Milk Allergy: suitable substitute and general advice please

[technics]

Hi everybody, This is my first post so please be gentle

I have a 10 month old son and in the last few months ezcema has appeared, mostly over his tummy but it is slowly spreading to his legs, arms and neck. I have been to the drs and spoken to hv and they have said it is certainly not food related but have not suggested what the cause could be. DS has been prescribed diprotherm(sp?) and oilatum bath. DS was exclusively breastfed to six months and is now blw. DS is still bf but I do use some dairy: about four bottles of formula a week when he's at nursery, yoghurts and the odd bit of cow's milk when making porridge pancakes.

Anyway, I've read a lot of threads on mn re ezcema and I'm now almost certain this ezcema is caused by a milk allergy. DP has only recently told that he in fact had a milk allergy as a child, DS is very mucus-y/snotty and of course the ezcema.

I was thinking of cutting out dairy for a couple of months and seeing if there was any change. So my questions are: can I buy a formula substitute from the pharmacy (I don't want to ask the dr to prescribe it because she has said she is certain the ezcema is not food related and I don't want to tell her how to do her job!). And what can I use as a substitute for it in his food i.e. yoghurts, and small amounts of milk when preparing meals.

Thanking you all in advance and look forward to receiving any advice

Right, well the first thing is nobody can say that eczema is not food related without an extensive series of allergy tests - so ignore their advice. The stuff they are prescribing will certainly ease his symptoms but you're wise to think about what's causing it.

My own experience is that most eczema is caused or at least significantly worsened by food allergies (disclaimer- but I'm no doctor~).

Rather than trying to keep your doctor happy I'd be tempted to change her for a more sympathetic /allergy knowledgeable one (but that's just me).

Regarding the formula, you can buy soya formula to replace the dairy but not all parents of allergic children like to do this 'cause soya is also another common allergen.

Ideally - get sent for allergy testing to confirm the source of the allergy (but you'd need your GP to cooperate and it can take months).

Hi wb, thanks so much for you reply, I thought nobody was going to bother for a while!!

Very interesting about the soya milk, I didn't know that. I have read that rice milk is not a good idea so did discount replacing with that.

Unfortunately I think you're also right about the dr too. Although she is lovely, she doesn't seem to want to do/prescribe much unless you're seriously ill, which I agree with to a certain extent but I do think this ezcema is serious as something is causing it, it's spreading and I don't think it's fair on my DS. I also think that something must be causing it, and so surely I should try to stop the cause rather than clear up the symptoms (proactive rather than reactive iykwim). It is possible for me to get an appointment with another dr, so I will try that.

Could I just ask, with allergies relating to soya, are they similar to milk or different or does it vary (DS hasn't tried soya yet)? Or do you know of a website I could look at? To save my endless questioning!! I could switch to soya while waiting for an appointment with the other dr but won't do that if the possible reactions are worse than ezcema. I'm thinking that if I do cut out the dairy and ezcema clears up, my case will be a lot easier to argue if the other dr ends up as unsympathetic as DS's regular dr.

TIA

Any more thoughts anybody?

Hi technics,

to turn your question on its head: the symptoms your ds is displaying (eczema, mucous etc) could be caused by an allergy to any food (tho likely to be something he eats regularly).

Likewise, any food could cause an allergic reaction that presents differently - so an allergy to milk can cause eczema, diarrhea, asthma, hives, facial swelling or anaphalaxis in any given individual (my ds is allergic to milk and comes out in hives). Certain foods, such as nuts, tend to be associated with serious reactions. Soya allergy is (disclaimer: I'm no doctor) similar to dairy so no more (of less) likely to cause a serious reaction. (Also: are you sure your ds has had no soya? Its in most bread, cakes, biscuits etc so unless you have been strictly avoiding it he probably has had some already).

Also, re: rice milk, oat milk etc. These can be suitable after 1 year of age if calcium enriched and if you give vitamin d supplements (according to my son's dietician)- if your lo has other sources of animal protein (like meat) and if you have no concerns about your lo's weight/growth (cause they are very low on calories). My son is a shrimp so was on hypoallergenic cows milk formula (brilliant but only available on prescription) until age 2.

Forgot to add: keep this bumped for the evening, as a lot of the regular posters on here are around then.

aha, thanks once again wb.

Goodness there's no doubt DS has had soya then! ooops. Looks like I may have to become a little bit more aware when reading ingredients on packets... Being only 10 months and blw he does eat quite simple unprocessed foods but he does of course at times eat bread, organix biscuits etc DP has even given him a bit of dark chocolate on more than one occasion

So looks as though I will definately have to push for that allergy testing doesn't it. I instantly thought as DP had a milk allergy, given DS's symptoms, DS must have a milk allergy but, as food allergy appears to be such a complex subject I don't think I can self-diagnose this one!! Thanks once again for all your advice.

Thanks so much wb. My first post wasn't too painful and very helpful in fact!!

Will bump this evening when the eczema ridden DS is asleep!

My DD (14 months) has recently started wheezing and is being treated for asthma. My DP has bad excema and has been allergy tested by dematolgist and reacted to dairy, gluten, eggs, soya and peanuts (we knew about that.

Anyway I asked about having DD tested and they said shes too young and would get loads of false positives and end up on a very restricted diet etc

but she did say if she regularly comes out in a rash to something its probably an allergy. this happens with egg she gets a red raised rash on her face

that's very interesting mspotatochip, thank you.

My DS's rash is always there, it doesn't disappear at any time, although it does sometimes seem to appear more red/irritated although I haven't yet been able to link this to anything (that is to say I haven't yet tried!).

Out of interest, do you still allow your DD to eat egg?

