Cai, my almost-2-year-old (I can only say that for a couple more weeks - yikes!), experienced his first stomach bug that had him throwing up several times yesterday evening. He appears fine today, except for decreased appetite. I am very glad - mommy doesn't handle vomit well.
Avyn, who will be six months on the 27th, is a bit more complicated. He's suffered from a persistent cough since around Thanksgiving, and constant congestion basically since birth. His pediatrician diagnosed stridor and reflux, but my "mother's intuition" kept insisting that something else is wrong. It's been affecting his eating and sleeping (which also happens to affect mommy's sleeping). So today I finally called the doctor, explained my concerns, and they got us in this morning. Well, the appointment was at 11 am, but we didn't get in until nearly 12:30 pm. Typical doctor's office. Our doctor agreed that something is up, and ordered food allergy testing, because his symptoms may fit with a food allergy (since I'm nursing, he gets everything I eat). She also discovered that he has huge tonsils, so we'll probably need to see an ENT specialist to deal with that. Finally, she prescribed an antibiotic since his cough and congestion have been worse the last few days with greenish mucus (sorry if that was TMI!). Poor little guy probably has a cold or infection on top of the chronic problems.
We should find out results from the allergy panel in 3-5 days. Although I want answers, I selfishly hope he doesn't have allergies because that would restrict my diet! Lactose intolerance runs in my husband's side of the family, too - I'm not sure I could go without milk! But if it isn't allergies, there may be a more serious issue, like with his tonsils and/or adenoids (which the doctor couldn't even see because the tonsils were so big). And I'm sure I could handle avoiding dairy for a while.
Do any of you, or your children, have to (or choose to) avoid milk products or other foods? Is it a huge pain in the butt, or do you just get used to it? Have you found any great-tasting "replacement" milk (or replacements for other foods)? Thanks for sharing!
Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteBoth Zach & Xander have an intolerance for casein (the milk protein) in pasturized homogenized milk (basically any milk you get from the store). They both get ear infections if they drink it just 2-3 times in the same week. However, neither of them have issues with raw milk and can drink that every day with no issues. I suggest going to www.realmilk.com to find a source near you. They can also do cultured dairy products (cheese, yogurt, kefir, etc) no problem. If you really need to go off all dairy, stay away from soy!!!!! There are lots of reasons, but the biggest is that it's not digestible in the commercial method of preparation. Another biggie is the amount of estrogen, not good for you & definitely not good for boys. I'd try Almond Milk or Coconut Milk. :-) Good luck! Keep me posted, & let me know if you have any more questions.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI was going to recommend the same thing as Sarah. Coconut milk and coconut oil are not the same thing, don't worry you won't accidentally go on my diet and I've seen coconut milk in many different kinds of dairy recipes, I've even tried coconut milk ice cream and it's quite tasty!
I hope Avyn doesn't have any serious problems, Joel and I will be praying for him.
Sarah and Ashley - thanks for the info! The food allergy test came back negative (although I'm not sure it tests for lactose or casein intolerance, which I know is different from an allergy), so I am proceeding as normal for now, although I'm going to keep a possible lactose/casein intolerance in mind.
ReplyDeleteI am trying different milks for Josh, since he does have a lactose intolerance. I picked up a lactose-free version today, since he doesn't care much for almond or soy. I'll have to try coconut milk for him too!
Keep Avyn in your prayers, the doctor prescribed a stronger antibiotic when we took him in yesterday, since the amoxicillin had no effect. We take him back next Friday to see if this one makes a difference, and to check on his weight, since he's only gained 3 oz in nearly 2 months (he's only 13.10 now). I doubt this antibiotic will do anything either. The next step is an ENT or allergy/immunology specialist.