7-year-old son won't swallow solid foods

[mvkmako24]

My son stopped eating solid foods a couple of weeks ago. The doctor checked out his throat and nothing appeared to be wrong. He also has not had any traumatic incidents happen that we are aware of that might trigger this reaction. It began a few weeks ago, he would spit out food occasionally at a meal...this would get worse and he would spit out several times. 2 weeks ago he came home from school without any lunch eaten, this is when I decided to take him to the doctor...strep test was negative, and he doesn't complain of throat pain. He did say it felt like phlegm was in his throat, so we tried Zyrtec in case it was allergies (which he has never been diagnosed with), but the Zyrtec didn't help either. The first few days of this, he would eat certain solid foods, like Cheerios or Goldfish...he has since stopped eating these as well :( He managed to pretty normally chew and swallow an Oreo cookie a few days ago. He is now being treated for possible reflux issues with Prilosec and Pepcid, but I have not seen any changes. If he tries solid food, he visibly chews and chews  the food until it is liquid, but then has to still spit it out, can't swallow even though it's liquid!? I know he isn't trying this, and doesn't want to deal with this...he has said, "I feel stupid," and "I hate food." It is heart breaking to see :( He is living off of yogurt pops, Pedisure, and milk...I am SO worried about him!

Please let me know if anyone has experienced this with their child...thank you!

[AbethOsuna]

My son is the same way too,, this happened when he choked on ice. A week later tooth pulled out.. the next day he don't want to eat anymore.. it's been 3 weeks now and he only eat yogurt or soup, or ice cream.. nothing solid food,,, I'm so worried about him... I don't know what happened he use to eat like he never eat before but all the sudden everything stopped...

[kittyseva]

Hi, my 8 year old daughter pretty much has the same issues as many of you have described. She is a healthy, bright girl and always on the go with various activities. Recently while eating her snack of chick peas, she kind of choked and finally spit out by herself. This happened a couple of times.
After that I slowly noticed a decline in her appetite. She stopped eating bread for breakfast and would prefer just milk or eggs. She stopped taking snacks to school. A few days later when she had early dinner, she did not want anymore later. Normally, she would eat some again.
A week passed and then she started with a cold. Initially we tried home remedies to soothe her throat.She started complaining that she is having hard time swallowing and started eating just yogurt or drink milk. After 4 days, we went to the pediatrician and they confirmed that the strep test was negative. I was told that it was viral and that the conditions would improve.
Another 4 days passed and still no improvement in eating. We noticed that her cold symptoms got better, but her swallowing issues got worse. We headed back to the doctor where he said that he has done all he could and directed us to the GI doctor.
We met the GI doctor the same day and found that my child was having dysphagia. He put her on omeprazol to take it twice a day.
The first two days we had such a difficulty in getting her to take the medicine. In fact, we did not give her the capsule directly. We took out the contents of the capsule, powdered it and mixed it with minimal water and made her take it. After two days, she kind of got used to it. We always keep some pudding or yogurt to give it to her after the medicine,
Today is the 6th day after the medicine and still no improvement. My child is constantly praying to get better. Every morning she wakes up thinking that she would be able to eat and she tries to take a bite of egg which I scramble softly. However, she chews for a few seconds and spits it out in a napkin. She is getting frustrated day by day, which breaks my heart.
She used to be food lover and I always had the problem of asking her to limit her intake. I never dreamed that I would be in this kind of situation.
Currently her diet includes Nestle Carnation Instant Breakfast, 1 pudding for lunch(she got bored of fruit juices and flavored yogurt), for dinner she takes a cup of clear broth/a cup of plain yogurt with some salt. We give her 1/4 cup of ice cream at the end.
She used to love eating in restaurants and now she hates going there as she cannot bear the sight of everyone eating her favorite foods except her.
At home, I have cook these days. I used to love to cook and I always make elaborate meals every single day. Now she cries when she sees me cooking. I feel so guilty to eat while she cannot. My husband is in the same boat too. I force him to eat something that we get from outside and he barely eats to survive. Our normal life has been shattered. We are hoping and praying for a miracle.
She is scheduled for an endoscopy next Thursday. Already 14 days ave passed since she stopped eating. Don't know how many more days/months it is going to take to come back to normal.
If anyone as any suggestions or feedback, please do let me know.

