Docs only solution is to give up BFing

[pedal_princess]

My DS is 8 months and has had severe eczema since he was about 1 month old. We've breastfed exclusively until he was just over 6 months. Then we started introing solids.

We've had RAST testing a couple of times and found a positive allergy to:
milk (all forms)

egg

lentils

chickpeas

walnut

shrimp

He's had positive reactions to these founds from eating himself:

bananas

squash

A few things we fed him and I couldn't tell if he reacted or it was continued flare up from something i ate:

avocado

quinoa

His skin clears for a few days, then flares up again. So i suspect that there are still things I am eating that he is allergic to. i tried an elimination diet for two months and he got a little better off and on. i'm wondering if maybe he's allergic or intolerant of rice or other beans - - both of which i ate a lot of during those couple months of the ED (i was only eating 12 different foods!).

We've seen 2 different allergist and both have told me to stop BFing. Both tried to put him on prescription formula (neocate or elecare). I cannot bear to give my baby corn syrup as the main ingredient in his diet. Plus, what if he's intolerant of corn? He's never tested positive, but I wonder if he's intolerant.

Can anyone help me make the case that BFing is still best?

How do you pinpoint all of the food allergies?

I cut out all nuts, but are seeds okay? I've been eating pumpkin (pepita) seeds and sunflower seeds.

I'm a vegetarian, so I'm having a tough time with protein.

Would love to hear from anyone who's battled multiple food allergies and still continued to breastfeed. Any tips are greatly appreciated.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by pedal_princess 

My DS is 8 months and has had severe eczema since he was about 1 month old. We've breastfed exclusively until he was just over 6 months. Then we started introing solids.

We've had RAST testing a couple of times and found a positive allergy to:
milk (all forms)

egg

lentils

chickpeas

walnut

shrimp

He's had positive reactions to these founds from eating himself:

bananas

squash

A few things we fed him and I couldn't tell if he reacted or it was continued flare up from something i ate:

avocado

quinoa

His skin clears for a few days, then flares up again. So i suspect that there are still things I am eating that he is allergic to. i tried an elimination diet for two months and he got a little better off and on. i'm wondering if maybe he's allergic or intolerant of rice or other beans - - both of which i ate a lot of during those couple months of the ED (i was only eating 12 different foods!).

We've seen 2 different allergist and both have told me to stop BFing. Both tried to put him on prescription formula (neocate or elecare). I cannot bear to give my baby corn syrup as the main ingredient in his diet. Plus, what if he's intolerant of corn? He's never tested positive, but I wonder if he's intolerant.

Can anyone help me make the case that BFing is still best?

How do you pinpoint all of the food allergies?

I cut out all nuts, but are seeds okay? I've been eating pumpkin (pepita) seeds and sunflower seeds.

I'm a vegetarian, so I'm having a tough time with protein.

Would love to hear from anyone who's battled multiple food allergies and still continued to breastfeed. Any tips are greatly appreciated.

My DS who is now 3 and also had bad eczema and stomach issues had multiple food sensitivities. I BF him until 2.5. Personally I would never give my baby formula if I could still produce BM. All I can tell you is what has helped us.

For conventional testing we did conventional blood tests - all that showed up was soy and I KNEW he had many more sensitivities than that. We then did this testing http://www.enterolab.com/ which gave us more answers (did the genetic testing fro gluten intolerance as well )

and the ALCAT tests as well. http://www.alcat.com/ All gave us valuable information in terms of what he could eat, but I thought what a crappy thing to have to avoid all these foods. I wanted a solution!  What has ELIMINATED my DS's eczema has been doing the BIOSET allergy elimination with him in conjunction with some homeopathy.  He can eat most if not all of the things that he couldn't before with no problems. I still keep him gluten free and soy free, but he can eat some with no issues, I just think we both (im GF too) feel better when we don't eat it. and soy is just bad for you anyway! (I do let him have small amounts of fermented soy)

[changingseasons]

Honestly, the only way you will ever figure it out is with a food journal. As long as your diet varies a little every day, eventually you will start seeing patterns with symptoms.

