Milk allergy? I need help!!

[tarajean56]

Within the last two weeks, it seems like DS (15 mo) has developed an allergy to cow's milk. It seems to have gotten worse once symptoms started. Initially, he was throwing up only his morning bottle of cow's milk, but was keeping down other bottles of cow's milk and milk based formula.

The day before the vomiting began, he hit his head on the floor - and so I was concerned that it might be related to that. Then, one day he also had diarrhea, so I wrote it off as a stomach bug. We went a few days without vomiting, but it started again yesterday morning. Last night he had pizza, and this morning we went in to get him out of bed and he had thrown up (seemed like it had only happened a little bit before ). I took him in to the ped this morning, and he said that the sporadic vomiting with no other symptoms didn't seem related to a head injury, and it didn't seem like a virus either. I asked him if he thought it could be a milk allergy/lactose sensitivity and he just shrugged and said, "if you think it is - just go with that." Thanks doc!

So all day, he kept down banana, bagel, graham crackers, smoothie (no milk) and a little water. He refused his formula. Tonight, we tried the formula again (he was sleepy so took it) and he threw it up before the bottle was done. Its like all of a sudden he can not tolerate ANY milk. Also, he has seemed more irritable and meltdown-prone the last 2 days.

Help me please! Is this how allergies come on, all of a sudden? He had breast milk until 9 months, then cow's milk formula till 12 months, then formula and cow's milk until now. He's always seemed to do ok. He did spit up a lot as an infant, I always wrote it off as related to his cleft issues (he was born with cleft lip and palate).

What do I give him now? He still needs some sort of milk, his diet is in no way complete. I am having a baby in April and plan to start pumping again for him, but I need something for the next three months.

Should I push for allergy testing? He has a WBV on Thursday.

Am I totally off on this? My gut says its an allergy, but does it sound like something else to anyone?

Thank you!

[mommydancer]

milk intolerance

I have heard allergies can suddenly develop. I know there are allergists and nutritionists and I think medical people can sometimes figure this stuff out. I am writing because my son has milk intolerance...not allergy. It means his digestive system can't break down the protein in milk. I figured this out due to diarrhea (sp?) and blood in his stool. Most kids outgrow this by age four. I had to switch pediatricians to get him diagnosed...they had been telling me not to worry about the specks of blood in his stool. I learned this was the case for sure when he was four mos. (I had been asking from 2 mos.) I was nursing him, so instead of switching him to a non-milk formula, I had the option of going milk-free myself and continuing to BF him. Much cheaper and preserving that important opportunity, I did. WOW! It's hard. Not just giving up milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. but there is milk in so many things you don't realize...
If you want to take milk out of your son's diet, you totally can. Learn words for milk derivatives like casein, whey, lactic acid starter culture, etc. Read everything...so many things...(most packaged cookies, baking mixes, waffles, even some lunch meats) have some form of milk in them. Check out the FAAN (food allergy and anaphylaxis network) website for more info about this. You could try organic fortified soy milk. And consult w/ a nutritionist or good source of info so you build in protein and calcium and other stuff kids usually get from milk.
I wrote alot, because i was so alone and scared when it happened to us. It is important to listen when your gut tells you something is wrong. It's often smarter than the doctor. Good luck!

[tallanvor]

You could also try goat's milk. My son and I can handle it, but too much pasturized cow's milk and we have issues.

[mtn.mama]

Yes, allergies can start suddenly. Has your child been sick recently? I think you need to start him on dairy-free probiotics (like Natren or HMF) as a first measure. If you want to be sure its a milk sensitivity then do an elimination trial- two weeks without any milk products- and then reintroduce milk. My guess is you'll see dramatic results and be sold on the idea of keeping milk out of his diet for a long time to come. I would skip the western medicine allergy testing- its notoriously unreliable, especially in small children. There are soy based formulas that you could use, that's what I would be asking the ped about. HTH.

[tarajean56]

Thank you for all your responses. Mommydancer, you are right, it is so scary. I'm all of a sudden so afraid to give him anything for fear he might be allergic/intolerant of other foods as well.

I did go shopping last night, and read labels like a crazy woman - and I got quite a few things for him (and us) without any sort of milk.

I realized the probiotics I've been giving him have milk in them . I was probably making things worse. Thanks for the advice of getting a new one. I will also try some other milk. My poor baby won't even touch his bottle though - he'll say "puke" when I try to give it to him. So, we might have to try a new cup or something.

