New Here Looking For Help

[Caseysmommy]

Hi, My name is Angie and I have a 16 month old daughter. Since she has been born we have had problems with what we thought was milk. I tried breastfeeding her and for 3 weeks she screamed and the doctor finally said she was allergic to my breast milk and needed to be on formula, After trying formula for a week it continuted and she had blood in her stool. They put her on Netragnum formula. She was fine with that until we started solid food and she seemed unhappy again.

Now she is 16 months and I have made her dairy free but she still gets diarahia a few times a day and she gets a red bloucy rash on her chin after eating. In the past few weeks I have noticed it on her cheeks and back and stomach too. Its worst on her chin. After my sisternlaw mention glueton I started looking into it and think that may have been her main problem from the beginning. I guess my question is how long does it take to get tested. I have a appointment at a new peditrian on the 18th but not to be tested. Also does anyone else get the rash on the chin. I have started making her gluten-free and it has seemed to help. There is alot of things to learn.

Thanks for your help.

Angie

[dandelionmom]

Hi Angie! I hope you find answers soon. I'm not a medical professional at all but it does sound like she's suffering from some sort of food allergy or intolerance. Somethings you can try: a food journal (write down what she eats and when she has reactions), an elimination diet (google this or ask your pediatrician for advice), RAST testing (a blood test for allergies), allergy scratch testing, and the celiac panel (but keep in mind there is a high rate of false negatives for kids under 6).

Great good luck to you! I know how hard it is to wait for answers!

And a beside-the-point rant: where do doctors get off saying that a baby is allergic to breastmilk. It is documented in several places that while babies can have allergies to things in the milk (via the mother's diet) they can't be allergic to breastmilk. Ugh.

[home-based-mom]

I have started making her gluten-free and it has seemed to help. There is alot of things to learn.

Thanks for your help.

Angie

Hi, Angie and welcome to the forum. This is a great place to learn. For what it's worth, taking your daughter off of gluten before all the tests have been done will virtually guarantee a negative result as the blood tests look for antibodies that you daughter's body will no longer be producing. The biopsy (a hit and miss procedure at best) looks for intestinal damage that may very well have healed up by test time as young children heal so quickly.

As the 18th isn't that far away, you could resume gluten in her diet and insist on the full celiac panel of tests at the appointment. You want to ask for the Full Celiac Panel

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG

Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA

Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA

Total Serum IgA

Unfortunately many doctors are clueless about celiac and gluten intolerance. Hopefully your new one will "get it" but if this new one doesn't seem to understand your concerns or what you are talking about, you should find another doctor and not waste your time trying to educate this one.