I am very worried about my son. He is about to enter the 1st grade and has diarrhea every other week. I think that is excessive? To the point where he has accidents in his pants. This has been happening for at least a year if not more. At first my husband said it was because he held it in but I have since found that would make it harder not like liquid which it is. Now I am starting to think it is a food allergy. I am most afraid that he will have an accident at school and you know how cruel kids can be. As a mother I am so worried. He has terrible asthma and allergies and I have read that he is more likely to have food allergies. Anyone had this problem with food allergies or something else? The doctor just says to investigate it on my own by eliminating foods. I am so very worried about him. Any advice would be helpful.
Even though it is really hard to do you should do an elimination diet. Any doc or allergist you go to for this will have you do this before anything is decided so i would try to have this information before you have an appt. If you don't iknow how to do it you can google it.
Dairy could be the culprit---also whey, which is in a lot of things.
If you have asked the doctor about this then I'd check out the possibility of it being a food allergy by giving him a few specific foods and then add a new one each week to see if it causes the diarrhea.
I have both food allergies and lactose intolerance. Food allergies can give me diarrhea but it's the lactose in milk that causes it most often.
It could be because he's holding it also. What happens is that there's a blockage and some of the feces leaks around it. And exam by the doctor should reveal that.
I'd talk to the allergist. I'd also look at his diet and any correlation between the problem and the food - is it after dairy? After fast food? Keep a food diary with him (make it a game - maybe get pictures from magazines or online). With my DD it took us a while to figure out it was APPLES giving her a rash and tummy trouble. What little kid doesn't eat apples? (FYI, McDonald's will give a kid small fries vs kid fries if you ask for no apples in the meal.)
I'd also not try to scare him but tell him if he feels unwell at school, he can see the nurse, as a general reminder.
I would ask another doctor... at least find one who will HELP you figure out the allergy, instead of just telling you to experiment on your own...
A GOOD doctor would have told you which foods are more common culprits, and guide you on what foods to try cutting out first. He would also tell you what else to watch for as far as food allergies/intolerance. I highly doubt he would be so laid back over something that has been going on this long (if he is aware of it...)
Sooo... DO try cutting out certain foods (I do know that dairy is a pretty common one... might try starting there.) for at least 2 weeks before moving on to the next... and go see a new doctor who will actually guide you on how to proceed. :)
One of my sons also has asthma and allergies...and food allergies! You should definitely have him tested. Dairy allergies often show with diarrhea. At his young age he may get easily dehydrated with diarrhea that often too. I would definitely take him to see an Allergist. I asked our pediatrician for a year about my son's issues and it wasn't until we saw an allergist that we realized what was going on. Good luck!
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I think it may well be related to diet - and asthma, allergies, and food allergies/sensitivities are all related to diet. As our diets have become poorer (through processed foods but also through chemical exposures, poorly nourished beef cattle & chicken, and fruits/veggies grown in depleted soils (and I'm not even counting the genetically modified foods), our percentages of allergies and asthma and digestive issues have risen dramatically. Ask any kindergarten teacher what's happening in her classroom - she has nut-free classrooms, kids with epi-pens and inhalers, diabetes, bi-polar disordered, increasing rates of ADD/ADHD. My friend has been teaching for 25 years - and 25 years ago, she had NONE of these issues in her classroom. When I was a kid, we all ate PB&J sandwiches on gluten-laden bread with a carton of milk!
I'd say your son shows signs of this, but I would ADD nutrients in a comprehensive manner rather than start time-consuming and restrictive elimination diets. You'd be surprised that you could well eliminate or at least lessen his other problems as well as this diarrhea issue. Diarrhea is a symptom of different types of inflammatory bowel disease, and all of those types are responsive to specific nutritional additions. Another friend's child had SIXTY food allergies - really. Not just the "usual" things like dairy, legumes and tree nuts, but also certain fruits, meats, and many, many other things. He's allergy free - it took about 5 months and she was consistent, but it was easy easy easy because she learned the food science involved.
Let me know if you want more info.
you can take him to an allergist (doctor) to get that diagnosis, but as for school, why not homeschool him and keep him where you can watch him and make sure he gets the best education possible? This will give you both time to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it. check out AFHE - Arizona Families for Home Education www.afhe.org for more information.
You need to take him to another Doctor, for a 2nd opinion.
There is no use in guessing.... until you see the Doctor and get an actual professional, diagnosis.
Diarrhea can be due to many things, such as allergies, illness, a flu bug, stress even, or Encopresis or constipation.
I can't believe the Doc just said to investigate it on your own...
