TEDand she is so much WORSE!!

[strmis]

okay.. seriously, I'm getting really discouraged here. i think I need a pick me up from my favorite allergy group.

i'm starting to think its not a food intollerance at all, or really, i don't know what to think. she was SOOO SO SO itchy this morning. She would NOT stop. Her cheeks and chest are bright red now! i'm gonna have to do a round of steroid cream tonight so we can all keep our sanity.

am i perhaps:

detoxing into my milk

allergic to something i put into my TED rotation (turkey (non-organic), zuchinni, sweet potato, quinoa) for five days now (4.5 days technically)

am still getting stuff out of my system. the last bit of dairy i had was over 2.5 weeks ago.

something environmental?

URGH: today I broke down and threw some raisins into my sweet potato because i've been craving them and for a snack i had walnuts with my raisins. i'm thinking of going back on the diet but right now i think i require a break (minus eggs and corn) to keep my sanity!

i feel like a broken record and a serial thread starter, but i think this is the best resource i have. thanks so much for your input.

[mtn.mama]

I vote that something in your TED is not safe for her.
I don't know your story or what you've ruled out...
but you might try switching out quinoa for rice.
Also, are you sure the turkey isn't injected with dairy?
A grassfed meat would be a safer bet.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
I know how much it hurts to feel your baby suffering.
You can do this. Don't give up.
Lisa

[lil_miss_understood]

Yes, another vote for her being sensitive to something in your TED or that the turkey is in broth or otherwise contaminated by wheat, dairy, soy or corn.
I'd say switch out the turkey for grass-fed lamb, first and see if that helps.

[WuWei]

It is insanity causing and you are not alone.

You might try some baking soda compresses or bath. Or Epsom salt soaks. Or maybe try a little bit of coconut oil on a small area of skin to see if she reacts to it directly. If not, coconut oil is often very soothing to the skin. Or aloe.

The steroid pushes the inflamatory process deeper. The body is trying to rid itself of toxins. So, you don't want to suppress its removal from her body. Are you losing a lot of weight fast? If so, try to add some magnesium, zinc, vit C for you. And a dark, leafy vegetable, as soon as you can. Spinach seems ok, for a lot of mamas.

Nuts are considered highly allergenic.


Pat

[springmum]

you need to start swapping out some things on your list, one a time, give it a day or 2, then swap something else if no improvement.

Example - turkey is horrible for my DS, I would try something like lamb, or chicken.

You do not want to be on the TED for long, adding nutrients will help heal. A TED is a tool, not a permanent diet, which I'm sure you already know. Sometimes you have to get to a point where you can at least tell if things will get worse. Meaning add something new, wait a few days, if nothing worsens, it's part of you regular diet.

Have you stopped all supplements? Allergen free ones are important.

Are you keeping a food journal? Do you notice a pattern with the eczema (times of day, days of the week etc)?

Environmental is possible - detergents, carpets, molds, dust etc.

Do not let yourself get hungry, b/c thinking clearly becomes hard when you are hungry.
Eat lot's of whatever foods are in your list right now, it's important for your DD to have a healthy mama.

It's hard sometimes - we are here for you!

[kortner]

I did not have success with an elimination diet. I am still not sure if my son may react to one of the foods I was consuming at the time. I couldn't tell if he got better or worse - it seemed like there was no change. But, then again, I was miserable and I quickly added some foods back that I now know I react to (like eggs) and he reacts to (like avocado).

I wish I had some help. For me the ELISA test gave me some clearer things to focus on eliminating, and now I mainly watch him for other reactions and we are very very slowly introducing solids. I would never have guessed some of the foods we have trouble with. He was getting egg yolk almost daily and we still couldn't tell a response because it was slow and built up over time.

Are you getting enough calories? Esp. fat???

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by kortner

For me the ELISA test gave me some clearer things to focus on eliminating,

Did you test you or baby? At what age?

Pat

[Wugmama]

I didn't have any success w/a TED. It was after going back to eating everything and doing gut healing measures that I was finally able to remove foods and start seeing a difference. It took until about a week before my baby's 1st bday to get all cleared up. My experience was it took a LONG time to clear everything out of her system, too. Now we avoid wheat and anything w/gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn and all nightshade family. THat is it! She is fine with all the things I had on my TED yet she didn't clear at that time. But once I started eating and doing CLO (liquid), kefir, kombucha, real saur kraut, digestive enzymes, chlororphyll and flax oil she slowly improved, then we took out wheat and dairy only, huge improvment, then I was able to notice when certain things I ate affected her so figured out the rest. Now she is perfectly clear, we've never even had her tested. At her worst she was almost hospitalized, it was that bad all over her whole body.

Also, during the 17 days of my TED I lost a ton of weight, baby either lost weight or stopped growing, my milk all but dried up, and baby started reacting to some formula she had previously tolerated at 2 days old (I had a TIA and was hospitalized and unable to nurse). I had to break out the formula to supplement, and after the second bottle she got welts on her face and head! So she got worse during TED!

You definitely need to support yourself and her w/enough fat, calories and nutrients.

It was a really, really long road, and looking back I don't know how I survived it. It didn't happen over night, but we did heal and you can too!


Tracy

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by kortner

Are you getting enough calories? Esp. fat???

That thought occurred to me on looking over the list again. Isn't an oil usually included in a TED?

[kjbrown92]

My DS can't do turkey or quinoa, so I agree that something you're eating (more of now) is causing the rise in itchiness. Switch out one thing at a time (did you ever play Mastermind as a kid?).

You definitely need to get enough calories. Roast the turkey. Eat the skin. Use the drippings in gravy (whatever starch you're using). Eat the meat. Make stock from the carcass. Eat the organs if you can (giblet gravy). Make sure you're getting everything from the foods that you do choose.