I was going to suggest a TED as a last resort, but I don't have a clue how to do that as a vegetarian (because normally I would suggest a low-allergen meat like lamb, with a grain, a veggie, and an oil.)

[mbbinsc]

My 5 yo DD is allergic to dairy, egg, peanuts, treenuts, annatto and shellfish.  I was able to nurse her for 3.5 years.  Her eczema cleared once I removed her allergens from both our diets.  She never could do dairy and had a reaction at 22 months to exposure to peanut butter.  It was not easy and could not imagine being vegetarian at the same time.  But it was worth it to have her still nursing as it helped to always have a safe source of nutrition along with boosting her immune system.  I did have an allergist tell me to stop nursing.  Instead, we did not return to her office.

[pedal_princess]

@mbbinsc, how did you determine annatto?

i know the eczema is a reaction to foods or environmental. today, his skin is much clearer. i'm thinking he might have reacted to a couple of things in my diet the other day. i've had a lot of corn plus shellfish for the first time in about 6 months. i do eat some fish and he seems okay the few times i do eat it. i'm going to stop eating corn and see if that makes a difference. he tested negative to it, but i'm wondering if he has an intolerances as well.

thx for the encouragement on nursing longer-term. i want to try and nurse as long as possible. i believe it helped my oldest son outgrow his food allergies around 3 though he didn't have them as severe and as many as my infant does.

[mbbinsc]

We found out about annatto the hard way.  I made her a vegan mac and cheese product that was highly colored with annatto (I have since given up trying to make quick things).  At bed time she complained of a stomach ache and proceed to throw up all night long.  After that I took away all sources of annatto (like vitamins or gummy bears).  Then her skin became clear (she had a few spots that were rough or itchy).

I also followed my gut that nursing was the best thing to do.  I did follow her diet and have since become a fan of coconut products from SoDelicious and Sunbutter!

[mytwomonkies]

My girly started having problems at around 2 months. Doc's only suggestion for me too was to give up nursing and try hypoallergenic formula. I went with my gut that breastfeeding is so much better. It was really hard but I did a total elimination diet and it took about 4-6 months to mainly figure things out and we finally found the hidden sources of gluten at around a year. She is now 22 months old and still has some food intolerances but it is getting so much easier! We are still happily nursing and I'm SOOOO incredibly thankful that we didn't give up on it. She is happy, healthy, smart, and growing great! And since she is still somewhat limited on what she eats I have the added security of knowing that my breastmilk is filling in the gaps. Hope this helps! The food journal is an excellent place to start, I don't think I could have figured it all out without it! We still have to avoid gluten (probably forever since gluten intolerance runs in my family), dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, buckwheat, quinoa, oranges, and mangos. Haven't tried avacados again but that was also one we had to avoid in the past.

I also know a mom who's LO couldn't tolerate vitamin C when he was little. He was fine with natural sources but anything that had Vitamin C added to it he couldn't tolerate it. So really it could be anything, that's why the food journal is a great place to start!

[changingseasons]

(Vitamin C is usually made from corn, a common allergen. )

[SweetSilver]

My oldest daughter, now 6, had scratch tests at 2 and didn't test positive for almonds until 4, even though almonds were clearly causing trouble.  How that came out, I don't know.

     Seeds can cause allergic reactions, in fact Israel is seeing the same trouble with severe sesame allergies as we are seeing with peanuts.  I suspect that DD is allergic to sunflower seeds as well, though mildly, but it's hard to separate a mild reaction or an tolerance from just plain old problems with unchewed food!  Rice and oats both can cause problems, too and DD and I are both allergic.

     If your baby is having just mild reactions when nursing, I would still nurse over offering formula.  8 months is still pretty young, and kids with so many allergies can add more in the years to come.  Formula is chock full of corn ingredients, and even organic "toddler" formula (exactly the same nutritionally as infant) has rice ingredients.  I don't know how much of your son's diet is solids, but I would lean towards decreasing the amount he gets in a day just a little.  Direct contact with allergens has a much greater effect on a body than those received from breastmilk, and nutritionally he doesn't need anything else.  Food at this stage is a fun experiment.

