What is your DC allergic to?

[capsgirl08]

I don't know if this has been asked before, but I am curious as to (1) everything you have noticed DC being allergic to, and (2) his or her reactions, behavioral or otherwise. Also, (3) how did you find out?

I don't know if it is possible for a child to be sensitive/allergic to dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, fish, peanuts, --- the whole top 8 --- plus potatoes, tomatoes, etc. I have been trying for months to figure out my son's eczema (he feeds through my breastmilk), and it truly seems like he has reacted to every one of those. I read that this is "highly unlikely" but I want to hear what your experiences are. We did a RAST which showed nothing, or I guess, no IgE response. But his eczema still flares on his face and body.

I posted before, but taking out dairy and wheat improved his condition sooo much, and I have noticed that he is happier. I went ahead and took out soy and it seems even better. I had already been avoiding eggs and peanuts.

Thanks for your thoughts, ladies!

[changingseasons]

You really want to know?
(I'm just copying and pasting from a spreadsheet, cause this is WAY too much to type...)

• almond
• apple
• apricot
• astragalus
• avocado
• banana
• beef
• benzoic acid
• brewer's yeast
• canteloupe
• carrot
• cashew
• celery
• chicken
• cinnamon
• coconut
• corn
• cranberry
• dairy
• eggs
• fish/shellfish
• gluten
• goji berry
• grape
• honeydew
• legumes
• lemon
• lime
• malt
• nori
• oat
• orange
• peach
• peanut/tree nut
• pear
• psyllium
• raspberry
• rice
• squash
• sunflower seed
• sweet potato
• tomato
• white potato

DD has reacted (in various degrees to different foods) with eczema, poo issues (mucous/blood in stool, green stool, horrible acid-smelling poo), gassiness, trouble sleeping, behavior issues (tantrums, banging head), spitting up, all the 'standard' colic symptoms... I'm sure I've forgotten a few.

[nalo]

I feel like I'm NEVER going to know at this point but here's what I think we're working with at a minimum now.....

Dairy
Corn
Gluten
Soy

Reactions have ranged from green, mucous poop to yeast diaper rash to lots of gas (painful) to TERRIBLE sleep which I still can't get under control.

[capsgirl08]

Thank you. ChangingSeasons, I am afraid the same list is developing over here for DS too. Every single solid I have tried for him has caused a reaction...even the supposedly" least allergenic foods" like squashes and rice. Just wondered if it was my imagination or if it could really be something else besides food allergy.

[changingseasons]

Are you doing any gut healing right now too? Between that, CST, and homeopathy, DD's reacting are getting much less severe when we try a new food. (I mean, the food still fails the trial and we can't eat it anymore... but it makes me hopeful that someday we'll try a food that DOESN'T fail. )

FWIW- the 'safe' foods in our diet are: lamb, zucchini, broccoli, palm shortening, blueberries, water kefir, cane sugar, honey. We're very, very slowly adding foods to that list, one at a time.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Are you doing any gut healing right now too? Between that, CST, and homeopathy, DD's reacting are getting much less severe when we try a new food. (I mean, the food still fails the trial and we can't eat it anymore... but it makes me hopeful that someday we'll try a food that DOESN'T fail. )

FWIW- the 'safe' foods in our diet are: lamb, zucchini, broccoli, palm shortening, blueberries, water kefir, cane sugar, honey. We're very, very slowly adding foods to that list, one at a time.

HONEY! When'd you get that back? :

We're a small list here too.
DS1: dairy, wheat/gluten, eggs (soy soon), food coloring
DS2: coconut, strawberries, tree nuts, peanuts (I always think I'm missing something for him)

Can't get into symptoms right now, but basically CS's list and then some. Dairy's IgE, so it includes polyuria and polydipsia (excessive thirst and peeing), flushing of the face, blah blah.

[4Blessings]

Originally Posted by capsgirl08

I don't know if this has been asked before, but I am curious as to (1) everything you have noticed DC being allergic to, and (2) his or her reactions, behavioral or otherwise. Also, (3) how did you find out?

