Wondering about allergies

[webfoot]

I have a good friend who's ds is autistic. She had him tested for allergies (blood tests) and he came back with huge food allergies. Since she's gotten his diet under control she's had huge improvements in behavior.

So this got me thinking about Amy. She has broken out in hives twice and we never figured out what triggered it. She has chronic scaley/dry skin on her upper arms, cheeks, and theighs. We've seen a dermatologist and he said this is typical in people w/ allergies (it's not excema but similar to it). She has very loose stools eventhough she eats at least one bananna a day and this has been causing almost consant diaper rash lately. She has always had these loose stools, very rarely are they firm.

Add to that her constant whining and fussing, she was a colicky baby, and I'm wondering if maybe she doesn't have some food allergy issues.

If we're going to do testing we should do it before the end of the year b/c we've already met our insurance deductible and luckily w/ our insurance I don't need a referal from a pediatrician.

Am I making a something out of nothing or do you think maybe it's worth persuing? Has anyone here had behavior/ food allergy issues?

TIA

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

Gosh, sounds like you're talking about Nathan (bar the hives)!  Would be interested in what replies you get.  He's always had kind of bumpy/dry skin, constant battles with nappy rash, very soft bm (and about 4 a day!), and erratic behaviour.

[Onewoman]

Yes, I think it's definitely worth pursuing. It does sound like Amy has some kind of intolerance/allergy from what you describe. I have a bit of experience myself with dairy intolerance. People give me such funny looks when I tell them about it and I think they think I am a bit mad, but hey ho, I've done loads of research and am certain my lo has problems with dairy (amoung other things). She was also very colicky and had problems passing wind and pooping. Her personality change is the most marked though. With a dairy free diet she is a very calm, placid girl, goes down for naps well, is happy, hardly ever cries or grumbles. If I eat any dairy (I am BF) she is like a little monster. Grumpy, can't settle, hyper, and comes across as willfully naughty, even though that's impossible at her age. She is also very sensitive to some additives like red food dye, which I just recently discovered.

One friend of mine with an older son (now 12), was having terrible problems with his behaviour until she got some help from the doctor/dietician. After eliminating a few things from his diet, he is like a different child.

It really can make such a difference, it's certainly worth finding out if your lo does have any sensitivities.

[Katet]

Having worked in medical research & around allergy specialists, before I had ds#2, I was chatting with one of them (allergy Dr) at a social function & we got talking about food allergys & while they can't get funding to prove it, he & some of his colleagues believe that there may be second generation allergys... what that means is we as parents were more likely to have been formula fed & given solids at an early age & it occured at a time when commercial processing of foods was beginning & that now there is such a huge increase in children with allergys & intolerence sometimes even before they are given anything but breast milk.
If it were me I'd do it.

I was dairy intolerent as a child (grew out of it) & when I went to give Aiden cows milk at 12mo, he threw up on a 20% mix... he was ok by 15mo, when his systems had matured a bit but still gets a rash if he has too much... interestingly about the age my mother started giving me cows milk, I became a grumpy child (from a never cry baby)...(parents thought it was other reasons) even now too much dairy makes me feel yuck!

[Diego's Mama]

I would DEFINETLY cut out all dairy -- butter, yogurt, cheese, things cooked with any of these and switch to rice milk for now.  Soy can also be a culprit.  Give this a good month and watch closely for any changes.

Loose stools give me an indication dairy could be the culprit ...

[GraceKellysmom]

P&P's mom posted not to long ago about Peyton, that her constant 'allergies' and sinus issues were actually a dairy intolerance. The doctor never suspected. I hope Kelly sees this and responds.

With both of my kids having issues, and I myself seem to be intolerant to something, I wish we could get tested.

That theory on the second generation allergies is interesting. My sisters and I were all breastfed, and all have stomach problems, but my mom was bottlefed and fed solids early.

[Katet]

Wow Stacy, that is actually the first time I have heard of a case where it is all the children & your lo's have intolerences too, so maybe it is a roll on effect.

[Jennifer2e]

Tanya

From my personal experience allergy testing dosen't always tell you what you need to know.  I would suggest the same thing Laura did.  I would take her off all dairy and see if she improves.  It takes a while for the milk protein to get out of her system but if she is intolerant or allergic you will see some improvement before too long.  If you only see slight improvement wait a month and then remove wheat or soy.  I find that even though we have Aidan's allergies under control now that wheat affects his mood.  He dosen't have his typical allergy symptoms anymore but he is more difficult to get along with if he eats it too often.  Wheat is one of the things removed from the diet of autistic children.  So there must be some connection to mood.

I also give Aidan an Omega 3 and 6 supplement.  I think this does WONDERS.  It can help with her skin problems.  It won't cure the skin problems if she is having a reaction to a food but it can help.

I found with Aidan that after I got his allergies under contol by eliminating egg, soy, peanuts, wheat and dairy :shock:  that when I added somethings back he was fine.  Basically his body was fighting so many foods because I gave him dairy when he was little and he started reacting to EVERYTHING.  Let me know if you need help.