M(S)PI possibility...please tell me your successes and food choices?

[Roseii]

I am trialling dairy and soy free, only been 48 hours so far, for these reasons:

DD2 has terrible, painful wind, a lot of the time
Snuffly nose
Currently been 7 days with no BMs
Awful fussing, screaming when trying to feed

Doctor was not helpful, HV was brilliant and immediately suggested milk intolerance.

However I am confused, she mentioned lactose intolerance but I thought it was milk protein intolerance, can someone explain this??

Also she said to cut out obvious dairy i.e milk, cheese, butter, cream...Not to worry about hidden dairy. I'm not sure about this

How quickly *might* I see an improvement?

How much success have you had with an ED?

What foods have you used as substitues?

What's the deal if/when I want to introduce some formula feeds?

TIA I know there are lots of threads on this already  

xxx

[pinkism]

Hi didn't want to read and run, just to say I'm glad you're HV is on your side. I had the same problem with doctors but my HV is fab!
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/startingsolids/cowsmilkintoleranceexpert/

shows the difference between loactose intolerance and cows milk protein allergy.
Sorry I'm off to bed now but hopefully someone else will be able to help! xxx

[~ Vik ~]

Hi Charli   We have a milk allergy here, not an intolerance, but I had to eliminate and I think that the principles would be the same!

As for what to eliminate, TBH I would (and did!) eliminate everything obvious, hidden, and "may contain traces of".  Reason being, I would have hated to eliminate obvious dairy for weeks, see no improvement, and have to go off hidden/trace as another trial afterward.  I just went off everything from the get go.  If and when you see improvement, you can then reintroduce hidden/trace - if her symptoms don't return, then you're fine to continue eating those items, but if she gets worse again you immediately know the culprit and be more strict with your elimination again.  kwim?

My doctor told me to eliminate for 4 weeks to be sure - he said that it can take up to 2 weeks for the milk protein to leave my system, and then another 2 weeks for it to leave Dylan's.  However, some people notice improvement far more quickly, within days or even hours!  But if you don't see improvement quickly you do still need to stay on the ED for a few weeks to give it a fair try.

What you use as substitutes depends on whether you're eliminating soy as well.  A lot of dairy substitutes are soy based or at least contain soy.  There are plenty of 'milks' available for purchase (soy, rice, almond, oat, etc.) that you can use for drinking and cooking.  I use Becel Vegan margarine, which contains no dairy protein but may contain soy (I'm not sure, I'd have to read the ingredients upstairs ).  I did a lot of cooking from scratch - many prepared and processed foods have milk ingredients in them.  It's wild!  Stuff that you would never think of, like deli meats   But when you use fresh meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, etc. you know that they don't contain dairy.  I read a lot of ingredient labels, and I got to know brands that are safe - Dempster's breads don't have milk ingredients, for example, but most other brands do.  I always tried to keep quick things on hand too, like fruits, soups, salad fixings (many dressings don't have dairy, but again I always have to check!), safe sandwich fixings, etc. otherwise I would be hungry but not eat due to lack of time!  Happy to share some recipes with you too, if you'd like.

hth

[scarlettsmom]

Hey there, I am going out the door to a dr's appointment, but wanted to give you some ((hugs)) and let you know I will be back later to write more!   

[Roseii]

Hi Pinkism, thank you v much for the link. Why are Dr.s so unhelpful sometimes 

Vikki thanks so much, just out of interest how did you find out Dylan had an allergy?
You're totally right about eliminating the hidden, bloomin' hard work though isn't it  I'm not the world's greatest cook, often buy things like ready made mashed potato which is of course laden with milk and butter! I don't buy ready-meals but it's quite rare for me to COOK cook, yk? I would really really appreciate any recipes, the simpler the better I'm quite worried about all this, DH is a "meat and potatoes" man, he's not very adventurous apart from with meat  And the only veg he eats are carrots.

I am eliminating soy too. Struggling with lunches atm to be honest-my lunch would normally include buttered bread and cheese  I'm not even eating bread right now as I haven't found any spread that isn't soy or dairy...

Hey there, I am going out the door to a dr's appointment, but wanted to give you some ((hugs)) and let you know I will be back later to write more!   

Thank you 

xxx

[~ Vik ~]

We discovered the allergy at about 5.5mo - we had introduced rice cereal that I added breastmilk too, and he did just fine with it.  For convenience sake we bought a rice cereal that was "just add water" so I wouldn't have to pump all the time.  The first time he tried it he was covered with hives on his face and hands, and his eczema flared horribly.  The only ingredient difference was the skim milk powder, and the ped in the emergency room said that it was a dairy allergy and to avoid all dairy and to reevaluate with our normal doctor at our next appointment.  He's gotten hives due to incidental contact with dairy since then, and when we had allergy testing done he reacted to dairy again.  We'll be redoing blood tests and possibly doing food challenges at 3yo, but until then we are dairy free (among other things )

My DH is a meat and potatoes guy too - and the only veg he eats is corn   What is with these men of ours?  I've found the easiest things to do:
- Buy bigger roasts/cuts of meat.  That way you're only doing the real work once, and you have left overs for the next day.  Pork roasts are great in an onion soup mix (I was able to find one that was dairy free, not sure about soy though? But you could just use onions and water for flavouring), or beef roasts with just salt and pepper to taste.  Chicken breasts browned in a pan then finished in the oven, or pork chops under the broiler.  You can do potatoes in many ways that are safe for you - peel, boil, and mash (just separate your serving before you add milk/butter, and just salt or gravy yours); wash, cut, and fry or bake.  As an alternative to potatoes you can make rice with chicken or beef broth for flavour, or make pasta with a bit of olive oil and garlic.  All fruit and veg are fair game.  For lunches, you could do sandwiches with tuna/meat/etc, mayo, lettuce, tomato.  You can use coconut oil (which is actually a solid fat) as a spread on toast.  Have washed/cut veggies on hand for a quick snack, either plain or with balsamic vinegar/hummus.
I will go through my recipes and see what ones are soy free too and send you a PM tonight or tomorrow

[scarlettsmom]

Hi! 
You've gotten some great information above, just going to add along.   

