Healing the Gut Tribe-October

[Panserbjorne]

Hey there mamas! Welcome to a brand new month.

[caedmyn]

subbing...

[moonshine]

[Panserbjorne]

I need to have a cross contamination rant. My sweet little ds is so very allergic to dairy. I have thrown out everything in the house that either has dairy or has been processed in a facility that also processes dairy. I know he also has soy issues, but since ds1 does too we don't have any soy in the house anymore either. I thought we were safe.

Yesterday ds was so uncomfortable, crying, squirming, vomitting I had no idea what could have happened. I was frustrated because I thought everything here was safe...until I happened on anther thread completely by accident saying that Maranatha's nut butters are all soy contaminated. Sure enough I had eaten their macadamia nut butter that morning. I am so angry. I feel like nothing is safe! Lord knows how long before the poor little guy poops again. Over two weeks ago I accidentally got some dairy and it took him 8 days to have a bm. He's only 2 months old! He finally pooped on Saturday, and then I go and get soy contamination on Sunday. Stupid gut. Stupid soy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Okay, rant over.

Like I said in last months thread. I feel like we've done alot of healing. This little guy is just throwing me for a loop. Good thing he's the cutiest boy ever. I'd do anything for him. :

[Gale Force]

How terrible firefaery!

Originally Posted by firefaery

Like I said in last months thread. I feel like we've done alot of healing. This little guy is just throwing me for a loop. Good thing he's the cutiest boy ever. I'd do anything for him. :

I think Jane has said that before "it's a good thing he's cute..." I agree. Things have gotten a lot better for us but the last time we were at the chiropractor he happened to see Frederick's bare feet and his toenails that curl under and said "hypothyroid." Well, of course he is. My thyroid has improved a lot because I can actually lose weight now rather than gain uncontrollably, but I don't think it's as good as it will be. And my husband seems to be hyperthyroid, so we would make a good seesaw.

These things just take a lot of time. We like to think of healing in terms of months. Years or decades may be more like it.

[Panserbjorne]

Years is right.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by Gale Force

These things just take a lot of time. We like to think of healing in terms of months. Years or decades may be more like it.

How discouraging! Actually I wouldn't mind years if I could just eat a reasonably normal NT diet, maybe minus a few foods and with tons of lactoferments, water kefirs, liver, bone broths...that sort of thing.

ff--

[mama-a-llama]

Ooh, I'll jump in here while the thread is short! Ds has eczema on his cheeks, and I have pompholyx on my hands (similar to eczema, but suppposed to be stress related, not allergic). We've both had lots of antibx so I assume our guts need help.

My major dilemma: I've been ep'ing, pumping 8x day until last month, when I went down to 7. If I go any lower, I won't have enough milk. But for my own health, I NEED more sleep. I was planning to start dropping pumps, and start supplementing with homemade formula. If I did SCD, not sure if I can make a legal formula. I was thinking about trying to elim dairy but it would mean I would have to keep my current pumping level for at least a month. Which is so overwhelming it makes me want to cry. This whole thing is stressing me out and making me want to cry.

My main question is: do you all use SCD? I see in the cheat sheet sticky that Jane also lists Rubin's stuff, and EFLF Health Recovery diet. I'm really afraid of SCD, b/c I'm prediabetic, and honey is a no go for me. All my usual alt. sweeteners are illegal. Also, I'm on inositol (illegal) for depression, and really feel it's helping. I'd hate to have to give it up--and nettles, which I also find helpful.

[Panserbjorne]

For many reasons the SCD would be GOOD for you if you are prediabetic. Honey may be a no-go but for the rest of it the foods are low GI. You just won't eat a ton of fruit. I'll write later with more info.

Not everyone here does SCD. Some do it, some do a modified version, somedo the maker's diet. Some just eat well and use supplements. If you are trying to heal, you will fit right in.

I made my own formula with ds. There are dairy free options, but I didn't use them.

Sorry you are so stressed. It's no fun having supply issues. I pumped for a long time with ds (he never nursed), and for five months with dd(when she finally started to nurse!), which didn't seem that long to me, considering. Of course, there were always bad days. Are you doing any herbs (besides nettles) to help?

[Annikate]

Geez, you mamas are quick. I just started a new thread. Going to delete it . . .

Just posted a pic on September's thread.

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by firefaery

I need to have a cross contamination rant. My sweet little ds is so very allergic to dairy. I have thrown out everything in the house that either has dairy or has been processed in a facility that also processes dairy. I know he also has soy issues, but since ds1 does too we don't have any soy in the house anymore either. I thought we were safe.

Yesterday ds was so uncomfortable, crying, squirming, vomitting I had no idea what could have happened. I was frustrated because I thought everything here was safe...until I happened on anther thread completely by accident saying that Maranatha's nut butters are all soy contaminated. Sure enough I had eaten their macadamia nut butter that morning. I am so angry. I feel like nothing is safe! Lord knows how long before the poor little guy poops again. Over two weeks ago I accidentally got some dairy and it took him 8 days to have a bm. He's only 2 months old! He finally pooped on Saturday, and then I go and get soy contamination on Sunday. Stupid gut. Stupid soy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Okay, rant over.