[kittyseva]

Quick update - My daughter started eating again. Nothing came out of the tests. During this episode of Dysphagia, one time she developed Laryngitis. Doctor prescribed a steroid for 3 days. She started feeling herself again after 2 doses of the steroid.

[megs625]

Hi! My 8 year old has the exact symptoms you described your daughter having. How is she? My heart breaks for my son. Looking for hope. He’s seen ENT, had swallow study done,  and now is scheduled with Gastro Dr.  Thank you!

[specialmom]

Are these new symptoms for your son?  Or have they been going on for a while?

[Sandyshore1]

How is everyone's children travelling? I hope things have settled for everyone. Can anyone offer solutions that have worked for their children, we have tried the speech pathologist, occupational therapist, eating disorder clinic. Nothing has worked.

[KehilaM]

My 5 year old daughter sounds just like your son. This started 8 days ago out of no where. Nothing triggered it no choking episodes. She was eating soft foods but is now refusing those as well:( I’m so worried for her it’s so hard to see her be so scared to swallow and feel so anxious about it. If anyone has any words of encouragement or hope for me ide greatly alleviate it.

[Myboychev]

Thank you for your reply,  
Our doctor  had request to see a specialist  only for ear and throat.  But I will diffenatily ask to see speech therapy and speech pathologist.
I have no idea what I am dealing with.  

[Myboychev]

Following  in the same boat with my 5 yr old child, your exact issues  relates to my child.  None of the Dr can help and rule out what's wrong  with him, it's been 7 days and blood work can back negative and the GI test came back also negative.  
They think it's acid reflux  they provide him liquid renitidine and still not eating solids.  
I need help and what to do.  

[mvkmako24]

Has your son seen a speech pathologist? That is what helped my son...she helped him to swallow again, he just needed to get over the hurdle. He had a reoccurring episode a few months later, so we went back and she helped him again. We still to this day, do not know what triggered our son to not eat, there was nothing physically wrong. I would recommend going to see a Speech Pathologist that specializing in swallowing issues...good luck!

[Johanna7776]

My son had severe constipation. I clean him out and gave him soft foods for a few days. Because his autism, he got used to chew and spit his entire food. He started with little bites and he started eating solids agaim!!! I clean him out with Mira lax and I s y I'll give him 4 tsp. Every morning before school!!! Now he eats normal again. More than anything, pray Jesus for him!!!
If you need more details about my son's sensory eating desorder, email me at ***@****

[Sandyshore1]

This is still going on for us. It started mid last year. We have been to every specialist possible.
He has been diagnosed with autism, sensory processing disorder and ARFID, this is an eating disorder. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidant/restrictive_food_intake_disorder

We have just arrived home from a 3 week admission at hospital. After almost 9 months of eating only soup, he is now having about 5 swallows of solid food per meal. When eating he has severe panic attacks about choking, however this has reduced in intensity and frequency with anti anxiety medication. He continues to live on pediasure hopefully over time the solid food will increase. The dietician gave a formula for the pediasure to increase the calories and reduce the amount he needs to drink, it has helped for him to be able to finish all the drink.
My previously happy healthy child became a skeleton in front of my eyes. He should be around 26kg and at his worst he was 17.7 kg. We went to an occupational therapist who did SOS therapy this helped him make great progress and enjoy the taste of food. We continued with the eating disorder clinic and aventually he was admitted to hospital under this program. He is now a beautiful 23kg, a little way to go in weight and a long way to go in swallowing however now the stress has been relieved a little. It's a lot of hard work but well worth seeing my baby smile and play again.
I truely feel for all families affected by children not eating. It is the most heartbreaking thing to go through for all involved. The child, parents and also siblings. I recommend not waiting and not relying on 1 or 2 opinions. Keep going to specialists until you find someone to help. In Australia we used a private eating disorder clinic in Sydney until we were referred to the eating disorder clinic at west mead children's hospital. My son went to over 50 appointments and had an admission to our local hospital, no one knew what to do. I just kept going until I saw results. Many tears and a lot of heartbreak later he is on his way to a healthy weight and making progress with swallowing.
Thinking of everyone xxx

[Siya123]

Hi i am so sorry to hear about your son. I am glad things are improving. I have had only 3 weeks of this and i am so worried. My 8 year old has started chewing his food, having a choking sensation then spitting it out. I am so worried. Doc found nothing so far. It seemed to be a viral thing. He says his food is getting stuck. He is popular, happy boy normally so im so confused. im scared to let him out my sight..

