5 month old with mucousy bloody stools. I'm at a loss and hoping you all can help

[skinnypups]

I've been keeping a log of everything that has happened over the past 2 1/2 weeks. Sorry it is so long, but both kiddos are keeping me busy today so I just had to C&P.

I found this forum through a friend and I am just trying to get any opinions and advice that I can.

Sorry for the yucky pics, but I am hoping that other mom's with LOs with sensitivities/allergies will be able to shed some light on what is going on and what I should do.

I have reached the point of borderline desperation :sigh:

12/1/2010

Baby is 5 months (today!) and has been congested for her whole life pretty much. She has had small amounts of blood in her poop on and off as well. She is a BIG beautiful normal baby otherwise.
So, I am supposed to go dairy free. I'm already a vegetarian, so the prospect of giving up ice cream, lattes, cheese & yogurt is very very sad

I'm just wondering if any of you have had a baby with similar issues? Did they resolve with dietary limitations? Was it something else all together?
Did you see anyone except your regular pediatrician?

12/2/2010

Doctor yesterday said to call if it got worse. Today DD had morew flecks of blood and some streaks of mucus with blood in it. Took her back in, saw a different doctor. He said that he thinks it is definitely NOT caused by anything I am eating and he disagrees with the other doctor. He wants to do nothing and see if it resolves on it's own.
WTF?
What do I do? Who do I listen to?

12/4/2010

I have been no dairy at all for 2 days and DD is no longer congested, her poop looks better (not perfect, but definitely improved) and she is sleeping amazingly well.

Is it possible it made a difference that fast? Or is it coincidence?

12/12/2010

Allrighty...
So, I have been really good over the past 10 or 11 days and had zero dairy (AFAIK) reading labels like crazy.
Yesterday we went to a holiday party. I ate maybe 1/4 cup of guacamole that my MIL made. My BIL said "you know she makes that with a mix, right?"
Sure enough the 3rd ingredient on the label of the mix is non-fat dried milk.

This morning DD had more blood in her diaper. Still not a lot, but very noticeable and definitely more than has been there in the past week and a half.

Could that small of an amount of dairy have caused her to react like that?

If this is just a dairy issue I am not super worried...but I am just stressing that it is something else. She is teething, drooling, hand chewing like crazy...but otherwise seems pretty happy and OK. She is certainly not wasting away or seeming like she is in pain or anything...
I just don't know quite what to do.
Any advice or opinions much appreciated

12/12/2010

we have not seen anyone except my regular pediatrician, who I really like (and her associate one day, who is a doof and blew me off. jerk!)
I have only been doing the diet change for 10 days. If we have any issues at all I am going to ask to see a GI or an allergist or something else. I cute everything including casein & whey and all other traces of dairy. The only thing I have to check is my thyroid pills.
DD was doing so well up until this morning. Good news is that she improved later today. Much less fussy tonight, and her last poop looked way better.

Thank you all. DH is great, and my family gets it (they are 550 miles away, but very supportive), but my MIL is already on my ~POOP~ list and she has been making all kinds of snarky comments about me being "ridiculous" about reading labels. Then she went and told me it was OK to eat her "homemade" guacamole that gave baby trouble.
Blergh! Sorry to vent...I am a very crabby vegan! This is why I eat cheese...not now obviously...but I chose to be a cheesatarian instead of a vegan 20 years ago because fake dairy makes me crabby

12/15/2010

ACK! More in the bloody poop saga.

I have been crazy careful since the guac thing on saturday, so I know that I have not had any dairy at all.
Today DD had the worst diaper yet. The entire thing was a massive blowout and it was all bloody snotty looking stuff. For the first time I felt a twinge of panic about the whole situation.
We went and saw the doctor again (and not the lame one that always blows me off).
They did some basic bloodwork.
Her white count is elevated. Normal is 5-10K and hers was 15K. He says that is not a scary number at all
Her hematocrit is 37 (totally fine)
her hemoglobin is 12.something (also totally fine)
her differential is screwy though. It should be 60% granulocytes and 40%lymph and monocytes (can't remember the exact % of each).

