possible milk protein allergy?

[minnie1012]

I took my daughter to the doctor today and the doctor thinks she may have a milk protein allergey. She is 12 months and she wants me to put her back on formula. She said to try Carnation Good Starts toddler formula, Soy. She has had a spitting up problem which has improved since she is on Zantac but has alot of painful gas. She also lost weight since her last appt in June. So she wants me to bring her back in a month to weigh her but we leave in 3 weeks! Is painful gas a milk protein allergy symptom with really no other symptoms that I can think of? How soon do you think she will improve after putting her on the soy? I haven't slept I'm exhausted!

 

[SGMCO]

So sorry to hear about your baby.
I would follow the Dr's instructions on getting off of milk.
I have been allergic to milk my whole life and could not
drink cows milk when I was a baby, put on soy formula.
I am now in my mid 40s and still have allergys to milk and milk
products.When I stay off of milk products, I feel so much better
and I'm sure your baby will feel alot better also.
Since milk has irritated her system it may take a couple of weeks
or more for her system to calm down.
I hope your baby feel better soon.

 

[msmama]

Was she formula fed?

Most formula's are milk based so it seems odd that a problem would just be developing now.

I breastfed my baby who had a slight allergy (which meant I had to cut out all dairy). Pretty much his only symptom was painful gas though he also had blood in his stool (did your doc do a diaper swab?).

Either way, it can't hurt to put her on soy. Though it can take up to 2 weeks for all the dairy to get out of her system. And be sure to read labels. There's dairy in A LOT of stuff.

Good luck!

 

[We_love_WDW]

my first child was very sensitive to milk. She was on lactose free formula then when we tried to switch her to milk at 12 months she had the same thing - painful gas, loose stools, bad rashes - all over and around her mouth. We had her drink silk (soy milk) the vanilla and chocolate and read all labels of foods we gave her - so nothing containing milk products -AT ALL (it was crazy)....then between 18-24 months we slowly introduced milk again (my doctor says if it is a true allergy then after 18 months she would still have been very sensitive to milk) and has been fine ever since. In my opinion I think some kids stomachs are just not able to digest milk yet and it takes them alittle longer - so try the silk and watch the labels and I hope everything works out for you. I can't tell you the number of hours I spent reading things online or in books.

 

[lucyem]

You are looking at a few possibilities. Some infants have a hard time digesting milk as their systems have yet to develop enough to digest it. They have a food intolerance as my second DS had. At about a year he could finally tolerate milk. His symptoms were all gastric. He would scream in pain within 4 hours of ingesting a milk product. After a few hours of no milk we would see improvements. In his case he was OK with things like baked goods with milk in them. But no straight cheese, butter or milk.

Then there is the milk protein allergy itself. My oldest was diagnosed at 4 and taken off milk totally by our family doctor. When I finally got into a pediatric allergist I was told taking him off milk was a mistake because then he became anaphylactic. Whereas previously he could tolerate it enough to not have a severe reaction. His symptoms which lead to the original tests were eczema, congestion and body rashes. Now his reactions are more severe and we have an epi pen on hand at all times.

I would encourage you to speak to a pediatric allergist.

FYI a large portion of people with dairy allergies are also allergic to soy.

 

[bumbershoot]

FYI a large portion of people with dairy allergies are also allergic to soy.

That's what I was going to say.

Plus, you'd still need to check for whey, casein, etc...all the dairy derivatives that hide in all sorts of things (even "dairy free" Dole Whips).


If she's not drinking formula anymore, why not just use REAL foods, with the exception of dairy products? Simple enough to do. Dairy that's not our own species' isn't necessary for anything; the "good" stuff in cow's milk is *added* to it, and the calcium has long been known to be useless, as it takes more calcium from your body to digest the protein than the milk has in it (any wonder why people are so osteoporitic, the longer the Dairy Council survives?).

 

[minnie1012]

She has always had gas, didn't sleep well, spitting up. She was formula fed, Enfamil. The doctor said it was acid reflux but now I'm starting to wonder if it was the milk protein all along? The doctor hasn't done any sort of tests. The losing weight really has me nervous. She always seems hungry and would eat all day if I let her.

