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Gastrointestinal
Children with SNI can have ongoing and/or sudden gastrointestinal (GI) problems. They will likely benefit from assistance in maintaining predictable bowel movements, and may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) more commonly called acid reflux. Sometimes medical treatments can help with symptoms. Other times there may be problems that continue despite treatments. It is important to recognize as the brain changes, so will your child’s ability to digest food and process signals like pain from the GI organs.
Your Team:
An interdisciplinary specialist who helps manage the medical, social and emotional challenges of complex and/or long-term care.
A specialist in diet and nutrition, both in proactively building a dietary plan and in treating illness related to malnutrition.
A medical specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of the stomach and intestines.
A therapist who treats through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
A medical professional who practices general medicine.
A specialist whose aim is to improve the quality of life of their patients over the course of their illness regardless of stage, by relieving pain and other symptoms of that illness.
A medical specialist in the use of medical imaging (x-ray, MRI, CT, PET) procedures to diagnose injuries and diseases.
A therapist who can assess speech, language, cognitive-communication, and oral/feeding/swallowing skills as well as provide therapies and treatments to address any issues.
Your child’s primary physician can assess and manage GI problems when they first start. A gastroenterologist will consider more complex causes if problems continue. Occupational therapists or speech therapists can assess eating by mouth and swallowing issues. A radiologist can assess swallowing. A dietician makes nutritional recommendations. Complex care and palliative care clinicians bring expertise in causes of GI symptoms that are due to the altered nervous system.