Needing Support on Other Mom's That Had or Have a Child with a Food Intolerance

Have you heard of Celiac disease? Here a couple links for more informaiton.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20071215/1795.html

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/

Hope that Helps!

She might have Celiac (spelling?) It is a serious problem and you will have to change her diet to a non- gluten diet if so. My sisters have and cousin have celiac. They are fine as long as they eat non gluten foods. Basically she might be allergic to gluten. Research on the web. There are good websites on celiac and ask her pediatrician to test her for it.

Good Luck

My daughter had food intolerances also. I suspected immunizations were the root, but can't prove that and no MD will ever go along with that, although alternative practitioners will. But, the key is to remove it from her diet completely for about a year. It is hard to do, since wheat is in so many things, even in small amounts. It takes a while, but she may outgrow it if it is totally eliminated for now. Hope that helps.

Hi! There are so many options available to wheat sensitive people that were not around even 5 years ago. I'm not sure where you live, but if you can find a large health food store, you will be able to find things that your little one can enjoy...even cookies! :) Look for items that are wheat free and gluten free. You are NOT alone! I am currently working toward a degree in natural health, with much of the study material being on diet. I've discovered there are more people just like you than you know. Wheat and gluten intolerance can lead to things like eczema, and it can even mimic symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. There's a book called, "The Gluten Connection" by Dr. Shari Leiberman...get a hold of it if you can. I got my copy on half.com cheap. Basically, the gluten in wheat has been genetically modified to the point that many people can no longer tolerate it. That's why this was unheard of not too long ago, because our food was left in its natural state. Hang in there! There are MANY choices for your family, and your daughter will be fine!

I had this same problem with my newborn and wheat. She is 3.5 now and no issues thanks to NAET. I just wanted to suggest something (a little "out there" but highly recommended) - NAET - Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Treatment. It's non-invasive and natural. No injections or medications to take.
http://www.naet.com/
The practioner asks your body questions (holding up your arm - muscle testing) "are you allergic to X, Y, Z???" while you hold a small vial of each substance in question and when the answer is yes, the arm loses strength. She can ask the question and get an answer without the vial too.
I had issues with iron during my last pg. I was so tired and my strong iron pills just weren't working. I happened to run into my friend (Jenn) at a park day and asked her quickly to check my body. She silently asked the question and my arm dropped... She had to
leave town so I saw another NAET (chiro) practioner who treated me for it. He said I was both allergic (thus unable to absorb it properly = deficient) in iron. I had a treatment on a Friday. What is the treatment? You hold the vial for 15-20 minutes. (if the baby is being treated, mother is doing it with/for the baby.) Then there is some pressure applied up and down to the spine. And.... you are supposed to avoid that substance you are being cleared for for 25 hours. That's it! After it (hopefully) you are free of the allergen forever. Well... I avoided anything with iron for the next day... Monday I had my midwife check my iron levels and they shot up!!!! Coincidence? I think not.
When Marlena was a newborn, after a week, she was having trouble breathing. She was very congested. I mentioned it to Jenn and she said it might be a food allergy (never even occurred to me). She asked my arm the questions (while I was holding her) and WHEAT came up!
Again... Jenn couldn't treat me for a few days, but I stopped eating wheat... and sure enough, her breathing cleared up. She treated me for it and tah-dah! Marlena was cleared.
Another mutual friend of ours had a newborn with an unexplained rash... turns out she was allergic to cotton!!! Unbelievable!!! What a cruel thing for a baby... well, for the treatment to "take" they had to avoid cotton for 25 hours (hard to do!) This family co-slept and dad wore
his swimsuit or something to bed and they slept on some sort of vinyl or something.
Anyway, I am so grateful I did not have to go through months of avoiding certain types of foods. I'm so grateful that I knew about NAET and it really worked for us. I'm grateful I never had to have any shots to treat it like my friend did in H.S. for his allergies.
I prefer going to Jenn's house because it's more intimate (for me) than a doctor's office (and less expensive!) Jenn Lebowitz (LLL Leader for Agoura Hills) and you can find her or any practioner on the NAET.com website directory. Usually a chiropractor who is trained can do it.
Life threatening peanut allergies have also been successfully treated & eliminated with NAET. She also treats emotions - I just got a treatment for "anxiety" (I seem to run on it... I use it for energy, not a good thing for me though - since I tend to "run around" and feel exhausted as a result.)
I love "alternative" treatments and am pretty open-minded and am willing to try anything if it'll help... and my alternative stuff has helped me. ;-) This treatment is mentioned favorably in Dr. Christine Northrup's books. I have suggested this to friends on my online (Ventura County) mom's group and they have used it with great results. One woman's father was cleared of life-long motion sickness. She was cleared of a dog allergy. She is amazed she can pet any dog now.

