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We have more food allergies to handle.


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I found out today that the allergist wants my son to be completely off soy and sesame. We have been completely avoiding any trace of egg or peanut. Now I have to research the foods we have thought of as safe and see if he can still eat them. So far things are not looking good. Our options are dwindling. Eating out will be nearly impossible.

 

The allergy testing was done a few months ago. At that time the doctor did not say to avoid soy or sesame because it was not nearly as bad as the other allergies. But now my son has had chronic abdominal pain for which we can find no cause. His allergist thinks perhaps it could be because of the soy and/or sesame in his diet. In two weeks when we come in for his chemo bloodwork we will also redo the RAST testing and see what the numbers look like now. Until the results show otherwise, he wants my ds off soy and sesame.

 

I am starting my research now. If anyone has wisdom for me on managing these allergies, please share.

 

Thanks!

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I'm so sorry you all are going through this!:grouphug: I had tons of food allergies in my childhood and teen years (basically, if I liked it, I was probably allergic to it:glare:).

 

It was certainly common for me to have some allergies that were really bad; those foods I had to totally avoid. Other foods I was able to tolerate as long as I did not eat them more than once every 4-5 days. My allergist thought that many allergies resulted from repeated exposure to the same foods, so one of the things he had me do was to follow a rotation diet where all foods were rotated on a 4-5 day basis.

 

My food allergies were not the traditional wheeze, throat swells shut, skin breaks out kind. I had horrible stomach aches that would stop me in my tracks (on the level of labor pains). Looking back, I wonder whether some of these could have been GI-related rather than true food allergies? I dunno. . . . I think if I had it to do all over again, I might try a regimen of the probiotic drinks for awhile and see if that made any difference. My mom researched and dosed me up with loads of vitamins, none of which helped much as I recall.

 

You and your son will get well-versed at reading food labels, which is not a bad thing, by the way.

 

The good news in this story for me is that I eventually outgrew my food allergies. I try to eat healthy, but there is nothing that I cannot eat anymore.:001_smile: I hope that your son will also outgrow his food allergies!

 

Two last thoughts: (1) if you son is truly allergic to egg, be aware of unusual products that may have egg in them, like vaccinations. (2) Be alert to any food groups that your son has to avoid and supplement with vitamins/minerals appropriately. I had to avoid milk for all of my teen years, and my allergist assured my mother that man was the only animal that drank milk after being weaned and I DIDN'T need calcium. Now, at 45, I have osteopenia and take Actonel AND calcium. :glare:

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Eating out will be nearly impossible.

 

We just had friends over whose children have several allergies -- they were here on vacation. They travel all over the US. They carry food with them -- certain preferred snacks and condiments in particular. They've figured out chain restaurants that have certain tolerated items.

 

We tried to accommodate (we have a Whole Foods nearby -- btw, I think the Whole Foods website has lists on it of which foods fit which diets), but we were absolutely okay with the mom reading and approving every label of everything we served and nixing things as she felt she needed. They were sort of excited that we had some items they hadn't tried before, as they could taste test them to see if it was something they might want to buy.

 

Anyway, just letting you know that it's possible to live your life out in the real world -- people will help you and try to do their best.

 

Dh also has several food sensitivities of varying degrees. As pianoplayer mentioned, they've changed over time. In his case some have gotten better as his leaky gut has healed -- things are being absorbed in a better manner and not setting off the symptoms. Also, he's taking digestive enzymes (he uses Enzymedica brand), which helps some people break things down better and therefor tolerate things better.

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In his case some have gotten better as his leaky gut has healed -- things are being absorbed in a better manner and not setting off the symptoms. Also, he's taking digestive enzymes (he uses Enzymedica brand), which helps some people break things down better and therefor tolerate things better.

 

I have wondered about things like leaky gut. My ds is on lots of different meds including a chemo med, and I wonder what thta does to his GI tract and how it all plays together. He sees his GI in 2 weeks, so maybe we will get some answers.

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While I only have experience w/iodine allergies, a friend of mine has a daughter who is allergic to soy. One thing I can mention to you is to watch anesthesia if your ds ever needs it - the one most commonly used has soy in it and it is rather dangerous for people w/soy allergies. This is something I did not previously know and thought it might be helpful to you.

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I have a friend whose son is allergic to, well, everything. Peanuts, dairy and all meats except for bison and moose. And a plethora of other things. When they go out to eat he eats a plate of pasta with ketchup on it. So, while not tasty, it can be done :D.

 

I agree with supplements. He is small for his age, and his mom just started giving him calcium and he shot up. MAN, he grew a bunch!

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"if you son is truly allergic to egg, be aware of unusual products that may have egg in them, like vaccinations"

 

Yes, he cannot get the flu vaccine, and we administered the MMR at the hospital in the allergists office. There are certain anasthesia meds he can't have. The anasthesiologist even said he can't have the dye they were going to inject him with as contrast for a CT scan.

