Possible Dairy Allergy

Emuna

Mon, Oct 17 2005, 12:31 am

Does anyone have experience with a dairy allergy? Our son is 9-months and I'm not sure if he has one. He has mild eczema on his cheeks. He has mucus. He is very fussy through the night. How do I know if it's a dairy allergy? I really don't want to go with soy formula because of the phytoestrogens. But should I stop the dairy formula???

elisecohen

Mon, Oct 17 2005, 7:29 am

I assume the baby is taking formula and not nursing anymore? Yes, as far as non-medical, kosher formulas go your choices are going to be dairy or soy. If you really think the milk is the culprit (a very good possibility), try the soy formula for a couple of weeks--that's not going to hurt your baby. If there is an improvement in the eczema during that time, talk to your doctor about your options.

My 9 month old does get eczema immediately from dairy, but he's on a special food-free amino-acid based formula anyway since he is suspected of having an autoimmune GI disease. Still, finding dairy- and soy-free toddler foods can be difficult, and the formula is $$$$ so I still have him nursing 8+ times a day--but sooner or later that's going to have to stop.

Pickle Lady

Mon, Oct 17 2005, 10:59 am

My son has a severe dairy allergy also. His reaction is not ezcema but I think almost every other reaction. One thing to remember is that if he is allergic, the more he is exposed to it the worse his reaction will be. So in away it won't get better. My son is anaphlactic and its really scary and I have to carry an epi pen and benedryl always. I am petrified of him even being in the same room as someone eating dairy. Also my son had symptoms for 1.5 years of an allergy and my ped told me numerous times that he didn't have it. If you really think he has an allergy, talk to an allergist. I finally went to an allergist and he said right away without test that he was defintly allergic to dairy and anaphlactic too. Also it will take atleast a few weeks to get fully out of the body if it is an allergy.

Chavamom I am also a big nurser due to the fact that my son is allergic and I suspect my second son is also allergic to dairy. I didn't feed solids to my second son till he was 8 months and nursed him till he was a 11 months and he was still hardly eating food (that was my doing because he really likes food). With my first I listened to way to much bad advice. my typical favorite "it will pass" and "you need a break" no I needed to find out why my son was so sick. B"H now I know. and that was after he had invasive tests that weren't nessary if I would have just gone to an allergist in the beginning.

Also look up allergies online. Allergic reactions include upset stomach, vomiting, runny nose, swollen throat, eczema, diareahea, reflux types sypmtoms.

My son was also always fussy at night and almost always had a runny nose before we took him off dairy.

Emuna

Mon, Oct 17 2005, 1:34 pm

I was also wondering just exactly what an allergist does. I have this weird feeling they will tell me my son is allergic to a million things. I nursed him for eight months and he had mild eczema, so the pediatrician told me to go off everything - dairy, soy, wheat, eggs - this was literally impossible because I was also pregnant again and could NOT give up everything and the allergy was SOOOO mild and older moms said he'll grow out of it anyway.

But with the formula (materna stage 2) I'm noticing more mucus and fussy at night PLUS the eczema.

Tovah, what do you think caused the eczema in your baby? Is the amino acid formula only by prescription?

hadasa

Thu, Oct 20 2005, 5:31 am

My (exclusively nursing) daughter had a mild allergy that showed up as an almost permanently stuffy nose and runny eyes. At four months we did a prick test, meaning he pricked her arm with something made of the various foods, wrapped her arm in a towel, and after about 20 mins checked which foods brought on a reaction. And yes, she is mildly allergic to chocolate and eggs, and when I cut down on these foods, her symptoms went away. There was B"H no reaction to milk, wheat, nuts or any other foods she was checked for.

Now she's two, and I would like to ask those mothers with allergic children - how on earth do you keep a toddler with older siblings from eating foods she's allergic to? I can't keep chocolate out of my house, neither can I stop serving fried eggs or egg salad, and she insists on having what everyone else has. I usually end up giving it to her, but, although her symptoms are mild, I know it's better to keep them away from her so her allergy doesn't get worse. Any advice?

Pickle Lady

Thu, Oct 20 2005, 1:24 pm

Since its my oldest son we just don't have dairy in our home. Its is too dangerous for him to be exposed to dairy, since his reaction can get worse.

A child will grow out of the allergy but it can get worse with repeated exposers. Now that my son is totally dairy free, I can tell even when he has been in the same room as someone eating dairy. Yep, its true last week his eyes were swollen for 2 days because he was in the same room as a few people eating ice cream and they said that he didn't eat anything or touch it.

My son never had a severe reaction to the dairy I ate while nursing him BUT was much worse when he ate actually ate the dairy himself.

Intersting to note I have a friend who ate a diet of only chicken, beef, white potatoes, apples, zucchini and bannas and maybe one or 2 other things but that was it. She did this diet for 6 months till they figured out his allergy and she weaned him.

When I went to an allergist they did a blood test. Some allergist do a skin test. It doesn't hurt to go to an allergist. I think its worth it.

For my family it was a total bracha when I finally found out why my son was so misrable. Our babies can't tell us they are hurting and its our job as mommy to take care of them.

The only way to help lessen an allergy is total avoidence not repeated exposers.

Pickle Lady

Thu, Oct 20 2005, 1:57 pm

The allergist I went to was wonderful and was so sensitive to my son. After going to an gastro specialist that dig much much more invasive tests (which included an endoscopy). All the allergist did was take a small amount of blood and ask me a bunch of questions this is less scary than a well visit with shots. My son cried much more from shots then when they took blood at the allergist.

Even if its mild discomfort, why should a child suffer at all, whould you want to suffer?. But the truth is that I never realized my son was so uncomfortable. By the time my ped took me seriously and recommended I take my son to a gastro specialist. The gastro specialist said my son's esphogus was very very severely inflammed. I was so sad because I never knew he was in so much pain. Everyone told me that he was just a kvetchy child but he wasn't he was a child in pain. It breaks my heart to know that I ignored my sons cries for help because of horrible advice like "it will pass" and "hes just a kvetchy baby".

elisecohen

Mon, Oct 24 2005, 9:31 am

good websites on allergy, including anaphylaxis, eczema, eosinophilic diseases, and other IgE- and cell-mediated responses:

http://www.foodallergy.org/
http://aaaai.org/
http://www.meandmyallergy.com/
http://www.jpeds.com/article/P.....ltext
(an important article on eosinophilic disorders and atypical allergies in general)
and
http://apfed.org/