We went in for a follow-up for when William had his stomach bug a few months ago. We mainly wanted to talk with the doc about his random stomachaches, which often causes loss of appetite and lethargy. Nothing big, but we are concerned since Bill has major stomach issues. Doc immediately noticed that his stomach is still very distended and then felt his tummy. She said she could still feel some stool in him and asked if he was pooping regularly. I said he was and she said he may not be pooping enough then. That may be a reason why he has his random stomachaches. She asked if we had seen the allergist recently. We told her that he was supposed to get some bloodwork done, but we haven't taken him yet. The allergist wants to see where his dairy numbers are to see if he can possibly tolerate dairy in baked foods. Doc said if his dairy allergy is caused by a gi issue, that could aggravate his condition more.
She wanted him to be tested for Celiac Disease as well and wanted to "scope" him. Because William's stomach always seems to be distended, she suspects additional food allergies. The upper endoscopy would reveal the presence of certain cells that come to the surface of the gi tract when there are food allergies present. Since we have eliminated all dairy and nuts from William's diet, it would reveal whether he has additional food allergies. While we wouldn't know specifically which foods he were allergic to (that would require further testing), it would help to rule out whether his stomach issues are purely gi-related or food-related. Doc said she could also determine whether he suffers from heartburn or acid reflux. A lot of times, children have a hard time distinguishing between heartburn or acid reflux and will just say their stomach hurts. Essentially, the endoscopy would serve to remove a lot of guesswork in treating him.
Although William's stomach issues aren't affecting him a whole lot now, our concern is with the possible long-term effects of it. It's not a big deal for William to have some random stomachaches, constipation, gas, etc. right now. But Doc said that if he has something like Celiac Disease or other food allergies that go untreated and continue to aggravate his system, there are significant long-term effects (sorry... I don't remember what she listed.) that wouldn't crop up until he was in his 30s or 40s. If it's possible to try and pinpoint something definitive, why not try? Originally, I was very much against pursuing this because William would have to be put to sleep for the procedure. I did not want any invasive procedures performed on him unless they were absolutely necessary, but seeing the benefits of determining whether his stomach issues are food-related or just gi-related, we are strongly considering it now. Would love your prayers for wisdom for our little boy.
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