is there any illness/condition if babies cant seem to eat/break down protein foods?

[mad4myboys]

6.5month ds2 has been ill since birth with problems in his stomach area somewhere and they dont know what is wrong. Has had few investigations and biopsies etc and currently waiting for appr at GOSH. Cut a long storey short he cant eat meat, gives him bad stomach ache and very windy. Im obv concerned about this and HV said until we know whats wrong give him fish and lentils for his protein. Cod so far seems ok but gave him lentils yesterday and the same thing happened and he was up half the night, the sanme as when he has meat. Just wondering (clutching at straws) if there was a condition when you cant tolerate protein??

He has been weaned for a little while now, not something new BTW

Could it be the complexity of the protein? Lentils may be difficult to digest rather than, say, chicken or fish?

chicken he cant eat either though...he onky has 10oz of neocate a day and i know that isnt enough for their dietry needs

bump

Have a vague memory that perhaps there is, mad4. No idea what though, but do ask the doctors?

elibean, i seem to stalk you everywhere. Do you have a medical background or just alot of experience??

a quick google suggests that his adrenal glands may be malfunctioning and causing a tyrosine deficiency.

but i hasten to add that information is gleaned from the www and therefore to be taken with a barrelful of salt.... but possibly something to have examined? afaik the test to check his adrenal glands function is fairly simple.

The only thing I know of that affects protein digestion specifically is phenylketonuria (PKU). But all newborn babies are screened for this when they have the heel-prick test, and its very rare so I wouldn't have thought that was the problem.

Fish is meant to be very easy to digest though, lentils can be quite difficult. Does he have known allergies - are eggs/soya ok for him?

yes he def had the heel prick. Basically he is severley constipated (on meds to make him poo) and even then its pellets which are mucousy and dark. He gets awful stomach cramps, bent double and chronuc wind. since birth. he didnt pass alot of mecconium... he has meds for severe relux and is on neocate due to ds1 having bad food allergies and he is displaying signs of..... weight is fine and developmental wise fine. had tube in his throat and tried to get into the bowel but full of green sticky poo...he has various ENT issues aswell...apeneoa, constant blocked/stuffy/coldy nose, sounds chesty but chest/lungs clear, has a cough and he gags and chokes alot, even on milk and his liquid meds. He doesnt sleep well as woken up in pain.... any other ideas?? he is being refered like i said to GOSH but will take a while...

I'm not trying to worry you but has he been tested for CF?

yes he had that at birth

Good luck at GOSH - our dd2 is under metabolic consultants there - I think it is a great hospital with lots of extremely experienced doctors and researchers investigating all sorts of unusual illnesses. You will be in good hands there.

They managed to pinpoint dd2's rare condition - one of only 6 or so kids in the country with this problem.

wow thats reasurring. i just really want to get there now. what does she have if you dont mind me asking?

mad45myboys... after reading your last post i'd definitely push for an adrenal gland analysis... alot of thsoe symptoms sound like what i saw mentioned on multiple medical sites during my googling earlier.

it is treatable with steroids in most cases too

google adrenal gland insufficiency and see for yourself if it sounds familiar

She has Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency - but please, this is a lesson on why NOT to google, as it has several forms, from terminal a few weeks after birth to "mild" which is what dd2 has - and she is quite severely disabled by it. But it is rare, thankfully.

However, there is protein in many other foods apart from meat, so are you sure its that causing the problem?

How long till the GOSH appt?

still havent had the letter, secretary is sps be ringing be back tomorrow. I think we will be having to do it privately to get it done quicker. Melted, he has been like this since he was born so i dont think it is food causing it, esp as he has been on neocate a while. When he has meat/lentils he is especially bad and im up alot of the night with him so at the moment he isnt having protein per se. Waiting for dietician apt too, esp as he only has 10-15oz of milk a day and the min is 20oz to get what they need from it

poor you... just a quick bit of advice, lentils can be really hard to digest - the key is to soak them ideally overnight before cooking with them, and make sure they get a thorough washing before you cook with them.

You could also try sprouted seeds, they are very high in protein. And mixed beans of course. But all veg has protein in it too.

Hope you get it sorted... and get a diagnosis so you can move forward.

it was an organic pre made food so not something i made at home...

ok so now he cant eat fish....it seems to be doing the same thing to him. really had enough now

still waiting for GOSH.