15-month summary
[This post was written in November 2006, and some things have changed since then.
The January 22, 2007 update is here. The most recent (Feb 13, 2007) update can be found here.]
Baby E is 15 months old today. She's walking and saying lots of words, and is bright and active just like her sisters. She's gained the nickname E-bee, because she's such a busy little bee.
It's been a wonderful and difficult 15 months.
E has had some health issues since birth. 15 months later, she's still having them. But we don't know why, or what exactly is wrong with her.
##################
At first it seemed like bad colic, but it was very severe, with crying episodes lasting days at a time. It just didn't go away.
She would double over, arch her back, throw her body wildly around, and scream and scream. She barely slept for the first year of her life, and when she did sleep she'd often be crying in her sleep even if we were holding her.
She also has had frequent diarrhea and strange-looking BMs, congestion, pulling at her ears, pointing down her throat, little sores on her tongue, and distinctive diaper-area rashes.
We were always taking her in to the doctor thinking she had an ear infection or some other illness, but they could never find anything wrong with her.
We finally found that cutting out specific foods helped a lot. We'd known she was allergic to soy since she was about 6 weeks old because she would have such a severe and immediate reaction if I ever ate some and she got it in my milk.
When she was 11 months old, she dumped cracker crumbs from an empty box over herself. The crackers contained both corn and soy. That caused an immediate strong reaction including a full-body rash along with her typical severe stomach pain, diarrhea, crying and flailing, pointing to her head and pulling on her ears, and congestion.
Skin testing with an allergist verified what we suspected the problem foods were, and also revealed a few more.
We know she is highly allergic to corn and soy--enough that even trace amounts in my milk or in dairy products from animals fed corn cause a significant reaction.
She apparently reacts even to yeast grown on corn. Foods like baking powder, iodized salt, anything enriched (flour, white rice, juice, baby food, cereals, etc), anything prepackaged, food additives, fillers in medication, and even fresh fruits, vegetables and meat often contain hidden corn.
We've had to completely change our lifestyle and learn how to make everything from baking powder to yeast-free breads from scratch.
E tested allergic to red kidney beans and has seemed to react to several other legumes, so we're avoiding all legumes (beans, peas, peanuts, carob, guar gum, etc.) for the time being. She also tested allergic to mold, which is considered an airborne allergen.
After her allergy testing at 11 months of age, we started cutting out corn derivatives and adding some of the foods she hadn't tested allergic to.
She improved greatly as we were able to pinpoint more of the hidden sources of corn and remove them from her diet. She had tested negative to most of the common allergens like wheat, eggs and dairy, so we started adding some of these into her diet and this seemed to go well.
For a while it seemed that we could trace all her bad spells to having consumed corn, soy or something cross-contaminated with one of those. Things like touching the floor and then her mouth could bring on a reaction. She would usually react fairly severely, generally within 15 minutes of having been exposed to one of her allergens. The reactions would last anywhere from 3 to 36 hours or so.
By shortly after her first birthday we were relatively certain that we were eating a diet free of all her known allergens.
She did better for a few weeks, then started having a lot of problems again. We tried eliminating the foods that seemed to be problematic, including mushrooms, sweet potatoes, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers) and other possible problem foods. But that didn't help much.
Over the course of a week or two she had a lot of seeming reactions that we weren't able to pinpoint, and then she mostly stopped eating and stopped nursing cold-turkey. She'd act like she desperately wanted to eat and nurse but was afraid it would make her sick. She would gag and spit out most foods, including pumped milk in a cup, as soon as they touched her mouth.
Finally I took both E and myself down to a diet of just the 5 foods I was pretty sure she wasn't allergic to--brown rice, chicken, broccoli, pears and bananas--cooked only with water and unrefined sea salt.
She did fabulously on that diet for a week. She was happier and healthier than we'd ever seen her, and she had more energy and started sleeping better at night. She started eating a ton and nursing again, too.
Then we had to start adding gluten-containing foods back into her diet. Some of her symptoms and our family history are consistent with possible celiac disease, and she has to be eating gluten in order for the celiac screening and tests to be accurate. We made a point to give her some form of gluten every day, which was more gluten than she'd ever eaten before in her life.
She came down with a bad stuffy nose that night and has been sick for the 3 weeks or so since then.
Over the course of the next week she kept getting slightly sicker each day, and having more crying spells. She started refusing most foods again, and eating very little.