[kittyseva]

Hi, I read your post about your 8 year old and I am reaching out to you for guidance. My 8 year old is also having the same issue for the past 3 weeks. Until this problem started, she has been a healthy child. We are yet to get the endoscopy done. However, if you can share your experience , I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

[Mdcj]

Yep been there too...been through that many nutritionists and a specialist GP each saying "there's nothing wrong/we don't know what's wrong."

She's always been fussy and not a good eater anyway.
Now she only occasionally chews her food the chokes and spits it out but we went through a period where she did this every meal time for a couple of months...as a result my daughter can go two weeks without food happily. She's skinner than a take but active and generally happy, well behaved (mostly).
We reduced the amount of milk she had and took out some junk food such as Choc milks and chips (they were a suggestion of a GP to help her gain weight).
It helped but she's still very fussy! She doesn't eat veggies, bread, dairy (bar milk) and most fruit. Plain meat and chicken is ok but it can't have anything touching or on it and even then she sometimes will choke and spit it out.
It was hard to watch her go through that and she still remembers the nutritionists. It was traumatic at times and so many people thought she was doing it just to gain attention/be stupid or I was doing it purposefully...crazy!
Hoping you find something that works for you. Don't listen to others trying to put you or your child down...go do what's right for your child and you and get the help you need.
Best of luck!!

[monikaco]

Going through the exact same thing with my 8 year old son right now.  It is heartbreaking.  He chews his food until it is a liquid consistency and then spits it out.  All tests show that there is nothing physically wrong.  Been to emerg, doctors, pediatricians, ENT and they all say he will eat eventually.  I cannot accept this answer because it has gone on too long now (almost a month) and is affecting him at school. Next appointment is with a child psychologist, but I will be calling a speech therapist after reading these comments.  Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Emstari]

Are there any problem with snoring at night?

My little sister had a thin object lodged in her throat which allowed only liquids to pass. Because it was thin and flat, tests did not show anything as it would flatten against the throat. Neither did a throat exam because the passed right be the item. Can't recall which, but eventually an xray, cscan, or mri showed it.

I asked about the snoring or difficulty breathing at night because the flat object would shift when she was laying down. Actually went on a sleep apnea machine before the cause was discovered.

[MomofIrishTwins]

School is not an issue at all. Her teacher says that she is so relaxed in school. She's an excellent student and doesn't get stressed out about school work at all. She's been progressing slowly with the therapy (OT and psych) and her anxiety is starting to decrease. She's eating only foods that she thinks she can chew easily and quickly. We're supplementing her caloric intake each day with at least 3 Pediasures. Her weight is still concerning me so we're working closely with her pediatrician as well.

This is all so nerve-wracking. We're in week 6 or 7 right now with this latest episode.

I hope everyone is doing well and your kids are progressing in a positive direction.

[Sandyshore1]

Since the 5th of September our sons weight has dropped significantly. He has now been hospitalised. We went to the speech pathologist, a paediatric dietician, the paediatrician and continued at the eating disorder clinic. The doctor has been wonderful and has not completed any invasive tests. He had a barium swallow test (my son thought this was cool) it came back normal. He is now having an MRI on Monday. they completed genetic testing yesterday and are looking at completing cognitive testing for autism.

[Sandman2]

   Wonder if the start of school triggered this?  Ask her teacher how she does in class.  Does she volunteer information?  Does homework stress her out at all.  How is she doing on the weekly quizes, etc.

[MomofIrishTwins]

Our 8 year old daughter went through the EXACT same thing as your son. EXACT. It started in May and she stopped eating for close to 6 weeks. We eventually got her into a speech/feeding therapist and it was a miracle. She was eating within days. She was 'cured' within 2 weeks and had a wonderful summer. Then she started 3rd grade and stopped eating. We're on week 3 right now and brought her back to the speech/feeding therapist and now she has a cognitive therapist. We're hoping for a speedier recovery this time around.

