Milk Allergy Need Help

Sounds like what my whole family had when we had H1N1 earlier this fall! Are you sure it's not a virus (not necessarily even H1N1)? My nephew has milk allergies and he started fairly quickly, didn't take 7 mos to develop. And he had bad exzema (sp?) which accompanies allergies a lot. He throws up when he drinks it. When he's not having it, he's fine, no symptoms. Quick way to check is to switch to the non-allergenic formula (not soy, as many milk allergic kids are also allergic to soy). But if he's having diarrhea more than a week, it's time to call the Ped. just to see what they say.

If he has a milk allergy it will be because he's lactose intolerant. His body lacks enough lactose enzyme to digest the milk. My son was lactose intolerant for years. Lactaid brand makes milk (by the same name) with the lactose enzyme already in it to break down the milk proteins and make it digestible. When he's older, Lactaid also makes enzyme pills (that are also available in a cheaper generic form) that one can take when having dairy, including ice cream and cheese. Lactose enzymes are a naturally occurring digestive aid that the body normally produces, so there's not bad side effects.
If, after switching him to the Lactaid milk, you don't see any improvement then he doesn't have a milk allergy and you should take him to the doctor to find out what is going on.
Hugs to the baby,
P.

Some other ideas since this change has only occurred in the last week: Look for other recent changes...

Have you taken his temp, is it elevated at all above normal? There could be an infection. If he is crusing and crawling and walking he could have ingested some bacteria. Since he has been on the same formula, I would be inclined to think it is not the milk in the formula that is causing the sudden problem in the last week, unless you switched makers or the product switched (or added)ingredients to the milk.

Strep bacteria and Pneumococcal bacteria both cause vomiting.Pneumococcal can also have a cough with it. Cryptospordium and Giardia protozoa, which can be in drinking water or food, can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Are you adding supplements. Some of the supplements have very high amounts of Iron, plus almost all formula has Iron, plus most baby food is enriched with Iron. Iron overdose is common in young children because Iron builds up in body stores. They need such small amounts. I have read some experts say that babies are born with all the Iron they need for the first 6-12 months of life. Iron poisoning causes vomiting among other symptoms, and so does Iron deficiency. But with all the Iron supplementing in products these days that is rare unless the child has some type of bleeding disorder or parasite.

Other mineral deficiencies can cause vomiting. Magnesium can help with vomiting in the case of GERD.

Prescription medication can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Could there be additives in the baby food causing the allergy? Some allergens are gluten, MSG, soy, and wheat, as well as dairy.

Excessive vomiting and diarrhea can cause potassium deficiency...and dehydration. Potassium regulates water storage in the body.(magnesium helps regulate it in the cell). Foods you can feed him to keep potassium up are bananas, apricots, beef, chicken, salmon, and lima beans. Organics have higher mineral levels than regularly grown foods. Small amounts of magnesium oil rubbed on the skin can transdemally give magnesium. check with your doctor first.

I suggest keeping a diary. I did this with all my kids, even when they were well. ..so that I could keep track of when they ate and when their naps were due. It is especially good to keep track of anything ingested while an ilness is occuring, and any other symptoms, even if you think they are not related. For example you already mentioned congestion. Sleeping longer than normal, Drinking more than normal, eating less than normal, not playing like normal, changes to skin color, rashes of any kind, bluesih color to lips or under eyes, holding the body in different positions than normal, etc.....anything out of the ordinary.

My firstborn was allergic to milk, if it even touched her skin she would get a rash. We never fed her milk based formula, we fed soy. I would highly advise against soy, it is estrogenic, equivalent to giving 5 birth control pills a day. I wish I would have done more research on it back then. The research is all over the web. She now has arthritis and thyroid/adrenal issues,(at 12) and reports online link children with thyroid and arthritis to soy infant feeding. She is now on rice milk.

Anyway, I hope you find what is causing your baby's distress.

Best wishes,

Gail

Hi D.. My son is allergic to milk proteins.
He is 7 now but was diagnosed when he was 5 months. I continually reported congestion and projectile spit up to our pediatrician. Because he was a large baby,he said his muscle above his stomach was not totally developed and that my son was simply an overzealous eater. At 5 months he started having blood in his diaper...THEN they figured out it was the milk proteins in my diet coming through my breastmilk. Post removal of milk it took 29 days before his colon was no longer irritated. I originally switched to soy products then after further research have been using almond milk. You'll want to figure out if its the milk sugars or the milk proteins. I've found many products use milk proteins to boost nutritional value.

