ED - worse before it gets better?

[LittleBirdy]

We have always suspected that DS might be dairy intolerant.  He is BF but when he started daycare at 12 weeks he began getting some supplemental formula.  At six months, after months of vague symptoms (congestion, spitting up, red bum, poor sleep), we did switch to a soy-based formula which he tolerated better.  (I know many dairy sensitive kids are also soy sensitive but if he is sensitive to both he at least tolerates soy better.)  This was the only change we really made to his/my diet.  Most symptoms seemed to improve - he spit up less, was less congested, red bum went away and he is still not a great sleeper but it did get a little better following the switch.  Still, I always sort of wondered if it was all in my head.

Last Wednesday night, he got fed some ice cream.  (It's a long story - don't ask.)  When I picked him up from daycare on Thursday he had had 3 loose stools and his bottom was so red my jaw about hit the floor when I changed his diaper.  His whole bum was red but right around his anus was very bright red.  So I have been dairy free since 6:00 p.m. on Thursday night.

He seems worse these past few days than he was when I was eating dairy!  Very fussy, is exhausted but won't/can't sleep, and is starting to get dark circles under his eyes.  I came across something from kellymom that said sometimes babies get worse before they get better - does anyone know anything more about this?

Also, is it worth it to just do TED while I'm at it?  I also have some concerns about wheat as DH has wheat issues.  (Unconfirmed but he went off wheat for a few months and his IBS disappeared and now becauses he so rarely eats wheat he notices if he eats a sandwich his face gets all hot & turns red.)

And since I know there are a lot of really experienced mamas here if you think I'm off base on the food intolerance  thing, please say so!  I've been on the fence for months about this - one minute I feel like I'm overreacting and the next I feel like I'm ignoring a legitimate problem.

[scsigrl]

I won't go to a TED right away.  It's only been a few days.  First thing I would look at is what you are using in place of dairy.  Have you gone really soy heavy? If so (and as you said dairy and soy often go together) I would drop soy.  If still nothing, go to egg.

I am of the "One thing at a time." removal and addition method.  No nee to do more till it gets really bad.

Good luck!

ETA: Many kids react worst from direct exposure over BF exposure.  It can take a bit of time for his little system to clear it all out.

[SweetSilver]

When you say "I have been dairy-free", does that mean you are also eliminating dairy in your diet?  If not, you'll need to do that, too.  As long as he nurses you'll need to follow his elimination diet with your own, even though breastmilk will (usually) induce a milder reaction that direct contact.  You are definitely on the right track as far as food intolerances/allergies are concerned.  (BTW, formula has other allergens in it as well, namely corn.)  

[deminc]

Well I think you have pinpointed ice-cream - did you check what's in the ice-cream? For me, if you've done dairy before, soy before, and know the reactions, it would scream either nuts or eggs. One of my kids was very allergic to dairy and get a head to toe polka dot rash within minutes of touching anything with dairy. He has totally outgrown it by three. The other kid reacted to eggs. He would get the runs through the day.

Another thing that crossed my mind - teething?

[LittleBirdy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

When you say "I have been dairy-free", does that mean you are also eliminating dairy in your diet?  If not, you'll need to do that, too.  As long as he nurses you'll need to follow his elimination diet with your own, even though breastmilk will (usually) induce a milder reaction that direct contact.  You are definitely on the right track as far as food intolerances/allergies are concerned.  (BTW, formula has other allergens in it as well, namely corn.)  

Yup I mean that we are both dairy free.  DS was mostly dairy free anyway since he doesn't like cheese or yogurt (maybe he knew better than I did?).  I checked his formula and there is no corn.  I'm actually sort of at a loss as to what to do about his formula.  Most days he only wants the 2 4 oz bottles of BM I am able to pump at work but occassionally (once a week, maybe) he'll want a third bottle and that's when he gets the formula.  I would really like to have him off the formula all together but I don't know what to have daycare give him if he's wanting a third bottle.  The freezer stash is out since who knows what I was eating the day the milk was pumped; plus it's dwindling anyway.
 

Originally Posted by deminc 

Well I think you have pinpointed ice-cream - did you check what's in the ice-cream? For me, if you've done dairy before, soy before, and know the reactions, it would scream either nuts or eggs. One of my kids was very allergic to dairy and get a head to toe polka dot rash within minutes of touching anything with dairy. He has totally outgrown it by three. The other kid reacted to eggs. He would get the runs through the day.

Another thing that crossed my mind - teething?

It was strawberry cheesecake ice cream so I bet there was all kinds allergens in there - eggs & wheat for sure.  The shop makes all their own ice cream so I wouldn't be surprised about trace amounts of nuts too.

I thought about teething.  He usually gets 1 day of stinky, loose poops right before he pops a tooth.  It happened a few weeks ago and the top two erupted.  Haven't felt any new bumps.
 

[changingseasons]

When you eliminated dairy from your diet, did you replace it with something else? It really shouldn't get worse before better, so I would suspect something new that you've introduced. Are you keeping a detailed food/symptom journal?

[flightgoddess]

Red dye fron the strawberry ice cream?

[deminc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleBirdy 

Quote:

It was strawberry cheesecake ice cream so I bet there was all kinds allergens in there - eggs & wheat for sure.  The shop makes all their own ice cream so I wouldn't be surprised about trace amounts of nuts too.

I thought about teething.  He usually gets 1 day of stinky, loose poops right before he pops a tooth.  It happened a few weeks ago and the top two erupted.  Haven't felt any new bumps.

Yikes! That's a whole lot of ingredients in there, including that red dye flightgoddess mentioned. It's better to pick simple treats that have a very short ingredient list on the labels. If there are no labels, skip it. To be honest it took us a while before we got to the point where 30min of joy is not worth the sleepless nights and crying and everyone just skirt the ice-cream store for a few months (great sacrifice on part of dh and ds1, after a while they sneaked out together to eat ice-cream). Now we've figured out that sorbets from trusted brands are ok. A good server at the ice cream store will wash the scoop in hot water before getting ds2's sorbet, or use a separate one. He also reacts much less now compared to 2 years ago.

Good that you have managed to rule out teething. In that case, I think you might just have to ride out this round and go back to what you were doing. When you intend to introduce eggs or nuts, make sure it is the only new food so that you will be able to tell clearly and avoid preservatives/dye at the same time as some children may actually be reacting to the chemicals, and not the food and it would be such a shame to confuse the two. We were told to test egg using hard-boiled egg - so it's not cooked with any other oils or butter. That will give the clearest result. When you want to test wheat in future, use plain pasta, not bread which is not a single-ingredient item and often have soy or additives etc added.  And so on.    

[SweetSilver]

And as you go along testing the big allergens as they seem necessary, don't forget about the less common ones if symptoms don't improve: oats and rice, for example.  Seeds can also cause troubles.  And corn is a hidden ingredient.  Dextrose, modified food starch, and fructose are all commonly made from corn, as is xanthum gum.

[deminc]

Totally OT - sweetsilver, I love your little avatar at the bottom! It's the story of my life, especially when the avatar collapse over the tub, lol.