Schoolgirl who can't eat a meal told doctors can't help

An 11-year-old schoolgirl who can’t eat her food has been told by doctors they can’t do anything more to help her.

Lilly Scott, who lives in Bebington, has gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The illness means her stomach acid travels back up towards the throat, causing her to bring food back up whenever she tries to eat.

Lilly’s Dad, Paul, said that 80% of the food his daughter tries to eat was comes back up. The 11-year-old is particularly resistant to milk and dairy products.

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Paul, 33, said: “Sometimes she’s able to swallow food and sometimes she’s just sick. She’s quite a bubbly person and sometimes it does mean she has down days but often she’ll be bouncing off the walls.”

Lilly with her brother Devlin, nine (Handout)

A week ago Lilly started a new medication called Baclofen, with the aim of keeping her food down. The schoolgirl has had to visit Alder Hey Hospital every two months.

Doctors told Lilly’s parents this was the last medication they could try. Paul said it often makes her drowsy and lacking in energy.

He said: “It is a struggle. There’s nothing else they can do if this doesn’t work and it’s so frustrating.”

Parents Paul and Carla first realised something was wrong when Lilly had cow’s milk for the first time. It didn’t go down well and she had to have a tube up her nose and going down into her stomach for 24 hours.

The family has needed to be incredibly careful with Lilly’s diet ever since. Paul said even sweets such as popping candy contain milk and they ask about every ingredient when going out for meals.

Lilly herself is very cautious with what she eats and often reminds her parents what she can and can’t have. Her school, Bedford Drive in Birkenhead, gives Lilly a special menu at lunchtime to make sure she doesn’t eat anything her body can’t handle.

Lilly likes to draw and has begun her own wax melt business in her free time.

Lilly has started her own wax melt business (Handout)

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