Wednesday June 1, 2011
There are two questions I’ve been asked repeatedly in the past two years. One is about allergies; the other about publishing a book. I love, love being able to share what I’ve learned, but it’s become a rather time-consuming job to start from scratch every time someone asks. Hopefully sometime this month (is it truly already June) I’ll be able to address both so that I have a place to refer people and answer specific questions after that. So, unless you’re dealing with food allergies, you will probably be just as happy to head somewhere else in blogger land right now. If you know of someone who is searching for help with this right now, feel free to share.
Disclaimer: I am not an allergy expert. Please, please get help from your doctor. I will share what I have learned and what works for Liam in hopes that it will help someone through the muddle. But know already that this is a very personalized journey and not a catch all basin! Please do not take anything I say as scientific fact or make claims based on what you read. I only know what has worked for us so far and it’s very much a trial and error lab in our kitchen!
How did you know Liam had food allergies?
We didn’t know. Not for a long time, at least. I suspected a milk intolerance back when he was three or four months old. His chin and upper chest was a constant mess of eczema and I remembered Lisa’s post on milk-related eczema that made her son look like he belonged in the burn unit at the hospital. I am not exaggerating. Around three months, Liam stopped napping. Instead of sleeping for forty-five minutes, he was sleeping for fifteen. Or five. But he was a generally happy baby (meaning I wasn’t walking the floor with a screaming child) and so I just ignored it. Had I not been breast-feeding, I may have pursued other options; but taking myself off dairy looked way too big for not better than I was feeling physically.
Fast forward to about ten months. I don’t remember exactly when it started. I just know that the more Liam moved toward a diet of solids, the more the fussiness and sleeping issues escalated. But this is prime teething time, too, so I assumed I had a hard teether. By the time he was a year old, he was really fussy. And still not napping. The “experts” now often say you can give a baby cows milk at nine months. Somewhere around eleven, I started Liam. He was “teething” even harder. Liam was sick all. the. time. From six months on he was a repeat case of bronchiolitis and ear infections. He immediately reacted to antibiotics and was on them so much that one ear infection had to be fought out on it’s own because he’d just had anything he could tolerate. At his annual wellness check I mentioned all the night waking in a previously sleeping all night baby. His pediatrician frowned and said, “He may not be tolerating dairy.”
And just like that the lights started flashing in my head. The very bad thing about an undiagnosed child is what it does to you as a parent. I was completely exhausted. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. Liam was so, so, so needy and fussy. He hardly slept and it felt like I never got a break. He did not want to eat. He was hardly gaining weight. He was always hungry, but when I fed him something, he pushed it away. Or gagged. Oh, the gagging. And finally about the time I’d get five tiny bites into his mouth, he’d gag and throw up.
A week later he broke out in hives when I fed him eggs. Then it was peanuts. I don’t know what was wrong with me except that I was truly mentally fogged with weariness, but I gave him a few bites of eggs a week or two later thinking it may have been a fluke. Minutes later, he vomited. Our lives turned into a blur of diarrhea, eczema, gagging, crying, screaming, cat naps, and gagging again. I would literally walk the floor with him until midnight while he cried and cried and cried and writhed and squirmed. At six the next morning he’d be up having what I thought were melt downs. And barely napping all day long. It was my mom who finally cut through my haze. “You have got to call the doctor.”
I already knew that Liam could not tolerate dairy, egg, peanut, soy milk, coconut milk, or rice milk and I was very suspicious about gluten. His bloodwork came back negative on dairy and soy (go figure) even though he is still super sensitive to both. Besides the egg and peanut, he also showed positive on wheat and tomato. I took him completely off gluten as well.
When did you see a difference?
The turnaround was almost instant. Suddenly the Liam I knew at two months was back in the house. He slept! In less than a week, we had way fewer night wakings. He was taking naps. I could actually read through an entire board book with him. He started saying words. He stopped screaming incessantly in his car seat (I’m talking screaming, not fussing.) I had no idea that he ran constantly to cope with the pain. Or that his delayed speech and what seemed to be an attention deficit issues was all related to pain and not feeling well. The meltdowns nearly stopped. And finally, finally, finally, he started eating by himself a little bit instead of us force feeding a few bites while distracting him. The night wakings and diarrhea completely stopped when I switched his probiotic to a completely vegan version that does not say, “May contain trace amounts of residual milk protein.” Best of all, he stopped getting sick all the time! He has not had an ear infection since being off milk! And he is rarely sick. When he does catch something, it’s after Adam has had it for a few days and he rarely gets as sick or stays sick as long as Adam.