Hello!

Our 15 month old daughter has the same thing! We found that she has FPIES (Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome) It can be very dangersous. Does your baby throw up exactly two hours after eating rice/wheat? Then it lasts until the yellow bile has come up and they go lethatrgic? At that point the baby is in shock and need medical attention...we were told if it is severe enough, it can lead to the shut down of organs. If you want to talk with me, my email is ____@____.com are seeing the best gasto Dr at UCLA Med ctr now and have it under control. They say they may grow out of it by age 2 (cross your fingers) This is the scaries thing to go through, we now have a Epipen in case of a severe reaction, you should consider looking FPIES up on the web...I am here is you need any other info!

C.

Hi,

Welcome to the club!! Start keeping a food diary, what you feed, how she reacts. We are gluten corn soy dairy citrus, and sugar free and it keeps me busy. www.enterolab.com can do the gluten testing and give you an accurate answer, the blood tests that doctors do miss positives. If you get rid of the gluten then they will grow out of the other allergies. Don't feed milk peanuts, citrus, read labels, make it yourself.

Things you could probably feed her vegetables are mostly safe, pears are supposed to be non allergenic
rice
quinoa
bananas
Trader joes has some stuff that is ok like toasted brown rice bread, and waffles and pancakes that are gluten free thought not necessarily everything else free.
Go to a really simple diet until she stops puking.
Your going to feel alone in this cause most people feed their kids whatever and don't think it has any affect but it does, a huge effect. Your whole family should go gluten free its a healthier diet and you won't risk contaminated food for your daughter. We are all gluten free and feel great. When we get gluten it makes us irritable, itchy skin, and anxious and acne breakouts. Think of it as a blessing, it will send you on a path to true health.

J.,
My mother in law has celiac disease which is an auto immune condition that is triggered by the body trying to digest gluten which is the protein in wheat. Rice does not contain gluten. Oats do not, but often are contaminated with it. There is a blood test to check for the antibodies. If you want to continue giving her grains use only organic grains and use millet, quinoa, buckwheat, rice, teff. Go to www.bobsredmill.com and learn more about gluten free grains. It's a great company and they test batches for traces of gluten. They make MANY products, like pancake mixes, muffins, etc. that are gluten free. How is she with veggies and fruits? Also, there is a difference between a wheat allergy and wheat intolerance. Celiac is not an allergy. It is an auto-immune condition where the body turns against it's own digestive enzymes that process gluten. I would ask your allergist and ped. gastro about it. Since my MIL has celiac I am not introducing wheat products to my 7 month old for a long time. There are plenty of other nutritious and tasty grains that are gluten free. Give them a try! FYI- there are 3 million americans with celiac disease.
Good Luck!
D.

