Questions about eliminating foods - Page 2

[strmis]

is it supposed to get worse??

thanks so much for the responses and support everyone!! i'm just wondering if it is possible for it to get worse before it gets better? her skin just more broken out, more itchy and spreading. she is even puking more now! i've been gluten, soy free for over a week and dairy free since thanksgiving. am i doing something wrong?

[strmis]

can i clarify one more thing?? ( i apologize for seeming so needy on the thread)

when i took out only dairy her face cleared up in about a week, when i took everything else (soy, dairy, gluten) out she took a week and a half to clear, and then i think i accidentally had soy and that was about a week ago and no clearing up in sight!

is that normal? 

[SweetSilver]

*What are you eating more of now that you are off those foods?*  When I first started eliminating for myself, I noticed I leaned heavily on dairy (mild intolerance--not allergy for me).  Still do, though I'm a little wiser now.

Yes, it can all be normal because the body--especially a child's body-- can react  slightly differently over the weeks and months.  But then again, you might need to start suspecting something else.  It's really just a guess in the end.

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

*What are you eating more of now that you are off those foods?*  When I first started eliminating for myself, I noticed I leaned heavily on dairy (mild intolerance--not allergy for me).  Still do, though I'm a little wiser now.

As for your daughter still reacting after a week, look for TRACE AMOUNTS and hidden soy (or the other allergens) in your diet.  

[ASusan]

Agreed that you need to be careful of even trace amounts.

It is entirely possible that she exhibit even MORE sensitivity/ies after an initial improvement after giving something up. It's as if the body says, "Oh, yes, that's much better. Thanks for taking xx out." and then, the body discovers, "Hey, crap, even little bits of xxx (or now, yy) make me feel awful."

Like if someone were punching you in the arm while someone else was simultaneously pinching your thigh. If the punching stopped, you'd feel a lot better. Then you'd notice the pinching (or punching somewhere else) and feel worse. Sorry, that's the best analogy I have.

My friend's daughter was sensitive to corn, and improved TREMENDOUSLY after taking out corn, but now, 2 months later, the child is sensitive to even the tiniest bit of corn-derrived dextrose or iodized salt. (whereas when she first removed it, it wasn't making a difference). We predict that the child will become sensitive to corn-fed beef in the near future.

SUBMIT

[strmis]

Hmmm... So I've really been thinking about this.

Some likely candidates could be nuts (tho I had been eating these all along, almonds, walnuts and pistachios mostly), eggplant, avocado. I know eh has an itchy throat when he has avocado.

This truly is all a guess! So frustrating. I've been soy, dairy and gluten free for about 2 weeks (and very careful about reading labels). Seeing good changes but could that also be due to the new lotion I've been using. Been putting mussels on her and that seems to really help. Her cheeks are almost baby soft. They were a coup,e days ago, anyways. Since then I've eaten eggplant, that's why I mentioned that. By now if all it was was soy dairy and or gluten would I see a clear face by now? Should I try reintroducing one or not yet?

Asusan, thanks for the analogy. 

Sisnt there some kind of allergy test for this kinda stuff? What if I rub soybeans or milk or wheat on her (or anything else for that matter). Would her skin react to it?.

Dot1 thanks for the recommendation. I'll keep an eye out for it. I'm happy with mussels because it really seems to be working, although not the most natural thing out there... Know what I mean? Better than steroids. Glad I've been able to avoid them so far

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by strmis 

What if I rub soybeans or milk or wheat on her (or anything else for that matter). Would her skin react to it?.

Sometimes this does work (on my daughter it does), but if you don't get a reaction don't assume all is clear.  

[strmis]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Sometimes this does work (on my daughter it does), but if you don't get a reaction don't assume all is clear.  

Does it also yield false positives? Is there any test our family doc or any other HCP can do?

[strmis]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

*What are you eating more of now that you are off those foods?*  When I first started eliminating for myself, I noticed I leaned heavily on dairy (mild intolerance--not allergy for me).  Still do, though I'm a little wiser now.

Yes, it can all be normal because the body--especially a child's body-- can react  slightly differently over the weeks and months.  But then again, you might need to start suspecting something else.  It's really just a guess in the end.

I forgot to mention that in addition to the eggplants, nuts, avocado I've also uped my brown rive as well

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by strmis 

Does it also yield false positives? Is there any test our family doc or any other HCP can do?

I suppose it's possible.  But the gold standard for allergies is elimination, so if you get angry red, or especially hives or whelps then I might test that food if I have nothing else to go on.  Also watch the timing of a reaction.  I wouldn't time for longer than 5 minutes because longer than that, sensitive skin might just be irritated.  Smear some on to the inner wrist or arm and watch pretty closely.  A fast, red, angry reaction would tell me that I need to try out eliminating that food.  Direct contact with an allergen will have a stronger reaction that an allergen present in breast milk.

Originally Posted by strmis 

I forgot to mention that in addition to the eggplants, nuts, avocado I've also uped my brown rive as well

Nuts.  Eliminate the nuts.  For an allergen in breastmilk, I would always suspect the Big Allergens first, because the proteins get into the milk with ease.  And while they are yummy, they are also fairly easy to to eliminate, or I should say, avoid (because *you* might have a hard time giving them up!)  Next guess would be rice.  Less likely BUT I am allergic to rice, and my daughter mildly (she's back on occasional rice now.)  So, it is not outside the realm of possibility.  If you can't take one more thing like that out, then try subbing quinoa.  (That's not allergen-free either, but if you are running short of options, you just have to substitute and watch what happens.)