Did he start tolerating things as he healed?
No. This is a sad question to answer. Instead, things got worse. He also got very sick on oranges, pineapples, and cocoa. He can tolerate a little chocolate in his milk or safe chocolate chips, but not cocoa powder. He also reacts to almost all preservatives, nitrites, nitrates, and sometimes food coloring.
Unfortunately, I don’t think his story is getting better. I’m starting to track the same symptoms. Shorter attention span. Way more meltdowns. Less sleeping. And most worrisome of all, back pain. Since December he’s been complaining of back pain and knee pain. In January, his pediatrician checked him for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and a UTI. Negative. He sent him home and said to watch him. Things aren’t getting better and in May, Liam started waking at night with back pain. I, a bit nervously, took him to a chiropractor even though it’s not recommended at his age. He stopped waking at night, but is still complaining during the day. His pediatrician is concerned and recommended we see an orthopedist next week and an allergist soon. I am feeling the fog of summer ’09 returning. We need to get to the bottom of this. I feel a little afraid. Afraid they’ll say there is nothing and I’ll still be trying to figure it out on my own. But even more afraid that they will take away even more food items from his already limited diet.
What do you feed him?
The absolute basics.
Breakfast choices:
Honey cake with goat milk or goat milk yogurt.
Gluten / soy / egg / dairy free cheerios (Nature’s Path Organic Whole O’s)
Puffins or Gorilla Munch by Enjoy Life
Sometimes a fruit smoothie made with goat milk yogurt
Lunch:
Leftovers from dinner the night before
Dinner:
See my food allergy tabs for a few recipes. In some ways, Liam’s diet has been good for us. I thought I cooked from scratch because I cook dinner pretty much every night. I thought we ate healthily because we ate a fairly well-balanced diet. But let me tell you, I had NO idea what cooking from scratch meant. There are pretty much no shortcuts when you eliminate soy and preservatives. Liam’s diet isn’t always well-balanced, but I love that we are eating much, much more wholesome food as a whole. It has taken me over a year to get to this point, but I rarely crave lasagna anymore. Definitely still love it when I get the chance to eat it, but I don’t give our food the sad eyeballing I did at first. A few things we especially love:
Grilled salmon with an apricot jam and maple syrup glaze and a rice pilaf
Bacon Potato Bundles
Steak kabobs, Rice, & Hummus
Bean burritos (Liam can have a corn tortilla), especially with guacamole!
Grilled Chicken Breast, sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil, cinnamon, and sea salt and baked
Liam loves green beans and cucumbers and baby carrots.
What one thing would have helped me most?
Knowing where to eat on the road!! Restaurants are a land mine. When we need something fast, I get french fries at Chic-Fil-A and ask them to grill the nuggets without dipping them into the marinade first. Sometimes I skip the chicken and get a large fry and Liam eats them while I get groceries. It works perfectly. By the time the french fries are gone, I’m ready to check out after painless shopping! Subway’s oven roasted chicken breast is safe. You can order a sub for yourself and order extra meat on the side. We’ve rarely eaten out since he’s been diagnosed. Ruby Tuesday has a chicken breast on the children’s menu and they will grill it to specification. Red Lobster has broiled flounder on the children’s menu that can be made safely. We’ve tried one Mexican restaurant so far and found the beans to be the only safe menu item. They generously sauteed chicken in a bit of oil and he was fine.
What DID help you most?
A set of CD’s from Diane Craft. I wish they were mine because I’d have handed them out to lots of people. Unfortunately they were borrowed, but thank God we got to listen to them. She is educated in nutrition and learning disabilities and has found a number of links between the two. What helped us most was hearing how to start the process of elimination. Dairy first. And that means, “not one teaspoon.” You really do need to read labels and know all the names for milk. You should be able to tell in two weeks (I bet most people can tell in three days!). Don’t quote me on this (I’m too tired to look it up at the moment), but I think she said almost 80% of people with a dairy allergy can’t tolerate soy. After dairy, eliminate gluten. She also described yeast overgrowth in detail. Adam was having classic symptoms. Reactions to antibiotics and repeated fungal infections. We took him entirely off sugar that summer per her directions and gave him probiotics and grapefruit seed extract three times a day. When she says off sugar, she means off sugar. Not even “healthy” cereal for breakfast. We cheated on that one because I was way too overwhelmed with all of Liam’s issues to also cook buckwheat pancakes and eggs every morning! Adam’s fungal infections completely disappeared.
