Conference moira::parenting

re: .27

     Seems to me that it's more likely that a person might attain
a disaste,rather than an allergy, for a food that they have a
great abundance of early in life, especially if the food was
force fed (figuratively) to them.
     While I can't say that what your friend said never happens,
I tend to doubt it, and I can say in my own case that there are
many things that I used to be allergic to that I am not allergic
to now (obviously I didn't get a lot of them early in life).
     As for your situation, I wouldn't worry about it.  Many of
the nutrients which milk has in abundance are more important when
you're growing anyway.  So it seems to me that it would be better
for her to get plenty of it now, and wouldn't be a big deal if
she either couldn't or wouldn't eat it later.
     In fact, not to make light of your question, but I have this
vision of a 90 year old woman on her deathbed, turning to her 65
year daughter, saying, "Perhaps you wonder why I never let you
drink milk.  It is because it's good for you, and I didn't want
to develop an allergy to it later in life." :^) 
      
Clay

    It could also be that your friend has developed a lactose intolerance
    instead of a true allergy. Lactose intolerances are very common in
    adults and dairy foods should be cut back and/or eliminated once you
    reach adulthood.

    Regarding becoming allergic to something that you have had too much of.
    This is entirely possible, in my case, I had become allergic (not
    merely intolerant) to morphine after about my 13th operation. My body
    had apparently reached some sort of limit with regard to accepting it.
    My allergy is considered life threatening and although I may have
    become de-sensitized by now, I'm not about to take the chance and find
    out.

    There are various theories (some legitimate, some not) that espouse the
    virtues of rotating foods so that your body does not become overly
    sensitive. In all cases, I've read references to food rotations for
    adults and not for children. This does not mean, however, that children
    are not affected, it could merely indicate that studies have not been
    performed on children.

    In any event, it is always wise to vary one's (or one's child's) diet
    as much as possible in order to both get a greater variety of nutrients
    as well as reduce any risk of over sensitization.

    				Wendy

    A rotational diet is exactly what the allergist recommended for my
    infant (starting at about 6 months old).  My understanding about milk
    allergies is that you can either be allergic or intolerant. 
    
    Intolerance you can have as a child and outgrow or not, and you can also
    develop an intolerance as an adult (i.e., body cannot absorb the fat). 
    A true milk allergy (which my son has) I don't believe you develop as
    an adult.  You are born with it.  Repeated exposure to items that you
    are allergic to can increase the severity of the reaction.  My son has
    the potential of going into shock if milk/milk products are ingested
    (as well as peanuts and eggs)  he will hive and have erratic behavior
    if these items are even rubbed on his skin.  I'm not positive you can't
    develop this kind of allergy ... but with what I've read, and the
    severity of this kind of allergy, it doesn't sound like you would
    develop it.  This is strictly my opinion.
    
    Bottom line ... I wouldn't be concerned with giving your child
    milk/milk products unless she is showing signs of intolerance/allergy
    (i.e., hives, diarhea, constipation, eczema etc.) after exposure to 
    those foods.  My oldest son (6) ate dairy products all the time.  They 
    were his favorites and he has never shown signs of any problems.  My 
    baby (2 years this month) has shown signs from day 1!
    
    Something to take into consideration is whether there are allergies in
    the family too ... especially to the foods you are concerned with.
    
    Good luck.
    
    Joyce
    

    Note 312.0 was entered on behalf of Kath Dunn by the moderator.
    Kath's address is WRKSYS::DUNN.
    
    l
    co-mod
    
    sorry for any confusion
    

    My son Nicholas is almost 7 months old and at his 6 month check-up, 
    the doctor said I could start giving him yogurt.  I tried this and 
    the poor little guy had a horrible reaction to it.  His face developed 
    a rash that looked like a sunburn with mosquito bites on it and then
    within an hour his whole body was covered.  I called the his doctor 
    and they said he was probably allergic to milk (he also had this 
    reaction when I tried supplementing with formula).  
    
    I'm still nursing him and since the beginning I've been eating loads
    of dairy products but yet he doesn't seem to react to my breastmilk.
    
    My question is, have any of you experienced something similar and have
    your children outgrown this type of allergy?
    