I never did the TED with my kids. I started on the ED by Dr. Doris Rapp (she wrote "Is This Your Child?" and then kept removing foods until DD2 got to baseline (instead of starting at the bottom and working up).

[kortner]

The ELISA was for me - DS was 8 months? at the time. I did the TED at 4 months, but like I said I rushed through it (it was also my first time eating meat after 10 years of vegetarianism). I was reacting to a lot of things I hadn't even suspected seriously, and would never have removed all of them at once without the ELISA.

[capsgirl08]

I don't have much more to offer other than what these sage mamas have already suggested. I have moments of weakness often, but once you see improvement, it becomes much easier to stay strong! You CAN do this!

Also - Kjbrown --- Thank you! I LOVED Mastermind as a kid, and my DH thinks I'm a weirdo for it. We have my childhood set right here in our livingroom. Everyone who visits always asks --what is that??

[Shelsi]

Are you sure about corn? If so, there's def corn in your turkey I bet. It's really hard to find corn free poultry. It can't have any juice in it, no natural flavoring, etc. Plus remember the birds are still fed corn so some super sensitive kids will still react to that (my dd reacts to corn fed beef).

When I did the TED it didn't work at first either but that's because she was allergic to some of the things in my diet. So each week I rotated something out. I finally figured out she was reacting to the rice (prob because of corn contamination, for totally corn contamination-free rice use Lundberg's) and to olive oil.

[strmis]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

That thought occurred to me on looking over the list again. Isn't an oil usually included in a TED?

oh, yes. i have been putting coconut oil when cooking the turkey. for a while i was eating the oil straight up because i have been loosing a bit of weight (i'm already very petite, so 2 lbs is probably a lot... proportionally). DD is thriving still, weight wise.

if i put coconut oil on her skin and she does not turn red it means that if she ingests it she is not likely to be sensitive to it??

ok.. round two for TED. i will replace the quinoa with rice and look for that "lundberg" brand that shelsi talks about.


: you ladies are so wonderful!!

[strmis]

Originally Posted by springmum

y

Have you stopped all supplements? Allergen free ones are important.

Are you keeping a food journal? Do you notice a pattern with the eczema (times of day, days of the week etc)?

Environmental is possible - detergents, carpets, molds, dust etc.

yes, i'm keeping a food journal, and am trying to be ultra sensitive to see if i react to some things for example, i swear i was just the tiniest bit itchy after i ate zuchinni but i don't know if i was imagining things...

how can we tell if its mold or dust?? i suppose an air filter of sorts??

we use free and clear detergent, but perhaps not sensitive enough? she never had a problem with it before

there IS a pattern.. sorta. she usually itches when she is upset (hungry, sleepy, or looking for me) or while she is asleep (it often wakes her).

[Shelsi]

Have you considered seeing an allergist and getting the skin prick test done? That can usually pick up on any environmental allergies and possibly food allergies as well.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by strmis

if i put coconut oil on her skin and she does not turn red it means that if she ingests it she is not likely to be sensitive to it??

Coconut is allergenic or an intolerance for some folks. Also, it kills off candida yeast. So, you can use it topically for the itching.

Are you feeding baby anything directly? Is she is having flares, I'd not push "solids" at this point. If xyz food is in your diet, it could be an issue. Or she could tolerate you eating xyz food, but not tolerate eating xyz directly,herself. It doesn't follow that if you can eat it, and she's ok with the food through your milk, she still might not tolerate the food directly. Because it has undigested proteins, vs. mama's milk. Does that make sense?

Pat

[strmis]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Coconut is allergenic or an intolerance for some folks. Also, it kills off candida yeast. So, you can use it topically for the itching.

Are you feeding baby anything directly? Is she is having flares, I'd not push "solids" at this point. If xyz food is in your diet, it could be an issue. Or she could tolerate you eating xyz food, but not tolerate eating xyz directly,herself. It doesn't follow that if you can eat it, and she's ok with the food through your milk, she still might not tolerate the food directly. Because it has undigested proteins, vs. mama's milk. Does that make sense?

Pat

yes, does make sense. thanks pat. i really haven't given her solids, tho she does seem tolerate sweet potatoes. i haven;t given her much else.

off topic question... is there a minimum timeline or amount when one can build a sensitivity to something. example, when doin TED i may find myself having WAY more rice than usual. atwhat point *could* that tip the scale, so to speak??

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by strmis

yes, does make sense. thanks pat. i really haven't given her solids, tho she does seem tolerate sweet potatoes. i haven;t given her much else.

off topic question... is there a minimum timeline or amount when one can build a sensitivity to something. example, when doin TED i may find myself having WAY more rice than usual. atwhat point *could* that tip the scale, so to speak??

If you're eating it every day and it's not being properly digested, it will go through your intestinal wall into your bloodstream. Your body will start maki
ng antibodies against it because it's "foreign" (it shouldn't be in your bloodstream).
No one can say at what point this will happen or even that it *will* happen. It all depends on whether or not the food is being properly digested. The best thing to do, in the case of grains, is to make sure that you are soaking them to make them more easily digestible. I don't know anything about soaking grains, but Pat (and a whole lot of ladies on the Traditional Foods forum) likely does.
At least, that's how I understand it.

[WuWei]

Yes, just soaking grains overnight in an acid medium (a splash of ACV or lemon juice) helps to "predigest" the proteins. Grains are more easily digested if you have adequate HCl in your stomach also.

You can test your stomach acid at home, do the pink pee test. http://heal-thyself.ning.com/forum/topics/the-beet-test

Pat