Do food allergies always look like this?
No. Read this blog post.
What is still one of the hardest things about intolerances?
The way our entire social life is enmeshed in food. This is when I hurt for him. Every get together. Every birthday party. Every special night out. Every family reunion. Every camping trip. Every single thing we get together with people about is oriented around food. And rare is the day when he can eat even one thing that is served unless we head to my family’s house or his grandparents who look out for him.
The fact that your grocery bill doubles at minimum.
That it is so difficult to find vitamins that are safe! Currently, Liam can handle 1/2 the dose of Solaray brand chewable multi vitamins. I try to give him an extra 500 mg of calcium but it only happens if he eats yogurt (I open the capsule and pour it into his yogurt). Power Dophilous by Country Life. Omega 3-6-9 by Nordic Naturals.
So that was three things. Sad that I have to break my own rules.
What is easier now?
Thinking through things, but especially going away. I have made it through weekend trips by freezing meal portions. I’ve learned how to make a sandwich for him by using safe bread, my homemade zucchini relish, preservative free turkey ham, and home canned pickles. Grilled chicken can be cut into bite-sized pieces and frozen to eat with his fingers later. I *think* we could even get through a short camping trip!
Special treats: Marshmallows and Dum Dum Lollipops can save almost any situation!
What shocked you most?
How horrible most of our food is. Don’t read labels unless you want to change your life radically. It’s disgusting. Interestingly, I used to have blood sugar crashes all the time. It was the norm for me to come home from church a little grey, shaking like a leaf, and in a cold sweat because it had been too long since I’d eaten something. Now? I can’t remember the last time it happened. Real food feeds your body.
Absolute Favorite non-food products:
Enjoy Life’s Cookies for Everyone cookbook. This is a MUST HAVE for anyone with multiple allergies! There are tons of yummy cookie recipes and even a few pancake recipes!
Dreft … because a baby scent is better than no scent at all.
California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo. Although I have to admit that after two years of using this product, I would LOVE to have a new scent. If you deal with eczema, what do you use safely?
I would love, love to hear from you if you have allergy issues. Do you work with an allergist? Have you outgrown any of them? What are your favorite products? What have you learned that has most helped you? And if you have questions, fire away. I can’t promise that I can answer them, but I will try.
Up Next:
Some of Liam’s favorite food products!
This was very interesting to me! First off I’ll be praying that Liam is ok and that things aren’t getting worse. It’s so hard watching your child have something like this and knowing it’s out of your control, thankfully we know the One who is in control!
My daughter couldn’t handle dairy until she was about 3. She would vomit and she had a little bit of eczema but nothing serious. She handles things fine now but once in a while she will wake up with the shakes and I know she’s going to throw up. She does and then she’s fine again. It’s strange and I don’t know what triggers it. It’s definitely not a bug though.
Bless your heart, girl! And your little son’s!! I’m relatively new to your blog so I didn’t know this story and read it with interest. I know I have no clue in the world how easy my life has been with children who can eat whatever they want to eat. I also know we should eat more carefully than we do. I bury my head in the sand and do not read labels. 🙁 We have a big garden and raise our own beef so we eat lots of healthy food, but we eat lots of unhealthy stuff too. I so hope for you that you find answers to Liam’s current issues. What a tough road to walk.
Michelle — I glanced over this & wanted to quickly say bless your heart for giving people a place to start searching. You have an incredible amount of info here & it will probably be very helpful. Good for you!
Honestly, i know you told people to head somewhere else if you’re not dealing w/ food allergies, but I read the whole thing. First. you, Michelle can write about pretty about pretty much anything and it is never boring. I love knowing what is going on in your world, and what you’re dealing with. And Second, with this kind of stuff at large, one never knows when they will have a child with these sypmtoms, several of my friends already do, so it’s very good to be aware, the more knowledge the better.