    Thanks for any suggestions.
    
    Wendy 

As a baby, I was allergic to milk, and had to be on a soy formula.  I'm not
sure how old I was when I outgrew it, but I did outgrow it.  The only 
side-effect, so to speak, is that I never acquired a taste for milk, and really
dislike it.  In fact, it was a struggle to drink milk while I was pregnant, 
and I would only drink whole milk (which drove the OB nuts).  I always got
my calcium from other dairy products like cheese and ice cream, but I just
could never learn to like milk.


Cathy

    Nicole, (now 10) appears to have grown out of it.  It started getting
    better around 5.  Lisa, (my wife) still has problems with dairy
    products.
    
    Bob

    Samantha (10 months) was diagnosed with an allergy to milk at only
    a few months old....She didn't get a body rash but had diaper
    rash and blood in her stools (diarrhea).  The specialist I saw
    said that most kids grow out of this by 1 year old.....Samantha's
    dad had the same thing - he outgrew it somewhere around 2 yrs...
    
    I am taking her back for a re-check - I'm keeping my fingers crossed
    that maybe her allergy is already gone....It seems like most of
    the "good" stuff has milk in it!!!
    
    Andrea

    I'm just now reading this note! On allergies later in life... I was
    diagnosed with Celiacs disease at the ripe old age of 28!  It's an
    allergy to gluten - or wheat.  So, when my two were born, I kept them
    off of any wheat products until they were at least 1 year old.  They
    got plenty of grain stuff from oatmeal and rice cereal.  No one in my
    family had the allergy, my kids have not developed it.  The doctor said
    it was hereditary.  Who knows.  It's more of an inconvenience than
    anything.  Until they started serving salads at McDonalds, the only
    things I could order there were milkshakes and fries.  not very
    nutritous.  I have a better tolerance of wheat now, but am still
    careful.  It's not something I can eat very often.  I do miss pasta....
    Kathleen
    

    
    Most supermarkets sell pasta made out of Artichoke flour. Don't know if
    that would sastify your craving but it might work (I don't know if
    wheat flour is used in this product).
    
    				Wendy

That must be Jerusalem artichoke flour.  Jerusalem artichokes are no relation
to globe artichokes.

I've started seeing spelt pasta in health food stores.  I suspect spelt
has gluten, but it might be worth checking out.

    I believe the artichoke flour pastas also have wheat flour in them. 
    I'd opt for getting 100% rice or soy flour and trying to make some
    pasta at home with one of those pasta machines. (My dad's new wife
    is also allergic to wheat so I've looked without success for pasta
    made without wheat flour. Haven't found it yet.) 

I happened to be in a health food store yesterday and I noticed that
they claim that the gluten in spelt is easier to digest than the
gluten in wheat.

    A friend of mine was diagnosed with the disease somewhere between his
    late 60's or early 70's.  Kind of sounds like you could develop this at
    any age!
    
    Some of his favorite staples have become rice cakes, he can put cheese
    or peanut butter on them.  Also a lot of potato starch and corn meal
    products are in his diet.  I believe pasta is available in one or both
    of these bases.
    
    FWIW, I showed an allergic reaction to a medication in my late 20's, AJ
    showed a reaction to the same med at 6 weeks!
    
    Lyn

    	I watched Spencer sleep last night. He had finally fallen to sleep
    after I sang his favorite lullaby again and again. I looked at my baby
    and realized that too often we think of him as the "big boy" but (as
    the nurses kept reminding me the night before) he is only a little
    baby, our little baby.

    	Every now and then his leg would twitch as if he was trying to walk
    in his sleep, it was the last of the medication working it's way out of
    his system, medication that set his sympathetic nervous system on fire
    and caused him to walk miles and miles through the hospital corridors.
    Other than a slightly swollen face, you would have never known how very
    close we came to losing Spencer just a few hours before.

    	I picked Spencer up at Daycare and because it was such a treat
    (Marc usually picks him up) I took my time reading what the activities
    of the day were and what snacks they had been given. When I saw that he
    had been given pineapple as a snack, I frowned, remembering that as a
    baby he had been given pineapple twice (in baby foods) and had gotten
    hives both times. It had never occurred to me to investigate this any
    further, who would have guessed that kids would be getting pineapple at
    a daycare? He had the pineapple at 4:00.