Before another week passed she was screaming constantly and throwing her body around wildly, completely inconsolable. She cried hysterically for almost 3 days, stopping only to stare into space or doze off briefly, or allow herself to be cuddled when she had exhausted herself. Just sitting and doing nothing is very abnormal for her. We slept very little, and when she did sleep she would cry in her sleep and then wake screaming in pain.
The pediatrician could find nothing wrong with her.
We took her to an allergist, who did more testing and found out that sometime in the last week or two she had apparently developed an allergy to bananas. She also tested allergic to oats and borderline allergic to apples and mushrooms. She did not test allergic to wheat, which had seemed connected to her episodes of diarrhea.
That brings our total of confirmed allergies to 8 so far. All of them are things I've suspected or in hindsight noticed reactions after she ate them.
But cutting out the foods she was allergic to didn't help much. She did get better after a few days. But she still screamed a lot and was miserable much of the time.
She has continued having frequent diarrhea and pointing at her head, ears, stomach and throat, indicating that they hurt. She still has a runny nose, but no other cold or virus symptoms. She is often lethargic, fussy and clingy. She has had prolonged episodes of screaming and flailing.
When we took her to a doctor there was no sign of inflammation or infection anywhere, and no fever or anything to indicate a virus. She was cutting molars and maybe had a cold, but that alone didn't seem enough to explain her symptoms. Especially since the same thing to various degrees has been going on for 15 months now.
Her episodes of inconsolable screaming, pain and/or diarrhea have lasted anywhere from 20 minutes to several days, but I don't think she's ever gone more than 4-5 days (or maybe a week at most) without a bad spell in the course of her entire life. She'll go weeks at a time without a really good day.
I've been waiting since August for her to be well enough for a few days to try introducing some "iffy" foods and a medication containing corn derivatives that the allergist wanted to see if she could tolerate. With the exception of one week, she's never been well enough for a few days at a time that I felt I'd be able to tell clearly whether she was having a new reaction or not.
Sometimes she will be playing happily one minute, then unaccountably scream and cry for an hour, giggle and play for a few minutes, and then start screaming again. The fluctuations can be sudden and extreme. Some days she wants to do nothing but sleep and be held, responding very little to her surroundings and crying if put down. She'll revert for a week or more to communicating only by crying and grunting instead of using the many words and hand signs she knows.
Occasionally she sleeps 18+ hours in a day and seems tired even when awake. Other times she'll go days at a time averaging 3-6 hours of sleep per 24-hour period no matter what we do. For most of her life she has slept very little even when it's obvious she's tired.
On a really bad day she does nothing but scream and sit. On a good day she is bright, cheerful, communicative, energetic, outgoing and social, going down easily for 1-2 naps and sleeping through the night. Most days she's somewhere in between, but she seems to be toward the bad end of the spectrum more often lately.
At this point we are working with a pediatrician, an allergist, and a naturopath to try to figure out what's wrong with her. We are waiting for an appointment in December with a pediatric gastroenterologist that the pediatrician referred us to.
The doctors keep saying it must be her allergies. The allergist is certain that allergies are not the primary cause of her symptoms.
We do know that she is allergic to corn, soy, kidney beans, oats, bananas, mold and probably apples and mushrooms so far. We completely avoid those foods along with all legumes and nightshades.
But the allergist does not believe most of what we're seeing can be connected to allergies. Lately we haven't been able to connect her episodes specifically to what she's eating.
She also has very sensitive skin, to the point that she gets red marks from being gently picked up, or from her clothes rubbing her skin. After a 5-minute bath she'll have an imprint from the bottom of the tub on her body that takes a long time to fade, and she bruises very easily. This is normal for our family, but it can make identifying rashes and other dermatological symptoms difficult.
So far, possibilities that are being considered include some combination of allergies, a gastrointestinal disorder, an autoimmune disorder such as celiac, candidiasis/leaky gut syndrome, reflux, or a problem with the way she processes sensory input.
Unfortunately the family history isn't particularly encouraging. We have an extended family full of multiple food and environmental allergies, known and unknown autoimmune disorders, strange neurological symptoms, hereditary kidney failure of an unknown type, chronic pain and unexplained illnesses.
Many of us had severe problems starting in childhood, some of which never did find any diagnosis or explanation. Nothing like what's going on with Baby E, though.
I am not willing to believe that there is no answer for Baby E. There has to be some reason or solution out there somewhere. I intend to keep searching until I find it or until God heals her.
It has been a real challenge this past year to care for a sick baby and homeschool the older girls, while also cooking hypoallergenic meals from scratch and attempting to make some effort at housework. I haven't done very well at keeping up with correspondence, writing thank-you notes, attending events or anything else.
