bye bye alimentum, hello neocate

kris_kelsey

at 2 months DD has had persistent reflux, has 1 or 2 anal fissures, and has had 2 bloody stools in the last 2 weeks with the alimentum.  Had an upper GI done yesterday and saw the pedi GI today who said that based on that stuff she needs to go to neocate (or some elemental) and that the protein intolerance and basic mechanics are the root cause of her reflux.  He didn't prescribe acid blockers (which I am happy about) because he said they are over prescribed and don't solve the problem...oh and my baby is a relatively happy spitter.  Maybe gets cranky for a minute when she chokes a bit, but otherwise is not unhappy with the puking.  He said if we don't see an improvement in reflux with the neocate then we can thicken her feeds but be really careful about getting pure and organic rice cereal that doesn't have other contaminants in it.  If that doesn't help and she is getting really cranky and arching etc then try prilosec, and if that doesn't help then he could try to dilate her pyloric sphincter.  I'm glad he didn't see the word "reflux", write a script and say "see ya!"  Acid blockers inhibit nutrient absorbtion and I didn't like the idea of them if she didn't NEED them.  We will see how she does.  Now we just have to try to get our insurance to cover neocate.

browneyedgoil

they have reimbursement  specialists at neocate that can help you get it approved. they also have this website with sample letters, codes, etc

https://www.neocate.com/reimbursement/resources/ 

this is what is says about your state

MinnesotaCOLLAPSE STATENo law in place but there is an insurers? agreementEffective date of agreement: May 2007Your coverage:The insurers? agreement reimburses families for amino acid-based formula and is supported by the state?s six largest insurance plans:BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota/Blue PlusHealthPartnersMedicaPreferredOneSanford Health PlanFirst Plan of MinnesotaConditions covered include milk protein allergies, allergic enterocolitis, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and short bowel syndrome (SBS)Co-pays and other terms vary by the plan

 

kris_kelsey

thanks for the info.  Her GI doc was familiar with the sample letters and already gave me one to send in.  Unfortunately, we do not carry our insurance through one of those companies so we will have to wait and see if we can get approval or not.  For now it looks like I will be buying the Neocate.

browneyedgoil

ugh, that stinks. well i hope it gets approved. they do have a discount code when you buy through their website. sometimes people sell it on craigs list for less too. we had to buy it on craigslist when we were waiting for our mail order to come through. a lot of people whose child outgrew it, sell it

gymkatinka

kris_kelsey:

at 2 months DD has had persistent reflux, has 1 or 2 anal fissures, and has had 2 bloody stools in the last 2 weeks with the alimentum.  Had an upper GI done yesterday and saw the pedi GI today who said that based on that stuff she needs to go to neocate (or some elemental) and that the protein intolerance and basic mechanics are the root cause of her reflux.  He didn't prescribe acid blockers (which I am happy about) because he said they are over prescribed and don't solve the problem...oh and my baby is a relatively happy spitter.  Maybe gets cranky for a minute when she chokes a bit, but otherwise is not unhappy with the puking.  He said if we don't see an improvement in reflux with the neocate then we can thicken her feeds but be really careful about getting pure and organic rice cereal that doesn't have other contaminants in it.  If that doesn't help and she is getting really cranky and arching etc then try prilosec, and if that doesn't help then he could try to dilate her pyloric sphincter.  I'm glad he didn't see the word "reflux", write a script and say "see ya!"  Acid blockers inhibit nutrient absorbtion and I didn't like the idea of them if she didn't NEED them.  We will see how she does.  Now we just have to try to get our insurance to cover neocate.

 

I just want to wish you Good Luck!I hope everything works out and your LO won't suffer any longer.