    	When I saw Spencer I noticed that one of his ears was large and
    bright red. This was one hour after the pineapple. I took him home and
    mentioned to Marc that Spencer would probably be getting hives tonight,
    I wondered if we had Benedryl in the house.

    	By 5:30 Spencer's entire face was swollen, his ears were about four
    times the size they should have been and were bright red, if I wasn't
    so alarmed, he could have looked comical.

    	At 6:00 he was in Urgent care and they gave him a shot of long
    acting adrenalin and some Benedryl. They sent him home and said to
    call if he got any worse.

    	I got Spencer home, fed him and gave him a bath. By the time he
    was out of the bath, his mouth had swelled up even more and he was
    starting to have difficulty breathing. I called the Doctors.

    	They had offered an ambulance and I choose to drive Spencer instead.
    One of my many mistakes in this episode, I thought I could get him
    there faster myself. I hadn't taken into account the "worry factor" and
    I hadn't taken into account the fact that I was doing this alone, Marc
    had to stay behind with the baby. On the way over, Spencer starting
    "barking" and couldn't get deep breaths. It was the only time I have
    ever intentionally run a red light.

        At 7:30 Spencer was in the Emergency Room.

    	He was rushed in to treatment before we did any paper work on him,
    I knew that the medical staff was just as alarmed as I was. At the ER
    he was given more Benedryl, some liquid cortisone, and a breathing
    treatment because at that time his lungs were starting to constrict. He
    got so frightened from the breathing treatment that he ended up
    vomiting all over him and myself, we couldn't be sure how much of the
    medicine he had kept.

    	At about 8:00 the "kick" from the adrenalin hit him and he became
    incredibly wired. Nothing could restrain that kid and he and I ended up
    walking miles and miles within that Emergency Room. I cursed for not
    having worn sneakers. After a few hours of walking he was so tired that
    he kept tripping on his feet and still the medicine urged his little
    body onward.

    	At around 11:00 after hours of observation, we discovered that his
    upper throat was closing. He was given more medication and admitted for
    the night "to be near cardiac and breathing equipment". There was to be
    a needle filled with adrenalin by his crib in case he "fell into
    distress".

    	Marc drove down to the hospital with Griffin who, because I am
    still nursing, had to be by my side. We all sat waiting, waiting,
    waiting.

    	At around 2:00, Spencer finally collapsed in my arms and fell into
    a fitful sleep. At that point he was hooked up to a cardiac monitoring
    machine and spent the next 4 hours asleep in his crib.

    	I nursed Griffin and also then fell into a fitful sleep. I heard
    Spencer's  "barking spell" during the night and was thankful that the
    nurse was there to attend to him as I couldn't seem to be able to get
    out of my cot.

    	The next morning, all that remained was hyperactivity from the
    medication and just a little of the facial swelling. His voice was
    still strained as a result of the swelling.

    	He came home at 11:00 am, less than 24 hours after he had eaten the
    pineapple.

    	What surprised me was the intensity of the reaction, even with
    several layers of medicine, his symptoms still got worse.

    	So now we are all recovering, I'm afraid to let Spencer sleep as
    allergic reactions can continue for up to 3 days after the food is
    ingested.

    	I'm afraid to let Spencer eat (what if it has pineapple or
    pineapple juice in it or what (horrible thought) if he is allergic to
    *something* else?)

    	Tomorrow Spencer goes in for what will no doubt be a series of
    allergy work ups. One Doctor has suggested that we carry something
    called an epi-pen which is similar to the kit that people who are
    allergic to bees carry. We will have to carry Benedryl with us
    everywhere.

    	I'm sure that when time passes, we will calm down a bit and will
    not be so terrified. We will always, though, have to be vigilant. 

    	But for now we are frightened, if I hadn't picked Spencer up that
    day, if I hadn't seen that he had been given pineapple, if I hadn't
    called when I did, ......

    	We came so very close to losing our little baby the other day.