I can't tell you how awful this is and it's been devastating for all of us. She doesn't understand why this is happening to her. The first time she did have a positive strep test and the doctors suspected a syndrome called PANDAS. However, this latest bout she did not test positive for strep and in order for there to receive a diagnosis of PANDAS, strep must be positive.

Anyway, we're in the middle of therapy right now and praying that she recovers quickly. The therapists believe anxiety has triggered these episodes, but she functions completely normally and happily in school and with her friends.

I'll come back and update was soon as we see significant progress. But I agree with you mvkmako24 - the first line of action from here on out is therapy first, invasive tests last.

Thank you and keep us posted.

[Sandyshore1]

My son gained 900grams in the last week, we are over the moon.  He has been diagnosed with ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder) this is common in children with anxiety, OCD and autism/ ADHD.
The eating disorder clinic recommend not to go to the speech pathologist as when ever someone examines his throat he regresses.
At our next appointment we will see if he has gained more weight, if not the speech pathologist will be discussed again.
This has been the worst time for all of us and the past week is the first positive in a long time.
Hope everyone else is making good progress

[emmaJM]

So happy to hear that you got this problem resolved, and it might also give some hope to those still suffering!

We are having a similarly difficult time with our 4 year old. Already, he has always been tall and thin. In the last year, he became gradually slower to eat his meals, and most recently he has been holding food in his mouth, chewing until it is liquified but saying he cant swallow! He's eventually getting about half of most meals down but is rapidly losing weight. He can not afford to lose it, as he hates all sweet and processed food to begin with. No way he would drink a shake or yoghurt as he says they are mushy and he likes crunchy food. Im trying so hard not to show how anxious I am in front of him but its driving me insane! hes eating half of what he ate at age two, and its taking him twice as long. we did have some upheavals, some family travel and he knows he is starting school. We've done our best to make these stress free, but you never know how it really affects them. This could be the underlying cause, we feel pretty sure that it is phychological rather than physical. he just says he cant swallow! We have started to limit the time he has to eat his meal, as giving longer has not helped at all. We will contact a speech therapist to see if that will be of any help. Thankyou.

[Adyadeep]

Hi Everyone
HELP!!
My 4 year daughter is also facing similar issue past one year.  She doesn't swallow solids, pureed anything. Nit her favorite food. She chews and chews on her food until is becomes liquified. She gets tired and pockets it in her left cheek.  She is only on pediasure and milk. Plz share the pediasure formula where the child needs to drink less but calories can be met. Every one plz share what helped your child. My daughter has mild development delay.

[anandhos]

Hi
My son also has started to develop the same habit
Let me know in case you got the solution to this problem
Thanks in advance
Anand

[Sandyshore1]

Thanks so much for your reply/update i am so happy for you and your family things have improved. It gives me hope there is light at the end of all this. I cant wait for my family to get past this, it has been horrible for everyone.
a speech therapist has been discussed by the clinic we are going to, this may be the first point of discussion at our next session
thank you again for your openness.

[mvkmako24]

I wanted to update everyone on my son's and our experience b/c I have had several people email me and ask...this is obviously (and sadly) a pretty common problem! Please read our experience, I hope it helps you, and feel free to send me a personal message, if you want more details or advice!...

My son at first got treated for possible reflux with meds, but they didn't seem to help. Then the doctor decided to try for allergies b/c that can create a lump in the throat or uncomfortable sensation as well, it can scare kids, then it creates a fear and snowballs out of control where they can't swallow. Well, those meds didn't help either :( SO, the pediatrician ordered tests through a GI doctor...my son first had a barium swallow test, which came back normal. Then he had an endoscopy, which came back normal as well...both of these tests showed that there was nothing physically wrong, and there was no inflammation from allergies or reflux. All signs pointed to the fact that this was probably mental, like an anxiety issue. We never found out how or why it started...weather it was stress from starting school (it started a week after he started 2nd grade) or something like that.

