Don't know where to post this but here goes. Dd is 10 and in the last 6 weeks has complained of not being able to swallow her food. She takes forever to chew and then says it won't " go down" so she will spit it out. She has no trouble drinking or eating soft things like ice cream or fruits such as mango. She is distressed about it particularly at school as she has less play time as she takes so long to eat.
She had gastro. Last week and while we were at the doctor I talked to her about it and she said it was most likely anxiety and was she worried about anything. She said she could give me a referral to an ent specialist or gastroenterologist but said unlikely to be anything physical.
I talked to dd re being worried about anything and explained how worries can cause physical symptoms but she says no. I know it is not anorexia but DH has had a difficult year emotionally and I am wondering if that is affecting her.
So I was wondering what people would do? Would you pursue the physical symptoms before thinking it might be psychological. Also wondered of a speech pathologist might be able to assess swallowing issues in a less invasive way than a doctor would. I don't want to put her through invasive tests if it is psychological. this parenting gig is hard!!!
that is a hard one lovely- definately would be persuing physical first!
if I was you perhaps I would go and see a private pead and see what they say.
Otherwise perhaps a pead at the RCH might be a good way to go
it would be worth making sure that there is nothing physical wrong before you persue the emotional
what about her tonsils? could they be causing issues- she could have nodules that are impeding her ability to swallow.
there is a great pead in the city called diana johnston- might be worth a visit
hugs hun and man this 10 year old gig is a hard one
xxx
I would get her checked out physically in the first instance. Have you asked her if it hurts, and if so, where? If her throat is still irritated or she's having lingering oesophageal pain from vomiting/reflux, that could be making her more aware of the sensation of swallowing/food going down. In the meantime, could you push the "soft food" a little by providing food that will go down soft but has a little more form to it? I'm thinking soft cooked noodles, scrambled egg, mashed but still slightly lumpy starchy veggies, etc. Keep offering slightly firmer food but give her the soft options as well. Maybe she could take a smoothie or a fortified drink to school. You might like to consider giving her something to help repair her digestive tract, yoghurt with extra probiotics added, slippery elm, manuka honey to soothe her throat. I would be asking her too about what happened the first time she felt like she couldn't swallow, or if there have been any instances where she felt like she was choking or that she wouldn't be able to breathe (I'm thinking of things like a panic attack, a bad dream or an episode of sleep paralysis, or she didn't chew properly and swallowed a big lump, which can hurt, or a time when she had a bad cold and felt stuffed up). If you can get an idea of how/when it started for her it might give you some clues as to what is going on. But I would definitely get it checked out as well.
Marydean has some great suggestions.
Just wanted to say that a referral (from your GP) to a speech pathologist (find out who does school-age feeding, www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au has a directory if you need it) is a good idea, but further investigations - physical or psychological - might be necessary as well.
Good luck!
I agree with getting all physical reasons ruled out first. My DS1 has massive tonsils (getting them removed soon, fingers crossed anyways) and he has terrible trouble swallowing. He always complained of a sore tummy when his tonsils were giving him grief.
Hope you can get it all sorted.
Psychosomatic vs physical??
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