Author Topic: Sensitive to citric acid-Updated NOT sensitive?  (Read 4693 times)

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atlantamomofthree

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Sensitive to citric acid-Updated NOT sensitive?
« on: February 10, 2012, 15:16:29 pm »
My 5 month old, who is sensitive to chocolate and caffeine (I EBF) has been having a rash for a a few weeks under his chin and neck, and down onto his tummy lightly too. It has gotten progressively worse. I've tried different things (vaseline, lanolin, cornstarch) wondering if it was eczema or a reaction to his own drool. Been keeping his neck dry (he's teething) and cool as mucha s possible.

Well, after attempting to help it from the outside with no success, I started thinking maybe it was something in my diet that was causing it. So I decided to get rid of anything with citric acid (o.j., tomatoes, etc) and see how his skin responded; I chose this because it would be the easiest thing to remove from my diet  :-[. Well, the pics show Tuesday (it sometimes even looked worse than this  :(), and then how he looks this morning (Fri)!  :) Yesterday it looked a little bit better but this morning shows GREAT improvement!

I'm thinking it IS the citric acid! I already had to remove lemonade from my diet because it gave him a bad diaper rash a few months ago, so this doesn't surprise me really.

How long do you think I should wait before reintroducing it into my diet to see if it TRULY is the culprit?

« Last Edit: February 21, 2012, 01:40:11 am by atlantamomofthree »

Offline ~Sara~

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2012, 15:37:25 pm »
I'd probably wait a month and then try it again.  If he gets the rash again, then I'd hold off until he was closer to 1yo or later to reintroduce (unless he weans, and then it's all systems go!).

How much citrus were you eating/consuming each day before you cut it out?  Just wondering if it *is* the culprit if he reacts if you have X amount vs. trace amounts.
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atlantamomofthree

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2012, 15:47:57 pm »
Well, the lemonade was 2 tall glasses and then he had a flaming red diaper rash the next day and for the following 2 days. Went away and then I had 1 glass of it about a week later and the same thing happened.

I drink o.j. about every other morning (4oz or so) but I have tomatoes nearly every night for dinner in some form or another.  :o In chili, italian dishes (maranara sauce, etc), mexican dishes (salsas, etc), salads....Yeah, it's going to be hard to say the least. It's not trace amounts unfortunately.... :-\

And I have no intention of weaning before he's one. I weaned dd at 14months and ds1 at 16 months.  ;)
« Last Edit: February 10, 2012, 15:49:33 pm by atlantamomofthree »

Offline RachelC

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2012, 15:55:22 pm »
Just wanted to send you some {{{hugs}}}}  My DH is extremely sensitive to citric acid and we have eliminated all citrus from our main dishes.  Makes it really hard to cook when so many things call for canned tomatoes or ketchup or BBQ sauce or even lemon/lime  :-\  Oddly, DD3 won't touch anything made with tomatoes (even when she was little!), so we wonder if they affect her the same way.

DH has made a red sauce from beets that he says is good.  He does alfredo for pasta and his mom recently made a tomato free chili.  Oh, and white tomatoes do not affect him!


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atlantamomofthree

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2012, 00:07:28 am »
Thank you, Rachel.  :-*

atlantamomofthree

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2012, 15:47:59 pm »
For the past several days his rash has all but disappeared after continuing to restrict my diet of anything with c acid.  ;D Well, then I was thnking about the fact that I had started having cranberry juice 3 or so weeks ago and that's about the time it first showed up! So last night I decided to try having about 2 tsp of my favorite barbeque sauce (of course it is made with tomatoe sauce) and see if maybe the rash was just a cranberry thing. FX and went to bed. He nursed at 11:30 and then at 4am. When we got up at 7:15 this morning he was scratching his chest and it was super inflamed again!  :( But then I wondered maybe he was hot in the night? Idk, probably wishful thing on my part... :-\ Because it looks a bit better as the morning has gone on. But he also has a new outbreak of a rash above his boy parts (which was happening before I cut c acid)

Waaahhh :'(

I feel terrible for him AND me!
« Last Edit: February 16, 2012, 16:10:05 pm by atlantamomofthree »

Offline teilvnav

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2012, 20:58:10 pm »
DS  was sensitive to citric acid as well, but not enough that it bothered him through my milk. He couldn't eat tomatoes, oranges, etc without getting a terrible rash until after he was 1yr old. Now he is fine.
Amy


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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2012, 21:01:46 pm »
I'm sorry Val :(  It looks like you found the answer to the mystery, though...

My DS was sensitve to citric acid, too.  Appeared as a rash on his bottom.  It cleared up at about 1yo for him as well.
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atlantamomofthree

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2012, 01:27:31 am »
Thanks Amy and Sara. I sure hope it stops for him around a year too! The Lord knows it is going to be hard but he's very much worth it!

I remember Maggie was sensitive to applesauce and it left an immediate rash around her mouth. She's not had a problem with it since she was a toddler though.

Offline my3girlsjde

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2012, 02:38:08 am »
Just wanted to offer some hugs. We're still trying to sort out sensitivities and its a challenge to say the least.

I hope you finally have this sorted and nothing crops up.
Vicki - nursing student and proud mother to three refluxers in two years





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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2012, 03:27:37 am »
I remember Maggie was sensitive to applesauce and it left an immediate rash around her mouth. She's not had a problem with it since she was a toddler though.
Apples actually have a lower pH (more acidic) than tomatoes.  Learned that at the museum a few months ago ;)
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atlantamomofthree

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2012, 11:18:33 am »
Really, Sara?! I have half an apple most afternoons (keeps me regular, I've found  ;)).
Why would that not be affecting him, I wonder...

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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #12 on: February 17, 2012, 13:28:42 pm »
VERY interesting since apples do not affect DH in the least!


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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #13 on: February 17, 2012, 15:06:49 pm »
My ds was allergic to citric acid when he was a baby too, we discovered it after weaning at around 7mo. Tomatoes were the worst, he would get a wicked blistery rash around his mouth after eating them. We trialled them every 6 months to see if he had outgrown it, and it was fine by the time he was 2.
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Re: Sensitive to citric acid, wdyt? Pics
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2012, 15:13:50 pm »
VERY interesting since apples do not affect DH in the least!
I know!!  They're more acidic than oranges even!  It think they have a pH at about 3.  Pretty low.
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