I gave her Carnation toddler formula soy last night. She woke up around 10:30 with painful gas but did get it out. Wow 2 weeks! I didn't realize it took that long to get it out of your system. The doctor said she could eat yogurt and cheese? I was like really? I'm going to try to cut it all out and hope that its that and nothing more serious. I guess because the gas got so much worse when I switched her to milk she thinks its only the milk? Is something like this hereditary or can it just happen?

Thanks!

 

[Rockafeller]

I completely feel your pain. I've just gone through this very same thing with my son, who turns 2 this Saturday. He was born with terrible eczema, etc., to the point that his skin would crack and bleed. We went to many different doctors (family dr, natropauth, pediatrician and infant pediatrician specialist at UBC hospital), all with different opinions. My son was always on formula, so we switched all different kinds, ending up using a very expensive hypoallergenic kind that made only a very minor improvement. For the past year he has been drinking Goat's Milk and it has made all the difference. He likes it, his skin has cleared up a tonne (not perfect but waaaaay better than it was). I was told that Goat's milk doesn't have enough vitamins for the infant but once the child is eatting other foods that it is good and actually has better nutritional values that cow's milk. There is Goat's cheese and yogurts too! Good luck I know it can be soooo frustrating

 

[LWatson]

Enfamil has a specific formula just for that. Its Called Nutramigen. My oldest was on it as a child. He had horrible colic and gas constantly, and then he went on that and was a diff child. He was diagnosed though at 2months old.

 

[Spoonful of Sugar]

My DD has a dairy allergy too. She is 1 year old now, but has always had it. In her it causes painful gas, screaming, and congestion. I breastfeed, so I can't eat dairy unless it's baked into things (no yogurt or cheese), and now that she's eating solids as well as nursing, she can't eat any dairy. Most babies with a dairy allergy can tolerate goat's milk, but my DD reacts to that too, so be careful if you try that. I've read that it's really common and usually goes away. I hope it works out for you.

 

[pigget74]

Lactose is different than Protein. Mine could not eat cheese and yogurt without getting sick. At 13 mths we put her on Rice milk enriched with vitamins and minerals. She would get 2 cups a day. She is almost 2 and is still on it. She can be tested for a milk protein ---
Our story is similar yet different. DD always never had a formed poo---I nursed for 9 months and she always had about 10 diapers a day. She stopped gaining any weight or growing at 12 months. Between 12 months and 18 months the only thing that grew on her body were her nails. I am not kidding--she to lost weight. At 18 months we weighed less than our 12 month visit. Her tummy would be so disstended that her belly button would stick out. Our peds sent us to a specialist and we have been working with them. DD was just diagnosed after a bunch of testing as having Lipase deficancy---she cannot breakdown or absorb nutrients from fat. So it was never the protein, but the fat in milk products that did her in. Because of this diagnosis and many boughts of respiratory issues she is being tested for cystic fibrosis.

Your doctor can test for lactose and protein allergies. This can be done from blood or poo. Google these tests and there are labs that you can work with without orders from doctor that will test for lactose, protein, whey, celiac, gluten.

I did not tell my story to scare you, but to let you know that there are different options out there. We have been trying for a year with our Dr. to figure this out, but really started saying at 6 mths something was not right.

 

[laughinplace199]

Enfamil has a specific formula just for that. Its Called Nutramigen. My oldest was on it as a child. He had horrible colic and gas constantly, and then he went on that and was a diff child. He was diagnosed though at 2months old.

My youngest was on Nutramigen too. When I nursed him, I had to supplement with formula. He had a terrible time with reg Enfamil - screaming, fussy, blood in stool, eczema - it was awful. I called my ped and he told me to cut all dairy and soy from my diet and to supplement with Nutramigen since DS possibly had a milk allergy. He also said that 40% of babies who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy, so that's why we went straight to Nutramigen instead of trying a soy-based formula. When I stopped nursing him, he continued on Nutramigen. At 13 mos, we had him tested for milk and soy allergies, and they both came back negative. We slowly introduced dairy and soy back into his diet and he was able to tolerate both with no problems.

