Claire and Henry’s story

One of our admin members, Claire Wigley, shares her reflux journey. Tell us a bit about you and your family I’m a first time mum to twin boys born at 32 weeks. They’re 20 months corrected now, and getting cheekier by the day. My partner Ed is in the Navy. I’m...

Allergy and intolerance in infants with reflux

Adverse reactions to food can be categorised into IgE mediated reactions and non-IgE mediated reactions. Understanding the difference between the two is important as the approach to treatment is quite different. An IgE-mediated food reaction involves the immune system. The onset is sudden and includes vomiting, abdominal pain, urticaria and angio-edema. An IgE-mediated reaction to food can be diagnosed through a range of validated tests including skin prick testing.

Rebecca and Olivia’s Story

It has taken me a long time to write my story down on paper, mostly because every time I think too much about it I cry. I don’t know exactly why. I do know I still feel ashamed that I didn’t realise sooner that my baby was in so much pain. I feel angry at myself for listening to doctors instead of listening to my heart. I feel guilty for letting my poor little baby cry so much and for so long because I let people convince me she was just determined or naughty or trying to control me.

Children’s Books Available for Borrowing from RISA Library

As our children grow older and continue to experience food allergies and/or complications from reflux such as tube feeding, it can be hard for them to understand why they are different. There are a number of children’s books that have been written about food allergies, eosinophilic oesophagitis (EE) and feeding tubes. RISA Inc has been able to source some of these books and they are available to borrow for free from our library (for Australian RISA members).

Eustachian Tube Irritation

I have spent much of my working life seeing children only in General Practice. For about 10 + years I have been especially interested in the relationship between distress in early infancy and ear problems. For some years I have been talking of the condition I call Eustachian tube Irritation [ETI], which I believe is a common cause of infant distress and is an early manifestation of ear problems in some infants. I have now seen 500 + infants presenting with distress who I believe have this condition.