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Allergies and intolerances

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Original poster

Milk intolerance - is this a positive result? C'mon experts!!!!!!!!

66 replies

treedelivery · 27/04/2009 18:53

Ok - so -

dd2 is 3 months and possesed by the colic demon. After many treatments, schemes, medications and so on, I have gone dairy free as she is bf. I have done 10 days of total non-dairy living.

So she seemed loads and loads better after 3 days. We figured this may be the dairy free mamma milk, but thought it was a bit quick tbh, so maybe coincidence and her age.

At wedding this weekend gone, so had 1 day doing dairy. Nothing dramatic, few sandwiches, 3 cups of tea and a slice of cake.

So today - 2 days later, she is starting to stiffen up, whine, loads of wind etc.

Is this a positive result for dairy intolerance, or have I not given it enough time and I'm reading too much into everything?

OP posts:
Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 17:11

That is my understanding AcademicMum [such as it is].

My cup of tea is getting futher and futher away, and I wanted to bf for ages yet!

OP posts:
simpson · 28/04/2009 17:34

Also think its quite rare to be lactose intolerant as apposed to dairy intolerance iyswim

messymissy · 28/04/2009 17:37

Yeah, that's what i've been reading on various sites and threads on mn. and i see that it makes a big difference to what you can give them.

btw what does iyswim mean? is it , if you see what i mean?

Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 17:40

Messymissy - you're right!

So is it possible to sort out the cows milk protein allergy from the lactose allergy?

Because I really want a cup of tea in the next 6 months and if she is only lactose intolerant I can have one!

OP posts:
simpson · 28/04/2009 17:43

You could try oat milk or rice milk....

Never tried them myself but might be ok for a cup of tea

Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 17:44

Tried rice milk - but that tastes like tinned rice pudding with tea in. Not tried oat milk in it yet.

I think I have a refined tea drinking palate [don't you know], I have drank it since I was 1!

OP posts:
messymissy · 28/04/2009 17:45

I dont know treedelivery - will ask next time at the doctors and keep researching on the web. if i find something will post it here.

I can sympathise with your tea craving - must be maddening! i am a tea addict!

did your doc say anything about lactose versus protein?

simpson · 28/04/2009 17:49

treedelivery - I have my routine appt with DD's dietician tomorrow...so if you have any questions you want me to ask on your behalf let me know!!

Think oat milk is not as sweet as rice milk but thicker.

Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 17:55

Phht. My doctor said 'babies like to be held' and 'babies cry alot'. Am very much looking forward to paed review. Will be heartbroken if he is disinterested too though, which is why I considered going private to a paeds/allergy specialist. At least I would be sure of them being interested iyswim?

OP posts:
Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 17:59

Oooooooh - Simpson. Thats really kind of you. I'm no where near weaning her yet so I can deal with being dairy free myself, it's more the diagnosis I'm interested in. So if you could ask about if it is possible to tell difference between cows milk and lactose intolerance in an infant? Ace!

OP posts:
simpson · 28/04/2009 18:05

No probs!!

Appt is at 10.30 so will get back on here as soon as I can

Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 18:07

Am excited!

OP posts:
simpson · 28/04/2009 18:17

You might get your cup of tea after all

Original poster
treedelivery · 28/04/2009 18:18

In which case I will need your address to send you flowers!

OP posts:
AcademicMum · 28/04/2009 20:23

I'd second the oat milk in tea. You kind of get used to it after a while - I've been dairy free for almost 6 months now. Desparate to get ds2 weaned onto a cup, but he seems to have other ideas.

EachPeachPearMum · 28/04/2009 20:47

I am v interested in what academicmum said about continued exposure making things worse.
I cut out milk (tree & I have babies same age, sorry) and DS immediately improved 'colic'-wise and nappy wise. (they were utterly foul before- I was astonished after dd's sweet-smelling butternut squash nappies!)
However, I am still eating butter, chocolate, and on occasion cheese... DS has really slowed his weight gain over last 5 weeks (no loss, but dropping down centiles like a stone), he has also developed eczema, and is cutting down on feeds the last few days (maybe a virus, but ime that makes babies feed more not less).

And I'd love to know from simpson (when she knows!) how to tell the difference between lactose and cmp intolerances...

simpson · 28/04/2009 21:08

One thing I do remember when DD tested positive for dairy intolerance (stool sample)was that they said she had sugar in her stools.

I wonder if this is one of the ways of detecting dairy intolerance over lactose.....

Will let you guys know what dietician says tomorrow

AcademicMum · 28/04/2009 21:57

Your ds sounds exactly like my ds2 was at arund 4/5 months, eachpeachpearmum. Mine had minimal weight gain (dropped from 9th to 0.4th centile), eczema, refusing feeds (apparently in pain, but went almost overnight from feeding on demand but more or less every 3 hours very enthusiastically to going 5 hours or so between feeds and then only very little feeds), foul nappies (with blood).

You can do a sort of mini skin test for allergy by just taking a small amount of milk and rubbing into the skin, leave for 15 mins and rub off. If there is a rash it shows a true allergy (don't do it if the allergy is anaphylactic type levels). The absence of a rash doesn't mean there isn't an allergy, but the presence of one means there is, if that makes sense. We were told to do this with ds1 who has an egg allergy (with cooked eggs).

MerlinsBeard · 28/04/2009 22:04

i have fought since ds2 was BORN for dairy intolerance testing and keep getting refused. Since i decided to take him off dairy myself (would not advise going against DRs normally) he is a different child. I still don't know exactly what it is he is allergic to but have (thru trial and error) realised that he can cope with teh small amount of discomfort a small amount of dairy gives him which means i can use normal marg on his sandwiches etc

EachPeachPearMum · 28/04/2009 22:05

Thank you both- very useful.
Now I just have to find some clear skin to do a test, lol!
(he has a viral rash too at present, what fun)

simpson · 28/04/2009 22:11

MoM - it makes me so to hear stories like yours.

Similar situation here although got stool sdample done relatively quickly which came back positive and DD put on soya ff which was worse for her.

I only got neocate because I had resort to videoing (on mobile phone) DD in agony screaming with constipation straining to poo.

She got neocate at 10mths and only 2wks ago (at 14mths) did I get blood tests (after many rows)for more allergies/intolerances because I still insist she is not right.

We are waiting for the results ATM.

MerlinsBeard · 28/04/2009 22:13

simpson that is what DS2 was like he would also strain to NOT poo. I have never known anyone hold diarrhoea in before until ds2 managed it for an HOUR

They still won't put on his notes that i took him off dairy (wanted it on there just in case he had any issues when he was older)-still, he occasionally poos normally (ish) now and is not in pain although is sometimes uncomfortable.

simpson · 28/04/2009 22:18

Pead insisted DD stay on soya ff and like you I ignored advice and put her back on normal ff (she could only tolerate cow & gate - I think because of the priobiotics) which yes does have cows milk in but was the lesser of 2 evils at the time

I know what you mean about straining not to poo BTW.

How old is your DS2 out of interest?

MerlinsBeard · 28/04/2009 22:20

i stopped bf as i though tit was that and he too was better on cow and gate.

He is 4 now and as far as school and nursery are concerned he is ALLERGIC to dairy. They seem to pay more attention to that than intolerance.

simpson · 28/04/2009 22:22

Yes I have learnt to say the word allergic too

The pead totally laughed at me when I said DD was better on cow & gate than any other brand and said "they all have cows milk in you know"

Try telling that to my baby

Was just asking the age of your DS as wondering the chances of DD growing out of it