Questions on intollerances/allergies in response to DS hives

[ZacsMumme]

Hi Ladies...hoping for some insight into intolerance's/food allergies and have some (probably) very silly questions!

1) Can these develop after an LO has been on solids for a while? ie can a dairy or wheat intolerance develop after being eaten for a while, or is it likely that it has been there all along but unnoticeable, or likely to not be the case?

2) Do food allergies and intolerance's always involve mucusy poos? - Are there other less obvious symptoms that LOs can get?

3) If an LO is allergic or intolerant to a food does this mean they will always have this through breast milk too? - Okay that didn't make sense. If I eat something and it causes no problems for Zac...but he eats it himself. Can he have an allergy/intolerance to eating it but not via BF?

The reason I am asking is that he has never shown signs of allergies or intolerance's before. However in the last month he has been unwell. He then developed a rash which he has had for a few weeks. This rash has now been identified as Hives and he is on an antihistamine for it. The cause is currently unknown and I cant seem to find a pattern. I was advised it was unlikely to be food related, and I have tried cutting out foods and not seeing much difference but something is nagging at me in my gut so I am trying to get as much info as I can about it.

Note: Originally posted on the http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=209270.0 thread. (Response from Eloise: Sara prob best to start a thread, but yes they can crop up at any time, and no doens't always involve mucus poo.  Hives are a classic allergy symptom, do they come and go within a day or so?  and yes the breastmilk is a wonderful filter the symtpoms they will get from a problem food will be a fraction of severity compared to eating it directly.    Many food intolerant bubs don't start getting symptoms until solids for that reason - the paediatric allergist told me this.)

Zacs hives come and go throughout the day...he is on an antihistamine but seems to be still getting them on and off when eating, BF, and with temp changes i.e. in the bath.

[JennŠ]

Sara I'm going to shoot this to Allergy Land.

[ZacsMumme]

Oh sorry Jenn I didn't even know there was Allergy land on the E board! Thanks!

[~ Vik ~]

1) Can these develop after an LO has been on solids for a while? ie can a dairy or wheat intolerance develop after being eaten for a while, or is it likely that it has been there all along but unnoticeable, or likely to not be the case?

Yep, they can develop any time Sometimes it takes a few exposures to develop a noticeable reaction, sometimes 1 exposure is fine and the next causes a reaction.

2) Do food allergies and intolerance's always involve mucusy poos? - Are there other less obvious symptoms that LOs can get?

Mucousy poops can be a symptom but you can have an allergy/intolerance without them. Dylan has multiple allergies and his symptoms are hives, itching, swelling, eczema flares... He only gets mucousy poops with grapes.

3) If an LO is allergic or intolerant to a food does this mean they will always have this through breast milk too? - Okay that didn't make sense. If I eat something and it causes no problems for Zac...but he eats it himself. Can he have an allergy/intolerance to eating it but not via BF?

Only really sensitive bubs react to breastmilk, and then the reactions tend to be less severe than a reaction to the food itself. So Dylan's eczema flared but he never got any of his other symptoms until he was exposed to the actual foods. Some babies don't react to breastmilk at all.

Are you keeping a journal? (foods, environmental changes, and hives) that could help you identify triggers for Z's allergies.

[ZacsMumme]

Are you keeping a journal? (foods, environmental changes, and hives) that could help you identify triggers for Z's allergies.

I am trying, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to them other than when he feeds he gets them, when he eats he gets them (even if just fruit or vege with no dairy/wheat/meat.  ), and if he is exposed to heat or cold he gets them ie bath, out in the cold, into the Drs surgery where it is warm. DH thinks he is allergic to water...really though??? Can a LO be allergic to water!!! ? 
 
We went to the Dr last Monday and I am going back tomorrow. A week is long enough taking an antihistamine and trying to monitor, that if nothing has changed it is reasonable to take him back do you think? I am going to ask if he can get some tests or see a specialist/pead..do you think this is reasonable or do I need to persevere trying to identify what is causing it?

Yep, they can develop any time Sometimes it takes a few exposures to develop a noticeable reaction, sometimes 1 exposure is fine and the next causes a reaction.

  This is interesting as people (with kids without allergies obviously) are saying this is unlikely, but I feel it is certainly a poss cause. Thank you for clarifying

[EloysH]

pretty much what the pp said, but to add that my Kai gets rashes and does not have allergies so intolerant bubs can get a rash.  I have always thought probably about 60-70 sure that rashes for him are when he eat too many salicylates, as he has rash on the cheeks usually, and this is classic salicyalte intolerance.

 Also his rashes tend to hang around 24-48 hours then go. He doesn't have eczema but I just read a report from his paed saying his skin is dry and consistent with infantile eczema so not sure what to make of that.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Quote from: Vikki ~ Dylan's mommy on Yesterday at 09:53:34 PM
Yep, they can develop any time  Sometimes it takes a few exposures to develop a noticeable reaction, sometimes 1 exposure is fine and the next causes a reaction.
 
This is interesting as people (with kids without allergies obviously) are saying this is unlikely, but I feel it is certainly a poss cause. Thank you for clarifying

Yeah, they really can develop at any time...my sister developed anaphylatic allergies at 29! 

