kids with dairy and food sensitivity/allergy.....update

[momof2inPA]

Christine made a good point about allergies not being the same as intolerances, although I think most people use the terms interchangeably.

I know I keep posting links, but there is so much info it's hard to post it all here. I figure if folks are interested they can take a look and if not my links are easily ignored.
So here I go with yet another link:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/61/67474

This one has a basic, concise explanation re: Food Allergy vs. Intolerance and gives symptoms of both which several folks have asked about.
It also goes on to link to a lot of other pages if you're interested.

I absolutely think it makes a lot of sense to look into.

I think it's important to use the correct terminology. When I tell another mom or a chef at a restaurant that my son has severe food allergies, I want them to understand that he could have an anaphylactic reaction and die if he ingests the wrong food. He won't just get hyper and not listen, although I understand that those issues present their own serious problems.

Can food intolerances resulting in behavior or mood changes also have IGE responses that will show up in allergy testing? I would think the two could go hand-in-hand, which would make an individual slightly allergic and intolerant to a food. It is kinda confusing, isn't it?

 

[PixieDustTink]

Mine had tantrums until we found out what was wrong but, it was because he didn't feel well from the food he was eating! Kids can't always tell you "I'm grouchy because I feel horrible after I eat this stuff." They just know they are irritable.

I am lactose intolerant. I can eat hard cheeses but, a little goes a long way! With my son we switched to vanilla and chocolate rice dream instead of ice cream and he loved it!! It really isn't bad stuff. I'd stay away from all dairy if possible! I'm glad you are finding it easier for your DD without dairy! OMG! To think you didn't know what the problem was for so long and I'm guessing from the change you are experiencing now that her intolerance was the issue. Those are excellent resource links too!

 

[Rella Bella]

I have a few more questions. How do they test for food allergies? Do they do a scratch test and is there a certain group of foods? I like the idea with the food diary. I am going to start that tomorrow, as well documenting any behaviors and moods changes.

Also for those that have taken dairy out of the diet, has it just been milk, or anything containing any dairy products?

Since I noticed such a drastic change in just removing the milk it sort of makes me wonder if it is milk in general or if organic milk would be better. Right now we are going to try being off milk for a week and then try gradually introducing the organic slowly (and never in the amount she had been drinking ) to see what happens.

It can be confusing, because there are allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities... and many times the definitions for each are different.

DS has a behavioral sensitivity to milk. When he was about 5 we heard about food effecting behavior. We met with a pediatrician that specialized in nutrition. She said the scratch test would not show every kind of response, only traditional allergy. She suggested we do an elimination diet for two weeks... it wasn't easy, but we gave rewards and he did it!

For two weeks, no milk, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, eggs or products that contain them. Then you add the foods back one at a time, first a small serving and if that goes okay the next day a large serving.

My first thought was "what can I feed him!" But we gave him lots of fruit, veggies, meat and found plenty of treats. After the first day we noticed an immediate improvement.

He was also a big milk drinker... favorite foods were cheese pizza, mac 'n cheese and yogurt, so she wondered if milk might not be the culprit. We added everything else back no problems. We added milk... look out -- major blow up! It was so definitive!

After he was off for a while we found he could -- very occasionally -- have just a little ice cream without too much effect. But we can absolutely tell when he's had something at a friends house that he shouldn't have.

For him it is pretty much anything with milk in it that will set him off. Organic made no difference (it's only lacking a few artificial chemicals), neither did raw. I haven't tried goat milk but I know that works for some. For him we switched to soy milk, and now he is so used to it that he actually prefers it.
Soy yogurt & ice cream are okay, but he won't touch the soy cheese -- can't say I blame him on that one.

Good luck, you're moving in the right direction. And keep in mind, you know your child best, so you know what's best for your child. Even if a doctor tries to nay-say what you've learned, just keep seeking and asking questions until you're satisfied you've done all you can for her.

 

[luvdzne]

Wow, the keep going off in my head. DD has complained for several months on and off that she was feeling weird. She couldn't give me any more explanation than that. Just that she felt weird. The dr tried to ask her what she meant and couldn't get an answer out of her. So she said she didn't know and to keep trying to get more information from her. The more I think about it, it was usally after dinner when she would have a huge glass of milk with her meal. She also has had a rash around her mouth and dr said that it was just probably from her saliva as she licks her lips a lot.

