New Theories
We saw Baby E's allergist. He really doesn't think what's been going on with Baby E lately is the result of allergies.
We know that she does have some allergies and intolerances, but the symptoms we're looking at right now don't fit the clinical picture of food allergies. Especially since we haven't been able to connect her symptoms to any clear pattern according to what she's been eating.
He even thought it possible that some of her positive skin tests could be false positives; that maybe she doesn't have issues--or at least serious issues--with all the foods she's tested allergic to. Supposedly it's extremely rare for a child to have more than 4 true food allergies.
At this point, it's hard to tell whether she might be reacting to a food or to something else going on.
Although we'll continue avoiding her known allergens, he said that what's going on with Baby E is probably not even something I can control by changing our diet.
He suggested that if nursing gets to be too stressful for me we might consider using a hypoallergenic formula. I'm happy to keep nursing her as long as she wants to continue for now, but it's nice to know that's an option.
Meanwhile, he said there's not much point in doing more allergy testing at this point. He's pretty sure that what we're seeing is not allergy-related.
The allergist suggested several possibilities.
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First, he said the GI specialist was going to want to rule out a number of items, including Crohn's disease or a number of other digestive disorders. However, he felt it was extremely unlikely they would find anything like that. Those things are all almost unheard-of in a child this age, and she doesn't seem sick.
BTW, she still weighed 23 lbs on their scale. Her "weight loss" was apparently the result of differing scales. She seems to be doing fine weight-wise. She's still measuring close to 50th percentile, which is higher than either of my other girls ever was.
As the allergist pointed out, it's unlikely that a third child would stay at 98th percentile even if she started out that way, when all her siblings are between the 5th and 20th percentile for height and weight. She certainly doesn't look skinny; she looks quite normal and healthy. There's really no need to worry about her weight at this point. So that was encouraging.
The allergist's second theory, and one that seems more likely, is that Baby E may have reflux. Since both of the older girls and I have had reflux, and since she has a number of symptoms consistent with that, we're going to try Zantac and see if that makes a difference.
The other thing he pointed out is that Baby E may just be an intense, high-maintenance child who is very different from my first two children in personality. She may have an unusually strong sensitivity or response to sensory input.
That's something I've been wondering about. Maybe when she does have a virus, or is teething, or doesn't like the texture and taste of a food, her response is much stronger than most people's response to the same input would be.
It could be a problem with the way she processes sensory input. I've wondered about this fairly frequently, actually. According to the allergist, a sensory processing issue is something that could make life difficult for a while but that she would likely grow out of as her system matures.
The main thing he kept telling me, over and over, is that this will pass. We will figure it out or she will grow out of it, he thinks. But it takes time.
I cried in his office, and was embarrassed at my tears, but he didn't seem to mind.
He patted my arm comfortingly. And he said it's important for me to know that it's not something I'm doing wrong or not doing right. It's not my fault, and it's not something I can control.
He reminded me that I can't always fix it, and that sometimes I'm going to just have to let her cry. That I'm a good mother and I'm doing the best I can. That I have to balance everyone's needs and my sanity as well, and sometimes I'm not going to be able to make Baby E stop crying.
I guess I needed to hear that.
But I don't like not being able to control my world. Especially when it means I can't fix or figure out whatever is bothering my baby.
Like right now. She was fine this afternoon, but she's still having diarrhea. Now she's screaming and screaming again. She simply will not be consoled, no matter what I do. She screamed whether I was holding her or putting her down. Now she's lying on her belly on the kitchen floor, whimpering.
We know that she does have some allergies and intolerances, but the symptoms we're looking at right now don't fit the clinical picture of food allergies. Especially since we haven't been able to connect her symptoms to any clear pattern according to what she's been eating.
He even thought it possible that some of her positive skin tests could be false positives; that maybe she doesn't have issues--or at least serious issues--with all the foods she's tested allergic to. Supposedly it's extremely rare for a child to have more than 4 true food allergies.
At this point, it's hard to tell whether she might be reacting to a food or to something else going on.
Although we'll continue avoiding her known allergens, he said that what's going on with Baby E is probably not even something I can control by changing our diet.
He suggested that if nursing gets to be too stressful for me we might consider using a hypoallergenic formula. I'm happy to keep nursing her as long as she wants to continue for now, but it's nice to know that's an option.
Meanwhile, he said there's not much point in doing more allergy testing at this point. He's pretty sure that what we're seeing is not allergy-related.
The allergist suggested several possibilities.
#######################
First, he said the GI specialist was going to want to rule out a number of items, including Crohn's disease or a number of other digestive disorders. However, he felt it was extremely unlikely they would find anything like that. Those things are all almost unheard-of in a child this age, and she doesn't seem sick.
BTW, she still weighed 23 lbs on their scale. Her "weight loss" was apparently the result of differing scales. She seems to be doing fine weight-wise. She's still measuring close to 50th percentile, which is higher than either of my other girls ever was.
