New to all this!

[mumto2]

Can I have some advice please? I have a 11 month old boy, Harry. The doctor thinks he is milk intolerant, but its only the starting point! He has prescribed Wysoy 3 weeks ago which has helped alot, before he was being sick and having a runny bum many times a day, now he isnt sick half as much but his bum is still a problem. Do you think I need to give it more time? I have taken all milk from his diet, checking the labels on everything. As im now thinking it might not just be the milk, could it be gluten?

Thanks
Julie

[cnc]

Hi, welcome to the site.

How long dairy takes to clear out of the system varies person to person, some notice a difference after a few days, others can be a couple of months. Try not to worry yet, and just give it a bit more time.
The only other advice I can offer is make sure that you know all the milk deriatives as well.

Hope this is of some help. Take care

[Nic]

I'd echo what Clare said. My experience (but its different for everyone, and anyway my symptoms are eczema rather than tummy problems) is that it takes literally months (up to six) to get rid of the eczema once I've set it off with dairy. Which is why I don't cheat any more, just now worth it...

I would suggest perservering with the non-dairy diet for a while longer before taking anything else out, if only because it'll get quite complicated ensuring that your son has a nutritionally adequate diet (possible, but harder) once you start taking out gluten or other possible triggers.

The other thing that occurs to me is whether anyone else (nursery?) is feeding him stuff with milk in by mistake. At that age he could easily be picking up biscuits dropped on the floor etc, or perhaps grandparents aren't as good as you at reading labels? I've gone out to dinner with people who have Cambridge degrees who've failed to be able to read labels (which gets a bit embarassing when I say 'no thanks' to stuff they've bought specially), so I no longer assume that its obvious!

Nic

[matt]

welcome to the site hopefully we can help. if nothing else with some support from people who understand.

i'd echo what has been said. give it a little more time and make trebly sure that there is no milk at all getting in. even the slightest amount can keep the symptoms coming.

then speak to the doctor and see whether they are happy for you to cut out wheat. better that way as they can take a blood test first.

[Pam]

Hi Julie, welcome to the site.

2 things - firstly make sure that there is no hidden milk in any of the other food he is eating (you'd be suprised where they hide it - biscuits, bread, crisps etc). Secondly, it could be that he has a problem with soya too and that Wysoy maybe isn't the best formula for him. Most doctors now avoid prescribing soya formula as it can lead to soya intolerance, they go for a hypoallergenic one instead - pepti, nutramigen etc.

So.... check all the labels of everything you are feeding him, change your margarine to either vitalite or a dairy free spread, watch out for hidden milk in processed foods (most meat products contain milk in some form), and if you don't see an improvement then, ask your doctor for a soya free formula. (But you might want to do this anyway).

[mumto2]

Thanks to all who have replied for their advice. I think I have been carefully checking all labels on the food, but like you say they its not always obvious and I may have missed something.

I have since spoken to someone who works with lots of children with intolerances and she advised to try removing wheat and gluten for a week and then go back to the doctor for a referral to a dietician. So this is what im doing at the moment, yesterday was the first day without wheat, dairy and gluten and he only had two yukky bums. Im going to go back to the docs next wed or thur and get referred because as you all said their could be nutrional needs missing from his diet and I will ask him about the formula.

Thanks again for your advice, I will keep you posted.
Julie
(Mum to Harry, 11 months and Holly 2 years)

[matt]

dairy will take several weeks to work through the system before all symptoms are gone.

wheat gluten again take several weeks to see significant long term improvements.

then you need to reintorduce the bad stuff to see if the reaction returns. that's when you can see the dietician. as you have the evidence of the intolerance.

don't reintroduce both at sam time or you'll never know which! sounds obvious but.....

[cnc]

I agree with Matt, reintroductions, need to be spaced out as they can cause a delayed reaction, and introducing both is just likely to cause confusion!!

[Lan]

Hi all,

With re-introduction of foods, I was always told to leave two clear days with no symptoms before re-introducing something else.

Hope this helps.

Lan :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[tigerlily]

Well, it could well be soya. For starters, I would ask your GP to prescribe a more neutral hypoallergic formula. WYSOY gave my daughter a lot of problems in the soya intolerance department too.

I think it may be gluten or wheat -my daughter has a gluten intolerance.
But I think it would be more advisable to only do "NO GLUTEN", for any length of time, under a dietitian's supervision. A week is not long enough to show lots of real improvement with gluten ,and any longer, without a dietitian's advice,esp. at such a young age!, may be not safe. You are talking calcium and multivitamin/mineral supplements, and he may be/become aneamic.

Good Luck anyway.

Vanessa.

[matt]

like tigerlily said......

give the dairy free a chance. if it's not an allergy then you'll not do any harm by letting the situation carry on for a few more weeks.

and if it was an allergy you'd have seen all the traditional allergy symptoms...which i don't think you are.
take a deep breath and take it slow.

[mumto2]

Thanks again to all who have replied. Im going to try the doctors this week (its been four weeks on the soya and 1 week wheat/gluten free) and ask to see a dietician, and ask if Harry can have some tests to make sure he isnt anaemic or anything. I will also ask about an alternative formula as so many of you dont think Wysoy is the answer.
Thanks again
Julie

[mumto2]

Quick update, have been to doctors and they will refer Harry to dietician. They think Wysoy is the answer and Ive just got to persevere with the exclusions. I said I feel like I am struggling with the food, but hopefully the dietician will help me with that. Hope its not tooo long!
Jules

[cnc]

At least you're getting an appointment, best wishes and good luck.

[ellsie]

Do you mean the GP? Because the chances are that he knows very little about allergies or intolerances. Dieticians are not experts either. What you need to ask your doc is to be referred to an allergy specialist. Some areas have docs who specialise in this. Where are you?:confused:

[matt]

at least some improvement with seeing the dietician but don't get your hope up as they can be useless. the allergy specialist might be an idea if he's allergic but otherwise no good.

stick with the exclusion diet. showing any signs of improvement?

[mumto2]

Thanks again to all for your advice. Ive been pinning all my hopes on the dietician so its seems from what everyone says that might not be!
Since the wheat/gluten free diet his bottom has improved a little we have had a couple of "normal" poos in amongst the yukky ones. I think its a time thing, just gotta hang in there. Harry doesnt like his new food and each meal is a battle which is hard to handle. I just hope I can get to the bottom (parden the pun!) of his problem sooner rather than later.
Thanks again
Julie