I am so glad I came here with this. I have got a whole lot of information, and more and more things seem to be coming together. I have more now that I can tell the doctor and hopefully we will get somewhere now.

I think it's important to use the correct terminology. When I tell another mom or a chef at a restaurant that my son has severe food allergies, I want them to understand that he could have an unapologetic reaction and die if he ingests the wrong food. He won't just get hyper and not listen, although I understand that those issues present their own serious problems.

Can food in tolerances resulting in behavior or mood changes also have IGE responses that will show up in allergy testing? I would think the two could go hand-in-hand, which would make an individual slightly allergic and intolerant to a food. It is kinda confusing, isn't it?

Momof2, I completely agree with you. I was a room mom for dd and one of the children were highly allergic (air born) to peanuts, parents did not understand the reason they could not bring in treats with peanut butter. I got in several spats with parents that just could not get the seriousness of it. (what does it matter if my child eats pb, she doesn't have to have any ) One went so far as to bring pb cookies after I told her not to. After that I decided for the child's sake, I would be the only one to bring in party snacks, the teacher and mother were very relieved with that. Although I could never figure out why the mother would never volunteer to bring in snacks

 

[Good Ol Gal]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but this describes my son to a T!!!

He loves milk... I am going to have to look into this and see if we can do a milk experiment here too!

A little history:

My dd7 has had severe temper tantrum issues since she was very little. We have just always looked at it as this was the way she was, very moody, easy to set off, gets upset over little things. No matter what she is told to do there is usually a tantrum involved and a battle to get something done if she will even do it.

She is in the first grade, very smart, towards the top of the class, however she has had a hard time completing her work, gets easily distracted, cries if things don't go her way, etc.....

I had a meeting with her teacher last Friday about how this behavior is going to effect her next year in 2nd grade and beyond. We talked about some of her behavior at home and how she has severe temper tantrums and how she is easily agitated over the smallest of things.

The teacher started talking about how similar in some ways my dd was to her dd now in 8th grade. The similarities were astonishing. Somehow we got on the subject of how my dd was a huge milk drinker, and she said how her dd was too and that someone had told her to try knocking out milk from her dd's diet. She said there was a definite difference in her behavior.

We stopped dd from drinking milk on Friday (was kind of tough for dd at first as milk is her drink of choice) By Saturday she was a totally different child. We were able to tell her to do something and she just did it without throwing a fit. She didn't have tantrums all weekend and she seemed much calmer.

On Saturday she decided she wanted to learn to ride her 2 wheeler, something she wanted no part of and refused to even ride her bike all last summer. Within an hour dd was riding her 2 wheeler. Now this may seem like a simple thing, but normally she would have given up after the first try of not being able to do it and would have been screaming and having a fit. But she calmly kept trying until she got it.

She seemed very much more in control of herself, we were able to reason with her, carry on a normal converstation with her without her getting angry and upset about something. She did not seem to be as easily agitated as she normally is. She is a totally different child.

I am wondering if anyone else has a child that is a huge milk drinker that is very explosive and with similar behavior tendencies? I have tried googling it and found a few things to do with milk and behavior, but very little.

 

[momof2inPA]

The more I think about it, it was usally after dinner when she would have a huge glass of milk with her meal. She also has had a rash around her mouth and dr said that it was just probably from her saliva as she licks her lips a lot.

I would think the rash around her mouth could be an allergy. Ask her if her tongue feels itchy when she drinks milk.

 

[PaulaSue]

Thanks for the posts, what an interesting idea.

I will have to try that with DD5. She is a BEAR since birth, colick and all. My Mom goes home early almost every week because of her.
I would leave too if I could. She is really that bad. I try to be very even with 'rules' (not a push over, more on the strict side as the theraphist recommended) for her and my others and she just whines, pushes and pushes me and her sisters and anyone around all the time.

