Bloating/GERD/Constipation during a PANDAS flare

[hugs2day]

It is a trend with my kids when they have PAnDAS flare they get gastro symptoms; constipation, bloating, gassy, stomach tender/pain, GERD. Since it consistently happens with PANDAS flare I can no longer attribute to other issues. There have been no dramatic changes in diet or supplementation. I think for them its part of the immune response or the systemic inflammation. I am treating the symptoms but the usual stuff like magnesium citrate, pepcid, sach b, enzymes, alka seltzer gold, and other stuff is not working it never does until the symptoms start to wane.

 

For my oldest ds9 who is typical his gastro symptoms will subside once he gets through the flare and goes into remission. My youngest ds7 whom has autism will improve dramatically but still have some lingering symptoms. I feel like the symptoms are related to pandas bcuz my typical child gets the symptoms also.

 

I asked Beth Maloney if Sammy experienced gastro symptoms she said no.

 

Do any of your kids have gastrointestinal symptoms with pandas flareups?

[fightingmom]

DS complains of stomach ache and reflux.

[MomWithOCDSon]

Yes, we've had all of those issues, though generally not all at the same time. During exacerbation, they seem to almost "cycle."

 

We've found two things to be key: balancing probiotics at the right level, and adding an H2 blocker (Pepcid) to the daily supplement mix. With too many probiotics, we got bloating/gas and occasional constipation. I think sach b. is a minor miracle when a kid is on abx, but because it's well known for helping prevent diarrhea, I think that, at least in our case, too much of a good thing can swing the pendulum too far the other way.

 

We really tried high-dosing probiotics for a period, based on some suggestions, posts and research here on the forum. What we found, though, was that he got gassier as a result. So we just gradually stepped it down over time until we found the right balance for him. Now, without antibiotics, we're down to only about 60 billion units per day.

 

Our DS is also high in histamine, so when he started complaining of reflux, Pepcid was an easy fix. The bonus was that his eczema evaporated as did much of the general anxiety that eczema outbreaks generally foretold.

[ptcgirl]

Yes, lots of stomach pains during a flare here. But diarrhea not constipation.

[fightingmom]

Yes, lots of stomach pains during a flare here. But diarrhea not constipation.

 

Yep, same here.

 

And, of he has a bad day with the stomach ache thing the next morning he also has a really bad headache. That's how I started discovering the Advil helped with his behaviors...was giving it for headaches te morning after big meltdowns.