Like I said in last months thread. I feel like we've done alot of healing. This little guy is just throwing me for a loop. Good thing he's the cutiest boy ever. I'd do anything for him. :

I saw that thread ff. Sorry you're dealing with this. I swear, it would be easier living like a pioneer - at least you'd know where your food came from and what was in it.

[caedmyn]

I'm trying to psych (sp?) myself up to try water kefirs...but since I'm actually showing signs of improvement now I'm a little afraid of the sugar in them. I know I can culture them for a long time to reduce the sugar but I probably won't like them that way. Any thoughts on whether coconut milk kefir with its natural sugars would be any better?

Also, does anyone (GaleForce?) have any idea if I can make coconut milk kefir with water grains and no added sugar? I have a recipe for coconut milk kefir w/milk grains and no added sugar, but you have to make dairy kefir every few batches to keep the grains going. Maybe I could do the same thing with water kefir, or do those grains need more sugar than the milk ones?

[Punchy Kaby]

subbing

[Pattyla]

I have been making coconut water kefir. I don't love the taste but I figure it is good for me... I mix it with other stuff (like kombucha) and it tastes pretty good. Actually the taste isn't too bad but it has a strange, strong smell I don't like.

I make it with milk grains. I am planning to recharge them periodically in milk, but I have milk arround to do that with and we aren't super sensitive to traces of milk like some are.

I think I'm going to try to make kombucha. Buying it is breaking the bank and DD loves it. My neighbor has a scoby. I had it in my fridge for like a month before and never got arround to making it...

There really does seem to be a shift in dd lately. Not sure if it is diet, healing from her birth trauma, growing up, whatever, I'll take it. Now if she would just start sleeping....

[p1gg1e]

Subbing.

I've been feeling better almost 90% there. I'm a little lactose intolerent but over all no more indigestion , heartburn or nausea...No it was not MS I felt like this scince last Nov. DD's allergy to dairy is getting better and I've gained a little wieght this pregnancy but not much ( even though I didnt have MS this time : ) I'm making pumpkin pie with cocanut milk to get my wieght up and I found that I can eat kasseri cheese

Thanks ladies and keep the good tips coming... Going back in to lerkdom

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by Pattyla

I have been making coconut water kefir. I don't love the taste but I figure it is good for me... I mix it with other stuff (like kombucha) and it tastes pretty good. Actually the taste isn't too bad but it has a strange, strong smell I don't like.

Do you think the kefir is helping? Have you seen any negative effects from the sugar in the coconut water?

[sparkletruck]

stomach ache

For the past 3-4 days I have had a, well, not a stomach ache, but my stomach (from bottom of ribs to belly button) feels tight and rounded, like a clenched muscle. I have also been burping a lot (not painful - no acid coming up, just little burps). I wonder if my digestion is slowing for some reason? Im actually less stressed this week than I have been - hmm.. Burping means acid, right? Which would mean? Ive been drinking some peppermint tea, but it doesnt help. Could it be the party Im hosting on Sunday for 40 people (15 kids under 5)? Hmmmm.

[Panserbjorne]

And the frustration continues...
So I've spent the better part of my day searching for a truly dairy free infant probiotic. Apparently they don't exist. Everything out there was at least started in dairy (yes, even the dairy free ones.) I called several companies and had to follow the trail on up to get real answers. One told me it was cultured from a human source (which means-well, you know : ) and as I inquired further and was transferred several times they finally acknowledged it was in fact STARTED in dairy-but there's none left and it's just the starter and blah blah blah. How do you remove all traces of dairy, and even if you can how are you testing that you have?

Several at least were up front, but this one company (Sedona) didn't know it's arse from it's elbow-at least their staff doesn't.

I am not finding one that my guy can tolerate at all. I just don't feel safe using anything that has ever had contact with dairy. :

[Chinese Pistache]

Subbing.

Dd's latest flare-up of eczema (from some dairy I consumed and didn't know it) is finally healing. I want to work really hard to keep the soy and dairy out of our diets. Dairy is pretty easy, but soy is tough. We love Chinese and Thai foods, which are now out. Darn that soy sauce!

Anyway, dd's bms are mostly normal now that she's getting l reuteri and culturelle everyday. We also added coconut oil. It's surprisingly tasty

I know that allergy testing has been discussed at length, but could someone give me the Cliffs Notes version as to why it is or isn't effective? I have been wondering if dd has any sensitivity to nuts. I thought I read somewhere that soy-allergic people are often allergic to other nuts (peanuts?). I'd love any info on those topics.

Thanks!

[Panserbjorne]

It's the legume thing. Soy, peanuts, lentils etc. are all in the same family. It is very common for people to be allergic to related foods. Nightshades are another family that people are commonly reactive to.

I really prefer blood testing because it's very clear. I just posted this somewhere else. There's no confusion, you get a solid printout with your allergens on it. You have the possibility of false negatives, but as the person gets older it's less of an issue. Under two there may be many false negatives. I love Immunolabs for this and everyone I have referred there has been thrilled with them. People here have used them too, and I'm not aware of any bad experiences. Anyhow, that's my take!