Reflux Returns

Yesterday morning, Micah woke up again at 5:00 am, screaming. It has been a rough few weeks - even when we do not have to go in and get him, he has been waking a few times a night coughing and crying. This morning, his voice was raspy and I could hear all the congestion in his nose and throat. I started to wonder if perhaps Micah was really sick...either fighting a low-grade sinus infection or an ear infection. So, we called the doctor and made an appointment to go get Micah checked out.

We saw one of the female doctors we like. She checked out Micah, and immediately pronounced that while he was congested, he was definitely not sick. Naturally, I felt like a crazy mother bringing my child in for absolutely no good reason. As we got to talking about what to do and possible causes, we circled back to the question of Micah's reflux. She said that Micah was definitely teething, could have allergies (or congestion from teething), and that everything we were seeing *could* be related to that. BUT, she also said that the congestion and coughing could be a sign that Micah was still suffering from reflux. For some babies, the reflux can back into their noses and irritate the nasal passages, causing congestion and coughing. She suggested that we try putting Micah back on Zantac, at least at night, and see if it made a difference.

So, last night, just before bed, we gave Micah a dosage of Zantac. We knew that it can take a few weeks to fully kick in, so we certainly did not expect any immediate response. Much to our amazement, Micah slept through the night last night! No wakings, no crying, and even better...no snoring or coughing. It might be premature for us to proclaim victory after just one night, but I do think that we might just have identified the source of Micah's crankiness and night wakings. I feel awful that it took us so long to figure it out, but I hope putting him back on Zantac will take care of his discomfort.