She can be really sweet and she is really smart but SO trying most days. She is my artist and that seems to be her calming thing. She was so good at preschool for the 3 years but for the last 2-3 months. The teachers have commented a lot lately about her temper tantrums, behavior, etc...that I have mentioned that goes on at home

I am ready to go on medicine to help me deal with her but I think she really needs it and it would solve a lot of my problems.

She does have some food allergies and outgrew some, TG. She had the skin test again at 3 but not since then.

 

[luvdzne]

DD had some milk yesterday for the first time in over a week. With in an hour she was a bear. She had several tantrums over nothing. She didn't even have that much either. So there is something definitely with the milk.
She also said that she noticed she felt different after drinking the milk. I asked her what she meant and she said that she felt cranky and she didn't like the way she felt. So she has agreed that she likes how she feels when she doesn't drink milk.
We still haven't tried any other dairy product yet, but I think we will hold off.

 

[chell]

Thanks for updating us. It is good that your daughter can tell a difference as well so that she is more willing to go with it.

 

[cherylp3]

If she is missing milk, have you tried Soy milk or rice milk yet?

 

[luvdzne]

If she is missing milk, have you tried Soy milk or rice milk yet?

She has had soy milk before, she is ok with it. I have asked her if she wants some, but she said no. We have never tried rice milk.

She has been really good about telling other people that she is not allowed to have anything with milk. It is good that she noticed a difference in herself not drinking the milk, so it has made it more of her choice not having any dairy, and not just me telling her she can't have it.

 

[Rella Bella]

It is so great that you found out!

It is so sad that we have to go for so long thinking our kids are "just have a horrible temper". And when the difference is enough for them to notice, you know their life will change for the better without it.

You're doing a great job!!

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I have been doing some research on food allergies and intolarences latelly after my boss let me borrow some CD's he purchased awhile ago. I can't remember the name of the CD set but everything is by Dr. Mark Hyman. I thought the guy was crazy for awhile but the more I read the more I learn about what food really does to our bodies. I have to admit that it doesn't seem easy to avoid everything that causes an intolarence but it could really be worth it. If anyone is interested in finding more info on food allergies and all that you should really check out his website -drhyman dot com and think about reading some of his books. He also has a lot of info up about allergy testing and alternative food and medicine links. I don't want to seem like I am selling this guy but he has some very interesting info available

 

[EthansMom]

Just a tip for the OP. My son and daughter are lactose intolerant and drink soy milk. DS4 was having leg pains and the doctor recommended that DS take a Calcium supplement (vitamin) once a day since he wasn't getting as much calcium as kids who drink lots of milk. She recommended either the children's calcium vitamins or just giving DS a Tums every day. Since they are less expensive, we started giving DS a Tums every day and his legs have stopped bothering him.

So, if your daughter isn't drinking any milk, you might want to consider giving her calcium in another form (calcium-fortified o.j., calcium vitamins, or Tums).

 

[cats mom]

I think it's important to use the correct terminology. When I tell another mom or a chef at a restaurant that my son has severe food allergies, I want them to understand that he could have an anaphylactic reaction and die if he ingests the wrong food. He won't just get hyper and not listen, although I understand that those issues present their own serious problems.

Can food intolerances resulting in behavior or mood changes also have IGE responses that will show up in allergy testing? I would think the two could go hand-in-hand, which would make an individual slightly allergic and intolerant to a food. It is kinda confusing, isn't it?

It is confusing. Technically an intolerance shouldn't show up since you need to have an antibody-antigen response with the immune system involved. However I read a paper recently about combined IgE and non IgE reactions to the same food occuring together. Much like you speculated.

I used to scoff at the allergy stuff just a bit, until we went that route with DD in response to a medical condition.
Funny thing when we filled out the pre-test questionaire there was no indication whatsoever that she even needed the testing, then she came back with the longest list of reactions her doc had seen.
Long story but the thinking is while outward manifestations were not evident in her case, her body was still reacting.

Her one typical allergic reaction occured after we had done the testing and we still don't know for sure what caused it.
(Tried to sneak in a little take out food one night)
Amazing how quickly a kid can start to have difficulty breathing, swell up, and turn red, splotchy and itchy all over.

I don't scoff at allergies anymore.

Interesting update luvdzne - sure sounds like you're on the right track.