Just when things with him were starting to get easy....

[kjbrown92]

My DS and DD were milk intolerant (DD was okay with the milk through my BM, but not directly ingested; DS couldn't tolerate it when I ate it). 15 months is okay without formula, in my book. My kids went to enriched rice milk and the ped/GI docs thought that was fine as long as they were getting a balanced diet otherwise, and didn't need any supplements.

Go with your gut, and do an elimination diet. Just make sure to take out ALL milk. If it's a milk intolerance, which it sounds like, an allergy test (scratch test) isn't going to tell you anything. Elimination diet is the best way to figure out intolerances.

Personally I woudn't do soy, especially after reading all the Traditional Foods info. And a lot of kids who are intolerant of milk are also intolerant of soy. If you still want to do formula, it'll have to be a hypoallergenic one like Nutramigen (my son had to use Neocate which is even more hypoallergenic).

Sorry for the rambling. good luck.

[mommydancer]

wow

You are having a tough experience. I feel so bad...(his saying puke) your heart hurts and I'm sorry. You will figure this out. He's got a great mommy.

KJbrown92's response makes a good point about soy...(it can also be that he reacts to soy, my son did but I was kind of afraid to mention it...adds another layer to the reading and eliminates more foods) rice milk {fortified} is a good option. The Nutramigen she mentions is really pricey, but also another choice.

When my son was first having problems, it was blood in his stool that was the main observable symptom...little tiny flecks of red. It happens if the digestive system can't deal with something that's going thru. The undigested food goes thru fast and the lining gets inflamed and then bleeds. As it was happening, the Dr. was not believing I knew what I was seeing...so I asked for a way to prove it. That's when they gave me Hemocult cards...you smear stool on them and they can test for blood...even so little you can't see it with yor eyes will result in a positive result. Six smears (all very positive) later, I switched ped.s and self referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist. By the time I got in to see him (long appt. wait list) the elimination diet was working...it took 6 weeks (much more than the two weeks usual time) before his stool was normal. Also,, the diet was a shock to my system and caused me to lose a great deal of weight. I am telling you a lot so you aren't surpised if any of this happens in your case. My son is so happy and healthy now that people comment on it...all of it is worth it, and you will get there.
\p.s. - he seems to be doing OK now w/ me eating soy...slowly trying to move forward. I wish medical field would get a handle on this 'cause there are lots of kids with it and seems not too many Dr.'s even know about it.

[wenat]

My dairy allergic kids are on rice milk plus cod liver oil for the extra fats.

Good luck -- this is tough, but rice milk does work and keep them growing.

If cheese is an option, he can have cheese and no milk.

[tarajean56]

Originally Posted by mommydancer

When my son was first having problems, it was blood in his stool that was the main observable symptom...little tiny flecks of red. It happens if the digestive system can't deal with something that's going thru. The undigested food goes thru fast and the lining gets inflamed and then bleeds.

Thanks for your encouraging words. Also, this did happen to my son the other day when he was having diarrhea. I thought it was food particles - but it sounds like exactly what you are describing! His stool has been normal for about a week though, we've just had the vomiting.

As an update, we went dairy free all day today - and by tonight he seemed to be feeling so much better. I bought him some goat's milk, and he kept it all down. I also got some rice milk to try if he starts to show problems with the goat's milk.

And - I might be crazy - but he seemed to be more able to listen, and didn't have any meltdowns. He even shared at church tonight - which is a first! He fell asleep looking into my eyes while I rocked him, where he usually needs to be bounced, shhhed, and patted for a long time. He just seemed calmer. Could it be connected?

[mtn.mama]

Yes, it could certainly be connected! It sounds like you are on the right track!

[FancyD]

DS self-weaned (off the cow bottle ) super fast. That, plus the red cheeks and the refusal to drink cow milk = allergy, in my books. Well, maybe not an allergy, per se. I think that he just stopped making the proper digestive enzymes. We stopped with bottles altogether, and I use rice milk in his porridge.

He's just three, BTW.

[MamaMamaMama!]

I'm sorry to hear you're having this problem. My ds is dairy sensitive too but we are having a hard time figuring out what else it is he is sensitive to; we went off dairy for 6 weeks but he still had a runny nose. I know how frustrating it can be, this whole allergy thing.

Has anyone here tried digestive enzymes for dairy intolerance? Houston Pharmaceuticals makes one specifically for digesting dairy, gluten, and meat proteins and I want to try it out on my dairy intolerant son but I would love to know more as far as what to expect.

