction to something hes eaten.
Today he has screamed like nothing else when I've fed him any solids, and at other times throughout the day. I'm just hoping more than anything that he doesn't react to the calpol tonight.
It makes me feel better that your daughter was prescribed medinol sarah, here's hoping that it works again with my LO! 

 

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 18, 2012 at 22:41

My LO the same Jenny - the 1st front 2 teeth came out of nowhere and never bothered him. These next ones are really bothering him. He's literally got both hands in his mouth chewing and makes his moods so up and down. Poor baby! You're right - living with a teething refluxer can be hard! X  

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Permalink Reply by Emma Louise Evans on February 19, 2012 at 14:09

Just a word on Paracetamol for babies....one of my twins is allergic to Calpol...he had a very bad reaction to it so we now use soluble Disprol.  We add it to a little bit of water then either syringe it or give it in a doidy cup.  His twin brother can tolerate Calpol but it's full of additives and unnecessary ingredients....I think that so many parents use it just because it's the most obvious choice and I, myself, didn't even consider that there alternatives.  For this baby, we give him Disprol suspension because his gut is less sensitive than his brother and because he doesn't like the water soluble version from the syringe (he splutters).  Hope this helps anyone looking for an alternative as it has less unnecessary ingredients that Medinol and the soluble version is the most basic and less likely to set off a reaction.

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Permalink Reply by Jenny B on February 19, 2012 at 14:16

Thank you, do you have to get it from the pharmacy? It's such a tough time, he's so incredibly grumpy and his teeth aren't yet close to cutting through so I don't know what is causing this screaming! Cal pol worked again last night, but during the day when I tend to not give it he is so so grumpy! I'm absolutely flummoxed and struggling to put things into perspective, I just want him settled!
Will the reaction to foods get better by itself after a few days? 

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Permalink Reply by Emma Louise Evans on February 19, 2012 at 14:45

You can buy Disprol at the chemist and some bigger supermarkets.  I know just how you feel about the confusion.  We used to wonder (and still do to some extent) whether the screaming is reflux, intolerance, teething, behaviour etc.  It has driven us mad over the months.  But now, Ché is that bit older (7mths) and we seem to be able to read him better.  When he teeths, he bites everything, rams a teether in his mouth and shakes his head back and forth.  He shouts more than screaming but he can get very upset and agonsises.  But it is very different to his reflux/allergy symptoms.  When it's reflux, he arches and throws himself around the cot.  At night, it is still much more difficult to understand.  And all babies are different.  His twin brother, Leo, grizzles and screeches with tummy pains (he has colitis and digestive problems when he reacts to foods) and is very unhappy all day long.  However, Leo cut 2 teeth without us even knowing.  He gave us no indication other than rubbing his gums and shaking his head from side to side with teethers (I think that's a signal that it's teething rather than reflux in a lot of babies).  Leo has had no symptoms at all since he was put on Neocate in November but this week he's back to his old screeching and tummy pains....we know it's his tummy because he's constipated but it used to be much more difficult to tell without the constipation.  We think he's reacting to something in his diet so have cut him back to his safest foods (pears and Plum 4 grain porridge) and will reintroduce foods once his symptoms clear.  Yes, the symptoms go by themselves within a few days to a week.  Leo takes well to a lot of foods but Ché has reacted to everything other than pears and the 4 grain porridge....whenever he reacts, we put him back on the pears and porridge (along with his Neocate) and wait until he improves.  He is a happy, content, normal little baby on this restricted diet (we have him on it now after a reaction last week and although he's grumpy with teeth today we know it's just teeth as he's shouty and ramming everything in his mouth).  As soon as we introduce a new food he screams, is unsettled day and night, is in pain, gets reflux (silent) and throws himself around.  Because we've had some confusion over what he's reacting to, we've decided to introduce a new food every 7 days instead of 5 days but I have to stress that Ché is reacting to loads of low allergen foods such as vegetables....so that's why we're taking it over a longer time so we can be sure that it IS a reaction.  I really hope you make some headway in working out what's going on with you LO.  It can so frustrating and is a guessing game a lot of the time :(

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