jake update - allergist

boyohboyohboy wrote: HI, well good news, jake is not allergic to milk or wheat! (thank God that was the worst diet I was ever on!) due to bfing I had to eat what he ate...yuck
anyway, he is testing positive though for peanut allergies..so we have further testing to do.

now we still do not know what is causing the weight loss, or decreased appetite...but he is still going to see the pediatric GI guy...

he is back on the pediasure and he is taking his yogurt and holding is own....

i cant be on much, i am spending each min chasing this kid feeding him something. every bite counts...

CantWait replied: Sorry still no definete answers, but it looks as if they are getting closer.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: Peanuts are so notorious for allergies. And they are in everything. But they are much easier to avoid than wheat. As for milk, man, I couldn't live without ice cream. I hope the GI specialist can help you on your search for answers. And I am also glad Jake is at least eating yogurt.

gr33n3y3z replied: I'm glad its not dairy bc that is in everything were dealing with that with Katie

coasterqueen replied: Actually all the research I've done says they can't determine if a baby is allergic to the dairy protein, they can only test for lactose intolerances, which is not the same thing as being allergic to the milk protein. The only way to determine if a baby is allergic to dairy protein is to have it eliminated from the diet completely and for several weeks/months. An allergist, for some odd reason, does not seem to understand the differences, therefore they just simply state that they are testing for milk allergies. In all reality they are only testing for an intolerance. So, IMO, Jake could still be allergic to the milk protein, which can cause weight issues. I made the mistake of having Kylie tested for milk "allergies" when she was little, putting her through those scratch tests, but they came back negative for milk, but allergic to soy. After doing extensive research I found that the tests do not test for milk protein, which is the biggest allergen.

With all the tests coming back negative, I'd highly suggest maintaining the milk protein free diet for both of you. I know it's difficult, I've been there, but it CAN make a huge difference if that is what is causing his weight issues.

Here's a bit of info on it from kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-...ty.html#lactose

There is a ton more extensive research on this subject out there, for sure.

msoulz replied: Hoory Jake!! Keep on eating!!

DansMom replied: I'm confused (Karen). Daniel's scratch test for milk allergy was definitely a protein test---casein, the milk protein. He also had one for whey (the non-protein part of the milk) and a control that was just saline. For the casein and whey tests he got a huge welt, as he did for egg protein. I remember that they didn't want to do this test until he was 2yo, so maybe that explains the difference in our understanding. Stacy, did they do a blood test or a scratch test on Jakob?

Karen, when you say that an allergist, for some odd reason, does not seem to understand the differences between intolerance and allergy, that's not true of my food allergist at all. He's very clear on the difference, and we've received excellent guidance and education from him. I imagine it all depends on the doctor? I'm sorry to hear that Kylie's experience was so unclear---I think it's bizarre that an allergy specialist wouldn't know the difference between a protein allergy and lack of an enzyme to digest sugars in milk. The tests wouldn't even be the same, would they? I don't even know how you test for lactose intolerance, except by elimination.

So Stacy, was Jakob positive for egg and soy, then? Based on what you're saying, I'm more inclined to think that the protein allergy was ruled out, but that lactose intolerance could still be an issue. One reason I think this is that yogurt is sometimes not a problem for the lactose intolerant, even though straight cows milk will cause problems. I'm glad you're getting closer to a solution.

Even though I seem to be disagreeing with Karen, I'm really not. She's right that allergy tests can be inconclusive in kids younger than 2, especially a blood test that looks for markers. Keep an eye on the milk issue and proceed cautiously but optimistically

boyohboyohboy replied: Karen, Jake saw a new pediatric allergist, who was really on top of her game. she did the RAST test as well as the skin scratch test. and it did test for both lactose and milk proteins allergies. They also have a way of challanging the tests with food right in the office. the scratch test was so easy, he didnt even notice it, not even the control patch, which was huge and red. I thought it would hurt or at least itch and he sat and played and looked at a book the whole time.
he was a real trooper.

I think there are all kinds of dr's and it just takes time to find some you can trust, I hope that they are doing the best they can for jake. Right now our concern was the only thing he eats is yogurt and if thats what is going to keep the weight on then we wanted to feed it to him. he has no physical signs of a milk allergy. no upset GI system or croupiness.

I am still hopeful that it is the same thing it was for caleb, a rectal polyp, i know it sounds strange, but caleb and jake are a carbon copy of each other at this age, and after they took calebs out, he was fine, now he is huge compaired to the other kids in his class.