Also, I found it interesting what you said about real food. I am nowhere, NOwhere close to eating perfectly, but that is an inspiration to keep working on it.
I read through this and don’t have time to leave a comment right now….I will be back later!
This is an interesting post. =)
I didn’t have time to read this whole post, either, but I might have something that would interest you. My mom, sister, and brother have gotten treated for their food intolerances with laser therapy and it made a night & day difference! It’s actually pretty affordable, too. They are eating “normal” food with zero, and I mean zero side effects!
@charity82 – WHAT?????? Tell me more, please!
Wow! I’ve read your posts about Liam’s allergies over the past couple of years, but seeing the details written out makes me want to cry for you and him! I’ve grown up in a allergy-free family, with the exception of an older brother who was put on goat’s milk as a baby due to milk allergy, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to examine food that closely. Sure makes you wonder what triggers allergies in certain people. I’ll be praying that you find some answers to the back pain he’s dealing with now! Poor guy! He’s been through so much already!
I hope you can figure out what’s bothering Liam now. This is making me wonder if Vince has additional food allergies we haven’t figure out. 🙁 We have not been to an allergist, because an allergist himself told me that allergy testing for food isn’t that reliable–as you discovered, a child can react to foods that don’t even show up or vice versa. Favorite foods: Kinnikinnik products. Their animal crackers and doughnuts are about the only thing Vince will willingly feed himself. The hardest thing about food allergies: that most people just don’t understand. That a huge deal of anxiety goes along with trips and eating any food you didn’t prepare yourself. Packing food everywhere, even to weddings, because even if some kind person offers to fix something for you, chances are pretty good they don’t know how to read labels or just assume that certain things (like taco seasoning) don’t have milk in them. The fact that you dread the day your baby starts solids. That fresh fruits and veggies are generally the only guaranteed safe thing at a carry-in or other event. Turning down last-minute Sunday dinner invitations because half of your family would be going hungry because you didn’t bring food along. (Can you tell I’ve just been on a trip? 🙂 I’m not usually this depressed about food allergies as long as we can just stay home.)
I really wonder what it is in chocolate our little guys are reacting to? I discovered that Elliot has terrible reactions if I have uncooked cocoa, such as in an icing. But I can eat all the baked chocolate I want to. We originally thought it was the caffeine, but the caffeine doesn’t break down with cooking.
Thanks for posting this!
Michelle, I sent you a FB message.
Ditta to what Thelma said. I read it even though I have no experience or issues with this but I am interested in YOU and what you are dealing with.
Bless your heart. That’s all I can say! You are such a trooper about all of this. I have thought about it (for other reasons) how much of our social life is based around food. Why is that, I wonder?
And I hope you can figure out in short order what is giving Liam the back pains, etc.
I got tears reading about the difficulties of food away from home. I know, it takes sooo much planning ahead and taking food along for your child, or they will not be able to eat. period. Sometimes, I have K eat at home before we go somewhere, then she runs off and plays while we eat.
I have recently begun working on our whole family’s diet. Weight issues and and yeast infections are my main motivators. It really does take planning ahead for healthy eating. it’s amazing what treats I don’t buy anymore, since Kandace can’t have it, I don’t allow the others to either. They know this, and accept it. I feel like I’m bucking a trend in out community here, esp. when I see all the unhealthy treats that get brought to these fellowship meals. My SIL and her daughters have some health issues and are working on a whole foods approach to their diet, so I’m picking up some hints from them.
I’ll be praying that you all can find some answers to Liam’s back pain, etc. ((hugs))
Listening and learning. I didn’t exactly struggle with eczema. Per se’, but some kind of breakouts even on my head.
The gluten free shampoo is so expensive and I didn’t want to take a chance…anyway went to Wal Mart and got Mane and Tail shampo in the pet section…gluten free smells good and is cheap 🙂 I know people used it for healthy hair. Wa la..within one use I was healing. The conditioner does have coconut oil in it so I am not sure if Liam can handle that.
Blessings to you, yes I live the fact of healthier eating but it’s hard.
