A post about poop. Sorry. (Really, it's a post about leaky guts and mama issues impacting...

[menomena]

We had to go out of town Tuesday morning. I grabbed our enzymes, but we ate so willy nilly (basically constant (safe) snacking) that I never gave us any the whole time we were gone. We basically started them in earnest again yesterday morning.

Issue #1: In the time we were gone, I had a SERIOUSLY upset stomach ending with a dose of immodium (I seriously couldn't go more than 5 minutes between bathroom visits). No one else around here (i.e. kids or DH) had the same problem. I don't think that is related to lack of enzymes because we'd only missed two meals worth at that time and plus, I was super anxious and stressed. I was actually thinking I'd gotten into some gluten via cross-contaminated bulk flour (the buckwheat flour was right next to the barley flour). Because, I also got these raised bumps on the back of my arms that I'd had all my life but have been gone for awhile now (avoiding tons of stuff since 10/31/07)... Again, no one else had this issue (the bumps, I mean).

Related Issue #2: When we all did go to the bathroom, the kids poop was fine. Solid, good color, seemingly well-digested. Mine on the other hand was full of undigested food. So, clearly, I am not digesting my food properly without enzymes. [With enzymes, I'm totally fine.] I have a leaky gut, etc.

Is it possible, then, that all these foods I thought DD1 (and possibly DD2) were/are reacting to are just because *I* am having gut issues? And they are possibly okay? This is altering my world view here. I already thought I had a wonky gut, but I thought DD1's was seriously messed up from the abx at birth and my abx when she was 3wks old and the fact that she is IgE allergic to milk and we feed it to her for 2yrs before we figured out it was bad for her...

We've been doing gut healing for several months - since spring. Is it possible that they are healing quite well and it's just taking longer for me, since my damage is more extensive/built up over a longer?

Ahhh.. Just thinking "out loud" here. Anyone want to talk it through with me?

[kjbrown92]

Sounds like a good theory to me. I never gave it a thought that I might have an issue until someone posted that article here about kids getting the antigens through their mother's milk and it actually made them intolerant. And I thought that couldn't possibly be true. I mentioned it to the rheumatologist I was seeing at the time and she said, "it's possible" since kid #1 was fine, kid #2 was intolerant to 2 things (I thought) then kid #3 was even worse. Like it was MY gut getting worse, creating this. And I went off the foods, and lo and behold my back got better. Bizarre, but true. So I think it's definitely possible. Mine is going on 8 years if it's all because of me so yes, I was figuring I'd take the longest to heal.

[Chinese Pistache]

I believe it. It's something that worries me every so often, because I'm completely committed to bfing, but I wonder if I'm inadvertently causing more allergies in my child. Of course, I've cut the offending foods, but has the damage already been done? And since my 2nd allergic child started reacting more quickly than my 1st, does that mean my damage is worse now? Is that possible, given my gut-healing measures (though pregnancy itself is depleting. . . .). But since my first two children don't have allergies, what does it mean?

Hey, my bumps went away, too, when I cut out allergens. Did you see my thread on keratosis pilaris way back?

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

I believe it. It's something that worries me every so often, because I'm completely committed to bfing, but I wonder if I'm inadvertently causing more allergies in my child. Of course, I've cut the offending foods, but has the damage already been done?

I have the same thing running through my mind every so often.

[menomena]

I know. I am so ready for my 3.5yr old to wean, because I have a feeling a lot of her issues will start to clear once she's detoxing from me. But, truthfully, between the antibodies and the "brain fats" and of course the comfort issue, I know that the good outweighs the bad. I am just really on an unwavering crusade now to heal myself. Physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Since starting this allergy journey in earnest (I don't count when we were "just" milk-free) almost a year ago, I have cleared up so many of MY symptoms that I didn't even know were symptoms. And, I've lost nearly 40lbs. (okay, so 10lbs was still baby weight b/c I had a 4m old, but still.) And I don't live in a chronic diarrhea/constipation cycle anymore. (That one would be wheat, I'm almost sure of.)

This is just so crazy. How did I make it 27 years eating all of these foods and feeling like sh!t all the time and not know it? It boggles my mind. I feel like I just sit around like this all day anymore. :

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by menomena

This is just so crazy. How did I make it 27 years eating all of these foods and feeling like sh!t all the time and not know it? It boggles my mind. I feel like I just sit around like this all day anymore. :

Seriously- me too (except add a few more years on there. ) And now I look at everyone else different too. I see all these symptoms, and realize that they're totally related to diet... but of course, no one else wants to hear that. I guess the one positive about this whole mess is that I am getting much healthier, and much better at paying attention to what my body is telling me.

[txtarheel]

I completely buy into your theory. One of the big benefits of BFing is the antibodies from the mother being passed on to the nursling. There is really no difference in antibodies to bacteria and antibodies formed inappropriately to food. Our ped and allergist both told me not to worry. But DS#2 tested negative to milk a few weeks ago (and positive to many other things and hadn't been exposed to milk). I thought I was fine with whey, and since soy protein was now out of my diet bought a whey containing margarine. Two days in I had some digestive issues (clearly not ok with more than occasional whey) and my nursling had all over body hives that lasted three days or so until my symptoms from the whey went away.

[menomena]

Yes, I've definitely noticed that if *I'm* having a rxn, it seems they are too. On the other hand, I don't always feel like I'm having a rxn when DD1 is. Her shiatsu chinese medicine therapist thinks her system is "stuck" trying to clear something out - that there is a lingering pathogen. I'm starting to feel like maybe I need to get some testing done on me to make sure I don't have parasite. (ewwwww *shudder*)