Instead her granulocytes are 36%, and her lymph and mono are 64% (again can't remember exact %).
The doctor says the numbers suggest something viral, but her symptoms and duration of them don't sound viral. So he is not sure what the issue is.

She is 18lb 14oz, and looks like a big fat happy normal baby. She does not appear to be in any pain, and nurses and plays normally. The doctor is not super concerned about her getting crazy sick right now.
So, we are to leave town this weekend as planned and he is going to get the ball rolling with a consult with a GI specialist, and we will go see them when we get back in town.

I am happy that he thinks she looks OK, and I am also glad that we will be going to see someone else about this.
I was fine with seeing the tiny bright red flecks in her diapers, and just monitoring them and continuing with my dairy -free diet. But this diaper this afternoon spooked me a little.

So...any opinions? Does this still sound dairy related? Or does it sound like something else to anyone?

trying not to worry, but she is just so little it makes me nervous

12/16/2010

ya, she certainly does not *look* like a sick baby. she is still happy and all too.
had another icky dipe just now. not as bad as yesterday, but not good

I just wish I knew what was going on. It worries me not to know

12/17/2010

this is from this morning 12/17/2010

the bright red flecks are less, but they are all orangish red & wet like this all the time. She seems ok, but I am still concerned. I have had her in disposables so I could save dipes for my doc to check. but they absorb so much of the liquid out that they never *;look* as bad by the time the doc looks at them.

Do these stools look like "normal" sensitivity stools, or should I be more concerned about them?

TIA, and sorry for the gross pics, but I just don't know where else to ask

2.5 weeks no dairy. one accidental slip-up on saturday .

i have not cut anything else, but have replaced dairy stuff with dairy free/soy free alternatives.

