help please!- milk allergy??

[nattstar]

am hoping someone can give me some advice...
my 9wk old son has had diarrheoa for the last TWO WEEKS!! hes been doing up to 10 watery poos a day... ive taken him to see 2 doctors.. my child health nurse and have spoken to my paed about it but no one seems worried about it cos he is drinking heaps and putting on heaps of weight...
after doing some research all his symptoms seem to point to a milk allergy.. reflux, excema, diarrheoa, stuffy nose, unsettled, heaps of wind.. i suggested this to the doctor i saw today about it and asked if she would advise putting him on neocate/elecare.. and she said no this is only for babies that fail to thrive... is this true? has anyone else had a baby with a milk allergy that still put on heaps of weight? also is there a test they can do for a milk allergy?? cos i asked the dr and she said no.. but im sure i read somewhere that they can do a skin prick test??
any replies will be much appreciated!!

[nattstar]

whoops i put this in the wrong spot.. will move to the intolerance section!

[lachys_mama]

i took DS to a paed when he was 9 months as I was BF but he was severely constipated and had a rash round his mouth all the time, took him to a couple of GP's asked the CHN and no one helped, finally after a large fissure tear an afterhours GP referred him to a Paed who just had to look at him to tell he had a lactose intolerance.

There was no testing but according to my Paed it was obvious, also my DS was putting on weight regularly etc.

the saving grace was the paed but yeah not sure there is really a test for it as there are intollerances and allergies and I'm not sure they're the same....

probably didn't help you in the least soz LOL

[WorkingClassMum]

The general course of events would be to try a low lactose formula first for at least two weeks, then with no improvement to try a soy based formula again for about two weeks, and then with no improvement to then try elecare/neocate/pepti junior or the likes.

But this needs to be done under advisement.

I'd get a referral to a pead. or an allergist/immunologist. There are pead's at most of the major hospitals and your Dr shoudl be able to give you a referral, and maybe your MHN could also give you a referral

Good luck - I'd say your instincts are spot on

[nattstar]

thanks for your reply.. i have tried him on lactose free formula which is what my paed originally suggested.. but this has made no difference in the slightest.. i called my paed and told him this and he just said to wait and see what happens and maybe it will pass.. as i said no one is worried because he is a big baby and putting on heaps of weight... i have called him again today but am waiting for him to return my call... which he is notorious for NOT doing...

[WorkingClassMum]

I'd get a second opinion asap.

My DS put on weight but his intolerences caused other health issues.

[reAllytee]

Yep a friend of mine who used to be on here had a little guy who used to pass out comatose & still no one did anything because he was gaining weight :rolleyes:

It wasnt until he got to 18mths that the allergy really kicked in & affected his growth, he stopped altogether for 12mths & has been severly stunted. At 7yrs of age he is pretty much the same height as my 'above average' 4yr old !

I would be seeking a second opinion & would either go for an allergist or for the likes of a Pediatric GI as this is their area of expertise !

Good luck !

[nattstar]

thanks for that... does anyone know of a paediatrician GI in perth??

[nattstar]

The general course of events would be to try a low lactose formula first for at least two weeks, then with no improvement to try a soy based formula again for about two weeks, and then with no improvement to then try elecare/neocate/pepti junior or the likes.

But this needs to be done under advisement.

I'd get a referral to a pead. or an allergist/immunologist. There are pead's at most of the major hospitals and your Dr shoudl be able to give you a referral, and maybe your MHN could also give you a referral

Good luck - I'd say your instincts are spot on
im also hesitant to put him on a soy formula because of the whole phytoestrogen thing... is it possible to go straight onto neocate or elecare without trialling soy first?

[reAllytee]

It is but you really need to stand your ground !

Too many doctors follow the protocol of what the government asks which yeah I can understand but really when its obvious its obvious iykwim !

HERE (http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:my41oOBtd20J:racp.edu.au/download.cfm%3FDownloadFile%3DA949462C-2A57-5487-D69F9558E43809CA+pediatric+policy+milk+soy+protein +intolerance&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au&client=firefox-a) is a great paper that you can print out & show to anyone who demands you go to soy first :D

You are best to try a HA formula ... There is either NanHA or Karicare HA these are hydrolysed formulas & are usually a step away from trialling a prescription formula.

