Total elimination diet anyone? Blood in stool is improving.

mamagreene

Hello all! My lo started having blood in his stool at 6 weeks, we visited his pediatrician and he was growing fine and healthy and happy otherwise so i first cut out dairy, soy, eggs, corn, and gluten. After two weeks and no improvement I visited the pediatric gi specialist. She walked in the room and told me we are going to start formula! I was horrified! After some tears I told her I would not be starting formula. After that visit I also cut out beef, nuts, and fish. I did see a slight improvement but we were still having bloody stools every day or every other day sometimes a couple times a day,I stayed on this for about a week. Then 11 days ago I started the Dr. Sears total illumination diet. I started with turkey, squash, sweet potatoes, Rice, and pears. No other spices or seasonings other than salt and pepper. The first morning after starting the diet I noticed small specks of blood in his stool but then clear diapers for the next four days! That was the longest we had went without blood in his diaper. I was devastated after finding blood in his diaper though on that Saturday, I had so wanted this whole thing to be over! Now it's been six days without blood in his stool! Couple days ago I added in white potatoes and also found an allergen free rice-based beverage to drink. I'm hoping that this trend continues, but I'm still afraid with every diaper change I'm going to find blood in it . I'm trying not to get my hopes up because I know how devastated I feel again with another bad diaper! Any other mamas out there on this diet right now? Any of you try this diet? I'm just looking for some support :-)

Thankfulforwine

I am on it! Went through very similar story to what you said (slowly eliminating things with no improvement)  and and six months just couldn't take it anymore so I did the total elimination diet as a last ditch effort to keep breastfeeding. It took about 6-8 weeks before all the blood and mucas cleared her stool but I am happy to say it finally has!! I did the squash, turkey, sweet potatoes, rice and pears for 8 weeks (really may never eat turkey again!). We have been working with a feeding team (my LO is failure to thrive) and the nutritionist told me to go ahead and add in some fruits and vegetables once I had her stool tested and it was clear of blood (the mucas took longer). One of the first things I put back in was kale (kale chips are awesome for when you just need something crunchy and salty!) and apples. That pacified me for a little while and I have slowly just added in pretty much all fruits and vegetables since, just nothing processed (home made sweet potato chips, and beet chips are yummy too). I continued  to avoid citrus fruits for a little while until recently because I read they could be a problem too. I also just added in chicken and am now focusing on adding meats (except beef, a large percentage of people with milk allergies will cross react to beef) once I get all the meats back in I want I will start putting allergens (eggs, wheat, soy, dairy etc) I did already put corn in because that was a PAIN, dear Lord, corn is in EVERYTHING!!!!! Anyway, this is just how I have done it, we have received very little guidance in this process so this was just what I did. 

We had a very similar experience where everyone just told me to give her formula but LO thought bottles were the devil and I enjoy the breastfeeding experience so I figured it didn't hurt to try! Give it a few more weeks, even if you do continue to see blood. It can take up to 8 weeks for the gut to fully heal from the irritation. 

I'm sorry, I feel like I just rambled on and on! I am was just so excited that someone other than me had done this because most people look at me like I have lost my mind when I tell them! 

I hope you are doing okay with it, it really isn't fun!!! I am no expert but I am happy to talk to you about it and answer any questions you can think of about it! Good luck to you!!

mamagreene

Ohh my goodness!! Thank you for posting and for all the info!! You just made me feel like I'm not alone! How long did you wait between adding new foods? Did you have setbacks. (Find things your lo didn't tolerate?) I know what you mean about people thinking you're crazy for doing it! I've never been able to diet...but mama instincts for sure kick in and help me stick on it! I added potatoes weds and was thinking of grapes sun...do you think that's too soon? Again, thank you so much!

Thankfulforwine

Welllll, I probably shouldn't admit this but I put grapes into my diet from the start so I could drink wine . I hadn't drank anything for 4 months so I knew it wasn't wine that was making her intestines bleed so I figured that if I couldn't eat I could at least have a glass of wine with my turkey and rice. So I say put grapes in! I also added avocado in pretty quick since there was no fat in the diet nothing really filled me up and the avocado helped.  I have never dieted either and am not good at depriving myself so this was super hard for me! I told DH that had it been for my benefit and not my baby's I would have never been able to do it!