Hi technics. This is probably an intolerance rather than an allergy, and testing is very very inconclusive for intolerances.

Please please don't start giving your ds soya milk as a substitute. It shouldn't be used for under 2's, not just because of the risk of it sensitising him to it, but because it has been proven to increase the chance of tooth decay and infertility in later life.

If you are still breastfeeding, you should limit the amount of dairy that you eat as well as ds, as some does pass through bm. I had to give up dairy totally as even a tiny amount affected dd.

As long as breast milk remains his main drink, then rice milk with added calcium would be ok as an occasional alternative, or for cooking with.

Even better would be to use a hypoallergenic formula if he will take it (some taste revolting, and some bearable). You can buy these, although they are quite expensive, and may need to be ordered in by the pharmacy. You should ask for either Pepti-junior, neocate or nutramigen.

For yoghurts we did use soya ones, but dd only had one a week at most.

we stopped giving her e.g boiled egg/omelette /home made custard etc but I gave her tuna mayo sandwich for tea today (no reaction so far). Essentially I haven't been frantically checking packs for egg content (I know with DP it everywhere).

Doc said wait until shes 2 and try and re-introduce. i think the initial rash isn't the problem its how it might escalate.

Nursery doesn't use eggs and we cook a lot from scratch but she eats all sorts at grannies and when we're out.

DP had severe excema from very small child alwaya managed by GP. hes 31 and only went to dermatologist last year after years and years and years of nagging from your truly. I can say hes not perfect but much better and dermatologist had totally different approach than GP and poo poohed some creams DP had regularly been fobbed off with sorry prescribed

Just jumping back in to contradict cantsleepwontsleep

As I understand it an intolerance is an inability to digest certain foods eg lactose intolerance. Allergies on the other hand are caused by an inappropriate response by the nervous system. Eczema is an allergy.

Firstly, thanks all for taking the time to read my posts and give advice, even if they are contradictory, it's incredibly helpful to be able to take everything on board with a view to going forward on this.

cantsleepwontsleep I fully take on board your comments re soya milk - I have PCOS and am aware of the link between soya and hormones. This isn't something that I had thought about previously so thanks for reminding me about this. I will speak to the pharmacy tomorrow to see whether they can order in some hypoallergenic formula as I just can't express enough bm to feed DS the 4-6 8oz bottles a week that he drinks at nursery.

With regard to rice milk I'm sure I read somewhere that this can contain arsenic??? I see you said occasional use so is the idea that as long as you don't give too much then the amount of arsenic wouldn't be so high as to be dangerous?

and mspotatochip what is about DPs/DHs and drs???! DP's ezcema has just recently reappeared but do you think he will see his dr despite my insistence

Contradict away wb . I always go by this definition, but will happily admit to not being sure exactly what constitutes an immune system response and what doesn't.

You might have read this thread about arsenic technics?

The occasional use is nothing to do with arsenic, but merely the fact that it is not nutritious enough to constitute the main drink for a child so young (dd's dietician advised it was ok as main drink from 1 yr, but that bm or hypoallergenic formula were still preferable at that age).

As per my recommendation on the linked thread, you could try oat or almond milk instead, if you are genuinely worried about arsenic levels.

Yes CSWS that was the thread that sprung to mind! Although I hadn't read it at the time (I have now thanks) and could only remember the media hype from a while ago. However like somebody on the thread said, every single food stuff in the world comes under scrutiny at some point!

Probably a stupid question, but have you tried goat's milk? Some children can cope with this but not cow's milk.

Not a stupid question, I was told there was no such thing

No I haven't tried goat's milk, that's kinda why I posted here as I'd read a bit on the t'internet and it was a bit overwhelming being new to this ezcema/food intolerance/allergy/dry skin rash whatever this problem is! I wanted to hear other people's experiences and advice.

Did you switch to goat's milk after cow's? and if so did it help?

There are several MNers who have had success with goat's milk, but the proteins in it are very similar to those in cow's milk, to the extent that goats formula is now illegal in the UK. I think the stats are that less than 20% of children who are intolerant of cows milk will be tolerant of goats.

I have never heard of the arsenic or infertility thing. I am giving 15 month old ds rice milk most days to try and wean him off bf (it's not working) but he has a cup a day, and usually a soya yoghurt too. Is this bad every day?

is it really illegal, CSWS? I thought nannysoy or whatever was still in thr shops.

I was going on my aunt's experience and the fact that you would be using it to supplement breast feeding.

If your child is allergic to cow's milk they're quite likely to react to goat's milk, but if it is a milder intolerance rather than a full-on allergy it could help.

goat's milk is illegal in the UK I was just looking at the nannycare goat's milk formula web page !!

I knew mm would be able to help me.

I can't add too much about the PCOS/infertility/soya thing - when I was trying to self-diagnose (again ) I found out that with PCOS a lot of it is to do with diet and they suggested drinking soya instead of dairy, all linked to your hormones. I did try this myself at the time (well it worked, I'm on mn now!) but of course this can't be a good thing for LOs, messing about with hormones.

BTW, It might be worth checking with one of the BF experts like TikTok if your LO needs a lot of milk at nursery if you're breast feeding him at home.

You might be able to get away with some EBM and drinks of water.

That's a very good point girlfrommars, thanks for that. I guess my only worry there would be that DS is blw so his food intake is not huge (my nursery had never heard of blw before and I'm sure they think I'm a cruel mother who is starving her DS - still perservering nontheless) so he does still rely quite heavily on bm. I can express some milk but not enough to keep up with the (usually) six 8oz bottles that he drinks at nursery, two days a week (three a day that is, not six a day!).