Hi J.,
I would also recommend NAET therapy. My son is bi-polar and some of his behaviors have been possibly the result of food allergies. He has been behaving a lot better since been treated with NAET. It's kinda weird, but it works. And it's worth the little bit of hassle. The Dr. tests the patient for an allergy and then treats the patient for it is necessary. Then, for the next 25 hours, you can't eat that food. After the 25 hours, you can start eating it again, and you are hopefully cured from that allergy. So, instead of trying to eat, say, gluten free for the rest of your child's life, she would only have to eat gluten free for 25 hours. Seems a lot easier to me.
My son had a hard time with the food restrictions at first,, but now he is understands the process and nows that it is making him better--he tells me that he notices a difference in himself, that he doesnt get angry as often. Each time we go she tests for a different food item, and he has a different diet restriction.
Go to www.naet.com to find a dr. near you, adn to learn more about it.
Good luck,
M.

My husband has a Gluten intolerance. This means no wheat or bread products. And Gluten gets into things like salad dressing, gravy and tons of other places unseen.
If you have a (Henry's Marketplace or a Trader Joe's) near you they have gluten free products right on the shelf today. This is a rather new and wonderful thing. Check out any health food stores (Whole Foods) near you for Gluten free foods.

This disease has gone unnoticed by doctors, sometimes doctor after doctor and has caused lots of problems for those who suffer. Go on Amazon.com to the Gluten free books that are available. We have Kids with Celiac Disease by Danna Korn and Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic by Peter H. R. Green, M.D

Good Luck, Sincerely, N. Matson

Hi J. my name is Linda & from what you're describing my daughter went through the same exact thing when she was about 5-6 months old (now she's 29 yrs old). At that time Children's hospital in L.A. did all kinds of testing on her (including allergies)they kept coming up empty. It was very frustrating & sad to see such a sweet little thing going through that.After several days of observing & testing her they ended up telling me that her little stomach muscles had spasmed. She was released & sent home with medication. To this day it never happened again. I hope you find a cure. Linda Duncan

Hello J.,

Your daughter may be like a lot of people and have a food sensitivity or intolerance to wheat, oatmeal and other grains.

Don't give up! You can successfully work through this and have a happy, healthy baby.

I don't know where you live, but there is a safe, natural technique called BioSET that addresses such allergies that you may want to check out. I'm a BioSET practitioner in Encinitas, Ca. I've successfully worked with this type of situation, even with two month old infants. Check out the wekbsite www.bioset.net. The Food Allergy Cure by the MD Dr. Ellen Cutler may be of interest to you.

If you would like further information, please feel free to call me at ###-###-####.

Take good care,

P. Raikes

Dear J.,

My son was allergic to wheat also. I had to begin using rice flour for cooking for him, and ended up doing it for many years. We could not even use the same pans for cooking his food. It is totally worth it, and gave him a lot of relief from the allergic reactions.

I finally began cooking his food first, then could continue using the same pans for us if it meant we would have wheat flour in our food that particular meal. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't especially when it means better health for your child.

I even had to make breads and cookies and cakes for him with rice flour too. Maybe you could mix in oatmeal and stabilize the cake or cookies a little better. He had to take his own cake to birthday parties. i used rice flour to make gravies and thicken foods for all of us.

I know, it was hard, and we did it. Thanks to God. C. N.

there is a great book called balancing the bowl - http://www.balancingthebowl.com/ . it's all about one family's journey with food allergies. feel free to check out my website too - www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com

I don't know much about gluten intolerance in children but I have an excellent resource for you. I have been seeing a chiropractor/naturopath for a year now for gluten type intolerances and she has an amazing formula suggestion for children as well as cookbooks specifically for gluten intolerance. She is very passionate about the subject. I highly recommend you visit her!
Cynthia Leeder, Carlsbad, CA ###-###-####
Good Luck! M.

J. j
i have a friend (she is 40) and has recently found out she is also allergic to wheat, she was having allergic reactions for a few years here and there and finally they ruled out wheat. she just has to make sure there is no wheat in anything she eats obviously, but it is not always easy! when we go out to eat she has to always ask and make sure there is no wheat in what she is ordering, bummer i know. it has to be harder with a child, especially not being able to have crackers or bread. is there anything you can do do find out what crackers and snacks do not have any wheat? maybe go to an organic market and see? i hope this helps, but i think my friend just has to deal with it on a daily basis and learn to live and deal with it! the other bummer is so many things we eat have wheat product in them. good luck to you
L.