@qawzse789 – Glad to know that! Fragrance gets him about as much as anything, I think. And he does fine with coconut oil. I use it a lot. Chick Fil A’s fries are done in refined peanut oil. I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw the box, but then his doctor explained that the oil should be safe. It’s the protein in food that you react to. Can you use g/f bisquick? I have a partial box and Liam throws up when I use it b/c apparently the “may contain trace amounts of soy” is setting him off. i would LOVE to give it to someone. It’s hard to make yourself throw food away when it costs so much to buy it. 😀
@RallyJan – I bought a little lunch box for Liam and it has made it so much easier to go away! Probably just a pyschological thing, but seriously, if packing is easy, it takes so much work out of it. And he LOVES taking his lunch box. He thinks it’s special. 🙂
@qawzse789 – Shampoo has gluten in it???!!!! Maybe now I can finally get to the bottom of Elliot’s skin and scalp issues. Thanks for mentioning it!!!
@ewaldro – I’ve been so curious how things are going with you and Elliot. Are you avoiding foods? I DREAD that part next time more than I do anything else. I didn’t know shampoo has gluten in it either although I don’t think I ever read the label since I never got past baby stuff with Liam. But HOW infuriating is it that some things have gluten in them and it’s not in any legible form on the label. I keep wondering if I’m giving Liam something w/ gluten that I’m not recognizing??? Maybe that’s why he has ongoing issues?
Listening and learning. I didn’t exactly struggle with eczema. Per se’, but some kind of breakouts even on my head.
The gluten free shampoo is so expensive and I didn’t want to take a chance…anyway went to Wal Mart and got Mane and Tail shampo in the pet section…gluten free smells good and is cheap 🙂 I know people used it for healthy hair. Wa la..within one use I was healing. The conditioner does have coconut oil in it so I am not sure if Liam can handle that.
Blessings to you, yes I live the fact of healthier eating but it’s hard.
I have no idea why my comment posted again. Oh yes shampoo, lotions, makeup, etc…can have gluten. You have to check everything and of course you don’t know what the ingredients are. I am very quick to call the company or google it. Of course feelings differ whether it matters but for me the proof in my reaction is all I need.
I feel for you, Michelle! I can only imagine what you’ve gone through in the last 3 years. You have shared a wealth of info here that will help alot of people! You’re a great mom!
oh my word Michelle! ditto to all the other comments about God bless you as you deal with this mountain!
Michelle….i have it soooo easy! So sorry for you & Liam! Blessings on your life!
I have lots I could comment as my oldest daughter has lots of allergies to food & environmental things & my son also had some dairy allergies/intolerences & reactions to preservatives etc. as a baby/toddler & we felt he outgrew them but some days I wonder if his focus, moody issues come from food intolerences & especially now since I read about your son. I will try to write more later when I have more time. I would love to chat with you on the phone sometime about all this, just because I can talk faster than I can type. LOL
Thanks so much for sharing!!
This is like light in the darkness for me right now! I’m in the thick of this!!!! Oh man… I’m exhausted after a full day of flights and layovers…. We are in Michigan for a week… lots of traveling right now…
Once I know something bothers Emma, I am a gungho stickler! She’s been off of dairy since six weeks old (me too) and we’re now gluten free as well.. and soy free as much as we can… i hate the allergist we see… does NO blood tests and gives us no help and offers nothing but steroids. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr the positive of all this is the awesome diet we are one now… like, i used to think like you that i cooked from scratch and was “healthy”! Oh my gosh did I ever have it wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, you probably can imagine how many times I’m going to groom this most over and over, gleaning what I can from it… this is like water in a desert so thank you thank you thank you for sharing it!!!!!!!!! I am seriously so tired so if this isn’t coherent, please forgive me. And no sleep? Emma took one 15 minute nap a day until she was a year old until I cut out soy… and then sleep got a lot better… lot lots better. Now she takes a whopping 40 minute nap and the other day 2 whole hours for probably the first time ever! Right now she is having a bad bout of diarrhea and I’m just not sure why because i’ve beeen SOOO careful the last two weeks. who knows, maybe it’s just the stress of traveling. Oh and I can’t use anything scented with her… and I can’t use any soap period, even unscented, on her bum – big mistake. I use flannel wipes that have been wet with water, plain and simple. Gets her clean. Coconut oil makes her bum break out every time (I tried it multiple times to kill yeast since it’s a natural yeast killer) The foods you mentioned sound so much better to me than the junk that was chock full of disgusting fat (dairy) that we used to eat. Now I do miss breads terribly right now… I haven’t gotten to the section yet of where you talk about food on the road, but I’m on the road almost this entire month so I’m going to be a most avid reader… Okay…. Got to go to bed so I can get sane… and come back to read more tomorrow. Thank you for writing this!!!!!!!!!! I know I already thanked you, but THANK YOU!
