Hi All,
Yes, Reflux can be a real problem, and can be life threatening if not
diagnosed and treated.  Let me tell you my story (well, my oldest son
Chris's story).
Chris was a real spitter upeer.  He spit up all the time.  I was a 19 yr old
single mom w/o a clue, but I knew that this much spitting up couldn't be
normal.  Well, his Ped repeatedly reassured me that it was normal and that
he would outgrow it.  Chris was a slow gainer/grower and barely hit the 25%
on the charts (I know that is not a good gage, but most people thought he
was several months younger than he really was just because he was so small).
After Chris started solids, about 4 mo with meals really coming into play
around 7 mo, the spitting still had not stopped.  In fact, even the solids
didn't help (even tho the Ped said they would).  At 12 mo, Chris would eat,
sit back and relaz and 9 times out of 10 throw up most of what he had just
eaten.  Still, the Ped reassured me (even got irritated with me for brining
Chris in again and again) that all was fine and Chris would outgrow this
"laudry problem".  He told me that Chris just had an overactive gag reflex.
By the time Chris was 15 mo old, he started to refuse to eat.  He started
regressing developmentally, and stopped gaining weight.  I became frightened
(and rightfully so).  While at the grocery store, Chris was sitting in a
shopping cart doing NOTHING and threw up all over the place.  He was not
ill.  He became hysterical, as did I, and we rushed to the Ped.  He angrily
told me that I needed to stop brining this kid into the Dr everytime he
threw up and that I was overreacting.  He proceeded to put a tongue
depresser into Chris's mouth, Chris gagged and threw up all over the Dr. (I
loved that part!).  HHe got really pissed and said "See, it is an overactive
gag reflex.  Now get out of my office and don't bother me with this again.
There is NO problem here!!"  Needless to say I (at age 21 and rather unsure
of myself at the time) called the B%$^#&d every filthy name in the book and
reported him to his supervisors.  I then got another Ped the next day.  He
didn't know what was wrong with Chris, but at least acknowledged that
something was wrong and could see it just by looking at his med chart.  He
asked his wife (also a Ped) to check it out and she diagnosed Reflux.  She
said his case was borderline in that we could try to treat with Meds
(Reglen) or surgery, and that he wouldn't gorw out of this, in fact Chris
was becoming malnourished as a result.
We treated with meds first and that goodness they worked.  I have worked
with Chris for the last 10 years to resolve the eating problems he has had
since that time.  He was 18 mo old when he was finally treated and quit
"spitting up".  He wasn't even 20 pounds, and had regressed to the
developmental age of a 12 mo old.  He picked up and regained all that he had
lost fairly quickly, but it was a frightening time for the two of us.

So is reflux a "Real" problem?  You bet it can be.  Often times, what is
thought to be reflux is as simple as a dairy allergy (as with my 2nd son),
or is really just spitting up that a child will grow out of.  I can say that
with a child who spits up a lot (not a just here and there, but profusely)
to test for dairy allergy, if that doesn't help, then test for reflux.  If
both are ruled out, then watch and wait.  But if a Ped insists that it is
something the child will grow out of without running any tests or anything
(like mine did) then get a 2nd opinion!
Jay
Sorry this was so long!
Jay Simpson, CLE
Sacramento, CA
"No Miracles performed here, just a lot of love and hard work."