is this lactose intolerant or milk protein allergy?? *********

[zwiggy]

my ds 7 mths always vomits / gets rash when i give him formula - even just the tiniest amount just mixed with a bit of porridge - he is ebf and doesn't seem to have any reactions, even if I eat dairy. He is okay on soya formula but I am not really happy giving this because of i) the oestregen content , and ii) because it is all made of sugar.

Doctor doesn't want to give me anything else cos he doesn't take solids that well, is not really progressing with them and I think he thinks I will stop breastfeeding altogether.
I just want something I can mix with food, and use to top up as he wakes every hour in the night to feed and also I have to go back to work soon.

So.... is this a lactose intolerance OR a milk protein allergy?

[zwiggy]

bump bump

[strawberrycornetto]

Hello. I'm new to this too, my DS is also about 7 months old and we think he has a milk allergy. He got a rash with hive type spots all round his mouth the first time he had a tiny bit of cow's milk. The second time I tested on his arm (thanks to the great advice from the people here ) and his arm came up in a large red hive. The HV and Dr think that its an allergy not an intolerance.

What kind of rash does your DS get? Someone else here might have some more thoughts if you describe the reaction.

I am exclusively breastfeeding too and I am using ebm in food where I need to (although I am worrying about producing enough!)

[zwiggy]

i know the feeling strawberry, I don't feel i can sustain a 7 mth baby alone, I've lost 2 stone already.

I just don't get if its a Milk protein allergy or Lactose intolerance.

Whats the difference? He will eat soya milk

Help, anybody?

[TheProvincialLady]

You could try Lacto-free milk, which is milk with the lactose removed. It still has milk protein obviously but if it is the lactose part that he is allergic/intolerant to then he will be OK on lacto-free (you can get it in Tescos etc).

[zwiggy]

i know, its just that i don't want to shell out another 5 quid on a new formula to try that then has to be chucked- i've tried several formulas already you see and just wondered if anyone nknew before i tried the lactose free and had another vomiting episode followed by all night crying

[TheProvincialLady]

I think the only way to be certain without the lacto-free test is to get your Gp to refer yout to an allergy clinic. He should do it anyway really.

[cuppachar]

How quickly does the rash and vomitting occur after he's had milk? If it's an allergy you would expect it to happen quite quickly, as it's the immune system which reacts to the proteins, whereas an intolerance involves the digestive system so would take longer. (This is how I understand it anyway but it's probably not quite that straightforward!)

DD reacted to cows milk within about 10 minutes, with white bumps around her mouth (and sometimes ankles/knees) and sometimes vomitting - this is a definite allergy, which has since been confirmed by skin prick testing. Your GP should refer you to an allergy clinic who will probably do skin prick testing. If an allergy is confirmed you can then get special formula on prescription. hope this helps...

[cuppachar]

PS. I wouldn't worry about the sugar content in soya formula as breastmilk is also very high in sugar. The allergy speciailist I saw said they she wouldn't recommend soya formula for boys under the age of 6 months so your son is a bit older than that. However I think a better alternative is hydrolysed milk formula, which is still cows milk based but the milk proteins are kind of digested so they're much smaller and less likely to trigger a reaction. You can get that on prescription but it does taste and smell foul so I'm afraid bfing and a bit of soya might be the best way forward! (I use regular soya milk in DD's porridge.)

[TheShipsCat]

It does sound like an allergy, although dd also reacted to dairy in BM. She wouldn't touch the non-soya formula which you can get prescribed - its very nasty. But she did really well on the soya milk formula. We got it on prescription, and then I moved her onto normal soya milk - there is an unsweetened version you can get.

[stroppyknickers]

DS had a dairy allergy, tipified by eczema after cows milk. Intolerance shows as stomach upsets apparently. Mine grew out of it, and we used soya. Rice milk was lovely, but recently linked to weird levels of arsenic...

[zwiggy]

thanks for your help -
cuppacar - he usually vomits after about an hour and yes rash on ankles. does your dc eat yoghurt / cheese / butter?

did your dc eat the hydrolysed milk?

stroppynicks - how old was your dc when they grew out of it?

[cuppachar]

It does sound like it might be an allergy but I guess the only way of knowing for sure is to get him tested.... DD reacted to cows milk, yogurt and mozzarella, although seemed OK with mature cheddar (apparently in aged cheese the proteins are different or something so that's not unusual). However I've stopped giving her any of these things since she was diagnosed although recently I've been adding a little parmesan to her food on the advice of the allergy clinic.

I must admit I've still never tried giving her the hydrolysed milk formula to drink (silly of me really) but I made up some porridge with it once and she did eat it although I had to alternate with spoonfuls of mashed banana! Must try giving it to her to drink but the smell/taste puts me off... However the clinic did say she probably won't accept it at her age (it's easier younger) and if that's the case I can give her soya formula instead which tastes quite nice so shouldn't be a problem.

I really think you should go to your GP, describe exactly the reactions your DS has had, say you think it's an allergy and want referral to an allergy clinic - hopefully they'll agree. Is there any history of eczema / allergies / asthma in your family? I have allergies and eczema so DD's allergies were no great surprise to be honest.

I've been told that she will almost certainly grow out of both the milk and egg allergies before she starts school.

[zwiggy]

thanks, got an appointment on monday. no allergies in the family but i did have to take loads of anti biotics after the birth which they said were ok with bf but i since found out they weren't! so i suspect that might have something to do with it.

[casbie]

i keep getting told by my doctors that my son (5yrs) can't get tested for milk intolerence, only by process of elimination.

?