Intro and I'm Stumped!
NateBecca
member
Long story short: My LO was on a very restricted diet because of possible food allergies linked to his eczema and possible asthma. LO has been hospitalized twice for wheezing/shortness of breath episodes most likely related to some kind of allergen, but not sure. He has had Nutrimigen formula since 4 months and very slow introduction to limited fruits/veggies. He just turned a year a month ago and had allergy testing done. We are avoiding eggs, milk, dairy, nuts (all), fish (all), wheat, and meat (because of the protein).
The allergist told us to try the 90/10 rule to introduce soy milk because he thought I might be able to tolerate it. Well we got to 20% and had diarrhea and red face. We stopped soy milk. I haven't been able to talk to the allergist yet what to do next because he only works 2 days a week, but we really like him and he is highly recommended.
We did start some rice milk (Rice Dream), but I think we are having issues. LO's face has broken out and he has had some diarrhea. I don't know if the diarrhea is from LO only getting fruits/veggies with the rice milk/formula or if it's another issue. I don't think he is teething either as we thought that maybe that would be the cause of the red face. Nutrimigen also has soy in it so we're not sure if it's the formula either now that we think he might be intolerate or allergic to soy.
I'm just at a loss of where/what to do next and very overwhelmed! There are so many things we are avoiding that I don't know what to feed LO and he is a hungry guy!
I'm going to try to get a hold of the allergist on Tuesday when he is in, but that seems like so long from now. In the meantime I don't know if I should stop rice milk and just do formula (which technically he's outgrown since it's for infants) or do I try to give him straight up rice milk in case it's the formula that's the problem? He's getting very little protein. His growth %iles feel a little bit at his 1 year appointment but nothing the doctor is worried about-he's hovering now around 50%.
I've heard of Neocate Junior and did some research on it, but I'm not sure I should buy any and make a switch to that. It's so expensive and I'm not sure it that would be the answer. Just praying we can figure out what our LO can eat.
Sorry so long! Any advice, suggestions, or comments would be greatly appreciated!
Re: Intro and I'm Stumped!
just curious about the meat- did he test allergic to meat or are you avoiding due to the egg/dairy issues? J is severely allergic to dairy and eggs but does just fine with meat. If he didn't test allergic- I'd ask the allergist about trying some (maybe do a food challenge in the office?) so you can have more protein sources. Will he tolerate beans of any kind? J will sometimes eat black beans and those have a ton of protein. J drinks a combo of enriched rice milk with condensed coconut milk for added fat/calories. When he was having growth issues (he wasn't even on the charts for a long time) we also supplemented his "milk" with scoops of Ellecare Toddler. If you do the rice milk- maybe add a scoop or 2 of formula to get extra calories since his diet is so restricted.
My son is now 8 mos old. At about 2 mos he became constipated from too much iron in the similac so we switched to Good Start then he got diahrea so we switched to GS Soy then he got ezcema & acid reflux. At that point our dr gave us a referral to a dermatologist and allergist. The allergist tested him and he is allergic to milk & soy. He is now on Neocate & it works wonders. Lucky our insurance covers the Neocate, but the aallergist also gave us samples.
We started solids at 6 mos and are avoiding the common allergens like, wheat, gluten, egg, milk, soy, berries, melon, fish, etc. I also make most of my own baby food but when I do buy jars I use Earth's Best.
When you went to the allergist, what were the results of the testing?
Sorry you're dealing with it.
I think Neocate Junior is a prescription, if not, i think you can get your insurance to cover it. (but you may have to fight for that).
Can you introduce avocados? they are very healthy fats and i swear that is the only reason my son's weight is 50%ile.
Did he have blood work done yet? or a scratch/pricking test? You guys are pretty much guessing his allergies? why not get a blood test done and know exactly what he can and can't have -this way you can start feeding him and preventing things that are hurting him.
hope you get this figured out! allergies suck.