[mtn.mama]

We use digestive enzymes and probiotics both on an ongoing basis, to keep our newly healed guts healthy and help us digest better so as not to acquire new allergies or reacquire old ones.

[mommydancer]

You asked if his behavior changes could be connected to his (potential/ probable) milk intolerance. I'd say yes. Look online for the diagnostic indicators for "milk soy protein intolerance" and see what fits for your child. Mine didn't show the irritability, sleep disturbance, failure to thrive, or vomiting they say might be present, but he had consistent diarrhea (sp? it always looks wrong) and like I said, the blood. Thing was, when I did those test cards, I tested mostly areas where I didn't see blood, because the instructions said to do that. All six smears were very positive, so that meant there was blood all the time, i just couldn't see it. The blood you can see is "frank" blood, they call the stuff you can't see "occult" blood. I was soooo pissed that I hadn't been told about the possibility of occult blood, esp. given the fact I was calling continually to tell them "I saw blood again". They would just say, "OK, well, call us if you see it again". I finally had to ask "at what point are you going to do something about this? Is there some way I can prove to you I am seeing blood?" That's when I got the cards.
Again, I am not wanting to worry you, but if I had been informed I would have gotten help earlier.

Also, the dietician and allergist I consulted with told me that if I had listened to the Dr. and continued to ignore this, I ran the risk of his developing a lifelong sensitivity or intolerance, because continued exposure works that way. My reading leads me to understand that 80% of kids outgrow this by age 3, but I have to ELIMINATE all milk for a period of time. My current pediatrician wanted 6 months, then I am doing trials about every 3 mos. to see if there is change. He is currently still very reactive to any milk component or derivative. He seems to be OK now with wheat though, and like I said I have introduced some soy back into my diet, and that's ok too so far.
I am not sure he would have had the wheat issue if he hadn't had the unrecognized milk issue, as I am sure the bleeding was hard on his colon. It makes me wish I knew more about all this stuff.

It is crazy hard to be reading everything you feed your kid. I have started buying frozen bread dough and baking it myself 'cause it's hard and expensive to get any at the store w/o milk. I feel for you. Personally, I am trying to view this as God's way of making me educate myself on how to feed my family healthy food, and in the big picture I will be glad to have had to learn so much.

Please know though that I really get how overwhelming it is to have no idea what is safe to feed your little boy. And also know that while it's so hard now, you're going to figure it out, and you will be so proud of yourself for doing that.

[kjbrown92]

I was told 6 months between challenges (by the pediatric GI doc) because it gives the intestines a chance to heal and so that the child's immune system could reset itself. Three months just isn't enough time I don't think, and by challenging more often, you might actually be prolonging it. I'd go with the docs on this one.
Kathy

[mommydancer]

To clarify, the recommendation was 6 mos. to start, then after that he wanted them more often, so I am, in fact, following his suggestions.

Thanks for your concern though...so you do trials every six months? How long do you wait after each "serving" or whatever? My doc has actually not given very much specific guidance about how exactly to do a trial, and how long to do it, and how to recognize a reaction, etc. He doesn't seem too sure himself. He's said repeatedly, "we don't know too much about this" when I ask questions.

What usually ends up happening is that I accidentally eat something (usually it's a situation where I am assured there is no milk or milk products- like in my own separate plate of food at a wedding I recently attended) that has some type of milk in it, and that ends up the "trial" because he has a bad bowel movement or two right away. I often don't even know what the offending compound was. If you have been doing this, I'd love to know more about how you've handled it.

[tarajean56]

I'd like some more ideas about trials too. I was initially planning on cutting all milk products for 2 weeks and then trying some cheese or yogurt or maybe just a product with milk in it (like bread or something). I wonder if I need to go longer? BTW, I don't think I'll ever go back to cow's milk straight up - the more I learn, it just seems silly to go back.

Also, I am only cutting dairy at this point, and it seems to be working. DS only symptom was the immediate vomiting (and one day had 4 bouts of diarrhea). I'm pretty sure his runny nose (that was present during the vomiting time) was related too. Both have stopped. Is that enough to assume that its just a dairy thing?

PS - I can't find a child's dairy free probiotic anywhere locally. Can I give him an adult one at a lower dosage?

PPS - he only gained 2 oz. in 3 months (and he was already on the tiny side), which is probably partly because of the tummy issues recently. Any healthy, dairy free suggestions to fatten him up?