                              Wendy
    	

    I'm so relieved that this story had a happy ending. I hope Spencer
    is doing better now (and I hope you can take a big deep sigh of
    relief!). And I hope this is something that he grows out of....
    
    Sue
    

    Wendy,
    
    I felt everything you felt, right along with you.  I too have
    experienced the "almost loosing him" feeling, the Pedi intensive care,
    the mountains of equipment just "standing by in case" and the nurses
    constantly hovering in and out, and a 24 hour day that seems like 5
    days long, and takes about that long for you and the whole family to
    recover from.  
    
    Think of it this way, there was a reason you were the one to pick him
    up that day at daycare, funny how things always work out that way. 
    Even if it wasn't you, I'm sure your husband would have seen the
    problem brewing, and reacted in the right way.
    
    I have an adult girlfriend who reacts to pineapple in much the same
    way.  She carries an epistick with her at all times, as well as several
    bronchial dialaters.  She herself is a nurse, has a masters as a
    nurse-practictioner, and still panics even if there is a slight
    possibility that something she has eaten has even come remotely in
    contact with pineapple.  I have been with her in many formal banquet
    situations, (we belong to an organization together that "thrives" on
    formal dining)  I have seen her send back an entire dinner plate with a
    pineapple garnish, and ask for something else all together.  I have
    seen her call the person booking the banquet and ask what the menu will
    be, and request an optional meal.  In short, when you have a food
    allergy that causes a severe reaction, you need to be really defensive
    about it, to prevent another occurance.
    
    In defense of the daycare, I'm sure the personnel at the daycare are
    trained enough to recognize if Spencer was having a reaction, probably
    call you, but if it became bad enough would have called an ambulance
    either prior to upon your arrival.  Had you told them ahead of time
    that he is allergic to pineapple and whatever else?  In my son's
    daycare there is a large sign on the wall stating who is allergic to
    what, i.e. don't give peanut products of any kind to so and so, or if
    so and so is stung by a bee immediately administer her epipen.  Even to
    the extent of so and so is not a meat eater, or allergic to dairy
    products.  You get the picture.  If they gave him pineapple, and you
    had already told him he is allergic, then I would take definite issue
    with both them and maybe even the Office for Children.  Quite frankly I
    would be up one side of them and down the other!
    
    Sorry to ramble, hope you all manage to recover your rest!
    Lyn

I'm really glad Spencer is okay now Wendy.  For some reason, the body
sometimes reacts more aggresively to something to which it's allergic after
repeated exposure.  I hope your son never has to go through this again.

Leslie

> For some reason, the body ...
    
    There are some excellent articles in the lastest issue of 
    Scientific American (issue called "Life, Death, and the Immune
    System,") which talk about some of the mechanisms by which allergies
    work.  They're a bit technical, but if you're interested in this
    subject, they clarify a lot of the details of how the body knows
    how to recognize itself vs. foreign invaders, and how allergies
    arise.  For example, they explain why exposure to an allergen
    may cause no response, yet later exposure has a response, and why
    repeated exposure may cause allergies to worsen.  
    
    							todd

    Your story scared me to death as I was reading it - so glad everything
    is okay. As Leslie said, the reactions may not always be as severe as
    this one, and chances are they change with age. We have an epipen at
    home for Alan; he came home with bad hives and constriction from this
    allergy shot (they actually keep you in the office for 20 minutes after
    the shot to make sure something like this doesn't happen - his reaction
    started 10 minutes AFTER he left!).
    I friend of mine had a hospital night like that once - she'd been at 
    a party and had a chip from a bowl that other people dipped into, with
    peanut oil on their hands from the bowl of nuts beside the chip bowl.
    That's scary!
    
    Gosh I'm glad its okay.
    
    Monica

Actually Monica, what I thought I was saying was that allergic reactions
can grow worse after repeated exposures to something.  For example, my
husband is allergic to aspiran.  The first time he had a small reaction
like hives and didn't connect it with the aspiran until the next time when
he ended up in the hospital, and nurses and/or doctors told him don't ever 
take it again, you might not make it if you do.  Or something like that - 
this all happened long before I met him.  The thing that I worry about is, 
for some reason he refers to Tylenol as aspiran, and as I tell him, you 
really should not call it aspiran, although I know what you mean, someday, 
someone may not, and may actually give you an aspiran when you say you have 
a headache & need some aspiran.  