Emma has all the classic symptoms of yeast… so does eliminating all sugar also mean all fruit?
We are huge fans of hummus and guacamole!!!! (See, I’m not going to bed… I’m reading.. in my dizzily tired state of mind.. because I’m so desperate, which you understand very very well.)
Wow! I’m realizing again how very fortunate we are! I’ve never had to deal with food allergies. If I ever do have to, I’m sure I’ll know where to start! Thanks for taking the time to post all this info!
Praying for as you continue dealing with these issues.
This is very interesting Michelle! A few of my children have had some problems with eczema although nothing like your talking about! They always outgrow it by the time they are 2 or 3. So although its been miserable sometimes and we ‘ve had sleep issues too, its never been so bad that I’ve changed our diet. I’m sure I could have saved myself a lot of misery if I would have. My question is, where do you get that california baby super sensitive shampoo? Right now my 14 month old cannot tolerate soap. I will let him play in the tub till hes soaked clean then wash him without soap so he doesn’t break out in a terrible itchy rash immediately after his bath! Would be great to find a soap that would work. Thanks for an informative post!
Thank you thank you!!! I’m just getting into this allergy stuff with my son. It’s seems like such a big thing to me because I have no clue where to start. He has extreme eczema and the doctor just gave him steroid cream. Which he can only take2 weeks at a time. I’ve tried remembering what he eats each time it gets worse but it’s almost impossible to keep up. Also, he had just a touch of eczema earlier but After being put on a very high dosage of iron it went ‘wild’ and now seems impossible to control. Itseems strange that it flared up so suddently and strongly??? I have very little faith in getting an allergy test done but…. Maybe that would be the start??? I hate to see him scratch n cry!! But I’ve about exhausted everything I know to do. So…. I’m definitely interestedin hearing more about your sons allergys, thanks againfor sharing!!!
@happyangel78 – I only had a second last night to look at your blog, but I’d like to read more some time. Your daughter is beautiful … so happy for you to have been given this miracle from God. I’d love to chat sometime!
@MartinTreehouse – Oh, MEG!! I’m sorry. Yes, I KNOW that dizzy, desperate state of mind. And yes, you were coherent. My insides want to twist thinking about what you are feeling right now and remembering that horrible, horrible feeling of being lost and just not knowing what to do. It is a horrible thing to feel as though you are killing your baby because you don’t know what to do. Liam gained about four ounces from his 12 month to his 15 month appt. Clearly, he was not being fed. It was AWFUL. He got so skinny that summer I could feel his tailbone when I checked his diaper. And every time I picked him up, he felt skinnier. So while I still think he has issues, I was jumping up and down for joy when he gained FOUR POUNDS from his two year to his three year check AND jumped from just below 5th percentile to almost the 25th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So there is hope! You WILL figure this out. I know you will b/c I have seen your perseverance and commitment. Yes, it is HARD. Yes, it looks like you won’t ever be able to. Yes, the doctors can’t always tell you (Liam’s tests often showed up negative so it may not help anyway). I found that after the biggies were out of the way … dairy, soy, gluten, it was easier to find other things b/c he’d be doing well and then suddenly have hives or a fussy afternoon and diarrhea so I could look back and see what was different. Although sometimes it took a long time. Like when he reacted to citrus and it took a call to the dr to see through the muddle.
@MartinTreehouse – Oh, and tell me what you most want to know about and I’ll try to include it in the next post.
@Troyer6 – Eczema is very often related to a dairy allergy, but not always. If you don’t want to be radical, you can eliminate the obvious sources of milk (like drinking it, macaroni and cheese … that kind of thing, but not read labels for trace amounts or worry about a little butter in the cookies). For my sister, this was enough to see a huge change in her son’s behavior and diarrhea. He mostly drinks almond milk now. About the california baby … I buy it at Target. It’s with the baby soaps and I always buy the super sensitive. I’ve heard cetaphil is a great non-soap cleanser and want to try it sometime. I used to like the smell of California Baby but for some reason, I am getting soooo tired of it that it smells stinky to me.