PPSS (is that even how you add on a third thing? ) Its crazy to me how little most doctors know - I learn so much more here than I do going and paying someone who is supposedly and "expert" in health!

[kjbrown92]

When you're first checking to see if it's a problem, eliminate for 2 weeks, then add back in (at least that's what was recommended for me). Then when you KNOW it's a problem, wait 6 months and start trialing each food. I'm a wimp. I haven't started trialing. DD reacted to so many foods that if I do this and she hasn't outgrown any, she'll be screaming every night for two months! Every time she gets into something she's not supposed to she's up all night, so I just assume she hasn't outgrown any.

I make coconut milk yogurt to get a probiotic into dd. She'll have it in smoothies with banana and ice, or she'll dip chicken in it sometimes. I got a dairy-free, soy-free starter. CLO is supposed to be good for healing (don't know what dosages for kids though; I haven't started giving it to mine yet).

I did a lot of protein with my kids to keep their weight up: chicken tenders (dip in carrot juice and use whole wheat panko crumbs, chicken soup, chicken or beef in gravy, mini meatballs. DS loved hash (can't have white potatoes now though) which is high fat (high sodium too - ick), sausage, bacon, all the high fat stuff (probably trying to make up for it). He's always been 75th percentile height/weight even with the milk-soy allergies (and now legumes, chocolate, and white potatoes). And DD has always been 50th percentile height/weight and she has tons of food intolerances. They're both good eaters even though they can't have alot of foods; probably healthier because of it since they can't have most processed foods!

It's amazing to me as well that food intolerances are so much on the rise, yet doctors don't tell you about them, especially in terms of colic and reflux. The pediatric gastro doc that I went to was very good. I showed her all the food journals and the list of foods she could have, and said, yup, food intolerance. Not to worry; it was a very balanced diet, and she didn't need to come back. She said I could call if I had any questions but it seemed like I was doing okay on my own. Which just seemed weird to me. My food intolerance knowledge is based on books and the internet and I'm doing well enough that a GI doc that's been to school how many years can't help me out more? Just weird. Which is why I'm so glad I found a place like this where people can help each other.

Kathy

[tarajean56]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

When you're first checking to see if it's a problem, eliminate for 2 weeks, then add back in (at least that's what was recommended for me). Then when you KNOW it's a problem, wait 6 months and start trialing each food.

Ok, so after waiting 2 weeks, say I give him cheese - and he is fine, then I just keep on with the cheese? Do I then try other foods with cow's milk in them, and if they are fine just keep moving forward? Should I try the cow's milk straight up, since that was what he wasn't keeping down? I plan on just giving him goats milk until my new babe is born and then pumping bm for him again, so I think both he and I'll stay away from cow's milk indefinitely anyway - but do I need to try it for the trial?

If he's NOT ok - that's when I go 6 months without? I'm fearful of missing symptoms of intolerance...

I don't know why I'm having a hard time understanding...can I blame it on pregnancy brain??

[mommydancer]

It's really complicated and as KJBrown said, the Dr.'s often don't know too much more than we do...(which sucks), so don't feel like your having a hard time understanding isn't normal. I've been doing this now for almost a year and I am still not sure alot of the time. When I cut all dairy from my diet, there wasn't change in my son's symptoms for over four weeks, then it was two more (six weeks total) before his stool was normal. It was frustrating, I asked every two weeks,, but they kept asking me to stick if out a little longer, that it sometimes took mmore time to see a difference. I was really grateful when we started to see change though. It feels really good when you feel like you can make it stop.

I was supposed to eliminate milk (and in my case soy) and then watch for symptoms to improve. The fact symptoms went away was taken as "proof" that he was intolerant to milk (and soy in my case) and I was then to wait six months before reintroducing one item. If, after several days he hadn't reacted to whatever I had eaten (in your case the child will be doing the eating) I could try something else. I was told to try reintroducing yogurt first because it is easier to digest. I asked the dietician whether it mattered if I used organic or "standard" dairy products. She said no. I am not sure I agree with her though, because if he reacts, it could maybe be a chemical or hormone rather than the protein itself.

I think it might be a good idea to at least call your pediatrician and discuss the elimination and how to do it...maybe they have written info on intolerance.
That being said, I can also say I felt very unsupported by my first pedi., they actually told me not to worry about the blood in my child's stool, that lots of children bleed when they are eating too much dairy. I just felt that was nuts, so I ended up leaving the practice.

Still wishing you good vibes.