 I waited a week in between major foods (like corn and citrus) but once I started adding in fruits and vegetables I just added a few each week. She will be 9 months old next week, I will probably start things like egg and wheat around 10 months. I will likely not put milk beef or soy in until she is well over one.  My older daughter had an undiagnosed milk allergy that we didn't catch until she was 2.5 (she has since outgrown it) but if I can avoid having to have LO go through what her sister did I will, so I am nervous about milk. No set backs yet, hopefully that continues as I add in allergens! Please feel free to PM me if you want or have any questions!! I hope you are surviving the lack of food variety!!! 

mamagreene

We are so soul sisters! I have had a glass of wine with my meal a couple times!! So I guess grapes should be fine!! Like you said. Hadn't been drinking any so knew wine wasn't the cause! I needed a treat! Today marks one week without any visible blood in his stool! And avocados are going to be one of my next things too! I love them! After adding the white potatoes this week I found a really yummy brand of all natural organic chips that just gave 3 ingredients - potato, oil (safflower, sunflower, canola mix and those are all on the low allergen list ) and salt. I almost ate an entire bag! It had just been so long since I'd had something salty and crunchy! Lol. So how long have you been on it now? Wish we lived close, it would be fun to have lunch (with wine of course) with someone else on my diet

funchicken

I did it with DD2, and I'm back on it with DD3

The good news is DD2 outgrew everything except dairy at 10 months.  This time I was able to add in oats, avocado, carrots, and bananas pretty quickly.  Also Enjoy Life makes top 8-free chocolate that only has a few ingredients, and I'm still able to eat that.  I use oat flour to make vegan banana muffins and vegan oatmeal cookies for snacks.  Udi's makes a dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, etc granola that's tasty.  I eat a lot of rice-based things: rice chex, rice milk, rice cakes.  The hardest thing for me this time was going back to drinking rice milk--I really dislike it.

I'm really looking forward to adding more veggies.  I usually eat a lot of fruit, too, but I'm waiting another month to try to add in fruits.

Good luck!  The diet is no fun, but it was worth it.  I nursed DD2 until 18mos, and, like I said, she outgrew the intolerances at 10 months.

Thankfulforwine

mamagreene said:

We are so soul sisters! I have had a glass of wine with my meal a couple times!! So I guess grapes should be fine!! Like you said. Hadn't been drinking any so knew wine wasn't the cause! I needed a treat! Today marks one week without any visible blood in his stool! And avocados are going to be one of my next things too! I love them! After adding the white potatoes this week I found a really yummy brand of all natural organic chips that just gave 3 ingredients - potato, oil (safflower, sunflower, canola mix and those are all on the low allergen list ) and salt. I almost ate an entire bag! It had just been so long since I'd had something salty and crunchy! Lol. So how long have you been on it now? Wish we lived close, it would be fun to have lunch (with wine of course) with someone else on my diet

It would be so fun to have someone to eat nothing with!! I know what you mean about finding something you can finally eat!! I had been admit about not having anything processed until recently but my husband found me some popcorner chips that I ate the whole bag of in about 10 min . He also found me the most yummy chocolate cookie dough bites at whole foods yesterday that are somehow miraculously free of every allergen and amazingly good!!!! If you happen to be in Texas you should check the bakery out, it is called better bites bakery. It is based out of Austin but they don't distribute outside of TX. Also once you put coconut back in your diet, Luna and Larry's coconut bliss ice cream is AMAZING! (can you tell I am desperate for something sweet??)

I have been on the diet for 3 months now, I just started adding stuff back in about a month ago. The enjoy life products that were mentioned are really good too. Since my older daughter had a milk allergy I know all kinds of work arounds that are good for dairy but avoiding all allergens has been a bit more challenging!!! 

How long have you been doing it now?