@kyprincesss – If you son is young, I would start by eliminating dairy and soy as opposed to testing. When we had Liam tested, they told us that since he is so young, it may not show up. And sure enough, his dairy test was negative. It is HARD to eliminate dairy for a young child. I went through the gamut trying to find a milk he could tolerate. Since so many dairy and soy allergies are related, I would definitely try to eliminate both immediately. If it helps, you can always sneak soy back in and see if he tolerates it. But that way you will get a clear picture pretty quickly. But like I said at the beginning of my post, all advice subject to discretion. 🙂
@Troyer6 – I also can’t use soap on my daughter and I don’t worry about it – water works fine. 🙂 Some hippie friends of mine taught me that all our use of soap isn’t good at all… I have tried cetaphil a few times on myself already but not on Emma.
I would like to know more about the yeast free type of diet. My sister-in-law goes on a diet that is dairy free, gluten free, sugar free (including fruits), and starch free. I tried this with Emma for like two days… but she got so weak and listless with no sugar, no starchs and no carbs… and I felt at a loss to know what to do. I didn’t know if maybe I could start on the one that’s the most important? I seen an immediate improvement going off of gluten, but I’m thinking sugar is a big one also. Have you ever used the sugar replacement called xylitol? I hope thats how it’s spelled. My mother-in-law told me it’s the only thing she’s found thats safe for a sugar-free diet but I want a second opinion. I also don’t even know where to get it right now – probably online.
This morning I’m reading my long, very scatterbrained comment and it sure isn’t very coherent.. glad you got it! 😉
I have two bro-in-laws who are allergic to dairy. My father is on a low sodium diet due to a weak heart. My mother-in-law had celiac. A close friend is gluten intolerant. And I sometimes forget who I’m cooking for. I take cream cheese cookies to a family cookout and silly things like that. So, I get the fact that you can’t really trust othe people to cook for you. The little bit I’ve been exposed to it has been enough for me to learn that it’s extremely complicated. May God give you grace as you continue to figure out what works and find healthy food to grow up your little boy.
When you mentioned Liam’s back pain, I immediately thought about Keith. He still has some back pain when he eats something he’s allergic to. Shrimp or any shellfish are the causes of the most severe pain for him. So you may possibly be working with another food allergy. I hope you find the answer very soon. Blessings!!
I was reading your post on allergies and my heart just went out to you.My youngest daughter also had issues with milk and eggs. From about 6 weeks to 1 1/2 years she woke up about every 2 hrs. or less. I think your body finally goes into survival mode.(I understand the foggy brain term!) I finally I put her on goats milk thinking I’m doing her a favor, only to find out months later that she can’t really handle that either. 🙁 She’s on rice milk now…I feel so blessed I don’t have to cook seperately for her anymore. That was a huge mountain for me. I still watch her diet, no icecream, cheese, or eggs but I am so thankful she is doing so well. She is almost 4years old now and is just starting to sleep through the night most nights. I know allergies work different for different people but I’d like to throw this out for anyone who is grasping at straws like I was. I give her “Gluten Defense” by Enzymatic, it helps digest hidden wheat and dairy. This has really helped her. Michelle, may the Lord carry you through this.It’s when we are weak that we are drawn to Him because we have nothing to offer, and then He lifts us up! I do hope you find answers soon!
@smilesbymiles – Brianna is off of dairy, gluten, soy (as much as I can), limited sugar, & no eggs-makes the baking kinda hard. 🙁 I cook separately for her. I take it you make the same things for your whole family? She also does not tolerate fragrances, chemicals in soap, laundry detergent etc. I make my own laundry detergent as that was the cheapest way to go with no additives that she couldn’t handle. I buy whatever organic shampoo, shower gel I find at the bent & dent stores. Those stores have been a HUGE $ saver for us with the gluten free items. So thankful for that. When they have stuff I buy all they have in stock & freeze it. 🙂 She is also on lots of supplements/vitamins that have made the world of a difference for her. Before we went gfcfsf she had lots of sinus infections, goopy/pasty eyes that the docs never really knew what it was from, they would just put her on antibiotics 🙁 She went from being the unhealthiest of my children to being the healthiest, she rarely goes to the doc. We had allergy testing done on her about 3 years ago & that’s when we found out about the egg allergy, she was SEVERLY allergic to them & the docs wonder if that has something to do with her not being able to talk since she had vaccines when she was young & they have eggs in them, so she no longer can receive vaccines. The dairy & gluten intolerence didn’t show up in her allergy testing but I KNOW she can’t handle them-as soon as she gets gluten we deal with major aggressiveness for at least 1 week afterward. 🙁
And I SO agree about it being so tough going away to eat. I don’t trust others anymore when they say there is no gluten/dairy in stuff cause once we were away for lunch & the lady said she made her meatloaf without breadcrumbs or crackers so Brianna could have it & when we were done eating she said there was oatmeal in it-uh, oatmeal has gluten in it. 🙁 We paid for that one.