Trying to figure out allergens in breast milk seems so hard, because you are eliminating for her, not necessarily yourself.  If you can't pin down the cause now, when you start introducing solids (hold off as long as you can easily with sensitive kids) you can see the reaction much, much more clearly.  That sounds terrible!  But sometimes while you are doing all you can, you just have to take the long view simply for the sake of sanity.  You *will* eventually figure out the triggers.
 

[strmis]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

I suppose it's possible.  But the gold standard for allergies is elimination, so if you get angry red, or especially hives or whelps then I might test that food if I have nothing else to go on.  Also watch the timing of a reaction.  I wouldn't time for longer than 5 minutes because longer than that, sensitive skin might just be irritated.  Smear some on to the inner wrist or arm and watch pretty closely.  A fast, red, angry reaction would tell me that I need to try out eliminating that food.  Direct contact with an allergen will have a stronger reaction that an allergen present in breast milk.

Nuts.  Eliminate the nuts.  For an allergen in breastmilk, I would always suspect the Big Allergens first, because the proteins get into the milk with ease.  And while they are yummy, they are also fairly easy to to eliminate, or I should say, avoid (because *you* might have a hard time giving them up!)  Next guess would be rice.  Less likely BUT I am allergic to rice, and my daughter mildly (she's back on occasional rice now.)  So, it is not outside the realm of possibility.  If you can't take one more thing like that out, then try subbing quinoa.  (That's not allergen-free either, but if you are running short of options, you just have to substitute and watch what happens.)

Trying to figure out allergens in breast milk seems so hard, because you are eliminating for her, not necessarily yourself.  If you can't pin down the cause now, when you start introducing solids (hold off as long as you can easily with sensitive kids) you can see the reaction much, much more clearly.  That sounds terrible!  But sometimes while you are doing all you can, you just have to take the long view simply for the sake of sanity.  You *will* eventually figure out the triggers.
 

okay... well, i went about a week and a half without nuts and she still looks the same. i feel like we've hit a level where she's kind of "coasting"- still itchy (wakes her, and me, up every couple hours at night and wears socks or mittens most of the day AND sleeps in a woombie at night) but her face looks much better after naps when she hasnt touched or scratched for an hour or more, but as soon as she wakes up, she looks all red again!! She's still pretty red, but hasnt look all monstrous like she did a few weeks ago (knock on wood).

ANYWAYS... what about my prenatals. could that be potentially an allergy? i've also thought of coconut (i've had lots of coconut oil) tho it doesnt seem to react on her skin, and corn.  seems like corn would be a likely candidate since it is a top allergen, so thats probably the direction i'm heading, but how long should i eliminate?

[SweetSilver]

Sleep will slow reactions, sensitivity to pain, etc.  Tell me more about her naps.  She's.... 3.5mo now?  What is she napping on?  My oldest daughter always had the reddest cheeks after naps (no eczema).  It was when she was first diagnosed with a dust mite allergy, and I began washing *all* the bedding for her nap vigorously every week that the redness went away.  I can't imagine a 3.5mo coming into contact with pillows and things, but I would put dd down on our futon in our little house, and we didn't launder all the bedding in hot water every week or encase the mattress and pillows.  Anyway, just a thought.  

As far as how long to eliminate, I can't answer that.  If an allergy is really big, you can see results very quickly if you stop eating it yourself, though all the symptoms might take a long time to fully subside.  But you are dealing with BM, not direct contact and you have to take into account how long the offending proteins linger there, which, I imagine is different for every individual.  I still think if the allergy is really big that you will be seeing some amount improvement in a couple of weeks.  But that is just my opinion.

I'm still not sure if eczema is *always* triggered by consuming allergens.  Some skin reactions are just how the body reacts to external stimuli.  I've probably mentioned this a bazillion times already, but my dermographism is always there, my skin is always reddish and feels just a little itchy ALL THE TIME.  But when I eat something like oats, oh it gets horrendous and one scratch brings up whelps all over my back.  I am merely saying this to put it in some perspective that your daughter might be doing fine and still get eczema flare-ups.  Does that make you feel better because the load is off you somewhat?  Or worse because it makes you feel powerless to help your daughter when the eczema is torturing her?  I apologize if that is the case.

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by strmis 

ANYWAYS... what about my prenatals. could that be potentially an allergy? i've also thought of coconut (i've had lots of coconut oil) tho it doesnt seem to react on her skin, and corn.  seems like corn would be a likely candidate since it is a top allergen, so thats probably the direction i'm heading, but how long should i eliminate?

Yes, prenatals can contain wheat and corn.  I'd slide on the coconut for now.  I would eliminate corn for at least 2 weeks, that's if you are absolutely perfect in your elimination.  Google corn ingredients to get a feel for what ingredients are derived from corn.  You can be pretty sure about eliminating corn if you have a solid, whole foods, simple diet.  For corn especially, though, if you don't see improvement in 2 weeks, before I dropped the elimination I would look over  my food diary for accidental corn, it is that sneaky.  So, keep a good food diary for this one.  If you catch something, give it more time.  Then reintroduce and go whole hog on the corn.  That's a really important part of the ED, the reintroduction.  When you reintroduce ("challenge") something, eat as much as you can in a day (well, for BF mamas; the rules change for an allergic person eating something directly).  That way, in case you've missed something it has a chance to show up during the challenge.

[ASusan]

Prenatals can also contain dairy. For one, several of them contain probiotics which are grown on dairy. It's virtually impossible to find a corn-free prenatal., if corn is an issue for you.