k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 DS and I have been 100% dairy free for 5 days now!! He hasn't had one episode of the green, watery diarrhea or gas since :) How long before I can say that, yes, it was in fact the dairy causing it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 It only took me a week to know, but I didn't feel safe to say it and believe it until a month had gone by. FWIW there are those who don't see a difference right away, so the standard advice is to give it a solid month no matter what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 We gave up dairy 3 months ago, and are doing very well. You should investigate making your own nut milks and cheeses...very easy and delicious. There is coconut milk and ice cream, too. So many wonderful substitutes, y'all won't miss dairy a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 (edited) I'd give it six weeks, then if you want to "test it," go dairy-crazy for one day and see what happens. Dairy "clears" quickly, so I'm not surprised that you're feeling better so fast. However, if the dairy has been irritating the gut, it'll take a while to heal the damage. Going dairy-free for a long time will allow your gut to rest and heal. (ETA: To clarify: if you find that you react to dairy after six weeks being dairy-free, you'll need to be completely dairy-free for a long time to rest the gut.) Lisa Edited July 25, 2010 by Lisa in Jax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 25, 2010 Author Share Posted July 25, 2010 Oh, I definitely plan on giving it awhile before trying to re-introduce at all. I was just curious at what point it would be "safe" to say that the dairy was the culprit since we're doing this "experiment" on our own (based on my suspicions) without any allergy testing or guidance from a doctor. I'm hoping that by doing this ahead of time, we can be armed with info when we DO bring it to the ped's attention. Because he didn't have the watery, green diarrhea and open sore, bloody rash every day I'm not sure when it's safe to say that we have for sure gotten rid of it by eliminating dairy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Oh, I definitely plan on giving it awhile before trying to re-introduce at all. I was just curious at what point it would be "safe" to say that the dairy was the culprit since we're doing this "experiment" on our own (based on my suspicions) without any allergy testing or guidance from a doctor. I'm hoping that by doing this ahead of time, we can be armed with info when we DO bring it to the ped's attention. Because he didn't have the watery, green diarrhea and open sore, bloody rash every day I'm not sure when it's safe to say that we have for sure gotten rid of it by eliminating dairy. If the symptoms go away, you've found your culprit. Your doctor should accept your experience and note it in the chart. Allergy testing is an imperfect measure, and doesn't always catch everything--don't feel as though your home experiment is invalid. It IS perfectly valid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 --don't feel as though your home experiment is invalid. It IS perfectly valid. Our allergist told us the same. He actually told us the empirical evidence outweighed the laboratory results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Ds was diagnosed with a dairy allergy at about 3 months old. His pediatrician told me to cut dairy out of my diet and I did. Symptoms (blood in stool) went away. Then I ate something that contained dairy accidentally. Ds immediately had blood in his stool. That's how we were certain dairy was the issue. So if you add dairy back in and see an immediate result, you've got proof. Good luck. I also second the Enjoy Life chocolate chips - very very good (although expensive). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 25, 2010 Author Share Posted July 25, 2010 Okay, so related, but a different question - how do I know if it is a lactose/dairy intolerance or if it's an actual allergy??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I just wanted to say that I'm about where you are. I think I'm on Day 6 now. I've been waiting for my sinuses to clear but I'm still stuffy, but I think my ear has improved...maybe. There's also a change in the bathroom department. It's interesting that there should be because I had been limiting dairy most of the time anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Okay, so related, but a different question - how do I know if it is a lactose/dairy intolerance or if it's an actual allergy??? You can get allergy testing, but keep in mind that it's an imperfect measure. The only real purpose of the testing is to officially know. If it's a true allergy, your son will react to the test there in the dr's office. The only real purpose of the testing is to officially know. If you clearly see that dairy is the culprit, then do not let a test change your actions--you should trust your home experience and avoid dairy. I did get allergy testing for my own ds, and the tests were