Food allergy? (sorry TMI)

[Vicku]

Thanks Wendy, I'll bear that in mind. I know you can be lactose intolerant or milk protein allergic, is that right?
We've got an appointment 24th November, but the doctor wrote a referral last week to try get her seen quicker, so I'm not sure when it'll be.

[Mydreamcametrue]

No, You can actually be Milk Protein Intolerant.

Read this link

babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=50779.0

Wendy

[deb]

Thanks for that info, Wendy.

For another example, Josie is not allergic to corn, as far as we can tell - she can eat corn onthe cob and popcorn - but woe betide ANYONE around her when she consumes High Fructose Corn Syrup. Something just wigs out. Seriously. She gets cranky, irritable, can't sleep right - heck, she's like me with PMS! Avoid the HFCS, avoid (most of) the symptoms.

This child, at not yet 7, is better-infomred about food and what some of the components can do to one than most adults.

That said, she still loves her junk food. (She IS her Mommy's daughter.... )

But yes, a definite difference.

I wonder what exactly the immunological difference is..... anyone have a link for that?

[Vicku]

Hi again!

Today we've finally got an appointment with a paediatrician for Lois' ecsema and possible allergies. I really hope they will do all the tests and take it seriously. At the moment her ecsema is a bit better, typical! But I know it will get worse again as it always does, goes up and down in severity. I'm a little nervous, have to take her there on my own, but fingers crossed it'll go fine.

Vicku

[Mydreamcametrue]

Please post once you get back.  Do you have any pictures you can take with you?

Hugs and good luck, Wendy

[Vicku]

I will update tomorrow.

[Lissybits]

I'll be really interested to see what they say hun

AND - congrats on becoming a mod - wow!!!!!!
 

[Vicku]

Thanks Lis!

The visit yesterday was a bit confusing tbh. The doc seemed to think Lois only has dry skin as her ecsema has improved loads this last week  and as she doesn't get it in her creases but *on* her arms, legs and back, plus around the mouth, she said it is almost certainly not a food allergy. She said it could not be a lactose intolerance cos small kids don't get that (but my cousin's son did!) and if it's a cow's milk protein intolerance it will grow away, and the benefits of eliminating it from her diet are probably not going to outweigh the trouble of doing it??? WTF? Surely it can't be good if it affects her poo and gives her rashes and ecsema? She was going on about at which age different allergies affect you and said from 2 yo and up ecsema improves so it should get better anyway. Why has it got worse these last months then??? She said it's not uncommon to have bits in the poo and to have 4 poos a day, and will get better on its own.
We did have a blood test (poor Lois!) to check for, I think, Caeliac's disease (sp?) and she said I should talk to DH and decide what to do and if we do decide we want to try an elimination diet anyway, that they would be able to help, so at least that's something. But she seemed to think that trying to make her poo more normal was just a benefit to the parents, as the poo would be more pleasant??? No mention of the fact that it might not be good for LO's body. Surely it would help her overall health to find out what's causing it? I tried to explain that we'd limited dairy the last few days and *had* seen an improvement, but she didn't seem to want to listen on that ear really. I also asked if it could help to restrict dairy rather than eliminate completely, but she said no, it won't make any difference, it has to be 100% eliminated in that case.
She didn't do any skin tests as according to her they are very unreliable... She adviced to put steroid cream on the ecsema when it flares up, which is all fine and good, but to not try to get to the root cause and only treat the sympthoms doesn't feel right to me. surely something's causing it???

[Lissybits]

Oh dear - not very helpful AT ALL

I would definitely get a second opinion and at least try eliminating certain things from her diet to see if there are any improvements in the meantime.
Sorry you didn't get the help expected - very frustrating
Hugs hun

[deb]

Here's a *cyber slap* for you to put upside this doc's head.  