We don't always get mucous poos here either, it has to be something she has consumed alot of to get to that point.  Usually we get the odd hive, she turns bright red and gets a tummy ache. Oh, and milk used to constipate her (no idea now if it does, we haven't bothered trying it lately)

[ZacsMumme]

mmm well we are def getting sore tum here. Last night was the worst we have had in months. BT took over an hour and we had to P him to sleep (very unusual) then up after an hour for an hour....lovely 9  hour night gross. At least this morning we had a BM...never been so happy to smell stinky poop (Sorry TMI)

Well I am off to the Dr today armed with more knowledge thanks ladies!!! Hopefully we can get a referral to a pead/specialist and have some tests done...I am starting to wonder about wheat actually. 

[ZacsMumme]

Okay so I now feel a little lost and torn...I don't know what to do....WWYD in this situation.

Dr happy to refer me to pead and I can go private to get in quicker (my lovely parents are going to pay too!) But my Dr thinks it will just clear up on its own in 3 or so weeks and thinks it is just one of those things that will pass. For me, it just doesn't feel right, is a gut feeling enough though? I would hate to take Z along and the pead say to me 'are you kidding, he is fine didn't you trust the Dr?' and then feel like a stupid over paranoid mum.

The things bothering me is
1. Upset tummies, esp in the night...NW where he wakes screaming or inconsolable. He can settle himself and does so at naps, BT and other times in the night so it isn't just me making a prop out of getting him back to sleep at these times I dont think.
2. Irritability, and then fine....then irritable, then rash, then okay, then rash, then crying when eating, then rash...things that just don't make sense to me as normal or even virus like.
3. Runny/icky nose....on and off, all the time. I know it is winter but this has been like this for months.
4. The fact he has reflux. Lots of reflux LOs have other intolerance's and allergies...I always thought he was fine, but now I wonder if it was just unnoticeable and filtered through my Breastmilk.
5. All started around 7.5 months (less so than now but still) if I think back when he started to eat a lot more variety and solids in general...

Am I nuts...do you think I have a case....would you be worried too??   I feel lost today and really really unsure of myself. Do I just have an unsettled child that 'sometimes' sleeps and eats well, and other times doesnt?

[EloysH]

sweet heart can I assure you your instincts are correct, they really are. It is hard trying to go over the head of a DR.   It's just that gut issues like food intolerance are not within the science of medicene, they really aren't.    The reason this is is that there is no way to diagnose food intolerance through medicene, due to the nature of how food intolerance works.  
There is nothing they can actually "test" for and get an accurate repeatable scientific answer.  The most accurate way to figure out food intolerances is diet elimination as you and I know.  Now this is something within the a dietcians knowledge and not a Dr, so naturally they just don't cover these areas of knowledge.  Go to your paed forewarned with this.  You might be lucky, some really do understand dairy intolerance, but any further than that can get harder. Go to a paediatric dietician for help of you can.  This is what they do day in and day out.

I'll tell you something to put your mind at ease.   Today I just spent a small fortune taking Kai to the one of a handful of paediatricians in this city specialise in food intolerance, allergy and gut nutrition today. He basically said the MAJOR symptom of food intolerance for babies is night waking and inconsolible crying.   In fact he mentioned all the symptoms on your list, and infact, you and I are not crazy, we are mothers with intuition and sensitivty to our babies, and we are onto something.  He told me I am was very lucky in that i am onto the major areas of Kais food issues at his age.  

 He said in his mind, he listens very carefully to the mother and the patterns of the babies settledness, he thinks the mothers information is the most important here.   He said the main way to diagnose food intolerance is diet elimination.  So I am saying this - there is no harm in putting your little angel on a wheat/dairy free/low sal diet for 3 weeks. See if his symptoms settle. If he everything settles you are working from a clean slate.   Then back in each of the groups one by one each week so you can see for yourself the real impact of those foods on his well being. You will have clear evidence if he has food intolerances or not.

[Buntybear]

Hi, agree with pps but just wanted to say 'hi', yes we do exist and welcome! There is loads of info on this part of the forum and Mums who have BTDT 

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Totally agree with everything Eloise has said, and wow that sounds like a great paed!  TBH, although we did get the allergy testing done, I still think that our problems involve intolerances, not true allergies, so I have just gone ahead and eliminated the offending foods.  Although now there is something else bothering her that I can't figure out!

[ZacsMumme]

Thanks ladies, I am feeling better now... I just don't know where to start and feel really sad about it all at the moment. We have a pead appointment on 5 Sept and until then I am going to keep a diary of everything he eats, when and then when he gets his rash, when he is unsettled and when he has NW or is constipated/sore tum/anything funny in his BM.

A friend of mine has given me this link http://fedup.com.au/information/shopping-list/fresh-fruit-and-veg
I was going to go through it and try to get a menu plan for the next few weeks for Zac, have any of you used this site? Do I need to also stick to it if I am BF him still?

[Hedgehog17]

Hi Sara,

If you are still BF him then you'll have to write down what you are eating and drinking too!

I knew a woman who eventually found out that her BF son was allergic to the strawberry jam she had on her toast each morning 

Really hope you get to the bottom of this soon,

*hugs*

[Buntybear]

Hi Sara, I just read your post on the CRC sticky. Do you want to share what he had been eating for the last couple of days so we can have a look for you hun?