Thankfulforwine

mrszee2b said:

I did it with DD2, and I'm back on it with DD3

The good news is DD2 outgrew everything except dairy at 10 months.  This time I was able to add in oats, avocado, carrots, and bananas pretty quickly.  Also Enjoy Life makes top 8-free chocolate that only has a few ingredients, and I'm still able to eat that.  I use oat flour to make vegan banana muffins and vegan oatmeal cookies for snacks.  Udi's makes a dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, etc granola that's tasty.  I eat a lot of rice-based things: rice chex, rice milk, rice cakes.  The hardest thing for me this time was going back to drinking rice milk--I really dislike it.

I'm really looking forward to adding more veggies.  I usually eat a lot of fruit, too, but I'm waiting another month to try to add in fruits.

Good luck!  The diet is no fun, but it was worth it.  I nursed DD2 until 18mos, and, like I said, she outgrew the intolerances at 10 months.

I am so impressed you are doing this for a second time!!! I told my husband that we are DONE!! and if I happen to get pregnant again I am giving the next one amino acid based formula at birth (I know I wouldn't really but man this isn't fun!) Good luck to you! I hope your LO's gut heals soon!! 

funchicken

Thankfulforwine said:

mrszee2b said:

I did it with DD2, and I'm back on it with DD3

The good news is DD2 outgrew everything except dairy at 10 months.  This time I was able to add in oats, avocado, carrots, and bananas pretty quickly.  Also Enjoy Life makes top 8-free chocolate that only has a few ingredients, and I'm still able to eat that.  I use oat flour to make vegan banana muffins and vegan oatmeal cookies for snacks.  Udi's makes a dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, etc granola that's tasty.  I eat a lot of rice-based things: rice chex, rice milk, rice cakes.  The hardest thing for me this time was going back to drinking rice milk--I really dislike it.

I'm really looking forward to adding more veggies.  I usually eat a lot of fruit, too, but I'm waiting another month to try to add in fruits.

Good luck!  The diet is no fun, but it was worth it.  I nursed DD2 until 18mos, and, like I said, she outgrew the intolerances at 10 months.

I am so impressed you are doing this for a second time!!! I told my husband that we are DONE!! and if I happen to get pregnant again I am giving the next one amino acid based formula at birth (I know I wouldn't really but man this isn't fun!) Good luck to you! I hope your LO's gut heals soon!! 

I really enjoy nursing, and I really hate washing bottles  

My niece had the same issue, and my sister had to switch her to neocate formula, and she still had occasional blood specks and mucous.  After consulting multiple GI docs, they came to the conclusion that it wasn't anything serious, and as long as she was eating, sleeping and gaining well, they didn't need to do any more testing.  She outgrew it at 10 months and eats like a champ now.  I think an immature gut is just something that runs in our family.

mamagreene

I'm so completely loving you ladies! I feel like we have our own private little sorority albeit one that none of us want to be a member of! Ha! I gave up the top 6 allergens plus corn 5 weeks ago, gave up beef 3 weeks ago and have been on this diet for 2 weeks! So both of you are way more experience with that than me! I'm loving all of your suggestions :-) it's kind of crazy when you dream of eating something like a banana! I added grapes in today, and I'm thinking avocados later this week and my next fruit maybe bananas? We live in a small town in ohio, so really far from Texas! I'm a huge nursing fan! I've actually nursed for 9 years! (This is my 4th baby) I've nursed all of my other kids till they were 3, I think that's why it hit me so hard when the G.I. doctor told me to just do formula! He is doing really good, he's very chubby, and happy! And it's been ....drum roll please....8 days with no visible blood! Thank you both for being on here, it has been such an inspiration to me! And givin me some yummy ideas of stuff to try!

mamagreene

Btw have either of you read this blog (another one of our TED sisters!). I love it! https://www.motherhooduncensored.net/motherhood_uncensored/2005/11/the_thanksgivin.html

mamagreene

Sorry, thought of a couple others things I wanted to ask! Did you both give up coffee? That's been so hard for me! Wondering when I can try to add it back in! Also, what about sugar, or honey did you guys eliminate all sugar and when did you add that back in? Im dreaming of the day I can add oats and honey and making a little batch of homemade granola with just oats and honey, salt, and oil - bake at 315 and yum! ahh someday

funchicken

I didn't give up sugar, honey or maple syrup this time (I did for a month or so the first time).