At this point I'm trying to transition into some method of coping that will be mores sutainable over the long-term. We somehow need to find some normalcy in our daily life while we're waiting to find something that can help Baby E.
[Update: More on Baby E's medical history and answers to questions in the comments in this follow-up post.]
The January 22, 2007 update is here. The most recent (Feb 13, 2007) update can be found here.]
Baby E is 15 months old today. She's walking and saying lots of words, and is bright and active just like her sisters. She's gained the nickname E-bee, because she's such a busy little bee.
It's been a wonderful and difficult 15 months.
E has had some health issues since birth. 15 months later, she's still having them. But we don't know why, or what exactly is wrong with her.
##################
At first it seemed like bad colic, but it was very severe, with crying episodes lasting days at a time. It just didn't go away.
She would double over, arch her back, throw her body wildly around, and scream and scream. She barely slept for the first year of her life, and when she did sleep she'd often be crying in her sleep even if we were holding her.
She also has had frequent diarrhea and strange-looking BMs, congestion, pulling at her ears, pointing down her throat, little sores on her tongue, and distinctive diaper-area rashes.
We were always taking her in to the doctor thinking she had an ear infection or some other illness, but they could never find anything wrong with her.
We finally found that cutting out specific foods helped a lot. We'd known she was allergic to soy since she was about 6 weeks old because she would have such a severe and immediate reaction if I ever ate some and she got it in my milk.
When she was 11 months old, she dumped cracker crumbs from an empty box over herself. The crackers contained both corn and soy. That caused an immediate strong reaction including a full-body rash along with her typical severe stomach pain, diarrhea, crying and flailing, pointing to her head and pulling on her ears, and congestion.
Skin testing with an allergist verified what we suspected the problem foods were, and also revealed a few more.
We know she is highly allergic to corn and soy--enough that even trace amounts in my milk or in dairy products from animals fed corn cause a significant reaction.
She apparently reacts even to yeast grown on corn. Foods like baking powder, iodized salt, anything enriched (flour, white rice, juice, baby food, cereals, etc), anything prepackaged, food additives, fillers in medication, and even fresh fruits, vegetables and meat often contain hidden corn.
We've had to completely change our lifestyle and learn how to make everything from baking powder to yeast-free breads from scratch.
E tested allergic to red kidney beans and has seemed to react to several other legumes, so we're avoiding all legumes (beans, peas, peanuts, carob, guar gum, etc.) for the time being. She also tested allergic to mold, which is considered an airborne allergen.
After her allergy testing at 11 months of age, we started cutting out corn derivatives and adding some of the foods she hadn't tested allergic to.
She improved greatly as we were able to pinpoint more of the hidden sources of corn and remove them from her diet. She had tested negative to most of the common allergens like wheat, eggs and dairy, so we started adding some of these into her diet and this seemed to go well.
For a while it seemed that we could trace all her bad spells to having consumed corn, soy or something cross-contaminated with one of those. Things like touching the floor and then her mouth could bring on a reaction. She would usually react fairly severely, generally within 15 minutes of having been exposed to one of her allergens. The reactions would last anywhere from 3 to 36 hours or so.
By shortly after her first birthday we were relatively certain that we were eating a diet free of all her known allergens.
She did better for a few weeks, then started having a lot of problems again. We tried eliminating the foods that seemed to be problematic, including mushrooms, sweet potatoes, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers) and other possible problem foods. But that didn't help much.
Over the course of a week or two she had a lot of seeming reactions that we weren't able to pinpoint, and then she mostly stopped eating and stopped nursing cold-turkey. She'd act like she desperately wanted to eat and nurse but was afraid it would make her sick. She would gag and spit out most foods, including pumped milk in a cup, as soon as they touched her mouth.
Finally I took both E and myself down to a diet of just the 5 foods I was pretty sure she wasn't allergic to--brown rice, chicken, broccoli, pears and bananas--cooked only with water and unrefined sea salt.
She did fabulously on that diet for a week. She was happier and healthier than we'd ever seen her, and she had more energy and started sleeping better at night. She started eating a ton and nursing again, too.
Then we had to start adding gluten-containing foods back into her diet. Some of her symptoms and our family history are consistent with possible celiac disease, and she has to be eating gluten in order for the celiac screening and tests to be accurate. We made a point to give her some form of gluten every day, which was more gluten than she'd ever eaten before in her life.
