I’m fortunate to have so many friends that know about allergies. I never really felt this was a blessing UNTIL after Christmas.
After Christmas a couple of things happened, and since then my poor son has been tormented with itching, severe eczema, more skin rashes and discomfort. It’s just heart breaking to see an 8 month old baby go through this.
After Christmas a friend of mine gave me a really cool recipe for a morning smoothie: WHOLE MILK, cooked broccoli, kale, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, chia seeds & a banana. I drank this concoction for four days straight. It was awesome. While this was happening, the baby broke out in the worst eczema of his life, but it took me days to figure out what was happening. His face started to look like he had been beaten up. I have to warn you, this picture is awful.
His entire body looked like his face, covered with swollen skin. I took dairy out of my diet right away, but then the unthinkable happened. He got some virus and broke out in more rashes. The rashes covered his entire body, they turned his skin red, burned him, and then it peeled. It went through all his baby skin. Every single patch of it except his little private area. Thank God.
And we had to cover his hands with socks because he would scratch and it would bleed and wilt like crazy. We also noticed one morning that his lips turned red after eating some scrambled eggs. Now EGGS were out of my diet as well. Holy shit! In the meantime, I’m at the doctor’s office and they tell me it’s a viral rash and to let it run it’s course. Call them if it gets infected. But I’m back within days because it’s not going away. So we get a referral to an Allergist and I make an appointment, BUT because I broke down and gave him Benedryl they don’t want to see him for at least a week. Okay, no more Benedryl. He’ll have to cry and be itchy. Then just before we go to the Allergist we realize this doctor is NOT COVERED by our insurance plan. Our insurance went up $400 a month and we switched down to a lesser plan. So I had to make an appointment with another Allergist. And I had to wait almost another week. And in the meantime he’s still miserable. But he did strike some cute poses for us.
And then we finally got into the Allergist. She said that it looks like a severe case of eczema. It looks like its passing through my milk and he possibly had another skin infection OR viral infection to boot. His body is just completely tired and drained. It’s been fighting off everything for almost two months now. Okay mom….you can’t eat the following: soy, nuts, dairy, & eggs. He got a blood test, but the results won’t be back till next week. And then from what I hear online, they may not be conclusive.
So here I am. Blessed to be surrounded by so many women who have dealt with allergies, but completely overwhelmed. My other two children are sad because mommy is SO wrapped up in the baby I’m basically ignoring them. I’m not trying to, but when I have to rub the baby down 4 times a day with a special concoction, carry him around all day, and deal with all the “mommy guilt” associated with feeling like you are poisoning your child through your own breast milk…it kinda takes it toll. I’m not getting any Mom of the Year award anytime soon.
And this morning I realized that there is soy protein in my creamer. I missed that. He had another attack of the itchies and crying. Poor baby. But he managed to give me a smile later even though he was so miserable.
Dear God. Please heal my baby. Signed Bookieboo
Update 2.20.13 test results came back positive for the following: The baby is severely allergic to ALMONDS at 37.5. And he’s also allergic to peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, soy, wheat, eggs, and dairy.
Ugh that they did a blood test … I’m not sure about 8 month olds because my son was 4 when he was diagnosed. But we had the blood test and it said dairy, tomatoes and wheat … well he’s actually allergic to corn, soy, nuts and legumes. The blood test was completely inaccurate. The only accurate test is the prick test and for little ones they do it on their back and it’s really uncomfortable. Although I don’t know if they do that to really little ones.
I will say, once you get the hang of it, it’s actually easy. You know what you can cook and what to avoid and it just becomes second nature. You will automatically flip over a package when someone hands you a new food and scan for culprits.
The other good thing is getting allergies when they’re young they often outgrow it so this might be something that will completely clear up in a couple of years. For our son, getting them at four means they’re more likely to be with him for life. Good luck! I know this is hard and when my son was diagnosed I was absolutely in tears for weeks … crushed that he had to go through this and wanting to do right by him. But you’re a good Mama and I know you will. ((hugs))
Lisa
My oldest had a dairy allergy that he grew out of at two. He had eczema too, but it wasn’t this bad. I have a feeling it was also passing through my breast milk, but no one ever told me that. *deep breath*
As a natural health professional, I would consider some probiotics and digestive enzymes to get his body back in natural balance so it can take care of itself. You may need some too.
Poor little guy! Poor mama! I remember those days from when my now 7 year old was little. Did you talk to the dr. about you doing a strict elimination diet? I ended up doing that when my guys was little – if I recall correctly, I could eat lamb, sweet potatoes, and pears. I did that for about a week to “clean up” my breastmilk and then very slowly added foods. Don’t do it without talking to a dr as some think it’s not necessary and it is hard to eat enough when you are that limited. But it’s what finally worked for us to get rid of the hives and then we were able to identify the culprits (in his case, beans and berries). 7 years later, he has no allergies at all.
Fingers crossed you find the problem and he feels better soon!
No chicken? Just Lamb? I’m eating sweet potatoes for breakfast every morning now. That wouldn’t be any different, but I’m also eating avocado & oranges. I’m assuming that wouldn’t be okay on elimination, right?
Poor little man. The first and second picture remind me so much of my daughter. She had severe eczema that showed up at six months. She still has it but she has has bad allergies to foods and airborne allergens.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, I totally get the mommy guilt but it’s a trial and error/cut out certain triggers kind of thing.
Also I wouldn’t hold the blood test to be 100% accurate. It’s hard diagnosing allergens in a child so young so they don’t recommend them until after two years of age. We had my daughter tested at 6mo because I had no idea what was going on and it showed she wasn’t allergic to anything. We now know she has an insanely high allergy to nuts.
