My 5 year old developed fear of swallowing, what can I do?

Question

About 5 or 6 days ago my 5 year old daughter all of the sudden stop eating solid foods, she cant even swallow the saliva from a mouth full, all she has been eating now is liquids, and a very few things like mashed potato, soup but no solids, even though I started giving her pediasure and all sorts of vitaminics and whatnot, she has lost a lot of weight, she has always been skinny but now you can see her ribs and spine, and I am desperate now, I've tried everything and nothing seems to work, I can only think she got that from a day she was choking on spaghetti because she mischewed it, or when her 6 month sister was choking on a piece of paper she got on her mouth, as she was choking and I had to put my finger and reach inside her mouth and she got very scared of it because she gave her the paper because she was making drawings

Please, if you know what can be done tell me, I am desperate, she is getting skinny, I am this close to taking her to a clnic, but I dont want to have her intubed and all that ugly stuff, I made an appointment with a shrink but I want to help also

Thank you

Answer 1

Ribs and spine = MUCH TOO SKINNY for a child.  Get her in to be examined by a doctor.  There may be a physical problem and at that point "ugly stuff" is beside the point.

Answer 2

i suggest she go to the hospital. But if it world you can blend all her food into liquids.

Answer 3

For God-sake, take her to the doctor!

"... but I dont want to have her intubed and all that ugly stuff..."

It is far uglier to have a malnourished child. She needs calories- protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

I see you have anxiety over her having a feeding tube, but that is not a given when taking her to the doctor. Please take her to the doctor. He may be able to guide your decisions better to help your daughter. She needs to be seen and evaluated by qualified professionals.

Answer 4

realy iam very sorry about the problem of your child , if i give you some advice, if your child cant swallow any thing except liquids realy it is a problem any way like this it happens but dont be dismoral the easiest way that your child can eat the proteins is : give her a well cooked pottato, yams, minster meat, which have a good taste and u can get medicines for the ones like your child it is a medicine for people who have lack of food and the ones who cant eat any food or havent any good appetite.

god bless you .  

Answer 5

If she is already losing weight you need to get her to the doctor today. This is not something you want to mess around with. If you don't take care of this problem immediately you can get in trouble for neglect. You sound very concerned with her health be a responsible parent and take her in.

To intubate means to put in a tube for breathing. I don't think that will happen.  The worst they will do is put in a feeding tube via the nose, which will not be fun for her, but if she is refusing to eat to the point of where it's causing health problems so be it. Better the tube than a starving child and a parent in jail.