OT: update on Rebekah

------------------------ Adult: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing = in the middle.

Glad to hear it! Hope the pediatrician can help with the cause.

Pediatrician has sent us to a Pediatric GastroInterologist because he (pediatrician) can't figure out exactly what is wrong, though he thinks she has reflux. I am hoping that the GI will tell us that she had a virus or that if she does have reflux, give us useful information in dealing with it (will probably mean meds or something, but if it is reflux, I am going to see if I can use Maalox in the bottle like a friends daughter had to do with her son).

Kate Dicey wrote:

Larisa,

I'm late to this, I wasn't reading the group at all for a while. I hope your daughter is improving. My younger daughter was pre-mature (5 weeks early, 4 lbs. 7 oz.), and following several months of progressively worse GI symptoms (she was on infant formula), our doctor finally decided that she did not tolerate cows milk, so we switched to a soy based formula exclusively. She improved immediately, and was fine for several years. We did re-introduce dairy products later, but once again she began having really bad stomach distress, so she now excludes almost all dairy. She apparently has the dreaded lactose intolerance. She really misses ice cream and cheese, but not the cramps, gas and hurling! :-)

I hope this additional information will help,

-- Beverly

---to reply, delete no spam and .invalid---

There are some good soya ice creams here in the UK - pity I can't send you any! Did you try goat's milk? Sometimes that can be tolerated where cow can't.

I LIKE doctors who tell you they don't know the answer and send you to someone who knows better in that area! I wish a few more were like that! Luckily, our GP is also of this persuasion.

Thanks, Kate! She has found several good substitutes: frozen yogurt, and soy based ice creams and cheeses. It's just harder for her to eat _out_, as those options are almost never available. She would _love_ to be able to order pizza when she's out with her friends, for instance.

In addition to the lactose intolerance, she has _severe_ allergies to most nuts, she has to be very careful. Whenever her co-workers bring home-baked goodies to work she can almost never partake, although a few of them have begun to eliminate the nuts or make two batches. When I make the oyster stew for Christmas Eve, I make her a separate batch with "Lactaid" milk, which works for her. We always have "sipping cream" Mmmmm, with dessert (1 quart ice cream, softened, 1/4 c. brandy, 1/4 c. white crème de cocoa), and make her a small batch using Mocha Mix(tm) ice cream. She is pretty good natured about it most of the time.

Our doctor speculated when she was young that many of her food problems were linked to her having been a preemie. Not much I could do about that....

-- Beverly

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It's a bugger, innit!

Friend of mine has a niece born at 28 weeks gestation (combination of factors related to her mum's kidney transplant, and pre-eclamsia gone maaaaad! Very scary!). Luckily, so far she doesn't seem to have developed any of these nasty surprizes! Chloe is a bright little monkey, these days! MUCH bigger than when I first met her (as a rather small bump!), and in the SCUBU where James spent his first week.

Indeed! In addition to the worry about a sick/ailing baby, one has the guilts: what could/should/might I have done better/earlier/later, etc.

Never had an explanation of why she came early and tiny. Her older sister was also born about 4 weeks early, but was over 5 pounds, and never had problems.

Karen is now my wonderful 33-year-old-bride-to-be. Graduated college, and works as lab tech in a local hospital. Proud Mom! :-)

-- Beverly

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Thanks Beverly...she has actually been on Soy formula until the doc decided to put her on Alimentum, which, though it says it is hypoallergenic, is also a milk-based formula...she is back to soy now....everything seems to be in working order

Larisa

BEI Design wrote:

DD was born at 29 weeks ( 1lb 10 oz) 14 years ago and has no allergies what so ever

Dee in Oz

"> BEI Design wrote:

You deserve to be! Yah dun well ther!

If you're very in need of ideas on where to eat or recipes. The people = at alt.food.vegan=20 are very helpful, apart from a couple of resident trolls.=20

The question about pizza has come in the past in the group. They = recommended phoning before you go, and asking if you could bring some = milk-free cheese with you for them to put on your pizza. Or just = ordering a cheese free pizza.

Sarah

--=20

Glad to hear the tiny one has stabilized, Larisa, and that you are getting some peace of mind. Recently I've read that some 70% of the world's population can't tollerate lactose, although they may tolerate yogurts and cheeses. Those that do tolerate milk tend to be of Scandinavian or Irish decent. In our family my DSIL's children were raised on soy products until of an older age and some still avoid cow milk products. If it were me, I might lose some weight by not eatting ice cream. 8-P

another Sharon

I missed all the early posts, but I thought you might want to check this out, if I am understanding the problem correctly. My Rachel, soon to be 14, had severe dairy allergies as an infant that produced 'projectile' vomiting. After several trips to the doctor(s), each one unable to find a cause, I took the bull by the horns. I removed all milk/dairy products from her diet and switched to 100% soy formula and milk. It worked. I took my findings back to a doctor, who upon my findings said, hmmm, lets check for allergies...duh!

Anyway, that is what it was. As she became a toddler, this also meant watching the amount of cheese, breads and all dairy products. What happens, if you get to much in your body, it is almost like a poison to your system. Your body compensates by trying to expel the problem. To this day, her ears turn red and sting when she has to much cheese & crackers (which she loves), so we keep the benadryl around by the bottle.

My best to you and wishes for a speedy recovery/dianosis. And my apologies if I am way off base with this post.

-brenda

------------------------ Adult: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

Has she tried the Lactaid tablets? You can supposedly take them before eating dairy products to help. My lactose intolerance isn't very severe, I was a grumpy baby, and I've never liked milk, but I don't have a problem with ice cream and cheese as long as it isn't too often.