I gave up coffee with DD2, but this time I stopped for a week and didn't notice a difference, so I added it back in.  I drink a cup of half-caff with rice milk in the morning.  I haven't seen blood in her poop since I cut out wheat a couple of weeks ago, so I'm sticking with my coffee  I added in butternut squash this week--so far so good.  I'm really craving a green veggie, but green beans seem to bother her

Thankfulforwine

I wasn't drinking coffee when I started the diet but added decaf in about a month after I started the diet then half caff about a month after that. How old is your LO? I know in the diet description they specifically address coffee and say it can make little ones fussy. DD was never fussy and since she was already 6 months when I started the diet I figured it wasn't a big deal. I did take all sugar honey syrup, etc out. I added sugar back in when I added coconut so I could eat the ice cream I previously mentioned . I haven't had the need for syrup or honey yet but I think I would use it at this point. So delicious makes a coconut coffee creamer for when you get lots of things added back in . For the record I actually hate the flavor of coconut but the butter and milk make such great substitutions and don't have a strong coconut flavor that I use it all the time, it was one of the first things I put back in my diet.

mamagreene

My baby is 11weeks, and since I seem to have broken my caffeine addiction… The headaches are gone, finally! maybe I should just stay away from coffee for a while longer! Isn't it bad when we crave something like green beans! Lol. I'm really looking forward to adding coconut...the rice milk is just icky! I actually do love coconut. So today I made a "smoothie" with2 of my allowed 7 foods...rice milk and frozen grapes in the blender.....to the outsider it might sound gross, but I haven't had a dessert in a 5 weeks, so it was awesome! mrsz2be how long have you been on it thus time around? And thankful for wine I'm thinking that "smoothie" might have been better had I sub-ed wine for the rice milk . By the way my name is Danielle

funchicken

LO started having symptoms at two months, so for the first few weeks I tried just eliminating dairy and soy and then eggs. She started sleeping much better but was still having blood and mucous in her stool. I did the TED for a couple of weeks and added in oats and she was okay, so I tried to add wheat back in, and the blood came back.  Took the wheat back out two weeks ago, and I've been trying to add a veggie every few days.

I haven't been quite as strict this time around, partly because DD3 is super-mellow and gaining like a champ and partly because I'm not as freaked out about as I was with DD2. At 3, DD2 has no gut issues, she's a great eater, and she hardly ever gets sick.  I'm hoping DD3 will outgrow this in 6 months or so.

mamagreene

Aww! So great to be able to talk to someone who has seen the happy ending! It's what I have to think about to keep myself sticking with it!

mamagreene

Ugh! So ladies....on weds night my lo slept awesome at night, Thursday morning....I started avocado, I ate an entire avocado! By mid afternoon he started getting a bit fussy....not too bad, but just not as mellow as normal. Last night (Thursday night) he wanted to nurse all night! Then I ate an avocado for breakfast today...at noon his stool was just slightly green....and at 3 pm he had diarrhea (it was yellow/ brown, with no mucus or blood, but it smells like diarrhea). And he keeps wanting to nurse, so I can tell his belly hurts . Sooooo I think avocados are a no to for us! . I'm going to wait till his tummy heals and try bananas. . How have your weeks been?

funchicken

Ugh, that sucks. Avocados were a no go for me this time, too.  I ate tons of them with DD2, but after 2 weeks of good diapers, DD3 had blood in her stool after 1/2 of an avocado

She's done okay with carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and butternut squash, though, so yesterday I had some terra chips (so good!).

mamagreene

mrszee2b said:

Ugh, that sucks. Avocados were a no go for me this time, too.  I ate tons of them with DD2, but after 2 weeks of good diapers, DD3 had blood in her stool after 1/2 of an avocado

She's done okay with carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and butternut squash, though, so yesterday I had some terra chips (so good!).