As the allergist pointed out, it's unlikely that a third child would stay at 98th percentile even if she started out that way, when all her siblings are between the 5th and 20th percentile for height and weight. She certainly doesn't look skinny; she looks quite normal and healthy. There's really no need to worry about her weight at this point. So that was encouraging.
The allergist's second theory, and one that seems more likely, is that Baby E may have reflux. Since both of the older girls and I have had reflux, and since she has a number of symptoms consistent with that, we're going to try Zantac and see if that makes a difference.
The other thing he pointed out is that Baby E may just be an intense, high-maintenance child who is very different from my first two children in personality. She may have an unusually strong sensitivity or response to sensory input.
That's something I've been wondering about. Maybe when she does have a virus, or is teething, or doesn't like the texture and taste of a food, her response is much stronger than most people's response to the same input would be.
It could be a problem with the way she processes sensory input. I've wondered about this fairly frequently, actually. According to the allergist, a sensory processing issue is something that could make life difficult for a while but that she would likely grow out of as her system matures.
The main thing he kept telling me, over and over, is that this will pass. We will figure it out or she will grow out of it, he thinks. But it takes time.
I cried in his office, and was embarrassed at my tears, but he didn't seem to mind.
He patted my arm comfortingly. And he said it's important for me to know that it's not something I'm doing wrong or not doing right. It's not my fault, and it's not something I can control.
He reminded me that I can't always fix it, and that sometimes I'm going to just have to let her cry. That I'm a good mother and I'm doing the best I can. That I have to balance everyone's needs and my sanity as well, and sometimes I'm not going to be able to make Baby E stop crying.
I guess I needed to hear that.
But I don't like not being able to control my world. Especially when it means I can't fix or figure out whatever is bothering my baby.
Like right now. She was fine this afternoon, but she's still having diarrhea. Now she's screaming and screaming again. She simply will not be consoled, no matter what I do. She screamed whether I was holding her or putting her down. Now she's lying on her belly on the kitchen floor, whimpering.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 3:30 PM[Permanent link]
8 Comments:
One thing that really jumped out at me from that older (trying-out-the-new-doctor) post is that you mentioned Baby E's stomach being painful even then. This is not a new problem.
I hope the allergist is right - it's certainly interesting news (and you might be able to eat some pumpkin pie... I have no idea how you have withstood that temptation!). Good luck. Bon courage!
Yes, certainly there's nothing really new here; just the intensity and frequency seems worse again after several months of seeming improvement.
Whatever it is has been happening, off and on (more on than off, it seems), since Baby E's birth.
{{{{Purple Kangaroo}}}}
I hope you do see a difference with the Zantac.
I think Elizabeth's (Half-Changed World) first-born had some sensory input issues; maybe she would have advice to offer?
I'm sorry that this is still unresolved. I mean, it's great that she's doing OK weight-wise, but I know that it must be awful not knowing exactly what's going on.
Wishing you well, and hoping for some relief for Baby E, too.
The closer you are able to get to The Answer, the better. It is interesting that you've been thinking about some of the same things the allergist suggested. Mother knows best; it's nice to have medical professional be able to back up and hone maternal instinct.
I would have cried too.
Big hugs. It sounds like the allergist was really supportive and validating.
I hope the zant@c works.
Thanks, PS . . . I dropped her a note.
Moreena, a. borealis, and liz . . . thank you. It is encouraging to at least have someone coming up with some new ideas, I think.
I came across your blog while surfing for some non corn derived vitamins. I am allergic to corn and was diagnosed in 5th grade, when my mother started to notice that I couldn't focus well after eating popcorn. I slowly cut out popcorn and corn chips and the basic corn products, but it wasn't until my 20s that I truly cut out corn, and it seems that every day I find some other way corn has come into my life. I was intrigued by your blog, initially because of the corn allergy, but then I became engrossed by Baby E and your journey to help her.
They also have decided that I have a sensory issue. I wouldn't wear clothes as a small child because they hurt. I still have a huge problem with seams and tags, and many fabrics.
My parents to this day tell me that I barely made it through childhood and that I'm lucky they were my parents, because many others would have given up. I didn't sleep through a night for over 3 yrs and then could barely function once I did start sleeping. School was a challenge for me, because I was so overtired. I slept until noon any day that I could. My mother was constantly working to find an allergy, and cut out everything she could think of in her own diet while nursing me to try to avoid exposure that way.
I'm leaving this comment to your blog to tell you that my parents went through hell trying to help me as a child, and I continue to struggle with little things from my allergies, but overall, I seem to have little lasting problems.
You remind me so much of my mom, trying so hard to help me when everyone was telling her that I would just grow out of it. Many people thought she should just use tough love with me, and let me cry, but she knew something was wrong, and just held and rocked me for the first 5 yrs of my life. I hope you can manage your stress levels and just keep loving your baby. They still aren't sure what caused all my problems, but mostly chalk it up now to allergies and my hyper-sensitivity.
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