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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to get annoyed when people say dd4 is intollerent to milk

26 replies

misdee · 23/05/2009 12:51

grrrr

i know i am slightly.

dd4 is not intollerent to cows milk. she is allergic to it.

theres a difference.

OP posts:
cookielove · 23/05/2009 12:52

yes there is a very clear difference

loobeylou · 23/05/2009 12:53

some people are just plain ignorant of the facts and you could explain how serious an allergy is to them, BUT if it is anyone such as teacher, childminder etc playing it down you should be fuming!

NBU at all

Original poster
misdee · 23/05/2009 12:54

i dont leave weith anyone, she is only 6months, so no need yet.

OP posts:
HumphreyCobbler · 23/05/2009 13:05

Also people are always saying that they are allergic to something when they are just intolerent.

YANBU

Lulumama · 23/05/2009 13:07

YNABU, but you have to remember that people without true allergies don;t have the in depth knowledge

lots of people think allergy/intolerance are interchangeable

people who bloat a bit when they have wheat are not the same as those who are coeliac

but there are also degrees of allergy.. DS has a nut allergy, but not as severe as some sufferers

the whole topic is confusing

belgo · 23/05/2009 13:14

oh misdee my mil is totally confused my ds not being allowed cow's milk. She bought gluten free baby food for him.

Although the word allergy has never really been used by the health professionals ds has seen - I thought he was still to young to have an allergy.

In any case he cannot have it. Kiwis and strawberries are off the shopping list too.

raisingrrrl · 23/05/2009 13:18

YANBU - ds has a slight intolerance to cow's milk which makes his eczema flare up. He is not allergic to it, as he doesn't have an anaphylactic reaction. Is that right?

MIL goes round telling all and sundry her grandson is allergic to dairy which is just not true. It winds me up a lot, especially since she tries to blame it on the fact that he's breastfed!

belgo · 23/05/2009 13:19

My mother and I also think my dad must have had an undiagnosed cow's milk allergy when he was born 71 years ago. At the age of 6 months he apparently weighed less then his birth weight, according to my grandmother there was no explanation. (he is now a healthy 71 year old..

belgo · 23/05/2009 13:22

raisingirl- you don't have to have anaphylatic reaction to be allergic. My dh has several diagnosed allergies but hopefully none of them will cause anaphylaxis.

I don't know if my ds (8 months) has an allergy, sensitivity or intolerance to cow's milk - I don't think the doctors know either. He has eczema, itchy rashes, and other allergic features - bags and shadows under his eyes- diagnosed by misdee on another thread

BalloonSlayer · 23/05/2009 13:31

YANBU Misdee, I get the same with my allergic DS1.

raisingrrl, sorry but you are wrong and your MIL is right. An intolerance is when your body cannot tolerate (ie process) a food. This means it cannot be digested and is usually passed through the body rapidly. An allergy is when your body sees a substance as an enemy, so to speak, and produces a reaction to fight against that substance. Eczema is definitely an allergic reaction - your DS's eczema is probably described by the Doctor as atopic? Atopic means allergic.

There are levels of allergy and levels of intolerance. A mild allergy is a runny nose, or mild eczema. Severe allergy is anaphylactic shock. Mild intolerance is a bit of tummy ache and wind. Severe intolerance is a baby practically starving because it can't digest the milk it is being given.

So a severe intolerance is a lot worse than a mild allergy.

But allergy and intolerance are different things, not degrees of severity of the same thing, which is what a lot of people seem to think.

BalloonSlayer · 23/05/2009 13:33

I didn't mean she was right about the breastfeeding though!
Just that it's an allergy

mrsboogie · 23/05/2009 13:34

can I briefly hijack? my 8 month old has been doing liquid poos for about 5 days. He is eating fine and not sick but after every bottle or while he is still drinking there is a very stinky poo. He is ff and at nursery 3 days a week so I don't know 100% what he is eating at the moment. Got some soya formula yesterday to see whether it made a difference, he drank it no problem but same pooing reaction after.

Could it be a milk protein problem suddenly? if he eats a banana it still happens but if his intestines are being affected by the milk perhaps it would?

Obviously taking him to doctors but can't get an appointment until next friday.

Maybe I should post this in allergies?

BalloonSlayer · 23/05/2009 13:35

belgo - from your description, I would say your grandad had an intolerance, not an allergy.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 23/05/2009 13:37

OK, Ds has eczma, wind, bad poos, tummy ahce and vomiting on cows milk, Allery or Intolerance, dietician says intolerance. Also I know that you can grow out of an intolerance, DH and his niece both have, but can you grow out of an allergy?

FiveGoMadInDorset · 23/05/2009 13:38

That was just out of curiosity as he is happy on soya products

BalloonSlayer · 23/05/2009 13:40

Yes it is very common to grow out of milk allergy. DS1 is 9 and hasn't but that's unusual.

Eczema can be caused by many things. It certainly sounds like the biggest problem in your DS's life is an intolerance

BalloonSlayer · 23/05/2009 13:44

mrs boogie if it was immediately after he had the soya milk then it wouldn't have been that he was pooing out. I'd give it a few days.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 23/05/2009 13:53

MrsBoogie, keep at it when we swapped over it took a few days for the cows milk formula to get out of DS's system.

mrsboogie · 23/05/2009 14:04

thanks - I thought that might be the case.
Would it be odd for an 8 nearly 9 month old to suddenly develop an intolerance?

Against my better judgement I gave a small drink of cows milk last week for the first time as I had no cool water. Wonder if that sparked it off...

BalloonSlayer · 23/05/2009 14:33

Sometimes children develop a temporary intolerance to milk after a stomach bug?

raisingrrrl · 23/05/2009 14:34

BS - tbh I haven't seen the GP about ds' eczema as it was treatable at home with calendula cream and homeopathic remedies. If it had been worse then we would have gone to see the dr but it's under control now, and we've just cut raw dairy out of his diet. He drinks goat's milk or rice milk (or breastmilk!) now.

raisingrrrl · 23/05/2009 14:35

Also, ds isn't allergic to all dairy, just raw dairy like milk. He's fine with cheese and yoghurt, so MIL is still wrong!

Original poster
misdee · 23/05/2009 16:22

dd1 eczema isnt down to cows milk issues, she is allergic to dust mites and food colourings (she suffers urticia, gets an itchy nose, and wheezes)

dd4 suffers a bad skin reaction just touching milk. i think theres a picture in my profile.

OP posts:
belgo · 23/05/2009 16:26

Yes that's nasty isn't it. They are almost like small blisters, same as what my ds gets.

Has your dd4 had allergy testing misdee?

Original poster
misdee · 23/05/2009 16:29

not yet. we're still waiting.

dd1 has never had allergy tests, but when she saw the specialist he suggested we cut out artificial colourings, particually tartrazine. the effect on her skin, breathing and reactions was amazing. now i can tell when she has a even a sniff of colourings as her eyes bags darken, the skin puckers up, and the nose rubbing starts. thenthe urticia pops up.

OP posts:
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