Groan- more FA issues! Please help again

[JTsMom]

Thanks for hanging in there with me guys. I feel like I'm posting about this non-stop, but you all are my best source of info.

I thought we had Zachary's issues under control. He did so well all week. We had 6 days of no/very little spitting up, a happy baby, better sleep, MUCH better skin, etc. Well, Sunday night the spitting up started again. Yesterday, he woke up with a lot of redness on his face. Today, he has a bright red ring on his bum, and the crankiness is back. Also, I saw the blueness around his mouth again. If you missed the post on that, it's happened a couple of times, I did talk about it with the ped, and it comes and goes within a few seconds, with the reflux, but given Jason's heart condition, it scares the living daylights out of me (and yes, his heart has been watched closely).

After freaking out to my sister for an hour, the plan we came up with was to try the Zantac, and do the Sears elimination diet, and mainly rely on the rashiness for clues, since (hopefully) the Zantac will be helping the reflux. Sound good, or is there a better plan?

Should I just try to get in to see an allergist at this point? Am I totally barking up the wrong tree? How on earth did we have 6 good days, and then revert? Let's say it's a soy allergy, for example. Why would it have not been present during those 6 days? I know I probably have increased my soy intake a little with the substitutions I've been using, so I guess that could come into play. Would any other type of allergy contribute to reflux, or is it just dairy? Are the other symptoms the same? How long do other foods stay in your system?

:banghead: :gloomy::crying:

[egoldber]

I'm not sure they will even do allergy testing on an infant that young.

There is also a difference between a sensitivity and an allergy. There are many foods that will make someone uncomfortable, but that is not necessarily an allergic reaction.

Also, there are MANY foods which can exacerbate reflux and reflux symtoms in SOME people but not all. Some foods are triggers for some and not others. Some are only triggers when they get above a certain theshold.

Fortunaly soy was not one of our triggers, but highly acidic foods were definitely a trigger for younger DD. Anything that can be a reflux trigger in an adult can be one in an infant.

So things like....

caffeine
chocolate
alcohol
citrus foods
tomatoes
juices
nuts

And there are others. Foods that are highly acidic (many fruits and juices) in some way are common reflux triggers that are not necessarily allergens. And to make it even more confusing, some foods may only be triggers above a certain theshhold. So a little tomato on a salad may be OK, but a pasta with a heavy tomato sauce, maybe not. Or a citrus soda may be OK, but a grapefruit may not.

Keeping a food diary is probably a good idea. I did the "elimanate things one at a time method" which is not the most efficient, but frankly was all I could stand to do.

[ThreeofUs]

Allergy testing on little ones is notoriously laden with false positives *and* negatives.

If you have a good diary, try to trace the reaction to something different that you ate. You obviously have a very sensitive guy there, and it's going to take some detective work to figure out his triggers.

ITA with Beth, go down the list of the major suspects. Or just cut everything out of your diet but proteins (meats first, then eggs) and non-acidic vegetables and add back in. (That's what I had to do with DS2.) With either of these strategies, though, you're going to have to know what you ate when to correlate it.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I know just how frustrating and scary it is! Keep at it, though, and you'll get there.

[JTsMom]

I haven't kept a diary, but I can pretty well recall what I've eaten. The only unusual thing was kettle popped popcorn. It had no dairy, but did have Cinnamon, and was popped in soybean oil.

Could acidic foods cause a rash?

I don't typically eat (non-hidden) eggs, but I did have dairy-free pancakes over the weekend, and the recipe called for an egg plus a yolk.

I've probably been drinking a little more coffee than usual.

[egoldber]

Acidic foods are more likely to cause a red rash around the anus, increased fussiness and increased spit up.

Corn is actually highly allergenic, so that would be my first guess.

[JTsMom]

Oh yeah, I didn't even think of corn- duh.

[JTsMom]

Any idea on how long acidic foods and corn stay in your system?

[LarsMal]

Even though they might not test him at this age, I would definitely seek out a ped allergist with food allergy experience. It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone about everything that's been going on with him.

Could be the corn, could be the soy, could be acidic stuff. You could go crazy trying to figure it out. I would try to stick to a pretty plain diet and see if you can get him in somewhere soon.

You can google high acid foods and get a list. It will make your head spin, though (meats and poultry are on there)!!

Here is one list:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/23346-high-acidic-foods-list/

GL!

[KpbS]

Corn was DS1's major allergen as an infant. I had to cut out all corn and corn derivatives out of my diet when I was nursing. Cinnamon can really aggravate reflux too. I the proteins would be out of your milk within a few days. :hug:

[KpbS]

You might also find this to be helpful

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041200.asp

[JTsMom]

You know, the more I think about it, and listen to you guys, the more I think it has to be that popcorn. I ate it on Sunday afternoon. The reflux started Sunday night. The cheeks were red on Monday, now today the rash around the anus. Why did I eat that?! I ate a ton of it too, it was lunch b/c I was too chicken to eat the PB&J I packed for myself, just in case. :bag

I'm betting it was more the cinnamon than the corn or soy, just b/c corn and soy are both in my diet typically, but I don't consume much cinnamon. I'll definitely stay away from corn for the next few days though, and try to avoid soy.

So... Zantac, or stick it out again? I was glad I skipped it last time, so maybe I should try to wait another day and see if he gets whatever it is out of his system.

[chlobo]

I really want to caution you that if you do the elimination diet make sure you are getting enough fat and protein. Rapid weight loss can cause you to dump toxins that are stored in the fat in your body into your milk. The dumped toxins, and we all have them it's just a bi-product of modern living, can irritate your baby.

So make sure you are eating enough to maintain your weight and keep your supply up.

[ThreeofUs]

You know, the more I think about it, and listen to you guys, the more I think it has to be that popcorn. I ate it on Sunday afternoon. The reflux started Sunday night. The cheeks were red on Monday, now today the rash around the anus. Why did I eat that?! I ate a ton of it too, it was lunch b/c I was too chicken to eat the PB&J I packed for myself, just in case. :bag

I'm betting it was more the cinnamon than the corn or soy, just b/c corn and soy are both in my diet typically, but I don't consume much cinnamon. I'll definitely stay away from corn for the next few days though, and try to avoid soy.

So... Zantac, or stick it out again? I was glad I skipped it last time, so maybe I should try to wait another day and see if he gets whatever it is out of his system.


I think you're right. Sounds like the corn is probably the culprit. Oddly enough, cinnamon isn't usually an allergen, but it certainly is a possibility.

Zantac probably wouldn't help him now. The corn (or whatever) is out of your system by now and making its way out of his. Unless you're seeing the symptoms heighten, just let him recover.

And have a wonderful steak (if you're a meat-eater) with potato and a green salad for dinner. You deserve something wonderful to eat - and he'd probably enjoy it a little later, too.

There are so many wonderful things to eat around the milk/corn/soy things that irritate our kids. I wish you fantastic meals made up of the best fresh foods, to make up for all this heartache!

Oh, and ETA I found that organic canola oil tastes wonderful. I use it in place of butter or margarine. Does wonderful things for starches and greens with a bit of whatever I wanted that was flavorful (salt, garlic and wine, for example). Didn't bother me or my kids, either!

Hugs!