is there any way to test her at this point?
we will see a GI specialist the week after x-mas.
~~~~~~~
* have not cut soy, but have not upped my intake at all

man, this stresses me out!

Hoping to see an allergist if the GI doc does not give me a good answer.
I have OCD, so label checking has become sort of a neurotic hobby of mine LOL

I know that I accidentally had a small amount of dairy on saturday. Aside from that I know that I have not. I did read somewhere that kids with dairy issues also frequently have soy issues. I have not been avoiding soy, but not eating tons of it either. I am aware what foods have it...as I am a crazy label reader :/
I should keep a food diary...and will
I just wish I knew if I should worry a lot or not. The last doc I saw was better (the guy I saw before him totally blew me off, saying "she has an immature gut, don't worry about it. BF babies do not react to what their mothers eat) but still pretty casual about it. Like, if she still looks and acts well and the amount of actual blood does not get worse then I should not worry. I would love to not worry, believe me...I just don't know how much faith to put in these doctors..I mean, blood in poop and mucousy liquid poop is not normal. period. right?

If you have made it this far THANK YOU
 

[scsigrl]

It *could* be just dairy.  One slip up could cause up to a week of residual "issues".  

I would start a very detailed food log ASAP.  It can really help pin point what may be causing a reaction.  I would include things like how the baby sleeps, BM's, attitude and the like.  At this point, I think that would be more useful than the GI doc.  As you said, it is pretty common for kids with dairy issues to have soy issues as well.  I would drop that and eggs next (if it were me).  Maybe people say to drop corn too but that is tough so I wouldn't unless everything else is out.  As for testing...  At that age allergy testing is pretty unreliable.  Until about 2 yo it isn't very trustworthy (and even at that point the false +/- is still 50%) 

Good luck!

[skinnypups]

Thank you. I guess I will start cutting soy too. It's just so hard to eat as it is, but I would do anything for this poor kid...she is so sweet!

So, I know it's so gross to post poop pics and again I am sorry. I honestly can't believe I took a pic of a dirty diaper.:horror:

But, does that look typical for babies having sensitivity/allergic issues with what mom is eating?

I'm completely fine with eliminating stuff, I just want to make sure that the both of us are not suffering in vain.

I am paranoid that I am blowing off something even more serious. Her diapers just look so awful, I can't remember the last diaper she had that did not look like this one.

Thanks again

[scsigrl]

I can't answer about the diaper (my kids never had anything like that but we were dealing with a lot of other stuff including Celiacs and multiple food allergies).

If you are not ready to drop stuff, I would really start with the log.  If things were looking good before you had the little slip up, you may just need to hold off a few more days for it to clear her system and that may answer your question!

I hope it is "just" dairy! 

[Brees_Mama]

Hiya Pony! Glad you made it over :) I hope that she feels better soon and you get answers.

<redfishbluefish

[Theloose]

Dd got tiny threads of blood in her poop when she was a baby, but it usually came along with lots of mucous and/or watery diarrhea. We ec'd and used cloth, and she's 4 now so its hard to say, but your pics aren't really triggering memories for me. If she's growing and happy and hitting milestones, I wouldn't be freaking out right now. My dd was the same way, happy and gaining so much weight (27lbs at 7mo) that the GI pretty much brushed us off.

Have they run a sample of her stool, first to make sure its really blood (they always did that with dd, looked pretty obvious to me) and to check for pathogens? Turns out dd had a mild case of rotavirus at 5mo, and that that can cause all the same symptoms as her food reactions. The GI said the symptoms can come and go for weeks/months after, too.

What our story is turning out to be is that *I* react to foods, and my babies react to my reactions. Dd first started getting blood here and there, then it just kept getting worse and worse until I eliminate gluten/dairy/soy. Then things were great until we trailed (and failed) gluten, then lost corn, then almonds, then... What got us to baseline was adding nutrients and supporting my detox pathways.

You say you're veg*n. Have you had your b12 level checked? Do you supp b12? What form? Do you eat eggs? Without dairy, are you getting plenty of methionine (grains and animal protein are the main sources, iirc).

And how's your thyroid doing? Funny you should mention meds. Check out some of JaneS's posts about hypothyroid being the root of food sensitivities. Her thread in main H&H might be a good place to start.

[Gingercat]

I feel you!

My DD is 6.5 months, a BIG sweet and very happy baby!

But at around two months she started having small traces of blood in her stools every now and then.

Our ped (a homeopath) is not worried as she is a big health baby, but he did suggest to cut down dairy.

I drastically reduced my dairy consumption but I did not elimate dairy products all together.

However a few days ago she had a really nasty diaper with watery poop (not orangey though) and lots of blood with mucus.

I panicked so I started a dairy-free diet right away. I'm not a vegetarian (although I used to) but I try to follow a healthy TF diet so I already have a lot of food restrictions. And now with the holiday season things are hard; I think I'll not accept any food invitation!

I read somewhere here on MDC and on other internet sites that many BF moms were able to put back into their diets several forbidden foods (inl. dairy) by taking digestive enzymes with their meals. Apparently the enzymes help us to pre-digest the milk proteins before entering our brestmilk.

I wonder if someone here could give us more info on this.

I've ordered two bottles of enzymes already but I would not likely take them until at least a whole month goes by.