They may then trial Pepti as this is still not as expensive as the Elecare or Neocate as it isnt fully broken down either but is a lot more so than even a HA formula.

[nattstar]

It is but you really need to stand your ground !

Too many doctors follow the protocol of what the government asks which yeah I can understand but really when its obvious its obvious iykwim !

HERE (http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:my41oOBtd20J:racp.edu.au/download.cfm%3FDownloadFile%3DA949462C-2A57-5487-D69F9558E43809CA+pediatric+policy+milk+soy+protein +intolerance&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au&client=firefox-a) is a great paper that you can print out & show to anyone who demands you go to soy first :D

You are best to try a HA formula ... There is either NanHA or Karicare HA these are hydrolysed formulas & are usually a step away from trialling a prescription formula.

They may then trial Pepti as this is still not as expensive as the Elecare or Neocate as it isnt fully broken down either but is a lot more so than even a HA formula.
awesome thanks for that! i currently have him on karicare HA AR but it hasnt made any difference at all!

[amymay]

Hi, i would see another ped. i look my now 13 week old to see one at 8 weeks old. he is thriving and putting on heaps weight!!! above average and with in 1 week he put my son on elecare. what a difference it had made within 1 week.:)
escema controlled, gone in patches, sleeping, not screaming all day, we had constipation so a little different to your bub.
Send me a message if you would like to chat more:)

[nattstar]

Hi, i would see another ped. i look my now 13 week old to see one at 8 weeks old. he is thriving and putting on heaps weight!!! above average and with in 1 week he put my son on elecare. what a difference it had made within 1 week.:)
escema controlled, gone in patches, sleeping, not screaming all day, we had constipation so a little different to your bub.
Send me a message if you would like to chat more:)
arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh im going nuts here
i called the paed twice today and left messages to no avail.. also asked to make an appointmt to see him and the receptionist said she was doing up the roster right now and would call me back... and she never called back!!! i cant beleive this :no:
i gotta find a new paed... thing is.. this paed has been recommended on this forum.. i dont wanna mention names tho

[Chookster]

You don't seem to be going to use it, but I just wanted to add one thing about soy formula.

My DS has cows milk allergy and we saw a Paediatric Gastroenterologist who told me that 40% with cows milk allergy also have a soy allergy.

If you try soy formula and it doesn't help, this could be the reason.

[nattstar]

does anyone know if a GP can prescribe neocate or does it have to be a paed??

[amymay]

hi i went to my gp 1st and she looked it up in her book and said she couldnt prescribe only ped could. so off i went. have u had any luck calling/finding another ped that will listen to you.:)
I feel for you as i have heard this to often that docs/ped dont listen, its there way or no way. i was lucky the one i went to go me in the same day i called and with in 1 week put ds 2 on elecare. no mucking about. i hope you can find some help soon....

[nattstar]

hi i went to my gp 1st and she looked it up in her book and said she couldnt prescribe only ped could. so off i went. have u had any luck calling/finding another ped that will listen to you.:)
I feel for you as i have heard this to often that docs/ped dont listen, its there way or no way. i was lucky the one i went to go me in the same day i called and with in 1 week put ds 2 on elecare. no mucking about. i hope you can find some help soon....
iv booked into my usual GP.. who is really good but theres usually a bit of a wait to see him which is why i didnt take DS there first... hes booked in for next week so ill have to wait till then and get a paed referral.. i just wish there was a quicker way of doing things! :(

[amymay]

:) glad to hear you got into gp, i know waiting is not fun and im sure the receptionist dont care... i feel for you and hope it will be fixed soon. keep us posted

[nattstar]

i forgot to mention in my original post that the dr did some tests on bubs.. a urine test and a stool test to see if he had a urine infection or a virus or bacterial infection (since she refused to beleive that it could be a milk allergy)... i rang for the results today.. both came back negative... i knew it!!