Can anyone help me

[jenburchat]

I have 3 children Nicholas age 7 has cronic constipation, Emily age 3 3/4 years chronic constipation, GERD, and delayed digestion and Tyler age 9 months GERD. I had noticed that as a new born he favored one side all the time the Public health nurses told me just start changing his position and he will adjust accordingly but he seemed to always go back and tilt to the right. When he sleeps at night he curves his whole body arching his back. Now that he is a little older and is sitting up he is tilting to the right all the time when we try to straighten him the minute we take our hands awy he tilts right back to the right side. He does stand up when stood up at an object (the crib, couch, tub) but doesn't seem to have the strength to pull himself up and if he falls down from the standing position he crys to be helped back up again. I was wondering if this sounds at all like scoliosis? Can scoliosis run in families? My aunt had surgery for scoliosis and now lives with a steel bar in her back and a long scar along side her spinal cord to keep back straight. Any information I could get before going to see my family Doctor on January 20th to be prepared would be helpful.

Thank you
Jen

[Carmell]

Hi Jen,

I sent you an email earlier. I hope your appointment goes well on the 20th. Remember to take a few breaths, and ask questions that are specific to Tyler's situation. Good luck!

P.S. - what are your children doing to control their GERD? All three of my children (and my hubby and I) have GERD issues too. Lots of fun - NOT.

[jenburchat]

Emily & Nicholas take liquid Ranitidine/Zantac it is quite expensive but very effective. I have issues with GERD and so does my parents and we all take the same medication as the children only in pill form. You can get it by perscription or you can get a generic brand at walmart in thier pharmacy section called Acid Reducer. Hope fully this will help you. It must be taken on a daily basis to prevent the GERD but can also be taken when you are having a Episode to give you relief.
Thank you for you email. I am attaching pics of the children

once again thank you for everything.

[Carmell]

Hi Jen,

Thanks for the information. We actually all take stronger meds than Zantac. Braydon and Blake take Prilosec, I take Protonix and my hubby had a fundoplication done 11 years ago. Not fun, but manageable. I mentioned this because even tho GERD runs in the family, Braydon's GERD is more pronounced because of his scoliosis. His esophagus is curved (where his thoracic spine is curved) and that complicates the acid coming up his throat. Hopefully Tyler doesn't have complicated problems because of the GERD.

What are you doing to manage the constipation? Braydon is laxative dependent. We also make sure he drinks plenty of water. The risks of developing things like mega-colon and other lower GI issues aren't worth it. Its very important to avoid constipation like the plague.

My best!

[jenburchat]

Hi Carmel
Both Emily and Nicholas take a drug called PEG 3350 which is a bowel clean out laxative that is normally given to people who are about to have surgery in the intestinal tract or to people with colon cancer or other bowel disorders/diseases they take it on a regular basis Emily take 5 tsp a day and Nicholas take 15 tsp a day with out it Nicholas is known to go 24 days with out going before having to be taken to Hospital to be cleaned out. Emily has only went 21 day without going. Thier stool is very large as the muscles around the anus have been streched very large so we need the laxative to make the stool really soft so that the muscles can stregh back to normal size.
Tyler has started to have the constipation as well but not to the extreme that Nicholas and Emily have it Nicholas is also on a high fiber diet Emily is on a high fiber low acid diet and there hasn't been a specific diet for Tyler yet but I suspect that it will be similar to Emily's

Jen

[emmasmum]

Hi Jen,

I just saw your message about Tyler tonight. The description you gave of his mobility problems sounded a lot like those experienced by my daughter when she was that age (her scoliosis wasn't identified until she was 2 yrs old).
Just as a matter of interest, does Tyler crawl? If so does he crawl on his knees or does he "commando crawl", if it's the latter does he use both arms and legs equally to pull himself along?

I'm just asking this cos many of the other features you mentioned sounded familiar including the constipation.

Anyway I hope all goes well on Jan 20th

Best Wishes
Kate

[jenburchat]

He crawls kind of funny not quite on his knees but not quite commando either it is almost as if he is getting tangled in his own legs and he get very frustrated. He cant seem to get the one arm in front of the other he just kindof rocks back and forth until he has moved forward and then picks his arms up and lets himself fall.

Jan 20th appt. the Doc desidedto send him for thoracic and lumbar spine xrays so now I just have to find a hospital who will do a 9 month old boy

[Celia Vogel]

Hi Jen,

I don't know how I missed this post I think it may have been all the talk about GERD Anway, you're pretty close to Toronto, right ? I would try to see a scoliosis specialist at Sick Kids.

[jenburchat]

any suggestions as to who I could have my Doc. refer me to?

[Celia Vogel]

Hi Jen,

I would try Dr. Andrew Howard at Sick Kids in Toronto only because I heard that he was Dr. Hedden's Apprentice at one time - hopefully they have the same philosophies.

[jenburchat]

I thank you for the dr. name this way I can tell my fam doc who I would like to see. Our medical system here in Woodstock is rediculous Ingersoll Hospital doesn't do T&L Spine Xrays on babys they sent me to Woodstock and Woodstock told me that they don't do it so they want my Fam. Doc to call thier Doc so I am sitting here waiting to find out who is going to do the xray Mean while I don't know what is up little Tyler he has been having very many sleepless nights were he just crys and crys I have given him Tylenol thinking maybe it teething or he is somehow in Pain. Just don't know what to do anymore and getting very frustrated.

[Carmell]

Hi again, Jen,

Sorry to hear Tyler is in so much pain. Do you notice if his pain is worse during diaper changes? When you lift his legs does he cry? Does he cry when you try to sit him upright? These *may* be symptoms of a tethered spinal cord. If you are having problems getting routine xrays, I can't imagine how hard it will be for you to get a full-spine MRI for this little guy. Good luck and keep us posted.

[jenburchat]

It seems that getting comfortable is the problem when I hold him to try to comfort him he trows himself backward to put his body arched in the same angle he arches in when he sleeps

[Celia Vogel]

Jen,

I would have your family doctor/pediatrician call the orthopaedic department at Sick Kids, I've provided the website below. Ask your doctor to use the "URGENT" referral form because scoliosis in infant children can progress very quickly. I don't think it will be necessary for you to worry about the MRI until you see Dr. Howard.

http://www.sickkids.on.ca/hscDirecto...ID=224&ABC=533



celia

[jenburchat]

Can I do that if he hasn't has his T & L Spine xrays yet?