Hi. I am so sorry to hear about your little one being sick. I don't have much experience with milk allergies, however you could try switching him to soy for a week to see if it helps, if you think that's the culprit. I would have thought he would have had the reaction right away if he was allergic. May be its a virus? Anyway, I can tell you jello water helps cure the diarhea. You make the jello like the instructions say with the boiling water, then add the cold water but do not add ice or let it set. Put it in his bottle warm and let him drink it, works like a charm. I don't think it matters what flavor, I've always done cherry. I am against juice or any sweet drink in bottles, however if they are sick and have bad diarhea this is a great remedy! I have six children and can tell you it really will take care of the diarhea. Good luck, I hope he feels better soon!

Hi D.,
My daughter is 5 now, but was diagnosed with life threatening allergies to all dairy, eggs and some medications when she was an infant. She broke out in head to toe hives when we first introduce her to an ounce of formula and now if she has contact exposure she needs an epi-pen and predinsone for anaphalaxis. I have heard of allergies popping up after a while, but that was not our case. You should talk to your pediatrician if you think he may have a milk allergy, but it sounds like it may be more like a form of lactose intolerance. Either way, they can do a blood test to find out for sure.

Best of luck.

Have you talked to your peditrician. Has he been vaccinated for the rota virus? Could be rota?

i bet he just has the flu. my son had diarrhea for 5 days last week. and threw up a couple of times. hi clothes, my clothes, towels, blankets, sheets, all washed multiple times a day. it was bad bad bad. but the doctor said not to worry unless it lasted 7 days. my doctor also said dont give pedilite, that breast milk was better. so you might want to ask about pedilite vs formula.

Do you know about the BRAT diet? bananas, rice (and /or rice water),applesauce and tea. Doctors used to recommend this to help heal and firm up the digestive tract whenever a child had diarrhea. Could it be the flu? What does your doctor think? My children used to have diarrhea lot and my pediatrician thought it was the water supply where we lived (not in CA). Good luck. It doesn't follow my experience with milk allergies, but I am no expert.

I hope he is getting a lot of fluids since he must be losing a lot with all this diarrhea.

Milk allergy is different than lactose intolerance. Speak to your doctor and ask for a referral to an allergist. You may have to push, I did. My son has multiple food allergies, but not milk, so I have no personal experience with milk. A great website is www.foodallergy.org (Food Allergy and Anaphylactic Network). Another one is kidswithfoodallergies.org T.

Hi D.:

I too had a milk allergy as a child and had to drink goats milk. Loved it at the time, but now - bluck! :-)

I have a two year old daughter who had a cold. A day or two after I had thought her "all well" she started puking...I don't recall diherrea, but oh the puking. It seemed so random. I finally called the dr who said when they get congested their nose and sinuses drain into their tummy and the lining of the stomache can be irritated...and milk is actually hard to digest. Whole milk harder than skim, just for the record...anyway, the solution was simply to remove the dairy from her diet for a few days until her tummy's lining could heal. Then re-introduce the dairy.

That may be the extent of your little guy's problem...an irritated stomach. It's worth taking him off dairy for a few days and see if it clears. One "tell tale" sign, I think is that the puke was full of white chunks, like curdled milk...which is probably what it was, come to think of it.

Good luck to you. Hopefully it's just an irritation and not an allergy.

P.

Definitely worth switching him to soy. I would be very concerned about the vomiting and diarrhea, at his age it would be very easy for him to become dehydrated very quickly...not something you want! I would definitely talk to his doctor as well. My daughter also developed an allergy to milk when she was 10 months old, she switched over to soy with no problem. That was 23 years ago, I am sure there are some very good formulas out there now, you just have to look. =) Good luck!

An intolerance for milk isn't something that develops over time, I don't think. In fact, over time, it should gradually decrease unless your baby has a true allergy to cow proteins. It sounds like he may have a bug that's causing his diarrhea. Talk to his doctor, especially if it lasts much longer. Most bugs last around a week, and hopefully he'll start feeling better in the next few days. Hopefully you'll get some sleep as well!!

Have you called your physician? He probably has a stomach/GI virus. Milk allergy doesn't start like this....