My baby has terrible diarrhea

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

For about three weeks my DS (7m) has has terrible diarrhea. It happens about 10 times a day, sometimes more, and through the night. He also has terrible dry skin, not quite excema, which I am treating with diprobase emollient. His bottom is also getting very sore now :(

He is FF C&G2 and pretty much on three meals a day, mostly made at home, occasional jar here and there.

We went to the GP who has sent off a stool sample to test for any stomach bugs he may have lingering. She said that if these tests were negative then we may have to look into more invasive tests to rule out things like IBS. I am calling for the results today.

But I have been thinking that maybe it could be a milk intolerance/allergy? Would it be worth asking for the stool sample test to rule out milk and lactose intolerance? I don't want to put him through any invasive procedures if they can be avoided.

Any advice or similar stories would be great.

I also forgot to add that he is well in himself, no other signs of illness. He was a sicky baby but is only generally sick now if I give him milk too close to his meal and he gets a bit overfull. He is always happy, no signs of discomfort even when the diarrhea is upon him.

If there is anymore info I have missed that may help anyone put the pieces together, feel free to ask.

Sounds like an intolerance of some sort - my baby had similar symptoms when she was diagnosed,

dairyfreebabyandme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/house-at-poo-corner-tales-of-food.html
dairyfreebabyandme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/signs-symptoms-back-to-start.html

but at that time it was easy to spot, because she was fed on nothing but milk. What food has he been having? With an intolerance, the most common form of diagnosis seems to be to remove that food for a while to see if the symptoms disappear. You can't cut out milk, without anything to replace it with -at 7m you would need a special formula as none of the milk substitutes available in supermarkets are suitable for that age group.There is a soy based formula available, but you have to be careful, because some babies with milk intolerance are intolerant to soya too. You might be advised to begin by keeping a strict food diary and incidence diary - this can show patterns to help you isolate the problem.

I'd go back to your GP and start by asking whether it could be an intolerance (skin burnt by stomach acid - which is what happens when the stomach rejects the food - sounds like a big clue). Then keep banging on the door until they do something, because I suspect your baby is quite uncomfortable and Drs can move quite slowly, at times. Meanwhile, we were advised to keep the bum clean and plastered with vaseline - we had used Metanium previously, but the paediatrician told us, that because it stuck to the skin so well, removing it each time we changed a nappy would make the baby even more uncomfortable.

Hope your problem resolves quite soon!

Just to add to what dairyfree has said, I would also suggest making sure your GP tests for coeliac disease before suggesting a diagnosis of IBS in a 7mth old baby.

Thanks both :)

we have an appointment for Wednesday due to the bank holiday weekend.

The stool sample was clear of infection.

He eats anything and everything really so its hard to pinpoint what it could be.

Keep a diary of his milk feeds/ food and poo ( note what colour etc). It will help when you get referred to a consultant and might help you see a pattern.

My DS2 went through similar for 6 months cos the Dr insisted it was viral so it's positive your doctors have already done poop tests.

It's utterly miserable but it won't go on forever so hold on there with the nappy cream and nappy bags.

I'll start a little diary tomorrow.

I have just popped on the neocate website and taken the test and I only answered no to one question. He is always gassy, always wheezy and chesty (Dr always says viral) and he has a hole in his heart so his breathlessness, I thought, was just from that.

If it is an intolerance, will it last his whole life? Is it harder to wean a baby with allergies? I'm so nervous and worried for him.

I have vaselined his bum after his bath and will hope for a full night's sleep.

Some kids grow out of it by the age of 3 ( so our consultant said) but my 3 yr old had biopsies earlier this year and the consultant says he will never grow out of it.

TBH once you find what is causing it and then you see your child flourish and be happy and develop (and not always being sick and you feeling trapped at home )- well you know it is do-able and for the good.

It's tough at times ( I once got teary knowing DS2 will never eat an eclair - I was miserable that day anyway). But you adapt.

It is harder to wean a baby who has intolerances and allergies. Diary keeping is helpful with that. You tend to have to introduce new foods abit slower. With intolerances sometimes you have to retest foods that have previously caused issues and it's not fun.

But honestly it's do-able. You'll learn a lot. You can get lots of support. Try to not worry about it. Don't think ahead for the future. Just concentrate on each day at a time for now. It will get easier. I thought my child would have a very limited diet but you get creative and you discover ways around it.

Keep us updated.

What specific test(s) do I ask for? Is it a stool sample test?

Im a terrible cook :(

Sorry for all the questions.

Would it be an idea to step back onto stage 1 milk as I know stage 2 can sometimes cause digestion issues? Just to kind of rule it out?

There is also SMA Lactose Free milk I can buy. Would that be worth a try? Do I need GP approval to try it? If I did try it and it did solve the problem, how long would it take for an improvement to show up?

I'm just trying to cover bases and be armed with enough info so the Dr thinks I know what I'm talking about

If they were happy on stage 1 go back to it ( I think stage 2 milk is a marketing ploy and not necessary..cynical me).

You could also try the SMA lactose free one. But swapping and changing milks can upset little ones ( and big ones) so give it a few weeks on 1 type unless it's really upsetting your baby.

I would chat to the Dr and HV. I found my HV knew more than my Dr about it. There are also prescribed powdered milks for allergy/intolerances.

Don't worry about knowing much about this subject. It's a bloody minefield. There's lots of confusing info.

Thanks. Ill get a stage 1 and see what that does. He has been on stage 2 since he was very small. He went back on stage 1 when he was in hospital with bronchiolitis at 11weeks but we went back to 2 when we got home.

Ill keep you all posted. Thanks :)

Just a word on how long it may last. If an allergy (in the true sense) it will be life long. If an intolerance, I was originally told it lasts for around two years but have since been told five years and elsewhere read eight! I think I'm right in saying that if Lactose was the prob, then you would have prob had probs even on the stage 1, and b'milk. But wait and see what they come up with. Hopefully, it will be positive - important not to jump to conclusions, just yet!

My 3 yr old has an intolerance (it is not life threatening if he consumes dairy just pretty painful and disgusting side effects). His consultant informed us last month that it is life-long and it will not just disappear. So interested on your point that intolerances go DFB.