 

We have egg and peanut figured out. Soy seems like it is going to be more difficult because we have been told to even avoid soybean oil and soy lecithin. It seems to be in everything. I make most things from scratch already, but now even the few processed things we did eat seem to be unsafe for him. I am sure we will get it figured out and will probably all eat healthier as a result.

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Hi, Cathy. I'm sorry about added restrictions. It does get tough, I know. And your little guy has so much to deal with.

 

My ds went off soy for 5 years. He drank lots of soy milk and ate lots of soy proucts like fake sausage, soy yogurt, tofu, etc. so this was really hard for us. He was 3, then, and had terrible stomach aches and digestive problems. I didn't know about soy allergies and felt terrible when I found out I was making him sick with the foods he loved and demanded. The sicker he got, the more he wanted these foods. Very weird.

 

We also had to stay away from soy lecithin and oil. For some reason, ds was able to eat french fries cooked in soy veg. oil without a problem, though. McDonald's was still allowed, then, which was a *huge* treat for him once in a while. He gets a plain hamburger with no bun (grain & dairy allergies) and a serving of fries to split with his sister.

 

After five years the allergist said we could reintroduce small amounts of soy. Ds does ok if he limits to one small cup of soy milk a day or one soy yogurt. Not both if we want to have a good day.

 

He is now allowed to eat small amounts of beans or peas after 5 years--he had to go off all legumes-- but he basically hates them unless they're cooked in a soup or secretly blended into something. I did get him to eat a homemade bean enchilada with vegetables once.

 

My ds is also allergic to sesame (as well as peanuts and nuts) which can bring on an anaphalactic (spelling?) reaction. We don't go into any Asian or Middle Eastern cooking places and have had to walk out a few times when we saw the menu at some restaurants. This is a big epipen one for us.

 

Check all cereal, bun and bread ingredients for sesame if your ds can eat grain. Hummus, baba ganouj, and tahini are out, of course. Boca burgers, which are made of soy, also contain sesame. Of course, you won't be eating those, but check the ingredients of everything. I couldn't believe it when dh brought home Bocas for himself we saw the box said sesame. Very unexpected. Commercial ookies and candy often contain both soy and sesame.

 

Going out to eat is really hard. We hardly ever go because it's too expensive and there are almost no safe options. Ds can go to the Olive Garden now and get grilled chicken and steamed broccoli from the kids menu. This is a great happiness for our fam.:001_smile:

 

His diet is very basic, plain, whold foods oriented. Any treats I make.

Halloween is about costumes & fun, but no candy except a few gummi life savers. I usually make gluten-free cookies or something.

 

Here are some of the things he can eat and likes:

 

brown rice with olive oil (his favorite breakfast)

potatoes with olive oil and green vegetables (favorite lunch)

gluten-free pancakes made with DariFree powder for extra nutrition (these can be made without eggs)

 

gluten-free hot cereal from Bob's Red Mill

gluten-free brown rice Tinkyada brand pasta with olive oil and vegs. (hates tomato sauce)

 

homemade soups

ffresh and frozen ruits and vegetables of all kinds

homemade popcorn from air popper (sprinkled with salt and tiny amt. of corn oil) (don't know if your ds can eat corn)

 

small amounts of ground turkey or lower-fat ground beef, usually mixed with vegs, potatoes, and a mild spicy sauce dh makes (I'm not that talented)

 

he used to eat gluten and nitrate free chicken hot dogs or turkey bologna, but won't touch it anymore

 

He does eat scrambled eggs with vegs. once in a while, but I don't know if your ds can have those. My ds likes them wrapped in an allergy-acceptable corn tortilla with olive oil. (My dh's family is from Italy, hence all the olive oil! It's also a safe oil for us, which is a blessing)

 

For a big treat we get Hagen Daz fruit sorbet, but check the ingredients. Each flavor has different things. I know the chocolate has egg whites.

 

Have you check out the AllergyGrocer.com (formerly known as Miss Roben's)? Their company sells lots of kid-friendly packages products and mixes, even for bread and buns, and many treats.

 

A book I like is A Special Diet for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis. It is a GFCF cook book for moms of kids on the autistic spectrum, but can be helpful for anyone managing a restricted diet. When I lived in the Chicago area I was able to get it through the extensive state library system. I make ds's birthday cake every year from a recipe I read in this book. And this is the source for our buckwheat pancakes, too! He eats those several times a week. Quite yummy.

 

I know some allergic kids eat Sunbutter, which is made from sunflower seeds instead of peanuts. I am scared to try it, though, bec. I don't know if my ds is also allergic to sunflower. I'm going to ask next time.

 

If this is something your ds might like, you could check with your doctor first.

 

If I can help you in any way with ideas for foods, please feel free to PM me. It is very stressful and energy-robbing to have to think about food all the time, I know.

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