Anyhow, some things people do grow out of us, but others, the reaction gets 
worse.  I would just make sure to keep Spencer away from anything containing 
pinapple in any form from now on.  Make sure you tell all his care providers, 
and check the labels on things - especially fruit flavored products and juices.
Also, does anyone know -- I seem to remember hearing that meat tenderizers
are made from a pinapple extract, or enzyme found in pinapples ?

Leslei

    Wow!  I'm so glad this story has a happy ending.  I breathed a sigh of
    relief when I was done reading it.
    
    I'll be thinking of you.
    
    judy

    Leslie..
    
    I am in the same prediciment as your husband...
    I am allergic to Asprin, Anit-Inflamatories and Yellow Dye-#5
    
    The reactions definately get worse :-( the last time I had a reacation,
    I ended up in the ER...in the same condition as Spencer...and they had
    no idea what caused it...
    
    I am now very careful as to what I ask for when I have a headache. Of
    course, now being pregnant, I can't take asprin, only Tylenol, so I
    won't have that problem..
    
    Lyn...
    
    Glad to hear Sepncer is ok!  
    
    Anne Marie
    

    	This morning I took Spencer to the Doctors. He is fine, no residual
    effects.

    	We discussed a few things, the first is that Spencer will have to
    be carefully guarded from pineapple. No fruit cups that may use
    pineapple, no cookies sweetened with pineapple juice, etc.

    	We now have an epipen for each car, the diaper bag and the day
    care. On Monday, the daycare will be trained in how to use it.

    	The daycare was not at fault for giving Spencer pineapple, we
    didn't know that he would have such a reaction. They are, however,
    responsible for keeping pineapple away from him in the future, this
    means clearing with parents who bring in cupcakes and cookies for kids
    birthdays that there is no pineapple in them. Apparently there is
    another child there who is allergic to peanuts and so they are already
    in this type of screening mode. They have also been instructed if they
    see facial and ear swelling in Spencer to call an ambulance first and
    us second.

    	This may come as a surprise but we are *not* going to go through with
    allergy testing on Spencer. This is for a few reasons,

    	He is currently traumatized by Doctors and he would not tolerate an
    allergy test well right now (lots of pin pricks)

    	He has very sensitive skin and he would most likely get a lot of
    "false positives" I don't want to have him be labeled as a highly
    allergic child if he is not.
    	
    	The allergy testing would not be able to tell us the severity of
    the reaction and that's what we want to know, will this happen again
    with something else to the same degree.

    	Marc and I have both had allergy testing as children and I question
    (from my point of view now) some of the results and the usefulness of
    the testing. 

    	So we've decided to just be very watchful of Spencer's diet and
    always have the epipen with us. This may be the only allergy, there may
    be more, we won't know until we know.

    	I want to thank all of you here and in mail that have sent me
    support and kind wishes, although Spencer is just dandy, Marc and I
    still shake when we think about this. Your words have helped to ease
    the fright.

    				Wendy

    	

    Hi,
    
      I was just wondering what epipen?

>    	Marc and I have both had allergy testing as children and I question
>    (from my point of view now) some of the results and the usefulness of
>    the testing. 

I think there have been significant advances in allergy testing in the
last decade or so.

    epinen is "epinepherine" ...which is adrenelin (sp?)  they give it to 
    people who are having allergic reactions to hold them over till they
    can get to the hospital...
    
    I have a kit in my car...I have always wondered if I had to, could I
    really give myself the shot....
    
    Anne Marie
    

    
    
    	Actually the "pen" that I was shown in the office this morning is
    really easy, you remove a cap and jam the point into your thigh, the
    pen then automatically dispenses the medication into your leg, you
    don't have to push a plunger.
    
    	I'm afraid that I am not a "needle" person but you can bet that if
    I had to I would be able to give Spencer an injection.             
    
    				Wendy

    Just a nit here, if the use of the EpiPen becomes necessary, make sure
    the staff at daycare can *legally* administer this.  There is a grey
    area in the law about administering injectable medications.
    