 

[marlynnp]

Make an appointment with an allergist. We went through a similar ordeal for a couple of months with changing formulas until DD was tested and we found out it was her cereal - she was allergic to wheat!

We also found out then that she was allergic to several other foods. Some of them have gone away (wheat & egg) and others are still an issue and I'm glad we found sooner than later about those!

 

[Manda]

I took my daughter to the doctor today and the doctor thinks she may have a milk protein allergey. She is 12 months and she wants me to put her back on formula. She said to try Carnation Good Starts toddler formula, Soy. She has had a spitting up problem which has improved since she is on Zantac but has alot of painful gas. She also lost weight since her last appt in June. So she wants me to bring her back in a month to weigh her but we leave in 3 weeks! Is painful gas a milk protein allergy symptom with really no other symptoms that I can think of? How soon do you think she will improve after putting her on the soy? I haven't slept I'm exhausted!

Like other's said, if she was on regular formula previously, it wouldn't really make sense for it be a milk allergy if formula didn't cause an allergic reactions. And the test for milk allergies in little ones if a very simple skin test. My son had it on his back at 18 months and it was painless and an instant answer to whether or not he was allergic (he was). Also, like others stated, soy allergies are very common if the child is allergic to dairy. My son was allergic to both. Did you take your child to a pediatrician? I found peds to be very unhelpful with actually diagnosing our food allergy issues... whereas, I found a pediatric allergist and knew definitively after one appointment that it was definitely a true allergy to milk and soy. I'd strongly suggest seeking out an allergist for a better answer. If there's any possibility that it is a true allergy, you need to know for sure.

 

[Manda]

then between 18-24 months we slowly introduced milk again (my doctor says if it is a true allergy then after 18 months she would still have been very sensitive to milk) .

I find that a really odd thing for the doctor say considering the majority of kids that are allergic to dairy outgrow it by age 3. My son was allergic to dairy and soy (verified through lab tests) at 15 months, but had outgrown the soy allergy completely by age 2 and the dairy allergy by age 3 (also verified by lab tests every 6 months).

 

[minnie1012]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to look for a pediatric allergist or one of those labs. I really hate not knowing. Today it took me like 15 minutes to figure out what to feed her for lunch. Then what if its not milk and its say wheat? I'd like to know it would be so much easier. She has been on the soy formula for 2 days now and no reaction yet. She doesn't have loose stools at all either. She went yesterday but only a small amount and nothing yet today so she is more constipated than anything.

She did sleep all night which was great for me : )

 

[minnie1012]

Silly question? Does the allergist send a report to your peditrician or do they keep it as a separate appt all together. I know my daughter's urologist always sends a report and I would rather the allergist not.

 

[laughinplace199]

My DD's allergist always sends a report to her pediatrician so that he knows what's going on.

 

[marlynnp]

The allergist keeps the ped updated. That a good thing - our daughter sees the ped more often and then they are aware of treatments, medications, etc. that the allergist has prescribed.



Oh, and why wouldn't you want the allergist to update your ped?
No, good doctor would be upset about a patient seeing a specialist or getting a second opinion. As a matter of fact, my ped recommended the allergist we see and they were able to get me an appointment much quicker than I could have on my own as a new patient.

 

[Colleen27]

The doctor said she could eat yogurt and cheese? I was like really? I'm going to try to cut it all out and hope that its that and nothing more serious. I guess because the gas got so much worse when I switched her to milk she thinks its only the milk? Is something like this hereditary or can it just happen?

My DD had problems with milk when she was a toddler. She was fine with cultured diary, like cheese and yogurt, but ice cream, milk, and such made her very sick to her stomach with gas, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. She was breastfed until 9 months, didn't have a terribly hard time with Good Start formula for the remainder of the first year (though she was gassier and spitting up more than she did when she nursed), but reacted almost immediately when we started introducing milk after her first birthday.

At some point, she just outgrew it. I couldn't tell you when exactly, because we cut out all non-cultured dairy for over a year before trying it again. But by the summer she turned 3, she was drinking milk and eating ice cream like it had never been an issue.

Good luck pinning down whatever the problem is for your daughter, and I hope it is something easily resolved!