Acid Reflux Versus Spitting Up
When discussing spit up and acid reflux you must realize there are a number of factors to consider.
When we discuss this acid reflux issue we are usually talking about a spit up situation. When parents say their baby spits up this could mean a variety of things from:
1. Milk runs out the mouth such as a teaspoon or tablespoon amount
2. Milk may come back up with a little more force and a little more volume.
3. Milk could come back up with great force in great volume often called projectile vomiting.
4. You may only hear a regurgitating sound and nothing comes back up.
All of these need to be evaluated to determine if there is just an overfeeding problem, mild esophageal hiatal hernia, pathological causes such as described above or just a typical colic symptom due to the excessive gas build up in the abdomen because of the leakage of the ilio-cecal and valve and the excessive gas production causing pressure to the stomach and diaphragm and the accompanying overfeeding of the baby due to excessive crying.
My experience has been that when a baby is spitting up or regurgitating or having projectile vomiting that the majority of these cases are not pathological or has an underlying disease process going on.
1. Most caused by the leaky ilio-cecal valve causing the colic which caused excessive pressure against the diaphragm and stomach.
2. Esophageal hiatal hernia caused by excessive gas pressure up against the diaphragm pushing stomach and intestinal tissue up into the hiatus or hole where the esophagus comes down through the diaphragm and this tissue causes pressure against the esophagus and when the baby swallows. The baby is unable to swallow and the milk won’t go all the way to the stomach and it comes right back up again.
I learned this over the years by treating adults with this typical acid reflux problem. Adults would describe the feeling like pain in the chest just below the sternum or ribs in the front of the chest a feeling like the food would get lodged just above the stomach or they felt like the food would get caught in the throat area.
I once had an 80 year old lady come into my office hold a cup and spit her saliva into this cup because she couldn’t swallow. Once I relieved the pressure against the esophagus at the diaphragm are, she threw the cup away and drank some water without any discomfort.
Acid reflux can occur at any period of time.
1. It can come with eating or drinking.
2. It can come shortly after eating or drinking.
3. It can even occur hours later, many times adults will wake up quickly in the middle of the night, start coughing and quickly get something to drink to stop the coughing and the burning of the esophagus from the stomach acid.
Many times this is called heartburn. I’m not sure why they call it heartburn because the heart isn’t burning; the esophagus is burning from excessive acid that is being regurgitated up from the stomach. The pain can be so severe that it can feel like a heart problem so it is very important to eliminate the possibility of a heart problem.
Acid reflux is usually diagnosed based upon symptoms and if the patient responds to conservative treatment, no further tests may be required. If symptoms continue to persist there are several medical tests available to help rule out more serious complications or disease processes, such as Failure to Thrive.
When diagnosis is made for acid reflux most of the time it is by parental reports of the babies symptoms. If further information is required there are several medical procedures available however the normal procedure is to do conservative treatment fast and if all of this fails then further testing may be helpful.
Common and Often Unsuccessful At Home Treatments for Acid Reflux.
When we discuss this acid reflux issue we are usually talking about a spit up situation. When parents say their baby spits up this could mean a variety of things from:
1. Milk runs out the mouth such as a teaspoon or tablespoon amount
2. Milk may come back up with a little more force and a little more volume.
3. Milk could come back up with great force in great volume often called projectile vomiting.
4. You may only hear a regurgitating sound and nothing comes back up.
All of these need to be evaluated to determine if there is just an overfeeding problem, mild esophageal hiatal hernia, pathological causes such as described above or just a typical colic symptom due to the excessive gas build up in the abdomen because of the leakage of the ilio-cecal and valve and the excessive gas production causing pressure to the stomach and diaphragm and the accompanying overfeeding of the baby due to excessive crying.
My experience has been that when a baby is spitting up or regurgitating or having projectile vomiting that the majority of these cases are not pathological or has an underlying disease process going on.
1. Most caused by the leaky ilio-cecal valve causing the colic which caused excessive pressure against the diaphragm and stomach.
2. Esophageal hiatal hernia caused by excessive gas pressure up against the diaphragm pushing stomach and intestinal tissue up into the hiatus or hole where the esophagus comes down through the diaphragm and this tissue causes pressure against the esophagus and when the baby swallows. The baby is unable to swallow and the milk won’t go all the way to the stomach and it comes right back up again.
I learned this over the years by treating adults with this typical acid reflux problem. Adults would describe the feeling like pain in the chest just below the sternum or ribs in the front of the chest a feeling like the food would get lodged just above the stomach or they felt like the food would get caught in the throat area.
I once had an 80 year old lady come into my office hold a cup and spit her saliva into this cup because she couldn’t swallow. Once I relieved the pressure against the esophagus at the diaphragm are, she threw the cup away and drank some water without any discomfort.
Acid reflux can occur at any period of time.
1. It can come with eating or drinking.
2. It can come shortly after eating or drinking.
3. It can even occur hours later, many times adults will wake up quickly in the middle of the night, start coughing and quickly get something to drink to stop the coughing and the burning of the esophagus from the stomach acid.
Many times this is called heartburn. I’m not sure why they call it heartburn because the heart isn’t burning; the esophagus is burning from excessive acid that is being regurgitated up from the stomach. The pain can be so severe that it can feel like a heart problem so it is very important to eliminate the possibility of a heart problem.
Acid reflux is usually diagnosed based upon symptoms and if the patient responds to conservative treatment, no further tests may be required. If symptoms continue to persist there are several medical tests available to help rule out more serious complications or disease processes, such as Failure to Thrive.
When diagnosis is made for acid reflux most of the time it is by parental reports of the babies symptoms. If further information is required there are several medical procedures available however the normal procedure is to do conservative treatment fast and if all of this fails then further testing may be helpful.
Common and Often Unsuccessful At Home Treatments for Acid Reflux.