negative. However, each and every time he has had any dairy exposure, he ends up with a terrible stomach-ache, poor guy. I could spend thousands of dollars trying to get an official, medical diagnosis, but there's no point--we know what makes him sick, so we avoid it. FWIW, when the allergy test came up negative, our family doctor shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay, so it's an intolerance." It was noted in his chart and that was the end of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 I appreciate the perspective and what you say is totally true. I only wish he could talk. I can obviously see the result of large amounts with the diarrhea and rashes on his poor little bottom, but the smaller amounts (I suspect) do not have as obvious of a reaction (if any) and I have no way to gauge that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 I appreciate the perspective and what you say is totally true. I only wish he could talk. I can obviously see the result of large amounts with the diarrhea and rashes on his poor little bottom, but the smaller amounts (I suspect) do not have as obvious of a reaction (if any) and I have no way to gauge that. They can test for blood in the stool really quickly. That was how our pediatrician checked whether there was still blood or not when I went dairy free. I just brought in a dirty diaper- easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Okay, so related, but a different question - how do I know if it is a lactose/dairy intolerance or if it's an actual allergy??? It's my understanding that an *allergic* reaction leads to a histamine release -- which causes hives, swollen lips, problems breathing, etc. An *allergic* reaction happens very soon after eating the offending food. It's not going to take hours/days, it's going to happen in minutes. By contract, an *intolerance* reaction is more vague -- it might be digestive, or behavioral, etc., and it might take hours or even a day or two to show itself, b/c there's no major histamine response. The body reacts, but not in a true allergic way. It reacts to the offending food by mounting an immune response -- which does not happen in minutes. So, an *intolerance* might make you miserable, but it won't kill you. An allergy can kill you if the reaction is strong enough. From what you've written, it sounds like he has dairy intolerance. The rash is the only part that makes me unsure. People with dairy intolerance sometimes have eczema, so rash doesn't automatically mean "allergy," but a rash can be a sign of a histamine response (allergy), so it's hard to say for sure. If it is an intolerance reaction and not a true allergy, the next question is: is it the lactose (dairy sugar) or casein (dairy protein) or both, that he's reacting to? Given that he's having both digestive reactions and skin reactions, I'd bet that it's not *just* lactose. In other words, "Lactaid" milk probably won't work for him, b/c it still has casein in it. If you want to find out if it's the casein, too, not just the lactose, you might (eventually) try cooking with ghee, which is butter without the casein. (Purity Farms brand is the one I trust. It has been tested to be sure all casein has been removed.) If he reacts to the ghee, he might be reacting to both the lactose *and* the casein. If he tolerates ghee, he might be reacting only to the casein. That's my son's case. My son is dairy intolerant -- it causes digestive and behavioral reactions when he eats it. He *can* eat ghee, though, so we think that it's not the dairy itself, but the dairy protein (casein) that is the issue. It's a bit of a moot point -- he can't eat any dairy except ghee, so it doesn't change much -- he's still dairy intolerant. BTW, it's pretty common to have issues with gluten (the protein in wheat/rye/barley and sometimes in oats) if you react to casein, b/c the proteins are very similar. If your son continues to have diarrhea, etc., after removing dairy, you may need to remove gluten, too, for a period of time. HIH, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 Thank you!! I think the rash is a result of the diarrhea?!? It's like a diaper rash on steriods, lol. It's a regular diaper rash (redness), but seems more welt-like and it bleeds and has open sores. Kinda like burns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 I just re-read one of your responses and had a couple of questions. Is the rash *only* in the diaper area? If so, does it appear only when he has a dirty diaper, or is the rash there BEFORE the diarrhea? (Or is it hard to tell b/c he's had a rash awhile?) If the rash is only in the diaper area, I'd think that you're dealing with intolerance, not allergy, b/c all of his reactions would appear to be digestive. Obviously, I'm not a doctor, so YMMV. ;-) Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 It is only in the diaper area....I'm not sure if it appears before or after the diarrhea?!? It does clear up when the diarrhea does though. I'm not sure if that really helps, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.