     I empathize with your vegetarian dilemma.  I was one years ago, but since I was diagnosed with allergies I've had to eat a lot more meat.  I can have no nuts or peanuts, no peas or lentils, no soy, no sesame, no eggs.  Seeds are....well, I don't know but I can only eat a few pepitas or sunflower seeds.  Thankfully I can have dairy (yogurt and cheese anyway) and meat and the girls are beyond nursing age.  However, chicken and beef are common allergens as well, so these might not alleviate your son's symptoms.

[pedal_princess]

Thx, everyone, for the tips. I was keeping a detailed food journal for about 2 months, then gave it up when we had the RAST tests done. I think I'll go back to it though, since I suspect there may be some food intolerances on top of the true allergies we've uncovered. Or there could be even more allergies as well. We only tested for the top 8 and a few others. I didn't think to make them test for rice and that and oats are the main grains I've been eating. I just introduced wheat back in. I never fully gave up gluten (the oats I eat have them I think), so it could be that I suppose.

His reactions have varied from hives to skin rash, itching and irritability. The only plus to doing solids for us has been that we've seen what causes the reactions easier. Trying to figure out what's causing it thru nursing has been tough, because I'm not sure if it's delayed. And he doesn't always react the first time. With squash, it wasn't until the second or third time he had it. And he's been really itchy the last couple of times after we did chicken (he's had it about 5 times or so total).

I make most of my food, but I've given him Ella's organics and Plum organics when we're out or at my relatives for convenience. The Plum brand uses lemon juice and I'm wondering if that is bothering him. Oh so many possibilities!

Another question: is it even worth seeing an allergist anymore? I feel like they haven't really helped. I feel more informed about how my son reacts than they do.

[IngaAnne]

While I was breastfeeding, my son was allergic to dairy, wheat, peas, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and some other legumes. I also avoided sesame seeds as it cross reacts with nut allergies. It was a pain in the butt to avoid those foods, but I did it and continued breastfeeding until he was 23 months old. If you want to continue breastfeeding, you certainly can. I'm surprised two allergists told you to wean based on the reactions he's having.

My son's eczema got significantly better when I stopped eating his allergic foods, but it never completely went away. We have to use a lot of topical treatments to keep things under control, but we are dealing with a ton of environmental allergens that constantly flare up his skin. The summer heat and winter dryness also cause problems with his skin. A lot of kids' eczema isn't even allergy specific, they simply have eczema. Other than diet changes what are you doing to treat his skin? 

One thing that jumped out at me was the baby food you're buying. Just glancing at the Ella Organics website, I noticed a warning about the food being processed with major allergens, including dairy, so your son may still be reacting to the traces of allergens in those convenience foods. Have you looked into the trace ingredients and food manufacturing practices of the foods both of you are eating? 

I think you do need an allergist, but obviously the two you have seen have not been much help. Are you in the Midwest US?

There is a great allergy board with a breastfeeding forum and an eczema forum that could help you out if you are interested: http://kidswithfoodallergies.org/eve/forums/a/frm/f/979100644

[deminc]

The good thing is that he's only 8 months. It's so much easier to track his food now than it ever will be tracking an older's child food. I always regretted introducing a succession of food very quickly - and he was very happy to eat them all! The only thing I restricted was dairy because ds1 had been allergic to it, but I went full steam ahead with everything else on the recommended schedule. Backpedalling took so much more time and adjustment.

I think an allergist can be very helpful when it comes to environmental allergens which can be quite hard to track alongside food.

[pedal_princess]

@IngaAnne I am in Michigan. Thx for the link.

Right now we are using only EVOO on his skin. Baths about every other day. Minimal soap (Weleda baby body wash). We've tried Aquaphor, Weleda calendula cream, Alba non-petroleum jelly, and a few others, but he's reacted to all of them. So we keep going back to pure EVOO liberally multiple times per day. It helps, but sinks right in. I'd love to find something non-toxic that is thicker. Sometimes we coat with vaseline. We also have a Rx for the Zenevia which seems to help on his legs. I haven't used it anywhere else b/c I was afraid he might react to it. We've only used it 3x, so I'm still not sure. Do you have any suggestions? We've really tried to avoid steroids.