So far so good; she does not have a lot of BM these days but the ones she does have look pretty much OK.

I guess we just need to be patient but I'm glad anyway that I've found support here

[mama9]

Subbing......hugs to you mama! xxx

[Ashley_R]

Those diapers are identical to DS diapers when I've eaten something that disagrees with him.  He is allergic to soy, dairy, tomatoes, and possibly eggs.  Tomatoes cause the worst reaction, so keeping a food log would be the best idea, because it could be a food you wouldn't think of (like tomatoes, I never would've caught that one without a food log)

[skinnypups]

Originally Posted by Brees_Mama 

Hiya Pony! Glad you made it over :) I hope that she feels better soon and you get answers.

<redfishbluefish

Thanks for pointing me over here :)

So, she had a few *almost* normal looking diapers on monday or tuesday. There are less bright red flecks now, but they are still there. Also she has had some poops that are just liquid and definitely look like they have blood mixed in.

They have done a hemocult on some diapers (always positive for blood), but no cultures or any other tests on the poop itself. They did some basic bloodwork on her. Her WBC diff is off, but she is not anemic of anything so doc was not too worried

We have her 6 month appointment with our regular doc on wednesday and an appointment with the pediatric GI specialist on thursday. It would be nice to have some answers...but I am not holding my breath.

I was vegan, but have added eggs because I was just hungry. Eggs are probably not the best if we are dealing with figuring out allergies, but I can't eat meat. I do try and eat healthy and as balanced as I can. Lots of whole grain and legume combos, tons of veggies & fruits. I eat some soy, but not a lot...

My thyroid is doing well right now I think. I feel pretty good and my t4 was1.6 or something last time we checked.

Thanks everyone, I will let you know what the GI says.

[Gingercat]

A quick update from my part: after a whole week of cutting down all dairy today we had our first "normal" diaper and I was so happy!

No visible blood, no green color, no mucous or diarrhea.

And I've found that cutting down dairy is not that hard after all; I prepare raw almond milk very often now and I use it for hot chocolate and in my black tea.

Also I use coconut milk for my hot oatmeal, and instead of butter I spread tahini or PB on my morning toast.

Though I still haven't figured out what to springle on my pasta

So glad that things are looking good for both of us and our babies!

[FlipMom23]

Glad things are getting better!  It's soooo hard to figure out your new "normal", as far as your diet goes.  Coconut milk ice cream (health food stores) is to die for!  And just plain coconut milk (that you buy in cartons) is a yummy sub too.  I've found nothing as good as cheese, though. :(

Your dd may be allergic to something else too, or you may have just missed something in an ingredient list.  Milk can be disguised a zillion different ways (sodium caseinate, casein, whey, lactoglobulin or something like that, cream, so on....) and I've found that if it's listed in the list, they don't always put it at the end where it lists the allergens all together. :(

My first child was allergic to only milk.  Second was allergic to milk, eggs, and soy.  Third allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts.  I'm hoping this fourth baby isn't TOO bad.  Nobody in my family really gets it, either.  It's so annoying - they think it's in my head or something. 

Good luck with things!

[Brees_Mama]

Yw Pony :D

Awesome, Gingercat!!

[skinnypups]

OK, so I don't want to get  too excited just yet...but I think we made a breakthrough. After seeing the GI last week I cut out soy too. She is SO MUCH BETTER! She has only been pooping once a day (instead of leaking a little bit a million times a day and having 4-6 big awful messy nasty dipes) and her poop has no blood and looks almost normal!

We also got the go ahead to do some food with her. She has been grabbing at my food for a few weeks and getting all pissy when I say no. She has had bananas and pears and a couple bites of my avocado and she really likes them all. We are not pushing anything on her and mostly she likes to try and feed herself so I don't know how much she is actually ingesting...but she enjoys it and it keeps her busy while I eat :)

Thank you all so much for your help, I really appreciate it. I really hope that she continues to do well. Avoiding all soy is difficult and kind of awful, but I am happy that something I am doing is finally making a difference. Makes all those moments I zone out and dream about pizza and real ice cream seem worth it

[Brees_Mama]

That's wonderful!

I too dream of pizza. With real cheese and tomato sauce...Mmmmm

[Kary123]

Hi

I am wondering if you can tell me what happened with your kid. I have 4 month old son and he has been having bloody streaks (just as you described) in his stool since two months. I have been off the dairy since last month and nothing has changed as such. He still has occasional bleeding in his diaper. His diaper looks very similar to the picture you have posted. Stool tests shows negative in infections :), but not sure what is causing the bleeding. Can you please write me back and let me know what the cause was in your baby;s case. Thanks. You can write back to me at [e-mail]. thank you.

[AlinaW]

Hi! Sorry to trouble you, I do see the date on the post :) but I am a ftm and am desperate! My happy healthy 5 months old baby girl just started getting those exact same looking diapers. Please, Help!!!! Thank you very much in advance 

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by AlinaW 

Hi! Sorry to trouble you, I do see the date on the post :) but I am a ftm and am desperate! My happy healthy 5 months old baby girl just started getting those exact same looking diapers. Please, Help!!!! Thank you very much in advance 

At just one post are you able to start your own thread?  That would be best if you can try.  Go to the "allergies" forum main page and click on "Start New Thread" that is on the top left, above the listings.

Good luck!