She came down with a bad stuffy nose that night and has been sick for the 3 weeks or so since then.
Over the course of the next week she kept getting slightly sicker each day, and having more crying spells. She started refusing most foods again, and eating very little.
Before another week passed she was screaming constantly and throwing her body around wildly, completely inconsolable. She cried hysterically for almost 3 days, stopping only to stare into space or doze off briefly, or allow herself to be cuddled when she had exhausted herself. Just sitting and doing nothing is very abnormal for her. We slept very little, and when she did sleep she would cry in her sleep and then wake screaming in pain.
The pediatrician could find nothing wrong with her.
We took her to an allergist, who did more testing and found out that sometime in the last week or two she had apparently developed an allergy to bananas. She also tested allergic to oats and borderline allergic to apples and mushrooms. She did not test allergic to wheat, which had seemed connected to her episodes of diarrhea.
That brings our total of confirmed allergies to 8 so far. All of them are things I've suspected or in hindsight noticed reactions after she ate them.
But cutting out the foods she was allergic to didn't help much. She did get better after a few days. But she still screamed a lot and was miserable much of the time.
She has continued having frequent diarrhea and pointing at her head, ears, stomach and throat, indicating that they hurt. She still has a runny nose, but no other cold or virus symptoms. She is often lethargic, fussy and clingy. She has had prolonged episodes of screaming and flailing.
When we took her to a doctor there was no sign of inflammation or infection anywhere, and no fever or anything to indicate a virus. She was cutting molars and maybe had a cold, but that alone didn't seem enough to explain her symptoms. Especially since the same thing to various degrees has been going on for 15 months now.
Her episodes of inconsolable screaming, pain and/or diarrhea have lasted anywhere from 20 minutes to several days, but I don't think she's ever gone more than 4-5 days (or maybe a week at most) without a bad spell in the course of her entire life. She'll go weeks at a time without a really good day.
I've been waiting since August for her to be well enough for a few days to try introducing some "iffy" foods and a medication containing corn derivatives that the allergist wanted to see if she could tolerate. With the exception of one week, she's never been well enough for a few days at a time that I felt I'd be able to tell clearly whether she was having a new reaction or not.
Sometimes she will be playing happily one minute, then unaccountably scream and cry for an hour, giggle and play for a few minutes, and then start screaming again. The fluctuations can be sudden and extreme. Some days she wants to do nothing but sleep and be held, responding very little to her surroundings and crying if put down. She'll revert for a week or more to communicating only by crying and grunting instead of using the many words and hand signs she knows.
Occasionally she sleeps 18+ hours in a day and seems tired even when awake. Other times she'll go days at a time averaging 3-6 hours of sleep per 24-hour period no matter what we do. For most of her life she has slept very little even when it's obvious she's tired.
On a really bad day she does nothing but scream and sit. On a good day she is bright, cheerful, communicative, energetic, outgoing and social, going down easily for 1-2 naps and sleeping through the night. Most days she's somewhere in between, but she seems to be toward the bad end of the spectrum more often lately.
At this point we are working with a pediatrician, an allergist, and a naturopath to try to figure out what's wrong with her. We are waiting for an appointment in December with a pediatric gastroenterologist that the pediatrician referred us to.
The doctors keep saying it must be her allergies. The allergist is certain that allergies are not the primary cause of her symptoms.
We do know that she is allergic to corn, soy, kidney beans, oats, bananas, mold and probably apples and mushrooms so far. We completely avoid those foods along with all legumes and nightshades.
But the allergist does not believe most of what we're seeing can be connected to allergies. Lately we haven't been able to connect her episodes specifically to what she's eating.
She also has very sensitive skin, to the point that she gets red marks from being gently picked up, or from her clothes rubbing her skin. After a 5-minute bath she'll have an imprint from the bottom of the tub on her body that takes a long time to fade, and she bruises very easily. This is normal for our family, but it can make identifying rashes and other dermatological symptoms difficult.
So far, possibilities that are being considered include some combination of allergies, a gastrointestinal disorder, an autoimmune disorder such as celiac, candidiasis/leaky gut syndrome, reflux, or a problem with the way she processes sensory input.
Unfortunately the family history isn't particularly encouraging. We have an extended family full of multiple food and environmental allergies, known and unknown autoimmune disorders, strange neurological symptoms, hereditary kidney failure of an unknown type, chronic pain and unexplained illnesses.
Many of us had severe problems starting in childhood, some of which never did find any diagnosis or explanation. Nothing like what's going on with Baby E, though.
