I think it is a milk allergy

So long story short I posted about 3 weeks ago about milk allergy vs. intolerance. When we started doing 25% cow's milk in their bottles the 1st day Max would vomit the entire bottle back up within 5-15 minutes. Some of you replied to my post and said it could be a milk protein allergy and some bloodwork would prove it.

Well I call the ped, my MIL is a nurse at our peds office, and they say he will call me back. My MIL has been fighting the test all along saying Max's stomach has to mature. Well I want the test done before our appt. and his birthday party which was yesterday, so we don't have anymore issues. Well the doctor calls me that afternoon, says they don't order that test because it can give false positives and it a difficult blood draw for the baby.

So he convinces me not to have the bloodwork done. Fast forwad to yesterdays birthday party and Max and Lily are having their cake. Lily is loving it. About 3 minutes in Max is arching his back and crying, so DH picks him up to clean him up. We discover his face and hands covered in red splotches, so we get his RX antihistamine.

My mom calls the cake lady, no milk in the cake or frosting. Max never really got to the cake, just the frosting. I look at the butter in our fridge this morning and it says contains milk on the label. I am so mad about them (MIL and ped) convincing me that the bloodwork was not necessary.

Our 12 month well baby visit is next Friday 5/29/09 and we are insisting the bloodwork be done. If they refuse we are switching doctors. I am so thankful it was just red splotches that cleared up an hour after the RX, but still it could have been worse. I definately think it is a milk allergy. Would you agree?

 

Based on the info you gave, I would say it is a very strong possibility that he does have some type of milk allergy. Good for you for being his advocate and if the doctor is not willing to do the test based on what just happened yesterday, I would definitely switch docs. Good luck and please let us know how he makes out!

 

:hug: Our pedi had us do b/w for the girls at 12 months for routine lead and iron levels. They survived the blood draw even though it wasn't pleasant. I think you have ample evidence that you might have an allergy on your hands. I would call the pedi on Tues and leave a message about what happened at the bday party just in case they can do the draw at the office, they'll be prepared. :hug:

 

:hug: I am so sorry you are meeting with such a struggle and hope you can find a ped that is comfortable for you to work with.

Our family is riddled with food allergies & intolerances. We have never had any testing done for our boys - we just go based on their symptomatic reactions to foods. My kids reacted much like your DS to dairy (as well as other symptoms such as gas, mucousy stools, and diaper rashes) so I stopped giving it to them. They have many other food allergies & intolerances.


Just FYI, the blood tests are not 100% accurate, so even if they do the bloodwork and it says he is NOT allergic, he still could be allergic. You might want to consider just taking milk completely out of his diet for awhile and reintroducing it at a later time to see how he responds then.

Good luck!!

 

It definitely sounds like he is allergic to something. I don't understand why they wouldn't at least want to rule the milk allergy out if they are so sure that's not what it is. I would have the test so that you can know one way or another b/c he's obviously allergic to something.

 

I just realized this morning that the piece of dry toast they have been sharing for the last five mornings has milk as the 5th ingredient. That just doesn't make sense because Max has no symptoms from that. Do you think because it is not a main ingredient and baked in?

Boy is this a learning experience I am feel like the food police trying to scout everything that he trys new now. DH found soy butter yesterday, so we can put that on his wheat noodles. Its almost exhausting added to our other duties .


Mods: Can you put update to post in my title? I don't know how to do that or if you guys handle that for us. Thanks!

 

Yes, milk is in so much stuff that you would never think of. We had a possible milk allergy for the first year and did the special formula and they have no birthday cake for their first birthday. We were even told to steer clear of soy since some kids who have a milk allergy also have a soy allergy. I would definitely get the bloodwork. :hug:

 

Ellie was diagnosed with a milk allergy about a month or so ago. She was on Nutramigen because she had a hard time with regular formula as a baby. She would drink an ounce or so and scream. The Nutramigen helped a lot, so I had an idea she might have a dairy allergy. I noticed the allergy when I started giving her yogurt. She'd break out in a rash around her mouth. Same thing with cheese. I have PPO insurance, so I made an appt. with the allergist without even talking to my pedi just to find out. They did the prick test and it came back positive and then they did the blood work too. They tested her for 5 proteins, I guess and they all came back high. She's not allergic to soy, though. Thank God. I just switched them both to soy milk to make my life easier. I'll have her tested every year until she outgrows it. Most kids outgrow it by the age of 5 or so. I would demand your doctor test her or refer you to an allergist. It made me feel better to have the test done, just to be sure. If not, I'd always be wondering. I also didn't want to take any chances if she came in contact with dairy. I have to carry Benadryl with me at all times and an Epi Pen. I also got a list of ingredients that contain dairy that I need to avoid. It's a pain having to read every label, but it's worth it to make sure nothing happens. She's had reactions to things that I didn't even think would have dairy. Hot dogs and chix nuggets are 2 that you need to be careful with. PM me if you have any other questions.