It could be GERD — gastroesophageal reflux disease. Millions of
kids and adults have this problem. What's happening? When you
eat, chewed-up food travels down the esophagus into the stomach.
A special muscle called a sphincter works like a gate to open
and close the entrance to the stomach. When the sphincter opens
at the wrong time, there can be reflux — food and acidic stomach
juices flowing back up the esophagus. In children, GERD can
present as repeated regurgitation, nausea, heartburn, coughing,
frequent sore throat, laryngitis or respiratory problems like
wheezing, asthma or pneumonia. Even poor sleeping or frequent
waking can result from GERD. Just about everyone has felt
gastroesophageal reflux at some time. But when it happens
frequently, GERD can cause complications, such as: • Breathing
problems: This can happen when acid travels backward up into the
throat and then spills over into the windpipe and down into the
lungs. Persistent coughing or wheezing can happen, and symptoms
can even be confused w