she still have diarrhea, it`s been two months!

[dache]

Some of you may remember I asked for vibes for dd a couple of months back because we thought she had a bacterial infection in her stomach but her test all were fine and she was better...
That did not lasted long. Two week later the diarrhea came back and it`s very persistent. We give her probiotics, she is on a limited diet. It only helps a little.
She gets blisters in her nappy area, very small, tiny tiny amount of blood.
She eats well, sleeps ok but wakes up MOTN these past few days crying so hard last night she woke the neighbors. I gave her some milk (I was thinking hunger/dehydration because she is pooping so much) some paracetamol and held her in my arms while she dozed off.

Does this sounds like food intolerance to you? if yes, I have no idea to what? If I start elimination diet, where do I start? She is already dairy free. I`m closely examining everything to see the ingredients. I have made a menu for dh to follow. Should I stop using spices? This is what we use most http://www.vegeta.com/products
I wish I can start weaning from scratch 
I`m so tiered of this, our health care is so disappointing, I`m taking things in my own hands. 
I called the doctor and we are going later today. I`ll ask that we do the bacteria tests again.  If that`s negative, I plan to ask for allergy tests, then food intolerance tests.

While this is done any advice? I hate the fact that she I cant be there with her all the time. The control freak in me thinks that if I was there I would have noticed what is causing this.

[weaver]

I think you need to keep a food diary to start with dache.  Just note everything she eats, and what her BMs are like afterwards.

Is there any history of food intolerance or allergy in your family?  Allergy tests are not 100 per cent reliable. They're helpful but the real test is usually excluding the suspect food and then reintroducing it.  There is no such thing really as a test for a food intolerance, just the same thing, exclude and reintroduce to see if there's a reaction.

Is there something you suspect? 

I would be very careful about restricting the diet of a toddler, they are so small already.

[deb]

What is she eating now? (Thinking to see what common intolerances might be triggering)

[dache]

Food diary  is a good idea. It will be a bit difficult to get dh on board, he`ll hate it but it has to be done :/

Is there any history of food intolerance or allergy in your family? 

There is no food history of food intolerance in my side of the family, not sure about dh`s. My sister has sun allergy, she developed it a few years ago but that was after a day in Greece where she got sunburned big time. One of the doctors we saw a while back said it does not matter how she got it but that we have the genes.

Allergy tests are not 100 per cent reliable.

I know. Especially at this age, we are told that it`s very unlikely it will e accurate. I`m just hoping that we might get some direction. Feeling so useless now.

Is there something you suspect?

All kinds of things go trough my head. Gluten, tomatoes, peepers, food additives, soy, eggs...
She drinks soy milk sometimes, but I`m replacing it with oat and rice milk for now.
We do the BART (banana, applesauce, rice, toast) diet. Potatoes, apples, pretzels, polenta, pasta, meat (not a lot)...When she is fine, she eats everything that is non dairy.


We went to the doctor`s. She wanted to send V to infectious disease department but she did that the last time and they send her back to get a referral to children gastro   department...I dont plan to drag her all over the hospital (the departments are all different buildings which make the hospital) all of us to get OT and upset. So I told that I want to do the stool sample tests because I know anywhere we go they`d want it done.

Grrrrr, it`s so exhausting and frustrating. It`s like being back at the begging with the dairy. They did all kinds of tests, they were all fine but she was obviously not fine. Last months was the same, all test was fine, she still has diarrhea.

[weaver]

So you have cut out dairy completely? But she still has gluten?

I would really start with the food diary and see if there's a pattern. If she's not having dairy then please pay attention to calcium and fat levels (I'm sure you do!). If you want her tested for coeliac then she needs to be eating gluten, so I would not cut that just now. And note of course that oats have a protein very similar to wheat gluten so that might irritate her if she is sensitive to wheat gluten. It's an absolute minefield, honey, and I would really resist cutting her diet too much unless you can see a strong indication that you should, and with advice from someone knowledgeable. Can you ask to see a dietician? I've never heard of the BART diet but it does not sound very nutritious to me - I'm wondering about proteins, b vitamins and so on.

[dache]

So you have cut out dairy completely? But she still has gluten?

Yes.

If she's not having dairy then please pay attention to calcium and fat levels (I'm sure you do!). I've never heard of the BART diet but it does not sound very nutritious to me - I'm wondering about proteins, b vitamins and so on.

BART diet its banana, applesauce, rice, toast. It`s recommended for someone with diarrhea. But because she has it for so long, as you said, she needs vitamins and proteins we give her other things too. I do a menu once a week and try to fit as much fruit and veggies and meat that will not upset her stomach more . I did the research for calcium and fats and everything else once we knew she cant have dairy. Thanks for caring.

We saw a specialist a month ago but since all test were fine she said, yes she has some reaction to dairy, do not introduce it before age 3, adviced me go give her D3 oil drops for the bones. I tired making an appointment yesterday and couldnt, but we are seeing her as soon as the stool sample results are back.

I`ll get ready to start food diary today.

[creations]

So sorry to hear your LO is so poorly

Going to move you over to the food allergies board. I know there has not been an identified 'allergy' but more experienced eyes will be over there.

Just on a hunch I would cut out anything acidic and anything red, you've already mentioned tomatoes and peppers, and with the foods you continue to offer I would go right back to basics, plain pasta (perhaps with some oil stirred through), plain steamed/roast/baked veggies without seasoning, no pre-packed foods which contain more than one ingredient (for example here I can buy kidney beans in water, nothing else added, so it's not that *all* pre-prepared food is a no go but it will be confusing if you use packs which have more and more ingredients).  Serving food 'plain' should help with the food diary.  It also totally eliminates 'additives' which were one of the things you listed as a possible problem.

I tried to find ingredients list for the vegeta seasoning you use but they do not list which spices are in there. I would stop using it until everything is fully cleared up and you know she's fine and then do a trial with the vegeta.  If there is one single spice in there that she reacts to it could cause on-going problems. (I react to one spice that I know of, my mum reacts to one spice, a different one)
With pre-pack foods which are generally healthy and which you like to use often I would cut it out and wait until everything is sorted and settled down then do a proper trial on one food.

When cutting out the vegeta and any pre-pack foods I would probably add a little salt seasoning to one of her foods as she does need a little salt in her diet, not much, but rehydration solution is basically water with a little salt and a little sugar to prevent dehydration.

Are you able to get vitamin drops where you are?  In the UK vitamin drops are recommended from 6 months to 5yo.

Are you able to buy metanium for her bum? When DS had bum burn, red with some blistering and some blood from the soreness (ie not blood in poo) this was absolutely the quickest way back to clear pain free skin.

[dache]

Thanks for the move.
She had 38.5 temp. That wouldnt go down after paracetamol, didnt wanted to eat, was so low-we are at the doctors now. They sent us to infectious deseas dep.
The fresh air did her well. She's sleeping now and the temperature is going down.

I still think that its food related, but will see this trough

Will update later

[creations]

Oh dear, so sorry to read this.
Vibes for health and an answer to be found quickly xx

[dache]

Thank you creations.
She does not have high temperature now. It goes up but not much.
Gave the sample for the microbiology test. Getting it was so hard. I mean, how do you get a stool sample when its watery all the time. I had to scrape. Sorry TMI. They`ll test for bacteria and parasites and common viruses in children.
But now she has mucus in the diaper with and with out the diarrhea so I`m becoming more and more convinced that it`s a food issue.
We get the results on Wednesday and I`ll make an appointment for the gastro specialist on Tuesday. In the meanwhile your suggestions for the food changes are similar to what I had mind and will stick to that.