another sensitivity?

[justincase]

So I've been off dairy for about six weeks. I've seen a dramatic improvement in all of DD's symptoms. But then this week, things took a turn in the other direction. At first I was blaming my restaurant meal last weekend, but as the week wore on I noticed a pattern: her symptoms do not come on after the first feeding of the morning; she only starts reacting as the day goes on. I started trying to figure out what else it could be, diligently writing everything down. The only thing I can come up with -- that I eat consistently all day every day -- is either soy or wheat. Pretty much everything else I eat varies from day to day.

So here are my new questions:
1. Does it make sense that a new sensitivity would crop up weeks later? Is that how it works?
2. How long does it take soy to get out of your system? Is it quicker than dairy, hours instead of days/weeks? I'm wondering if the "not reacting in the morning" thing is an important clue, if there's something that's working its way out of me overnight every night and that I put back in when I start eating again. (DD sleeps through the night.)
3. If not, then what else do you think it could be? I know you can't know for sure without seeing my food diaries, but in general, what would be a good thing to eliminate next?
4. Do I go into her four month ped appointment and ask for a referral for allergy testing? To an allergist or a gastro? Is it too early for that? Is there a test for "sensitivity"? I want to be armed and ready for this appointment, even though it's still a month away.

If you are still reading my posts here, thank you for your perseverance and patience! And if anyone has a good book or website that would answer all these questions, please do recommend and I'll stop wearing your welcome mat thin. ;) TIA for all your help!

[jren]

DS has a milk protien allergy. They did not recommend soy as a replacement for dairy b/c it is very common for kids with the milk allergy to also have a soy allergy. So it could be the soy, especially if you've increased soy to replace milk. I would probably drop soy first and see if that helps before messing around with wheat/gluten, which is a lot harder to avoid.

[alirebco]

Dairy is normally a major problem so getting that out of your system will help, but if you are eating more of another item instead, it can make that intolerance more noticeable.

We are off dairy, but I also have a friend whose daughter is allergic to dairy and wheat. I also have a friend whose child can't have dairy or soy. I don't think soy and wheat take as long to get out of the system, so you could probably do a 3 day trial of getting off one, then the other to see how she does.

I definitely think you should ask for a referral to an allergist or gi. Did she have poop in her blood? If so, then it is most likely an allergy and she can be tested although the results might not be totally correct at her age.

[justincase]

Thanks for the advice. No blood in the poop (thankfully) so "just" really ugly face/head/neck/upper chest rash and green mucousy poops and sore bottom. The bad congestion hasn't come back since the dairy worked its way out of the picture. It's frustrating because she was totally back to normal for a couple of weeks there...

I started dropping soy yesterday as an experiment -- what a PITA -- it is in *everything*. When I dropped dairy, I definitely didn't replace with soy too much because I didn't want to have too much of it myself and I also know it is the next most common thing to have an issue with. But it still is in so many things as an ingredient. But if it does work its way out quickly, I guess I could know within a couple of days as PP said.

Those of you who've been through this with BF babies, was your ped your go-to resource? If not, who was helpful? I feel like I am flying blind and relying on nothing but my instincts (which we all know are considerable ;) but an expert I am not!)

[alirebco]

My ped was not as knowledgable about allergies as I would have liked. I used kellymom.com as a great resource and I think there are some websites too. Here's one that is well known.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/