Post ng tube oral aversion

[Wild Lupine]

I think I've posted here before about my son's difficulty eating solid food. For a while we thought it was due to low muscle tone, but now that he is so much stronger and his speech is age-appropriate both his OT and pediatrician suspect he has a super sensitive tongue and oral aversion because he was on a nasogastric tube for a little while when he was a couple of months old.

He is on a waiting list to see a feeding specialist and has a referral for a nutritionist. His pediatrician thinks he needs supplemental nutrition - better than the toddler formula we're giving him - until he takes in more solid food. (He's 18 months and subsists on milk, formula, yogurt, and sweet potatoes).

Just wondering if anyone has been through this, what a feeding specialist might do to help him, and how long it might take to see some progress. I'm also a little concerned about the cost of supplemental nutrition, is it something insurance might cover?

Thanks!

[Jessmomto2]

My son has a gtube and he had oral aversions as well, not so much because of the gtube but the severe nausea due to renal failure. We saw a speech therapist to help with his bad gag reflex and she would do excercises with him to lessen those. We only saw her for a few months and then we stopped as he was having unrelated infections. But, it really seemed to help. I think insurance normally only pays for supplemental formula if it's for a feeding tube. But, it's very possible that I am wrong on that. In fact, I'm hoping I am wrong as my son should be getting his tube out soon.