Food Allergy

New here, not yet sure I belong...

My DS has struggled with a sensitive tummy (lots of gas/pain and fussiness) since birth and reflux since he was about 6 weeks.  He is formula fed and we've tried a variety of formulas before settling with Enfamil Gentlease at about 8 weeks. He's been on Prevacid since about 10 weeks for the reflux and he's now up to 30 mg a day of that and his reflux has not gotten better. He's had an Upper GI and a stomach ultrasound and both were negative.  He is usually a good eater and has not had any problem gaining weight; however, he frequently is visibly uncomfortable and often goes into crying fits so severe that they take his breath away. 

On Thursday, we took him to his 4 month appointment. He finally met his actual pediatrician since all dealings prior to were with other doctors in the practice. He talked with us for a bit, observed my son, and asked lots of good questions. He then began telling us that he had a suspicion that DS may have some type of protein or milk allergy that was causing and/or worsening his reflux....basically saying that he thinks that his sensitive belly is what is causing him to push it back up. He prescribed Elecare and wants us to go see a GI specialist.  We've been on the Elecare for a a day and a half and he's definitely spitting up less and seems a bit more comfortable, but I know it may take a week to really see a difference. 

 All of that being said, I'm not sure how to feel about the pedi's "diagnosis." Obviously he doesn't know anything for sure, just a suspicion but my DS is 4 months old and has been on a regular formula the entire time (we did try both Nutramigen and Soy based previously but he hated both).  And while he can get extremely uncomfortable, its not all the time and not every bottle.  Is it possible for him to have an allergy or intolerance that only shows up some of the time?? It's all so confusing. Any advice/experiences that you could share would be great. Thanks in advance!

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Re: New here, not yet sure I belong...

  • Hi! I'm new too- we're going to see a GI specialist at the beginning of January, so I don't have a TON of advice for you, but here's a couple of things I've learned so far.

    Have you tried Alimentium (Similiac equivalent of Nutramigen)?  We tried Nutramigen for our son, and he did horribly on it.  Definitely the fussiest I have ever seen him.  We switched to Alimentium and it's like night and day.  He likes it much better, and he's doing great on it.  As far as symptoms-- I am in the same boat.  DS was not having the same symptoms as yours, but they were sporadic.  I told my pedi that I wasn't 100% convinced it was an allergy, and she said that symptoms build over time- at first they are sporadic, and maybe just one or two things seem 'off', but over time more signs of allergy will appear, and the existing symptoms will get worse. 

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  • thank you for responding...He's been on Elecare now since Friday and he's doing really well. He's eating all of his bottles, spitting up less, and seems to be starting to feel a bit more comfortable. I feel like such a bad mom...I'm usually really on top of things but with this I feel like I failed him. I never even thought of the possibility of an allergy or intolerance as the cause of the reflux....now that it's looking like the case, it seems so obvious.
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  • Don't beat yourself up!  We're all doing the absolute best we can.  I told DH the other day that I would give my right thumb for just a quick 5 minute conversation with DS-- it would clear up so much guesswork!  

    I'm going through the whole 'do i cut out dairy and soy and continue to BF, or do i quit and FF' debate right now, and everytime I think about quitting BF I feel like I failure.  I tell myself I would do anything for my kids, so why is it so hard to cut soy and dairy from my diet?! 

    Hang in there mama.  It sounds like you guys are on the right track, and you'll have a happy babe with a happier tummy in no time!   

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