This is totally what Jeannie has and the book and diet that has saved our
lives is Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. It is a diet for
Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, Celiac Disease Cystic
Fibrosis and Chronic Diarrhea. The website I get most of my recipes from
is scdrecipe.com.

This should give her daughter immediate relief while she figures out if it
is going to be a long term or short term thing.

There is always the hope that she will grow out of it. Some babies do that by age two or three. You can find out a lot of information from an allergist. My mom has a gluten intolerance and I have been amazed to find how many foods have gluten in them! It may be a pain, but I agree that shopping at a whole foods store is the best way to go. The one I shop at (Sprouts) has an entire row dedicated to gluten-free products and they are not expensive at all. Trader Joes and Henry's tends to be a bit more pricey, but you will have to find what works for you. You can also find a few name brands that make the special foods and then order online.
An allergist once told my mom that if she stuck to meats, fruits and veggies, she would be eating a very healthy diet. Grains are very important, but not if your little one can't stomach them.

Dear J.,

It is not at all uncommon for children to have this kind of food intolerance. It's actually lucky that you discovered this early in your child's life, rather than later. People with gluten intolerance (and the most common culprit is wheat) who don't discover their condition run a much higher risk of becoming obese and having chronic digestive or bowel problems.

Basically, you'll want to feature lots of fresh vegetables and fruits in your daughter's diet, and make sure that any bread-type products contain only gluten-free grains. Rice is one of the most gluten-free grains that exist, and if a product is whole grain (brown rice) based, so much the better. You can buy brown rice cereal, for example, that has no wheat in it at all. Try shopping at Jimbo's (my #1 choice) or Whole Foods and asking the staff for recommendations of products that are gluten-free; lots of such products exist and are labeled "gluten-free." That way, your daughter can have some grain-based foods without feeling deprived.

Best regards,
S. I., L.Ac.
###-###-####

Have you tried making bake goods with rice flour that you can get at a health food store. We had friends that the whole family was allergic to wheat. It's amazing what wheat is in. Diane would make cakes out of rice flour, which were light and very good.

Look up Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, there is lots of support. Be grateful you found out early and can prevent the auto-immune and psychiatric difficulties and gut problems that 3 of my 7 adult children have because we didn't know it ran in the family. Specifically, type 1 diabetes, colitis, bipolar and schizophrenia. We also have a grandson affected. You can prevent autism and ADHD if you know early. Don't rely on doctors, educate yourself. I suggest enterolab.com and a book, Celiac Disease, for great information. Trader Joe's, Henry's, and Clark's stores all cater to gluten free shoppers, ask for a list of gluten free foods at Trader Joes. Protect your child, don't even use the same toaster if you buy gluten free bread. Also, casein (milk)may have similar effects on the gut for many gluten free kids. It may seem hard and expensive at first but you get used to it and it doesn't have to be costly. It does take time to cook and avoid processed foods and you can't eat out much, but it is worth it and more people are aware now so things will get better. It's a blessing in disguise, believe me. Hang in there!

I have two little ones with food allergies. And we found out the hard way...taken in an ambulance to the hospital.

Anyway...we are dealing with them an alternative type approach. NAET is an allergy elimination technique to rid people of their allergies. Check it out www.naet.com

Maybe it is a gluten allergy?? Good luck!

Hi J.,

Food intolerance, like many other allergies, is the body's cells inability to correctly identify each other. For further explanation, go to www.mannaworld.com.au under the section 'wellness'.

Did you breastfeed your daughter? The nutrients required for cell to cell communication are found in your breastmilk - nature's way of making sure our bodies get a good head start.

Let me know if you have further questions. I can send you material for futher understanding.