I don't know if it is possible for a child to be sensitive/allergic to dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, fish, peanuts, --- the whole top 8 --- plus potatoes, tomatoes, etc. I have been trying for months to figure out my son's eczema (he feeds through my breastmilk), and it truly seems like he has reacted to every one of those. I read that this is "highly unlikely" but I want to hear what your experiences are. We did a RAST which showed nothing, or I guess, no IgE response. But his eczema still flares on his face and body.

I posted before, but taking out dairy and wheat improved his condition sooo much, and I have noticed that he is happier. I went ahead and took out soy and it seems even better. I had already been avoiding eggs and peanuts.

Thanks for your thoughts, ladies!

If you haven't already, find your way over to http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

You'll see how "highly unlikely" isn't so highly unlikely!

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by Proud2BeAnAmerican

If you haven't already, find your way over to http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

You'll see how "highly unlikely" isn't so highly unlikely!

Totally OT, but where have YOU been? I've missed you!

[fruitfulmomma]

"But his eczema still flares on his face and body."

Have you considered that it might not be a food trigger? My daughter's is triggered by stress (this is her top one), dog hair, and bath & laundry soaps. She only uses California Baby for washing herself and I use Biokleen for all our laundry. I made the mistake of letting her buy and use some Christmassy bubble bath a couple of weeks ago and she had a severe outbreak. She has no food allergies that I am aware of and she was diagnosed 4 1/2 years ago.

Of my other four children, ds and dd2 have no food allergies that I am aware of. DD3 is allergic to gluten and I am not sure about DD4. She is 6 weeks old and exclusively bf'ed and we are trying to determine if her rash is coming from a food or environmental allergy or something else.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

She is 6 weeks old and exclusively bf'ed and we are trying to determine if her rash is coming from a food or environmental allergy or something else.

I can *almost* guarantee that at 6 weeks old, it is a food trigger. It would be very unlikely for a baby that young to be exibiting environmental allergies. And if you have one kid that has food allergies, that makes it even more likely.

Don't discount the food triggers. Sometimes when you start really looking into this stuff and doing elimination diets, you get rid of symptoms that you didn't know you had! (Some kids have symptoms like wetting the bed, tantrums, ADHD, etc.)

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Don't discount the food triggers. Sometimes when you start really looking into this stuff and doing elimination diets, you get rid of symptoms that you didn't know you had! (Some kids have symptoms like wetting the bed, tantrums, ADHD, etc.)

So true. I'm *still* figuring out the symptoms we're now free from, and it's been almost 9 months. I've had very few "oopses", which is great but every time we have an "oops", something else pops up that I didn't realize was related to ds1's allergies/intolerances.

[fruitfulmomma]

"I can *almost* guarantee that at 6 weeks old, it is a food trigger."

Not to hijack, as I need to start my own thread with questions but...

DH thinks it was just his conditioner. I think that was part of the problem because every time *he* held her she would flare up really bad but since he stopped using that it has been reduced. But I am not convinced that is her only problem. I am trying the ED but it is hard!!! I keep finding myself messing up, like the other day I ate some frozen peaches thinking it's just fruit , but then read the ingredients and it had citric acid in it and I am thinking that is corn right??? So, now I have to start my timing all over again. Agh!

[preemiemamarach]

I thought our list was extensive, but CS has us beat!

• egg white (his only IgE + result)
• all dairy
• all soy
• chicken
• turkey
• pork
• beef
• lamb
• bison
• venison
• rice protein (rice milk is ok)
• basically, ALL WHOLE PROTEINS
• raspberries
• blueberries
• strawberries
• mangoes
• white potato
• banana
• ALL corn products, including
• corn syrup
• corn syrup solids
• maltodextrin
• sorbitol
• cornstarch
• modified corn starch
• dextrose
• IV dextrose
• soy oil/soy lecithin
• grapeseed oil
• any oil with additives (like safflower oil with vitamin E

With all whole proteins, DS starts with a rash all over his body, 4-72 hours after ingestion. Then, he gets green diarrhea, which progresses to watery, mucusy, acidic diarrhea that leaves blisters on his skin.