I knew Gwyneth had a milk allergy/ intolerance very early, around 3 weeks old as she became extremely fussy, was congested all the time, had painful gas and bowel movements and eventually had mucous and blood in her stool.  I cut all dairy and soy immediately.  My LC said the same thing about hidden dairy being ok, and it is widely held in the medical community that such a tiny amount of the offending food, becoming even tinier and going through your BM should have no impact on your child. That was not the case with us at all.  Gwynnie was so incredibly sensitive to any tiny little bit of an unsafe food.  We ended up having to deal with many many food intolerances, but there are lots of good substitutes and a little adjusting will go a long way.

I too did't cook from scratch all the time.  Well, that changed quickly, lol!  It is amazing where milk is hidden, as vikki said - deli meats, hot dogs, soups, dairy free creamers!  Seemed it was everywhere.  Takes a little bit of doing, but you will become very familiar with labels.

We often would cook a huge roast, and have it for dinner, then I would slice it for me for lunches and snacks.  Fresh fruits and veggies, pop corn, chips and salsa, almond or coconut ice cream, there are some margarines that are corn based that can be subbed for butter.  You can make your own bread and cakes.  The biggie for me was cheese, I loved cheese and there really wasn't a decent substitute.  I ended up in such a strict ED though that I couldn't have most of these things for a while. 

I saw an improvement right away, within a couple of days she was a happier baby, sleeping better.  It can take 2 weeks to get the proteins out of your system, and then another 2 weeks to get out of your LOs though.  It took us a LONG time to get to a safe baseline where she was completely fine however, as we found through trial and error we were dealing with many food allergies/ intolerances.  Milk was the big one though, so ditching that made such a big difference.

As far as introducing formula in the future. If you notice an improvement cutting the dairy and soy, then I would assume an intolerance and start off with hypoallergenic formula, like alimentum or nutramigen.  Most babies can tolerate those, some can't ( mine could not) then it would be to an elemental formula like neonate or elecare.  Start slowly, an ounce or so a day to see for any reactions, and go from there.

Make sure to take a calcium supplement, and hang in there!!  Huge huge hugs to you and your sweet baby, it can be overwhelming and frustrating nailing down the issue, but once you start to see an improvement it makes it so much better.
 

[tanya032009]

Hi there- I haven't had a chance to read all replies...so sorry if this is a repeat. I as completely dairy free for 10 plus months...and not the best cook!!

I had a really hard time maintaining my weight (and therefore, breastmilk) so I used to indulge and fill up late at night eating full, big bags of Lays Potato chips (plain- no diary) and stacks of oreo cookies (no dairy, not sure about soy). It made me feel better and helped with the calories..lol. I miss those days. Now I can't look at a chip!

But, I basically ate "real foods"- veggies, meat, fruits! And felt wonderful!

[JayC]

See those you need to improve, not for the intolerance of things. This might be good for the proper thinking to what you need to do. Having this kind of dairy, you can make possible things that could be use as an improvement.

[Roseii]

Vikki thanks so much, wow you have got your plate full!! So many things to consider. I hope Dylan's allergies are the kind that he grows out of soon. My MIL has given me a recipe for these greek mince/potato meatball type things that DH loves and I can eat all the ingredients so that's another one to add!

Scarlett'smom, thank you. Your poor little one being so sensitive! One thing that DD2 seems to not have is the mucousy poos (she hardly poos at all, last time she went 9 days) Could she still have the intolerances though? Although she goes ages with no BMs and it does seem to bother her, when she does go it is perfectly "normal" yk?

Cheese is a biggie for me too, I LOVE it I think it's actually my favourite food  Think I'd rather go without than have some dodgy substitute 

Great idea with the roast and using leftovers, thank you. I think part of the problem is I need to be more organised, I'm really bad for just deciding on the day what we will have for tea, by which time I need to go shopping, prepare etc  so it ends up just being something easy 

Tanya, thanks, I must admit I have been eating quite a lot of donuts lately Not too much danger of my weight plumetting

xxx

[Buntybear]

I am eliminating soy too. Struggling with lunches atm to be honest-my lunch would normally include buttered bread and cheese  I'm not even eating bread right now as I haven't found any spread that isn't soy or dairy...

Hi,

PURE do 2 kinds of soy/milk free spreads - I know Waitrose do them - not sure where else does. Also Sainsbury's do a dairy free marg that I don't think has soya in it - only about 89p. All these taste bland (this is a good thing IMHO!). Vitalite is dairy free but tastes YUK! I am a butter lover too!

[Roseii]

Thank you hun, I got a Pure one but I think it's the soy one, need to find the other now! And I will def look in Sainsburies, there's quite a big one near me. Thanks

[Buntybear]

Pure do a olive oil one and I think it was a vegetable oil one. Sains only sell the soya one though  hence why I tried their own brand  .

We are also M(S?)PI now with suspected wheat allergy too. I am only off dairy although I try to keep soy low in my diet as I am not convinced about it yet. It is hard but you get used to it and yes you are right that you have to plan well and keep lots of things you can eat in the house!