Feel free to email me @ kookinkris@gmail.com
Thank You for taking the time to write this all down, I’m looking forward to see what his favorite foods are:) I wish I could cook a whole meal for you so you could just enjoy it and have a break!!!
WARNING 🙂 Tons of questions. I have several questions, these are more to educate myself than to suggest things, I have to ask or they will just keep rolling around in my head.
You mentioned Liam can’t tolerate Cocoa powder, can he handle Carob? A friend of mine was allergic to Cocoa and could have Carob as a replacement?
Have you ever tried Flax as an egg replacement? My sis worked at a B&B and that is how they made Vegan eggs.
I was wondering if he can handle Maple Syrup? We are huge fans:) My in-laws make it! We like to have it in our milk hot or cold:)it contains a lot of minerals & vitamins.
Also wondered about Olive Oils & vinegars? Does he tolerate them? I enjoy trying different vinegars but I have a wine Vinegar now that i haven’t found a great use for.
Can he have goat milk cheese? Have you found a good place to buy goat milk products? can He use Goat milk Soap?
Have you ever heard of wildtree products? It is a company started by a mom because her children has food issues. My friend Angela Heatwole is a Rep angelaheatwole.mywildtree.com They have some dairy free stuff (not sure about soy) and they use Grape seed oil as a base.
You mentioned he can’t handle preservatives or nitrates? does this cut out white sugar & regular salt for you as well?
You were wishing for a new scent for his bath, have you ever tried a drop of an essential oil in his water? I’m partial to lavender;)
I use All Free & Clear laundry detergent some for baby clothes, I went and read the label it says free of perfumes & clear of dyes. it has no scent but i guess essential oils could come to the rescue again;)
I use the Kissaluvs Diaper lotion potion Concentrate for a lot of things,but mainly as a wipe solution, it smells good and works good and has nothing that can’t be grown. I can list the ingredients if you want to know more.
I thought it was interesting that Kim found that soaps have Gluten in them, I’ll defiantly be reading the labels more:) Last night I read the label on the Worcestershire bottle and was shocked to find that it contains Anchovies:( shiver!!
I know you are raising some of your own meat, i just wanted to mention that my in-laws raise pork and may have some to sell this fall. do you need to know what the feed is or is it more how it is processed?
OK, i’ll stop talking now:) I have so many question but I’m sure you are like ” oh great more suggestions” Sorry!
One thought I had last night was, you almost have to cook like a pioneer on the Trail:)
Have a great day!
I am waaaay behind on Xanga and catching up today. I had read your post back when you wrote it, and it brought back with a flash a conversation we had in that year you were trying to figure it out. Liam was always sick, and there was the eating issue and the gagging thing. And I remember you asking, “Would you just punish him???!” ’cause you really didn’t know if it was behavior or something else. (You probably knew in your sub-conscious it was something else). and I said, “I don’t know. I really don’t know what I’d do, but I think sometime you’re going to look back on all this and say, “That was a really hard year.” And it really, really was, but sadly it wasn’t just a year. I feel really bad for you that stuff is piling up again.
This post would be a gold mine for anyone starting out in the allergy world.
Also, sometime when we come could you make steak and rice and hummus?
@twofus_1 – You made me cry. Although this time it was the good kind of crying. I only hope this time the very hard part doesn’t last for a year.
And I would love to make steak, rice and hummus for you. Remind me when I come. Better yet, I wish I could hand deliver a meal about 5:30 tomorrow night b/c I know how badly you will need it.
@smilesbymiles – Good..or thank you…? 🙂
I wish…