Yea, I love avocado, and I thought it would be a good protein to add   UGH  I might try carrots soon (even though carrots are not my favorite)  This sounds bad, but I don't even know what parsnips are...lol.  I did find a brand of potato chips I can have (if you are having white potato yet)  anyway 3 ingredients potato, oil - safflower, sunflower and or canola (and I was already using safflower for my cooking and read that sunflower and canola were low allergen) and sea salt.  They are called The Kettle Brand - I've bought them at Kroger and Meijer in the natural / organic snack food section and I've bought them at Walmart in the deli area.  I did add grapes in Monday and then on Weds I had raisins....but I don't think it was the raisins that caused it because they are just dried grapes.... anyway, now I'm hoping bananas will agree with his tummy! I felt so discouraged when he had that diarrhea yesterday!  

Thankfulforwine

Sorry for the delayed response! We are in the process of moving and I haven't been online much.
Huge bummer about the avacado!! Did LO's stools go back to normal after that?

mamagreene

Hey there! No problem! . Yes, he has been fine since then! And 24 days with no blood!! And we went to cedar point and I got a smoked turkey leg....sooooo good! I was promised that it was just turkey and no other seasonings....well, I called the next day and found out that the cook was wrong! It did contain as seasoning that contained ...you guessed it milk . Ugh! But, lo didn't react much, if any! A little green in his stool for 2 diapers. Si've now also added banana and zucchini (I was only eating a corn squash before). He is doing great! Thinking of what to add next! Did either of you have any reaction to oats? My lo is only 3 months. I've also considered cooked carrots and blue berries ( I read both of those were.low allergen). How gave you girls been doing? Aiding anything new lately?

Thankfulforwine

I just put oats back in last week and so far it has been good I think as long as they are gluten free oats (most oats are grown in fields with wheat and there is a lot of cross contamination) that oats are a pretty low allergen. I just put wheat back in this morning (eek!!!) I'm super nervous but it has been out of my diet since LO was 3 months old (she is almost 10 now) so I'm hoping she does okay!!!!! Fingers crossed!!! I get so nervous anytime I put a major allergen in!!! It is nice for you that your LO is still young and not eating solids yet, it adds in a different level of pain in behind-ness when you have to add foods into their diet at the same time! It is interesting to try to stagger them! I hope your sweet babies are doing well!

mamagreene

Thankfulforwine said:

I just put oats back in last week and so far it has been good I think as long as they are gluten free oats (most oats are grown in fields with wheat and there is a lot of cross contamination) that oats are a pretty low allergen. I just put wheat back in this morning (eek!!!) I'm super nervous but it has been out of my diet since LO was 3 months old (she is almost 10 now) so I'm hoping she does okay!!!!! Fingers crossed!!! I get so nervous anytime I put a major allergen in!!! It is nice for you that your LO is still young and not eating solids yet, it adds in a different level of pain in behind-ness when you have to add foods into their diet at the same time! It is interesting to try to stagger them! I hope your sweet babies are doing well!

Hey! How did adding the wheat back in go? I hope good! I think I'm going to take oats back out of my diet on the third and fourth day he had an upset tummy :-(. I have just added in cooked carrots and blueberries though, this is the first time I've added something in on the same day. So we'll see how that goes! I had just read the both of those were very low allergen so I'm hoping it's okay! We are on day two and no issues yet :-). What solid foods have you given your baby so far?

funchicken

Hi! Sorry for not responding sooner. I was on vacation, and then I changed my screen name (was mrszee2b). 

 Oats have been okay for me--sorry they didn't work for you . I've introduced grilled zucchini and summer squash, cherries!, and wine!! I had a little bit of watermelon over the weekend, too.  I was thinking about trying quinoa because that's supposed to be low allergen.  Parsnips look like white carrots.  They taste a little sweeter and a little starchier than carrots--they're really good roasted in the oven.

Good luck with the carrots and blueberries!