I’m so sorry Leah. Bless his heart and your heart, too….. I hope the doctors can find the best solution to preventing his allergy attacks. Will keep you and him in my prayers….
Thank you dear!
OMG that is so sad. I will keep you and baby in my prayers and thoughts. Hope he feels better soon and stop beating yourself up. You are a great mom!
I love prayer. Thank you!
My kids have eczema as well I’m I’m slowly trying to figure out which foods are causing it. My daughter has it horrible on her eye lids. Praying for relief for baby bookieboo and you as well!
We are in total solidarity Marla
I’m so sorry you guys are going through this, poor little guy! You’re in my thoughts and prayers – hopefully he’ll feel better soon!
Thank you dear!
My daughter had the eczema but also had extreme reflux and colic. She would SCREAM after eating. Luckily I had an amazing pediatrician who said early on she was probably allergic to something I was eating, but it was SO BAD because she wasn’t eating much at all because it hurt her inside and out.
We reached a point where the pediatrician said to just give her pedialyte for a few hours, which was a feat considering she never had a bottle. Once we got past the whole “WTF is this?’ thing, she drank it like it was liquid gold and did not scream after. Obviously not a long-term solution but it told the doctor that her concerns were correct. At that point she suggested an elimination diet or that I could try an amino acid formula for a couple days to “be sure”. It took one day and my daughter was like a completely different child. At that point I couldn’t bear the thought of “experimenting” with my diet when the formula stopped her discomfort almost immediately. But she had a very extreme case.
She is 5 now and still has allergies. She doesn’t like milk but cheese and other diary doesn’t bother her. We know she has allergies to dyes and preservatives but the prick tests they did on her back were otherwise inconclusive. She did test positive for every single nut on the planet but she doesn’t have ANY symptoms of an allergy when she eats them. The dr said a negative is more telling than a positive.
Anyway, it’s not a fun thing to watch your child deal with, but for me it has helped drive my desire to help people understand exactly what is in the food they are eating and has helped us learn how to feed our family the healthiest diet possible.
I hope the elimination diet works for you and that it works itself out quickly to relieve his discomfort.
Dear Kimberly. I feel like all the work I did on the labeling GMO movement prepared me for this. Because I would never have had the resources I do today had I not stuck my neck out there like that. I guess blessings come in weird boxes sometimes. I’m very fortunate to be closer to all you guys. Thank you for holding my hand. XXOO
Oh poor little guy! Sounds familiar. Almost right after my younger son was born, he had eczema and was constantly itchy. This was about a decade ago, and it took 4 different doctors to point to come up with an effective way to treat his eczema. I did not find out he had life threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts until he was 3.5, after one bite of an ice cream sundae decorated with Reese’s Pieces.
Desonide ointment and hydrolatum is what brought his eczema under control. I have another stronger corticosteroid for the times when the Desonide ointment won’t do the job. Cotton clothes seem to be least itchy. Hanna Andersson is the only place I buy his PJs and pants (eczema is worst on his legs). Check out The Eczema Company–the owner is a super-knowledgeable food allergy mom–they have great products for children with eczema. (Let me know if you need any soap/shampoo suggestions. Skin contact with allergens can be a problem, and it is difficult to avoid nut oils in shampoos, soaps, lotions.)
Oh, some mittens for his little hands when he is sleeping so he doesn’t scratch too much while sleeping. That was a help. Also, keep his nails short and file them too, so less damage when scratching.
Check out Kids with Food Allergies–they will help you get through the next little while. Great recipes, tips, advice, etc.
Give me a shout if I can help in any way,
JenniferB
Thank you so much Jennifer
Its definitely a frustrating period for mothers and infants. I think it should be a requirement at the hospital that blood panels and allergy tests are done before you go home, at least it might help give an idea that something is amiss. Hang in there!
Latha with the high percentages of allergies nowdays, I agree.
This is how my C-man was. Unfortunately he really got no relief until he was 2 year old and we could do the skin testing with the allergist. We got temporary relief by seeing a dermatologist. She had him on a steroid cream.
HUGS and Prayers to you both!
He’s on a steroid oil on his head. BUT IT HAS PEANUT OIL so I’m not sure that is going to be continuing. I have an appt. on Wednesday where I’ll be getting some grim reality checks.
If you haven’t already checked it out, the Kids With Food Allergies Foundation online forum most likely had some GREAT info on elimination diets. Many moms have done it and they may be able to give you great tips. I’m sorry you’re going through this – it’s heartbreaking I know. My son is almost 3 and we’re still dealing with food allergies although it has become a little easier. There’s lots of support online for sure!!
As others have pointed out there are a LOT of resources for kids with allergies, and he may outgrow them. My daughter had a severe nut and egg allergy. She has outgrown the egg allergy, and is only mildly allergic to nuts. However, she is severely allergic to cat dander and mold.
The best you can do is try to avoid the allergens, and know that he may encounter them again at some point.
I have lived with allergies all of my life, and I have fairly severe allergies to the most common of things: grass, chlorine, dust . . . and of course typical allergens like seafood, bee stings, and milk. I have learned to manage and control most of my symptoms (although chlorine in water is often hard to control in things like bathing water).
My son had a really minor case of eczema that keeps coming back, but what helps us is limiting baths (1x every 3 days), using special bath soap and lotion (Cetaphil), and no fuzzy pjs (need cotton which breathes better). It’s hard to limit baths at this age, of course. I think oatmeal baths are supposed to help too, but I haven’t done that.