my poor allergic boy

Member

Well Hayden is officially (and severly) allergic to milk. After some reactions to milk in the past we went to an allergist last week and they did the prick test on his back and it immediately flared up. We had blood work done this week and it confirmed that he's highly allergic to all the different milk proteins. It also showed he's prone, but not yet allergic to lots of environmental allergins (pollen, dust, etc.). So they are going to put him on a daily dose of Zyrtec to keep him from reacting to those. Apparently if you stop them from ever reacting and they can make it to around 6-7 yrs old when the immune system matures it can keep them from ever fully developing the allergies.

SO the milk thing is going to be really hard, but I assume will get easier once we learn more and get used to it. He can't have anything with any milk product in it, which is a lot more than you think. I've started reading labels like crazy and we will just have to be very careful with what he eats. Poor little guy!

Anyone else have a milk allergic kid and any tips, pointers, or food suggestions???

the kilted one

so sorry to hear that one molly. I was one of those "golden babies" as my mom called it. I was allergic to milk, in kindergarten (back in the old days) if you couldn't drink milk, you got nothing.... imagine, those stale old graham crackers without any milk. I eventually outgrew the allergy, but I still feel the remnants of it. Occasionally I'll develop a rash on my face that indicates to me I've had too many milk products lately. I wish I had some advice to give you. There was a soy product called pro-sobie (or something like that, that I had to have instead of milk as a baby.) I would think Hayden could have some of the soy-milk products. ask the doc, or read the labels.

AZhat

Be very adament with people giving/not giving Hayden food.

Seriously, my friend's daughter (with a milk allergy) was fed brownies/cake without her knowing it (a bite) by a family member at a birthday party. The little girl had to be rushed to the ER. People don't think that a bite will do any damage, but it can kill.

I hate it when people will start throwing food into little one's mouths without asking the parents first. Twisted Evil

Just stress to others not to feed Hayden things without your knowing it for now, unless approved by you first.

Just my

Member

Fortunately, our son was not allerginc to milk, but he had some really weird ones like tree nuts (walnuts, filberst etc), soy - that's fun when most baby formulas ARE soy based, Zucchini REALLY BAD, most squash, beans, and a few other things.

Suggestions: First on the non dairy, look for items that have the word "Pareve" stamped on them (not in the ingredients list) this is a Kosher term meaning "no dairy". Its usually found near the OU logo (Orthodox Union) its a "U" inside an "O".

Replace the rug in his room with a wood floor. Buy an environmental filter, non allergenic matress cover.

We were very lucky our son only had one accidental incident of nut ingestion in the many years. Fortunately he learned quickly to avoid nuts and always ask if there were any types of nuts. (He can eat peanuts). I realize this may be "overkill" but see about getting an Epi-pen injector in case of a severe allergic reaction.

Also: Try joining the Food Allergy Network

http://www.foodallergy.org/index.html

Write if you want more info

Andy

Member

I was going to suggest soy milk as well. I love that stuff myself, and it comes in several flavors (including chocolate). See what the allergist says first, of course, he's a year old now, right? You might still want to do a soy-formula, cannot remember how long they say to do breast milk/formula, is it age one or age two?

Very sorry this is the case with your little pal. I imagine it will be a challenge to keep up with what he can and cannot have. If you weren't in the running for Mom of the Year, you certainly will be now!

Member

Member

Poor little guy! Give him a big ol hug for me.

Member

Out of curiosity, Molly, are either you or hubby lactose intolerant? Goat milk contains no lactose, so he could have that.

Member

I was allergic to milk and eggs and everything else under the sun.. The milk allergy has changed to lactose intolerant. I got shots for 14 years, starting when I was three. They didn't help. Where do you live again? It won't help on the milk allergy, but changing climates has made my allergies about 300% better, and it's the ONLY thing that's ever worked(seriously, I went from taking two prescription pills twice a day for years, plus nasal inhalers, etc to just about nothing). You might consider moving down here (and then we'd have another normal family here too!). Mr. Green

As for the milk allergy, you just have to be extra vigilant with people, ESPECIALLY when going out to eat. I can't tell you how many times I've asked about egg whites or that eggs be left out of fried rice, only to find them in my food. Milk's probably even more common in foods, just make sure you tell people ABSOLUTELY NO MILK. Perhaps one of the food allergy bracelets would work. A friend of mine in Ohio had a daughter severely allergic to peanuts. She made her a little card and then made copies to give to parents at kid's birthday parties, restaurants, etc that introduced the girl, ("Hi, my name is Mary, I am allergic to peanuts!")described the allergy, named some common foods that contained peanuts that you might not suspect (i.e. chocolate M&M's; the coating contains peanuts ) and that seemed to work nicely. Always carry the Epi-pen too, keep two around in case one gets misplaced.

Edited to add that usually (but not always) with milk you'll yak first or have another digestive reaction before going into anaphylaxis. Like that's any comfort.

Member

Molly:

I don't know where you live, but if there is a Jewish community there, you might find it helpful to go to a Kosher market and ask someone to help you with selecting foods that are non dairy.

I am certain they would be very happy to help out.

Member

Thanks again for all the great info and replies. We are definitely going to be keeping a close watch on what this boy eats!!!!!! I'm really hoping the other allergies never develop, that will be great! And there's a chance also he can grow out of the milk allergy. But until then we'll just be very very careful. I'm already getting better at reading food labels.

Neither hubby nor I are allergic to milk at all, but there are other allergies in the family.

kristen, thanks for the edit. That's one of my worries. I don't want to lull myself into thinking "well, he just threw up" from the milk before because obviously you never know what the next reaction could be like, and I don't want to take that chance!!!

Thanks again all!!!

crazy cat lady

Member

crazy cat lady

Gone Fishin

No intention of playing devil's advocate, but I'd be sure to get a second opinion before starting huge changes to alter your lifestyle. I've talked with more than one person getting misdiagnosed on allergies only to find out hundreds and hundreds of dollars in shots and/or food substitutes were for not.
From the things I've come across, allergy diagnosis is by no means a slam dunk science and right now one of the areas docs jump to a conclusion occasionally quicker than they should.

my poor allergic boy

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