I am not willing to believe that there is no answer for Baby E. There has to be some reason or solution out there somewhere. I intend to keep searching until I find it or until God heals her.
It has been a real challenge this past year to care for a sick baby and homeschool the older girls, while also cooking hypoallergenic meals from scratch and attempting to make some effort at housework. I haven't done very well at keeping up with correspondence, writing thank-you notes, attending events or anything else.
At this point I'm trying to transition into some method of coping that will be mores sutainable over the long-term. We somehow need to find some normalcy in our daily life while we're waiting to find something that can help Baby E.
[Update: More on Baby E's medical history and answers to questions in the comments in this follow-up post.]
Labels: allergies, health issues, status report
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Posted by purple_kangaroo at 12:38 PM[Permanent link]
21 Comments:
I'm just sending more hugs.
Yes. Hugs sound good.
*hug*
Thanks for stopping by and introducing yourself!
It sounds like you've really been through it--wow! I'm so sorry.
Have you considered that it could be a vitamin deficiency? I just mention it because we know two different families that had babies with many of the same type symptoms--GI and constant irritability--and it was one of the B's.
I'm sorry--I know how hard it is when people say, have you tried this? or this? or that? Our oldest has autism, and over the years we've tried diets and supplements and therapies, etc.--and it does get so tiring to keep looking into new things. We began to really pray about each new thing we COULD try and often felt it was all just so much striving.
God bless you and Baby E!
Thank you, Liz and Mama o' the matrices.
At a hen's pace, a vitamin deficiency could certainly be a possibility given our restricted diet. I haven't yet found a vitamin supplement that is free of our allergens, but I need to start working on that again.
I'm certainly open to any ideas and suggestions at this point. Thank you.
P_K, I've seen you over at Phantom's but hadn't stopped by your blog until recently. This post really made me understand how frustrating and worrying your experience with Baby E must be. (It's hard to see the big picture from the glimpses of people's lives in Weds. Whining!) I truly hope you find a kind, intelligent doctor who will help you figure out what's going on.
I have recently become keen on the philosophies of the late Dr. Theron Randolph because of his profound insight into the corn allergy symptoms and issues. He is considered the father of clinical ecology, and I wonder if a clinical ecologist might be your best solution. Clinical ecology is frowned upon by traditional medical practitioners, but you may still be able to find one through your pediatrician or allergist.
Associated with clinical ecology is the diagnosis of MCS, or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. You might want to look into that at some of these links. If they describe Baby E, I would work hard to find a clinical ecologist who can diagnose the particular chemicals E needs to avoid.
Good luck with Baby E!
Ginevra
http://www.mcsrr.org/factsheets/mcsdisorders.html
http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/multiple-chemical-sensitivities.asp
http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/symptoms.asp
I'm not a doctor, just a mom. Has anybody ever tried to rule out metabolic disorders?
Would it be possible to find out which ones your hospital screens for at birth? They all screen for the major things that are life threatening in the first weeks of life, but they can add screening for extra things. Your hospital may have just looked for the bare minimum. If you had the list, then you could know what has been ruled out.
I looked on the March of Dimes site and nothing really jumped out, but there are actually lots of rarer disorders. You didn't say if your child's growth has been affected.
It's possible that all of the symptoms come from one cause, but it's also possible that only some do and the rest are just from true food allergies given your family history of sensitivities.
Have you seen any specialists, or have you just dealt only with a pediatrician so far?
I'm really sorry for what you are going through. It sounds like an awful experience. I hope somebody has an answer for you!
One more thing. Is it possible for you to videotape or even photograph the pain episodes or strange looking diaper contents to keep with your records? A picture is worth a thousand words, they say.
Just thinking out loud here!
What a struggle this must be. I have a 4 yr old with Epilepsy and a 2,5 yr old (one of twins) with PDD-NOS. Because of the multiple problems in the family we have seena genetics and metabolics specialist. They have tested for some very strange things. Perhaps you should look into this? Perhaps testing for some of the metabolic (chemical breakdown of protein etc) in the body would be good. Here's a link to my blog posting from July 6th (http://austinbenconnor.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_austinbenconnor_archive.html). It lists most of the testing Connor had. Later they added in very long chain fatty acid testing.
Good luck!
Jen
Thanks so much, everyone . . . here are answers to a few of the questions that have been asked.
I've answered them in a new post here because very long comments make for a lot of scrolling. :)
Has she ever been tested for lead poisoning? She has a lot of the signs and symptoms.