The one person that finally got him to eat solids again was a Speech Therapist that specialized in swallowing issues! He had 1 session with her and he was eating again :) So I do think maybe it was triggered by something, but then fear took over and he couldn't make himself swallow (he started with the spitting out of food, then had a few 'safe' solids he could eat before he only could eat solids). SO I would suggest that anyone with a child with the same problems to first look into finding a speech therapist in your area that has dealt with swallowing....it could eliminate the need for any of the traumatizing and expensive testing (Endoscopy)! Even if this started as reflux or allergies, they can help the child to overcome the fear and eat again. Ours was a lifesaver...my son did have a relapse after about 3 months, but we went back to her & she was able to help again. My son also saw a child psychologist for anxiety issues, but he never could determine why the issue began, and I also don't see my son as an overly stressed kid, so we didn't think that was all that helpful...but in some cases, this might be a good solution.

If I had to do it all again (and I REALLY hope we don't have to!), I would absolutely go to a Speech Therapist/Pathologist first (ours was in a pediatric GI doctor office) before any invasive tests. If the therapist can get your child to eat again, it's most likely nothing physically wrong. I guess you could also try to rule out reflux or allergies (with meds) b/c that is non-invasive as well.

Please let me know if you have any other questions...I know it's a heartbreaking thing to go through. My son lived on Pediasure shakes for over a month, they have a lot of sugar, but at least many nutrients. Good luck to all!!!

[rosebudmandi]

Thank you so much for the update, mvkmako24. My 3 year old daughter has had a swallow phobia for the past 3 weeks (after a choking incident) & is scheduled to see a swallow specialist/occupational therapist next week.  I pray this therapy will help her begin to chew & swallow solid food again. In the meantime, I've been trying some techniques I found online. I've been making mealtimes as fun as possible, initiating food play. Last night we gave each other gravy lipstick!  We've been talking about the color, texture, smell of our food & giving our food & utensils kisses and licks.  She still refuses to put food in her mouth, but, she was eating tiny spoons of gravy last night to my delight!  God bless all the moms (& families) going through this. Stay positive! Thank you again mvkmako24 for the update - it's so very encouraging to hear.

[lilypad8]

My Daughter is doing great now eating!!! You need to be patient but firm I started pushing pedia sure which began to give her an appetite and she began to eat at her own pace. My Dr also had her take liquid Vitamin D this also could have helped

[Sandyshore1]

I have been taking my son to an eating disorder clinic. He has high anxiety and he is OCD about germs. He says he has a germ in his throat and it won't let him swallow.
I am still concerned that there is something physically wrong though. I saw all these posts with similar symptoms so I just wanted to know if there were any outcomes.
My son stopped eating propaly early 2015 it was becoming a concern over the past couple of months when he choked when eatingthen about 2 weeks ago he stopped eating all together. His diet at the moment is what ever he wants mainly chocolate milk and smooth desserts like moose and custard.
He will try most things however he turns it to liquid in his mouth and spits it out.

[SoulStorm]

Thank you for sharing about your Son. Yes, my eight year old Son has been doing the same thing. He says he feels like he is going to choke and so he spits food out or simply won't eat it. He is serious and it scares me because he has lost weight but doctors see nothing wrong. He says it feels like something is in hos throat like a spider trying to crawl out when he swallows, and that makes him choke. He is particularly obsessed with a fear of spiders right now, and his Dad (doesn't live with us) showed him arachnophobia and told him some horror story about spiders crawling over us as we sleep. I'm wondering if there is something mental/emotional triggering a physical response. He is a very bright and sensitive boy who listens very well and remembers. What kind of a Dad does that to a 7 yr old!? Thanks again, Shannon

[Sandyshore1]

Hi can you please share what the outcome has been and how your got there?
Almost the same thing is going on with my son. Any help would be great.
Thanks

[lilypad8]

I have a 8 year old girl something has happened to her 1 1/2 weeks ago will only take liquids. we did have a slight choking incident but ate after. 2 weeks ago she had nitrous oxide at the dentist and freaked out wondering if anybody else has had any relation to this. We have had the swallow test all normal now referring to GI doc!! Please share any info you have