Slow weight gain and falling asleep.

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wondering

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I hope it's ok to jump in here. I'm worried about my daughter - she has been seeing a pediatritian since she was born 2 years ago due to slow weight gain. The Dr is sure that she is not receiving quite enough calories but she ABSOLUTELY!!! eats just as well as all my other children, (I want to shout this at him every visit :mad:) yet she is still a skinny ribs!!

I noticed from when she was a baby that she makes funny movements as she is falling asleep - the Dr dismissed this back then, but watching her again this week, (and feeling desperate to find answers), I'm wondering if it could be some kind of absent fits?

She looks glazed over, moves her arms about in the air as if she's catching something and sometimes looks scared. If I make a movement or call her name she kind of startles out of it and comes back looking as if she's just woken up - but if left she will either come out of it on her own, mostly with smile, or fall asleep.

I've only noticed it when she's lying down, both as a baby and now.

What do you think about this? I don't see it every night, but then I've put it down to her just having a peculiarity since the Dr dismissed it, so haven't been as watchful as I could be.

Can epilepsy be linked to slow weight gain at all?
 
Hi wondering, welcome to CWE!

It's tough to know whether your daughter is having absence seizures -- but if you think something isn't quite right, then go ahead and push for a consult with a pediatric neurologist. You might want to videotape your daughter, so the doctor can see what happens.

Some seizures in kids are related to a deficiency in or poor gut absorption of particular nutrients, so it's possible there's a connection between her slow weight gain and what appear to be absence seizures. Has she been tested for any food allergies or nutritional deficiencies?

Best,
Nakamova
 
Hi, and welcome!

I agree with Nakamova.

A good resource is a local children's hospital, or the pediatrics department of your local teaching hospital. Their resources and knowlege should be greater than the doctor you are seeing now. Whenever a doc doesn't take what you are saying seriously, it's time to climb the doctor food chain and find someone who will, and has the skills to diagnose and treat it.

I'll be thinking positive thoughts for your baby.
 
Thank you so much for your responses.

She has dairy intolerance but showed negative for any outright allergies. There are definitely some gut issues and I will explore that more, though I really don't think the Drs take that kind of thing seriously :rolleyes:

Maybe I need to get a private assessment of her mineral/ vitamin status.....
 
It can tough to get docs to look at the nutritional angle. But the research is there, especially regarding the link between gluten sensitivity and seizures in some folks:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...96E958260&scp=5&sq=gluten and seizures&st=cse
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17122729
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15737700

There's a lot of interesting info here as well:
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id99.html


And anecdotally, CWE members have reported increased seizure control after making nutritional adjustments.
 
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