I would definitely check up on some allergen-safe multivitamins as well with her restricted diet.
There's also something called chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction, that can lead to lots of the GI issues, food aversion, bladder problems, etc. It's rare, but it could be checked out. It's unrelated to allergies.
http://www.aboutkidsgi.org/cip.html
Using digestive enzymes have helped so many children with symptoms like the ones you mentioned are going on with baby E. please check the website www.enzymestuff.com it's a great website for parents. digestive enzymes are safe for babies to take and can help with allergies to foods and environment, viruses and with nutrient absorption. i always recommend them to friends and family whenever there is any type of pain or allergy to foods.
hey, i was back to read more of your story.
may I post a link to you and send people over to pray for you ( all)?
what a struggle you have gone through, and are continuing to endure.
it is a testimony to Mother's love that you can do this and stay sane, and just keep trying new ways to decode this puzzle.
Anonymous, thanks. Others have recommended enzymes to me also.
David, certainly please feel free to post the link. I appreciate your interest.
I can't offer any suggestions..I do know what it is like to care for a disabled child so I understand some of what you are going through... I will keep you in my prayers
Has she been checked for a Candida infection ?
Has she ever been tested for reflux, this sounds exactly like it, even from birth, check out reflux.org.
Sending a hug for you and family. Just wondering if you've heard of apple cider vinegar for use with controlling allergies? My Dad, a certified organic farmer/dairy, swears by it. Anyhow, it should be taken daily with honey. Best of luck and God bless.
Hi Angela,
I have come to your Journal in an extrmely round about way.
Any how on reading about Baby E I just thought I'd pass on this site to you, you may or may not have come across it in the past.
I had been reading your " 15- Month Summary" which is what I had been directed to to read so when I get some more spare time I will look through the rest of your journal materla too. Not long after reading this entry I was browsing through our Sunday Paper, a day late I know but no matter, I was on shift yesterday. I came across an article attached to a web site that I thought may interest you as when reading the article it made me think of Baby E and the Trials she has had to endure in her short life so far. I know it is an Australian Site but from what I understand it was originally developed in the States. www.aaeclinics.com.au
As I said you may or may not find it of interest or use but on reading it myself immeadiatelt thought of you guys.
You are most welcome to write to me and have a chat any time you like. My name is Carolynn and I work in Neonatal Intensive Care in Western Australia. I have been working in this particular unit now for 24 years this coming May. My original encounter with working with Neonates was 1979 in Edinburgh Scotland. I absolutely love my job and hope to be able to work in the field for many more years to come.
I say cheerio for now and look forward to your reply if you decide to do so.
Take Care
Love Carolynn xxx :-)
Thanks, Carol.
Hi, Anonymous . . . I just found your comments now. My program doesn't always notify me of anonymous comments, and they don't show up in the "recently updated discussions" sidebar (because of spammers). You can bypass this by using the "anonymous" or "name/url" option for commenting, and typing in whatever username you wish to be known by.
Candida is something we've looked into. I've been treated for it several times. E has never been a big sugar or carb eater, so she eats a pretty Candida-safe diet--mostly meat and vegetables with some brown rice, citrus fruit and bananas. Eating lots of foods with beneficial intestinal organisms in them has been very helpful for her.
She does have reflux and is on medication for that. That has helped a lot.
We haven't done apple cider vinegar because she was allergic to apples, but kombucha (an acidic cultured tea with good organisms in it) is something she likes and that seems to be helpful for her.
Hi, Carolyn! I'm curious as to how you found my blog? I'm assuming someone I know must have directed you here, since you know my name (although it is buried in one or two of the very old posts and comments). In general, for internet safety reasons, I don't use my first name on my blog . . . I prefer to be referred to by my username, Purple_Kangaroo (or PK).
Anyway, I'm happy to "meet" you. E's health is really very good now. She hasn't had an allergic reaction to anything for about a year (the last major one was in March 2007, I think), and she seems to be growing out of the sugar intolerance and aspiration issues as well. Basically she's a healthy, happy 2 and a half year old now.
I really think it likely that her own health issues stemmed from mine. I think that I didn't have good health or food absorption during my pregnancy and nursing, and that left her without some of the healthy intestinal flora she needed for good health, while also allowing food particles that weren't properly digested into my milk.
It's just a theory, but I think the fact that my body was reacting to many foods as though they were "enemies" primed her little system to do the same.
Thankfully her system seems to be healing quite well. I'm so glad she's better. I should really write an update about her for the blog.
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