I started sprinkling the carnation instant breakfast in the yogurt to add extra calories and he seems ok with that. and the pediasure seems to be going down easier also.

we also decided against the feeding clinic at this time, after speaking to the OT we have, the feeding clinic was force feeding kids, and using punishment for not eating, and thats not what we believe at all. so for now, we are working with the dr's and the OT in our home, and he has taken to her so well, sits on her lap, and kisses her, and really seems to have formed a bond.

I am still hopeful we are working thru this.
it seems to be getting better. he is maintaining his weight even sick at this point.

thanks for sticking with me!

boyohboyohboy replied: HI tracy! jake had both the blood test RAST and the scratch test. our allergist said that she specifically deals with pediatric food allergies, while some allergiest do not. so maybe karen you had an allergist that wasnt as educated in the food aspect of it? I am not sure? anyway, the egg was inconclusive so we are doing that one again, and the soy was negative. it was the peanut that caused a huge welt, but we didnt have the RAST done yet for that one. that will be done on monday.
i wanted to give jake a break from the dr's today.

He doesnt have any symptoms from the milk at all.

The allergist we see is new, and has just graduated in the last 3 yrs, if you have any questions you would like me to run by her, i would do so happily!

she was so nice.

we are still using the neocate just at night also since we bought it, and to get some extra weight on him.

coasterqueen replied:
I'm not sure Tracy. After talking w/Kelly from Kellymom and all the research she, Paula, and a few other members of another BF board determined that you cannot test for the milk protein (cassein) via scratch tests, that they are not accurate. All the reading I had done back then was the same thing. I was told the only conclusive way to know is dairy elimination from the diet (milk protein that is). Kylie was before the age of 2, though. So I remember feeling awful that I put her through the scratch test. We saw an allergist, she didn't specialize soley in food allergies, though. She also told me that babies are just allergic to their mothers milk and she didn't understand this whole milk protein, just the intolerance. I spoke with 3 other allergists who said the same thing. So who knows.

DansMom replied: Karen, I think I'm getting some clarity on this... why we're actually saying the same thing, as it turns out. A negative protein scratch test is inconclusive, especially in a child younger than 2. I now remember my allergist saying that if they got a negative, then they'd do the RAST blood test and possibly a challenge in the office. A positive scratch test, which Daniel had in spades (a welt measured at a level "4" on a scale from 1 to 4, poor kid!), is conclusive. If you get a welt that size, then the allergy is definitely present. Daniel wasn't one of those kids who "might" have the allergy. His first taste of ice cream (someone gave him a taste at a party when he was 7 months old) resulted in welts around his mouth, bright red skin and puffy eyes. I eliminated milk from my diet then, and his exzema cleared right up. Another time when he tried a bite of cheese, at like 18 months or something, he started scraping his tongue with his fingers and crying. I eliminated way before I had the testing done, because it was so very obvious. With Kylie and Jakob, there was a lot more mystery.

amymom replied: The hardest thing for me to remember is that medicine is NOT an EXACT science. So there are sometimes many answers to the same questions. I hate this part. I like to KNOW the answer.

I am glad the things are looking up for Jake. Our prayers continue to be with him.

Tracy--the lactose intolerance test that Mary Beth had included her fasting, then consuming large quantities of lactose. Then over the course of four hours she blew into balloons that measured her bodies reaction to the lactose. (Called a hydrogen breath test) That is my understanding of how it worked.

Basically what our GI explains is that it is not a food allergy, but the human body does not tolerate lactose so it produces lactase. If your body lacks lactase production than you are called lactose intollerant. When in reality we are all lactose intollerant and Mary Beth is just lactase deficient. If I wrote this correctly it will make sense.

Also, our GI says that all food allergies do not show up with conventional tests and that a biopsy would show the reaction that the body has to some foods, that is why MB is having biopsies done with her upper endoscopy in January, to check for allergies. My son continues to remind me that allergies are just overactive immune systems.

coasterqueen replied:
Yes, we are on the same page now. You know more about this and the terminology than I do for sure. Yes, in Daniel's case there was no question, but when it comes back negative then what I've always heard is do the dairy elim diet to find out for sure if they are really allergic or not. I had to do that with both girls and found out that dairy was not the issue. Although we had to have Kylie on lactaid milk for the longest time after she got onto whole milk, which was odd to me and Kelly, but it helped her system. She has a horrible gastro system anyways. She doesn't need it now, though.