For the corn derivatives and the soy oil, it's been confined to the green diarrhea and acid poo in the past, but he had a reaction to IV dextrose in the hospital that started with the rash.

he also sometimes gets eczema between his eyes and on his forehead, but this was an initial symptom- once the rashes began, we didn't see the eczema much anymore.

We found these reactions by journaling religiously. I would like to say it's helped, but DS now is on a single-ingredient diet and his root problem is still undiagnosed. He likely has a rare metabolic disease, because the protein reactions and severe corn derivative reactions are both pretty unlikely, and exceedingly unlikely to happen together (along with developmental delays, FTT, right-sided weakness, significant speech delays, immune deficiency, etc.).

[capsgirl08]

Thank you so much for your replies! I was concerned that perhaps there was some flaw in my testing method because so many foods have failed. It's also not helpful when my mom (grew up in the Philippines) thinks that BFing is "third world" and for "poor people" and she asks what DS is eating now all the time.

I have a few more questions that have cropped up since initially posting...

Changing Seasons --- What is CST? I have been researching good homeopaths here in Austin, but have had mixed luck. Also don't yet have the support from DH to go to one. Also, gut healing --- for me or DS or both? I have been giving him Kyo probiotics, and myself, eating bone broths. Your list helped me feel...not better...but more confident in what I thought about DS. He reacted to pears, apples, and all those latex family foods. Anyway, thanks!

Fruitful --- Yes, I have been concerned with other allergens. So hard to tell right now with DS being almost 9 months old, though. I only bathe him in water and epsom salts, and the only lotion I use on him is Vanicream. I'm also minimalistic about what I use and rarely wear makeup...DH on the other hand wears strong deodorant, but I haven't seen DS flare around him.

Preemie --- Just wondering what your DS's diet consists of?

Jacqueline --- Didn't realize excessive urine and thirst could be a symptom...DS has been going 5-6 days without poops...

Thanks, again, everyone!

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by capsgirl08

Changing Seasons --- What is CST? I have been researching good homeopaths here in Austin, but have had mixed luck. Also don't yet have the support from DH to go to one. Also, gut healing --- for me or DS or both? I have been giving him Kyo probiotics, and myself, eating bone broths. Your list helped me feel...not better...but more confident in what I thought about DS. He reacted to pears, apples, and all those latex family foods. Anyway, thanks!

Cranio-sacral therapy. Helps with structural issues. That, and discovering that DD was tongue-tied (and then getting it clipped) has really helped her eat better and start gaining weight.

Bone broths and probiotics are great for gut healing. If tolerated, you might also take CLO (cod liver oil), and a vitamin C supplement (I take TwinLab Allerg-C) to help your body clear toxins.

[Multimomma]

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

Have you considered that it might not be a food trigger? My daughter's is triggered by stress (this is her top one), dog hair, and bath & laundry soaps. She only uses California Baby for washing herself and I use Biokleen for all our laundry.

I wanted to second this. My #2 DD is allergic to corn, but not just in food. Any soaps, even window cleaners with corn ingredients make her react. She doesn't even have to touch it.

OP...my kids as follows

#1 apples, pears
#2 corn
#3 safe
#4 safe
#5 any soaps (I have not figured out a common ing yet)
#6 wheat
#7 milk, soaps

It just seems so random, especially when we have two kids that are completely non allergenic to anything.

[fruitfulmomma]

"all those latex family foods."

What foods would those be? I think bananas are right?

Thanks,

[fruitfulmomma]

Oh, I forgot... Our gf girl reacted to grapefruit as well.

[preemiemamarach]

capsgirl08- I guess his diet technically has four ingredients- amino acid powder (by rx), rice milk, safflower oil and MCT oil. it tastes horrid, but it's keeping him alive and happy, so I love it!

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by preemiemamarach

capsgirl08- I guess his diet technically has four ingredients- amino acid powder (by rx), rice milk, safflower oil and MCT oil. it tastes horrid, but it's keeping him alive and happy, so I love it!

I hate to be nosy, but may I ask what (if any) diagnosis he has, Rachel?