Aloha,

S.
www.mannaworld.com.au

if it continues try having the doctor rule out gluten intolerance. That includes any wheat products, barley,and rye. Rice is ok as are some oats so that might not have trigger an allergic response. Or do an experiment on your own which is how I found out I had it, when I removed gluten from my diet I didn't have any more symptoms in just a few days. Doctors are hesitant to test for it so you may have to push for it if your experiment works. It is called Celiac Disease and you can look it up on the internet quite readily.
Good luck
S.

Hi J.,

I'm a medical writer (not an MD) and have written several articles on allergy and celiac disease.

Does your daughter have symptoms when eating other foods that contain gluten? You had mentioned some problems w/rice and oat cereals, both which can contain gluten. Has the Peds GI tested your daughter for celiac disease? Not all celiac sufferers exhibit the classic systems and it can be overlooked with amazing frequency. Newer epidemiological studies published in the last 5 years show that US prevalence is about 3% in people of northern european and middle eastern descent (very low in african and asian descent), which is about 2x what is taught to docs in med school. Because of the chameleon-like nature of symptoms, the average length of time to diagnosis in the US is 13 years, unless you really push for testing. The first step is simple -- a blood test for TTG IgA and TTG IgG (tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A and G), although your daughter must be eating a diet with gluten in it for this test to give accurate results. Follow up confirmation requires endoscopic examination of the intestinal villi. (A scope is run from the mouth through the stomach and intestines under general anaesthetic.)

Also, wheat allergy is one of the 5 most common allergies in young children, although standard testing (skin prick test and/or in vitro, i.e. blood, testing) will not always give a positive result, even when there is clear evidence of allergy. The actual guideline for food allergy diagnosis is to do a double blind, placebo controlled oral challenge (DBPOC), but this typically requires hospital admission and is not pleasant for anyone (especially the child!)

If you're dealing with either celiac disease or wheat allergy, the care is the same -- strict avoidance. With celiac disease, you also have to avoid all products that contain gluten, which can be very challenging, and avoidance must be practiced life-long, at least for now. There is some new research into developing medication that can substantially reduce the symptoms by protecting the villi from gliadin damage. (Gliadin is the "toxic" component of gluten that triggers the disease process). A good website to access on this is celiac.com.

The future for wheat allergy may be better, as it is frequently outgrown. But, if you do have a child with one type of allergy, be aware that they are more prone to developing sensitivity to other types of allergens as well. We often speak of "the allergy march," which is a common progression from food allergy to inhalant allergy (e.g., animal dander, dust mites) that culminates in asthma. Again,the best way to halt the march is by strict avoidance. You can get some good information on this at theallergyreport.com

Good luck to you and your daughter!

R. Levy, MS

My daughter is allergic to dairy. We never knew until we took her to a Naturopath who specialized in food allergies. After all the meds from western medical doctors (including an allergist/asthma specialist, since she developed asthma because of it), it took us a leap outside of the box to find a healthy solution. Catch it now while it's early. Many westernized doctors tend to run tests and give meds without natural solutions.

I also recommend buying organics and products that are as close to nature as possible. Also, health food stores typically have gluten and wheat-free products.

OK... Where do I begin? I have 3 children who have a severe form of a gluten intolerance. It is an auto-immune disease called Celiac Disease. My children were very difficult to figure out what the problem was. There were symptoms that seemed so off the wall that I never would have thought a food was causing the problem.
There is a wonderful website venturaceliac.org with a monthly meeting. I know there are other areas that have the same type of support, I haven't done much research online, but I know there is a lot out there.
As far as the rice and oatmeal, they are contaminated!
Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. When it comes to your babies' health there is no question too small!
I am adding this after reading the rest of the comments. There is no way to cure a serious allergy to any food, especially one that makes your child this sick! Especially holding a vial to their arm... or NAET (?) if your child is a Celiac, prolonged exposure (one goldfish cracker, once a week) can take 20 years off of her life. I don't want to scare you, but you are already doing the right thing by taking it all out of her diet and researching!

