Milk Allergies - Arden,NC

I really feel for you on this. Do you give him yogurt ever, or other dairy? If he is lactose intolerant these things would bother him too. It could so easily have been the meds. Try whole goats milk, it has less lactose, so will be easier on him if he is actually allergic. You can get that at Kroger. From the extensive research I've done though, I would not advise using soy as an alternative. There are lots of ways to get him the calcium and fat.

Well, this might sound crazy, but everytime my oldest son would drink milk when he was that little he would break out. I found out, though, that it was just because he had very sensitive skin and he would get the milk on his skin. It wasn't so much the milk as the temperature. Just something to think about. Though I am not sure why she would have milk on her forehead.

Next, I would say instead of giving him a whole thing of milk, just try giving him a tiny bit and see if he has any bad reactions. It shouldn't be bad enough to cause him to get sick. Is he allergic to any other dairy that you have noticed? Call the doctor and ask, just to see what can be done. I wish you luck!

Hi S.,

Little digestive systems can sometimes be really sensitive. I agree with the mom about getting a stool sample tested. It would really help you to know definitively whether or not he has an allergy. Separately from that, you might try just easing him into cow's milk. Soy milk for the calcium he needs, but a little cow's milk to get his digestive system used to it. Of course if he has an allergy, that won't work. But if you've had him tested, you'll know. The doctor can help you work this out if you find an allergy after the testing.

What the poster said about blood in the stool is so true - you can't always see it. Same thing with blood in the urine!

Good luck to you and your baby!
D.

I am by no means an expert on this, but I do have a ton of knowledge on milk allergies and asthma. Not that asthma is your case, but they often go hand in hand.
My grandson, whom I was raising as a baby was having a horrible time. I eventually went to making milk on my own with almonds. Soaking them, peeling the skin, blending them with water in the blender to make milk and straining the milk. I added a bit of brown sugar for flavor. But later found that goat milk was much better. We had the land and the money to purchase goats, so we did. I raised goats for 8 years.
Most think that the milk allergy comes from cow's milk. Huge misconception. It is the cow's milk but only the pasturized one that you buy in the store. Once the milk is pasturized, many preservatives and vitamins and minerals must be added to it, to make it USDA standards.
Goats milk is not expensive. Not really. It is only about $3 more per gallon than what you would buy in the store, for cow's milk.
If you could find a farmer that sells goats milk or cows milk, right from the farm, non-pasturized, you would be much better off. Goats milk is better in the sense it only takes 40 minutes to digest, but cows milk takes about 1 1/2 hr to 2 hours to digest. It's the fat content.
Nutritionally speaking goat milk is much, much better for you. I know that you can only buy the milk for animal consumption, but many that sell the milk, know this. So you must ask for it and let them know you are purchasing for your kittens or dog etc.
On another note. Check the farm out before you buy. Just like anything else. Make sure the animals are healthy, coats are shiny, and they are thrifty. If this is a route you take. I would at least think about it. You can google organic farms or you can go to Realmilk.com and check out a place in your area. Also eggs are so important. Buy free range eggs.

I'm feeling for you on this issue. It's very hard to get them healthy without good nutrition.

I have two kids...2 and 10 months. Both have food allergies that include dairy. The facial rash is VERY common for dairy allergy. And it goes away as soon as the dairy is out of their system. My 2 year old has been on soy formula and soy milk since the very beginning...she never could handle it. My son has been on soy formula and now is on hyperallergenic formula. I wouldn't recommend goat's milk, simply because it is VERY expensive. I know that our kids' health is more important that money, but really, there are other options that are more reasonable. By the way, many people mistake a milk/dairy allergy and lactose intolerance. They are two different things. A milk allergy is an allergy to the proteins in the milk, not a reaction to the lactose. So any lactose-free products will not help a dairy allergy. Honestly, set up allergy testing with an allergist/immunologist. We are doing that now for our 10 month old, and we were glad to have the info it provided when we had our two year old tested. I hope that you find some relief for your child.

I went thru this with my son. Your best bet is to try the milk one more time. If the explosive BM's come back thats when you know. My son even went and had the skin testing and it came back negative. They told me that it wasnt an allergy but a very high sensativity. I used lactos milk and Silk on my son. I used the silk when I wanted to drink it and the lactos when I cooked. He eventually outgrew it around the time he hit 2. I know that you've gotten alot of advice but I figured since I know exactly what you are going thru that I would put in my 2cents too :)

Hi S..

We are the only species that gives dairy after weaning. I have taken my girls off of dairy and switched to soy milk. One had asthma and the other chronic ear infections.
Long story, so I wont bore you, but milk allergies are not uncommon at all. There are a ton of milk alternatives, hemp milk, rice milk, soy milk. Perhaps try one of these. He wont know the difference because he hasn't had enough regular milk to boycott. Depends on the meds he was on, but strong antibiotics can give the runs as well and make their stomach hurt. It does my oldest daughter.
Something to think about....Good luck!
W.

Hi S.. My daughter was tested for milk allergy. Your pediatrician can actually run a test on a stool sample. I would make an appointment and bring in a dirty diaper (it needs to be a diaper when he's been on milk). They check for trace amounts of blood in the stool. It isn't visible blood, but microscopic.
I wouldn't think the upset tummy isn't the main concern because most children have gastro problems when switching to milk. It's the rash that makes me curious. Anyway, hope this helps!

We had the same problem with my daughter and ended up getting a blood test at the doctor. They take blood once and tested her for the major allergens (peanuts, egg, wheat, milk, etc.). We found out she had a slight allergy to milk and put her on lactaid which really worked great for us. You may want to give that a try. She also was very allergic to egg. We have to keep eggs out of the house and things with egg ingredients. Lactaid really was soothing to her stomach. Hope it works for you!

S.,
My son has a milk allergy and he breaks out on his stomach from it. He was able to drink it until about 3 yrs ago (he is 7 now). he kept this rash on his stomach and I knew he had to be allergic to something he was eating or drinking (he had the rash for about 2 yrs. before we finally found out). He had been allergy tested before and all food allergies were negative. But I finally told his pediatric dr. it had to be food and she ordered a RAST test(for food allergies). And sure enough he is allergic to cows milk and nuts!! Which the day they called from the hospital to tell us to now give him either he had eaten peanut butter!! Some allergy drs will tell you he is too young for testing. But I would ask your dr. if they can do a RAST test. It's just blood work. Now my other child cannot drink 1% milk (gives him nasty stools) but can drink 2% milk. Hope you find out soon! K.

I would probably try a little bit of milk again to see if he has a milk allergy. If he was on an antibiotic, that probably caused the rash and bad bowel movements (they are common side effects) Has he had similar symptoms with foods that contain dairy products?? If so, he could have a milk allergy.

C.

since he was on the med at the same time, i would try a small amount of milk again to see. it could be either the meds or the milk.