How long does it take for the system to clear?

[proudmamanow]

Following IgG testing that showed her to be reactive to wheat, dairy and eggs, we took 6 yo dd off these foods two weeks ago. These are her favourite foods and it has been a total nightmare. Our younger dd has 35+ IgG sensitivities so we are very experienced with cooking this way and have many good recipes and good alternatives. But older dd who has sensory processing disorder and has always been picky has been miserable. She is really really upset and still missing her favourite foods. She is not eating nearly as much as she used to and we are worried that she is hungry a lot of the time, as she often leaves meals only half done. We don't have a lot of good protein sources for her, and we are struggling. And we are not seeing the kinds of changes we hoped to see. She did sleep well for one week, but is back to sleeping poorly again, she still has meltdowns (possibly more), still is grouchy, still has dark circles under her eyes and some rashes on her cheeks. The only symptom that has seen some small improvement is that she is not itchy at night before bed.

We are really struggling with this...for dd2, age 3, the changes were immediate, dramatic and very positive (sleeping, behaviour overall health). We are not seeing these kinds of changes with dd1 after two weeks and we are really wondering whether or not this is worth it and how long we should wait. We have been doing this diet with dd2 for more than a year, so it's not that we lack commitment, but I am reluctant to continue without seeing more benefit for dd1. She is also taking: omega 3, magnesium and probiotic, all allergen free. 

[changingseasons]

If you initially saw improvements but they didn't last, I would suspect maybe something that she's eating more of (to replace the foods she lost) in the past week. It sounds like you're on the right track, but you just haven't found all the trigger foods yet. Have you cut all the common allergens (diary, soy, gluten, eggs, nuts/tree nuts, fish/shellfish, corn)?

You could introduce those foods again, one at a time (I wouldn't do more than one per week), and see what happens. If they've been out of her diet for 2 weeks, symptoms *should* be much more pronounced and easy to spot.

[Panserbjorne]

unfortunately the sensitivities she has are likely a symptom of an underlying issue which could be a number of things.  Has she been tested for parasites?  Yeast overgrowth?  Again, for these to exist there is something off with her system, but taking allergens out isn't usually enough.  It takes the stress off the system, but won't change the fact that there may be something else going on (which is kind of what it sounds like I'm sorry to say.) 

It's terribly common for kids with allergies to have other imbalances though.  It's not generally a huge concern, just an additional piece of the picture.