Thankfulforwine

So far wheat has not caused a problem!!!!! I will give it a full week before I introduce anything else but so far i am feeling encouraged!!!!!! Next up, egg!
@ funchicken, yay for wine! Im sure based off my screen name you can figure I love wine! Also, I fear we may go broke keeping me in cherries!!! They are so yummy! I hope you have had good luck introducing them!
@mamagreen how did the carrots and blueberries go? LO has, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, cherries, avacado, mango, banana, carrots, and beans in her diet so far. She is doing awesome with solids!! I want to put meats in, just waiting for the wheat to clear before I do!
My name is Lisa if it makes this exchange any easier

mamagreene

funchicken said:

Hi! Sorry for not responding sooner. I was on vacation, and then I changed my screen name (was mrszee2b). 

 Oats have been okay for me--sorry they didn't work for you . I've introduced grilled zucchini and summer squash, cherries!, and wine!! I had a little bit of watermelon over the weekend, too.  I was thinking about trying quinoa because that's supposed to be low allergen.  Parsnips look like white carrots.  They taste a little sweeter and a little starchier than carrots--they're really good roasted in the oven.

Good luck with the carrots and blueberries!

@ FunChicken - LOVE that you added wine too!  I think with all the restrictions we have it is just so nice to have a glass of wine with our turkey!!  Just like Lisa and I talked about!!   Let me know how the quinoa is, I've been thinking of adding it too!!  I'm going to look for them in the store!!  What part of the country do you live in?  I'm in Ohio, I just wish we lived close together, because I'd love to have a glass of wine with you both!!

Thankfulforwine said:

So far wheat has not caused a problem!!!!! I will give it a full week before I introduce anything else but so far i am feeling encouraged!!!!!! Next up, egg! @ funchicken, yay for wine! Im sure based off my screen name you can figure I love wine! Also, I fear we may go broke keeping me in cherries!!! They are so yummy! I hope you have had good luck introducing them! @mamagreen how did the carrots and blueberries go? LO has, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, cherries, avacado, mango, banana, carrots, and beans in her diet so far. She is doing awesome with solids!! I want to put meats in, just waiting for the wheat to clear before I do! My name is Lisa if it makes this exchange any easier

Lisa, I hope the wheat is still not causing any issues!!  That is so awesome!!  I'm so happy for you!!  By the way, are you still just eating turkey for your meats?  Eggs....ohhhh how I would love to eat an egg!  I sure hope that goes smooth!!  You deserve it!!  

Carrots and blueberries seem fine so far!  No issues yet!  Although I sometimes find that I am driving myself insane examining diapers....trying to decide if there is mucus, or just bf baby poop!  Anyway, he is happy as always, so I don't think his tummy is bothering him!  Next up for me I think is sunflower seeds....have either of you tried them?  I read they are low allergen, and I found some with only sunflower, seasalt and sunflower oil....sooo I'm praying they will not bother him!!  Lettuce soon, and cranberries soon too....can you tell I'm dreaming of a salad??   with no dressing of course! 

BTW my name is Danielle.....and I just put frozen blueberries in the blender with some cabernet wine.....ohhh hell, who needs a milk shake, this drink rocks!!!  xo

Thankfulforwine

Totally going to have to try the wine/blueberry idea!!!
I have added chicken and fish as well so there is a little variety now, thankfully!
I think we are in the clear for wheat!! I'm so excited for her! I'm going to put a few things in her diet over the next week or so before I put anything else in mine again. She has zero interest in babyfood and she has no teeth so funding soft things she can eat has been a challamge!
I am a freak about her

Thankfulforwine

My message got cut off there!
I am a freak about her stool too!! It drives my husband crazy but it was just so bad for so long, I can't help it!! I hope you ladies are doing well and everyone's tummys are okay!