I completely agree with what you're sayng about treating the causes, not the symptoms, and I hope that you can get a good second opinion. FWIW, I have a friend whose DD has finally outgrown her allergy to eggs but at nearly Josie's age there is no sign of her losing her allergy to dairy, so to just have this cookie-cutter picture of what kids will and won't be allergis to and when is just, well, $%#&. (insert naughty word of your choice there )

[Spectra]

That's crazy about the doctor.  Though my first doctor and my ped was the same way.  They viewed it as no big deal and therefore no need to find the cause, just treat the symptoms.  For me, and I'm sure for you, I didn't want to see my son uncomfortable or suffer.  I would try eliminating dairy yourself to see if this is the cause.  Since you daughter is older you can try Rice milk and other alternatives.  Hopefully something will make a difference.

[deb]

And WTF on the nutritional benefits of milk? There is calcium in LOTS of food that are NOT cows' milk, and rice  milk is available (here, anyway) with added calcium. Salmon, broccoli (and other dark greens) have lots of calcium!  There are also supplements out there to help make up the difference if nothing else is feasible.

Idiot doctor!  (*sending along an extra cyber-slap for her*)

[Mydreamcametrue]

That is why you have US!!!  LOL  I have learned that a doctor is great of course, but a mother knows best.  Not a friend, relative, father, no one. 

You have to be the detective and figure out what works.  I went through all this with Zach and it took about 4 doctors, the final one being an Immunologist to agree that they deft. thought it was a milk/soy protein intolerance. 

Once I removed ALL dairy and soy, he was great.

Now I am going through this with Tyler.  He has more of the skin and crankiness symptoms.  Zach had more of the poop issues.  Everything he ate came out whole, undigested. 

If it were me, I would try one thing at a time.  I would offer Fortified Rice Milk to drink and avoid all dairy and soy. 

If you still do not see improvement, the next thing I would eliminate is wheat.  Could be celiac disease, just based on her poop history, but sounds more like milk and soy are the problem.

Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Hugs, Wendy

[Vicku]

Thanks for your replies! And for the cyber slaps I wish I could forward them to the doc!
The more I think of it I the more p$ssed off I get... Feel like she's really not taken this seriously despite our family history of allergies. I'm not sure whether to try for a second opinion from another doc/ped, or to go alternative. I've been helped immensely in the past by a naturopath, who discovered food intolerances and deficiencies that were making me really ill. The traditional docs hadn't been able to help me, but this woman did. I spoke to her today and she says she does take children too, so that might be a way forward. I shouldn't really eat dairy myself, but have been cheating a lot lately, so maybe me and Lois should do 'no dairy' together for a while and see if things improve for us both???
It's just so frustrating when you have a gut instinct that something is not right and you get no support from the medicals
Also I'm going to speak to my cousin whose son (and DH) has lactose intolerance, and see if she has any info. Really confused me when the doc said lactose intolerance doesn't exist in young children. How come he's got it then?? She said it's probably a milk protein intolerance, but I know it's not cos he drinks lactose free milk and yoghurt and is fine, but get s ill if he has normal milk. Aaarh! Frustrating!
Ok, rant over! Good to be amongst you guys who knows what it's like

Just read your reply as I was about to post Wendy. I'm so glad I have the support on here! And hearing how you had to struggle to find out what it was, mostly on your own too, makes me more determined to not give up and listen to that doctor.

She never has soy actually, so don't need to worry about that. Have avoided it since DD had the bad reaction to formula at 3.5mo as read that milk and soy allergies/intolerances often go hand in hand and never reintroduced it with her solids. I think given that history (that she projectile vomited, got a rash and diarrhoea from formula, twice (second and third time we ever gave it to her) makes milk very suspicious, and I can't understand why this doctor wouldn't listen to that Aaaaargh again!

We have both fortified rice milk and fortified oats milk here, so might try that with her.
Thanks all sooooo much for being there to talk to!!! You are great!

 

[deb]

YAY for that Momma Bear instinct!!!!!

And of course, let us know if you need anything else - we're here!!!!