Hi:

I've got something better. You can eliminate her allergy to wheat, and any other substance. My suggestion to you is that you visit NAET.com, order and read the book "Say Good-Bye to Children's Allergies" and make an appointment to consult with a doctor who is NAET certified at your first opportunity. I go to Dr. David Karaba in Fullerton and absolutely love him. His phone number is ###-###-####; or, you can use the physician locator service through the naet.com site.

One of the wonderful things about NAET is that for children or the infirm, they can be treated through a surrogate, i.e., you. Here is the description paragraph from the book information.

"Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies
By - Devi S. Nambudripad, D.C., L.Ac., R.N., Ph.D.
Paperback-1st Edition 2000
350 pages, 8.5’ X 5.5’ X .75’
ISBN: ISBN: 0-###-###-####-8-4
In Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, the developer of NAET®, will help you understand your child’s illness and will assist you in finding the right help to achieve better health for your child. This book will show you how certain commonly used products in your foods and environment can cause health problems in your child; how you can test your child in your privacy of your own home using the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques described in the book. This book will educate you how your child’s health problems can relate to allergy, a traditionally under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed condition; and, how allergies can manifest into myriad symptoms that might seem unrelated. The author also provides remedies for mild conditions of common childhood ailments arising from allergies and how to find help in assisting your child find the right help for serious problems such as, asthma, hay-fever, common colds, sinus problems, milk allergy, peanut allergy, sugar allergy, hives, gastritis, vomiting, colic for newborns, ear infections, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, bronchitis, drug reactions, and many other conditions. Dr. Nambudripad explains how allergies are often the underlying causes to pediatric problems and how NAET® testing procedures and NAET® treatments can offer relief from these allergies. The book is supported by NAET® practitioners’ testimonials and patients’ success stories."

If you are too busy to go hunting for food, try http://www.glutenfree.com/ I have no affiliation with this site, I just like having things delivered and thought you might too. :-)

My husband's first cousin had the same problem, but he was allergic to wheat and corn and milk. There are potato based products that are similar to grain based products. I do not know of anyone that is allergic to potatoes. You will need to look in health food stores probably to find products that are potato based and specialty cook books. My husband's aunt had to make all his cousin's food special while he was growing up but today he is a healthy father of two at age forty. You should be able to find potato flour/starch products. You may have to go online. There are also other grain products outside of the norm that you might investigate like barley, quinona(?), wild rice. Also have you consulted a nutritionist? Is it truly a wheat allergy or a gluten allergy? Or possibly an allergy to yeast that is used in a lot of bread products. Be careful of rye, because that grain also contains gluten. You may need a consultation with a specialist in food allergies. Always get a second opinion. Also is there any history in other family members of any allergies or autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis? And yes, I have an adult child that is sensitive to wheat products, milk, and soy.

projectile vomiting? pylornic stonosis? (sp?) ask your doctor. Otherweise, just don't give that stuff.

My 5 year old daughter was allergic to wheat for the 1st 4 years of her life.

My daughter was allergic to "wheat", but she was not allergic to the "gluten".

I had to shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, & the Co-Op to purchase crackers, pasta, & bread, tortillas - to make tacos & burritos, that are made from rice.

Even though she has outgrown her wheat allergy, I continue to purchase "wheat-free" cheerios, from Trader Joes; it's 1 of her favorite foods.

If you read the ingredients from "Trader Joes" brand cheerios (called: Joes-O's), you'll see it does not include wheat.

Good Luck!

Hi
My 3 1/2 year old has an intolerance of all grains. We are way beyond just gluten free around here. It sounds like gluten-free recipes won't help you either since she is reacting to rice and oatmeal too. He started off being intolerant of any formula at 2 weeks ( I could not breast feed for medical reasons). I was told by my ped and the gastro interologist that there was nothing wrong with him and he had no allergies. We are now on the "Specific carbohydrate diet" There are so many foods available without grains, but it is a lot of work. His little brother is mostly on the diet too and loves all of the food.