GTK about the Ella's Organics. I never thought of that. I'm definitely going back to making our food. Just tough as a working mother.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by IngaAnne 

A lot of kids' eczema isn't even allergy specific, they simply have eczema.

How do you know that? If you removed foods and the eczema got better, then you have proof that the eczema IS food-triggered. So if it didn't go all the way away, maybe you didn't find all the triggers.

Sorry- the rant isn't specifically directed at you... I see a lot of people say this (including doctors), and it drives me crazy because a healthy person doesn't just "have" eczema. It's inflammation in the body being triggered by *something*. Might be food, might be environmental, might be an immune disorder, but there is always a reason for eczema.

Pedal- I wouldn't use any soap at all, and there's no need to slather the eczema with anything unless it's uncomfortable. Emu oil works great for moisturizing, and isn't food based (so not as likely as an allergen.) But the skin also needs to breath to heal, so I wouldn't be applying it constantly.

[gambel]

I think that an allergist may be helpful, but there are other types of practitioners who may also be able to shed light on your challenges. Have you considered talking to someone who works with a non-clinical approach?

My son developed reflux at 6-8 weeks, with some projectile vomiting. Our ped suggested I eliminate all dairy and soy, which I did. Things got much better, but not completely. Our ped has a osteopath visit the office once a month; he does some pretty groovey craniosacral diagnosis and therapy.  He diagnosed that soy was not the problem, but that eggs were also an irritant.

He also told me that my goal should be for my son to not spit up at all. When I was eating only food that I cooked at home myself, my son never had reflux or spit up at all.

This was a lot faster diagnosis than a journal and/or elimination diet, which is nice because the goal is to irritate the system as little as possible. This type of practitioner may also be able to help with environmental allergens; ours confirmed that DS was not reacting to cats, wool, mold, or a few other things I was concerned about.

I do not live close enough to recommend any practitioners in Michigan, but you could post a request for referrals on a local group thread. Some people also find that Chinese medicine practitioners can be helpful with food sensitivities and allergies.

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by pedal_princess 

Right now we are using only EVOO on his skin. Baths about every other day. Minimal soap (Weleda baby body wash). We've tried Aquaphor, Weleda calendula cream, Alba non-petroleum jelly, and a few others, but he's reacted to all of them. So we keep going back to pure EVOO liberally multiple times per day. It helps, but sinks right in. I'd love to find something non-toxic that is thicker. Sometimes we coat with vaseline. We also have a Rx for the Zenevia which seems to help on his legs. I haven't used it anywhere else b/c I was afraid he might react to it. We've only used it 3x, so I'm still not sure. Do you have any suggestions? We've really tried to avoid steroids.

LARD!  A friend used that one on her son.  (If I needed to, I might even try grating suet that they sell for bird feeders.)  I find it next to impossible to find lotion preparations that don't irritate my skin.  Dr. Bronner's used to have a lotion that didn't irritate.  Mainly I use cocoa butter and vaseline.  I put a few C.B. chunks in a tin that I can warm to make it oily.  Cocoa butter can irritate some folks, just like olive oil turns my skin bright beet red!  

[1organicmomma]

we use EMU oil (thanks to changingseasons) which is the best for relieving irritation and inflamation and getting DD so she is "comfortable" in her own skin again and I just got some EXZADERM http://www.exzaderm.com/ ...which I am now applying 3-4 times a day, I'm praying it continues to heal the eczema but its a nice consistency that slathers on and almost seems like a barrier cream with great ingredients including emu oil in it for healing.  Its pricey but is garenteed so you can send it back for a refund if it doesnt work.  We are also wheat and dairy free right now but I highly suspect detergents right now and am in the middle of washing and switching over.  Its a long process but I'm hoping to get to the bottom of it as well.