mamagreene

Yes! My husband is driven crazy by my diaper examinations! lol That is so awesome about the wheat!!! YAY!!!!!! and chicken and fish, yum!! Sunflowers didn't bother him! and I've since added lettuce and that didn't bother him either!! AND I was starving and shopping at Aldi (do you guys have those in TX) anyway they have these "Exotic Vegetable Chips" They are a blend of root veggies....Sweet Potato, Tarro, Parsnips with the approved canola, sunflower, safflower oil blend and salt. So I was so hungry I bought them and ate them in my car on the way home....they were so good, and have not bothered him yet! I'm trying to decide what to add next...do you think it is too soon for coconut? My friend gave me a recipe for: Coconut Crack Bars ◾1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) ◾1/4 cup agave or pure maple syrup ◾2 tbsp virgin coconut oil ◾1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract ◾1/8 tsp salt I haven't added any sweeteners yet either....but this recipe sounds so good....just not sure if it's too early to add! When did you guys add it? My lo is 16 weeks tomorrow. OR thinking asparagus or apples.... decisions, decisions!

funchicken

Hey ladies! Glad you guys are able to add some new foods! Coconut was a no go for me last month, but I'm going to try it again when she hits six months. I just switched to organic chicken thighs instead of breasts to try to save some $$$. Between the elimination diet and DD1's nut allergy, my grocery bill is insane with all of the special food we have to buy.

I think I'm going to try lettuce soon--I'm dying for a salad!

mamagreene

So, rather impulsively, I added vanilla chex into my diet last night! I sure hope they don't bother my lo, they are awesome!!

mamagreene

AHHHHH LO had a speck of blood in his diaper yesterday!! First time in 41 days! UGH!!! I guess the vanilla chex are out! But, what ingredient is to blame? The only things they have that I didn't have in my diet are fructose, sugar, molasses, and natural flavoring.  I'm thinking the fructose is made from corn? If so I'd guess that is the probem.

Thankfulforwine

Bummer!!!! Yeah, the fructose could be corn for sure or sometimes natural flavoring is soy. You could call the manufacturer, they may be able to tell you what the natural flavor is and maybe give you some insight as to what caused LO to react?

mamagreene

ohh, I didn't even think of soy! UGH!!! Just so frustrating!!   I did email the manufatureer, so hopefully they will write me back!!

funchicken

Don't beat yourself up about it! I find that I have to avoid things with too many ingredients even if they seem safe. Enjoy Life makes a bunch of different cookies that are top 8 free, but when I tried the sugar cookies DD3 started having green mucousy stool again.

You're doing great, and your DS is doing great.  It's just a minor setback.

mamagreene

Thank you! also, chex company did write back...their rice chex do have corn in hem!! So on a positive note, I did find out that is for sure an allergy of his! Although...corn is in everything....so I'm sad about that! And, hindsight when I thought I was avoiding corn before I went on the total elimination diet I was actually eating rice chex to snack on and using Lawerys seasoned salt, which I will have now found out has corn also! So, a big reason why he didn't get better! I added beets today, I put them on my salad with. Some sunflowers, pretty tasty! How have you ladies been?

Thankfulforwine

Ugh!!! Corn is seriously in EVERYTHING!!! Hopefully your LO will outgrow it in a few months! Sucks that corn isn't listed in the top allergins so it is a hard one to catch every time!!
If you added beets you should try beet chips!!! Very yummy!!!
We are doing pretty well! I have been adding a few fruits and veggies to DD's diet so I have taken a break from adding to mine. I'm going to do eggs next but not sure when I'm hoping to put some meat in her diet soon, we are still in the moving process and won't get our stuff for another week so when I get my food processor back I'm hoping to be able to add some turkey and chicken to her diet! I hope you guys are doing well!!

funchicken

Corn is in everything! So true.

I'm hanging in there. In addition to my beige staples (chicken, rice, potatoes), I've been able to eat cherries, peaches, small amounts of banana, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash.  I'm dying to try broccoli, but I'm worried about the cruciferous veggies.  I've been making my own gluten-free granola, and it is soooo good.  

DD3 has really been showing an interest in what we're eating, but I'm nervous about starting solids next month.  With DD2 I waited until 7 months.

Thankfulforwine

So I tried to start a total elimination diet group and invite you guys but not sure if it worked! If you got like 6 invites sorry! Let me know if any came through, my phone was not being cooperative!
I thought a group might be a good way for us to talk about our sad sad diets

funchicken

It worked! I joined and posted