    Just a little further on this, as EMT's we can NOT administer an
    EpiPen, unless we are trained to a Paramedic level.  Basic, and even
    the intermediate level EMT's can not Administer drugs, such as
    Epinephrin, insulin; either injectable or pill, Nitroglycerine etc.
    We can *assist* the patient, as in hand them the pen, or pill vial, or
    put a pill in their hand, but by law a basic EMT can not put the pill
    in the patient's mouth or administer any kind of injectable meds.  
    
    In your case, however, if the daycare calls an ambulance and states the
    child is in anaphylactic shock (allergic reaction in lay terms) and is
    having difficulty breathing, the dispatcher will likely send additional
    help in the form of Advanced Life Support personnel (Paramedic level
    EMT's) because this level can administer drugs, such as Epi, start an
    IV, even tube the patient if he is unable to breathe on his own. 
    
    Not to scare you, but what you need to communicate to the staff is that
    if the need to call an ambulance, they need to clearly state the child
    is having an allergic reaction, and breathing difficulty.  These are
    the "key words" if you will, that will get lots of help to your son,
    and in a big hurry!
    
    I don't mean to scare you with this,just a little info from the "other
    side of it all".
    
    Lyn
    the mom and EMT
    

If it is illegal for an EMT to administer an epipen, is it legal for
a parent to administer an epipen to their child for example ?  Or is
this part of the "illegal to prescribe" laws, in which case the prescription
has been made already, you just have to administer.

Also, then what is the law about a parent administering things like an
epipen ?

Or on the other hand, is it not actually illegal to administer, but rather
that the organization who sponsors you as an EMT does not have the
necessary insurance to cover you if you mistakenly inject someone, or
administer medication ?

Stuart

    I was tested a couple years ago, for all kinds of allergies.  The first
    Dr. I went to, I wouldn't take my dog to.  He did 80 pin pricks, and
    told me all sorts of things I was allergic to.  He was a real jerk!  The
    second one did a simple blood drawing, and they got a more accurate
    reading from the blood sample than from the pin pricks.  I found out
    that my poor dog, who I had stayed away from for almost a year and a
    half, was really no problem... poor guy didn't know why Mommy would
    touch him.  

    Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), all they need is a vial
    of blood and they can do all that testing without Spencer being
    traumatized more!
    
    It might be worth looking into when he settles down a little!
    
    Good luck!
    
    M-L

    We recently did a 'major' allergy test on our daughter Kaitlin...
    a simple blook draw and then they do the allergy test on the
    drawn blood.  She has major allergies and we knew that if they
    'stuck' her, she'ld swell up like a balloon.
    bob

    I believe that the pin-prick methods and the drawn blood methods
    are different types of testing. I had the pin prick method, and it
    wasn't that bad but proved which kinds of plants I was allergic to
    (summer sniffles and occasional mild asthma).
    Drawn blood seems to be for more dramatic reactions to certain 
    things.
    There is also a type of testing for specific allergens which, they
    suspect might be mood altering. Friend of mine described it to me;
    She was injected with a substance; told to sit and wait 1/2 hour.
    She was observed, then took another injection (with the substance 
    unknown to her).
    She said during the second waiting period she became increasingly
    hyper until she had to be dragged back into the office after she
    attempted to flee yelling, out of the office.
    This is a very specialized test; and unless the allergist suspects
    a particular substance to be causing a general health and mood 
    disorder, it is unlikely this type of testing is used.
    
    Monica

    I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but it looks like 
    Atlehi has an sensitivity to either peppermint oil or the red dye in
    candy canes.  Talk about an obscure problem to track down, and at this
    point I am not going to experiment to figure out which it is.  
    
    From just after Thanksgiving through New Years we had problems with
    intermittant diarreah and vomiting.  It would take her a coupld of days
    to get back to eating again, and then shortly after she was eating she
    would have the problem again.  With a fairy child with next to no extra
    meat on her bones this was getting very scary, as she was losing weight
    as well.  
    
    I was about to start the rice, lamb, and breastmilk only regime to try
    to track down the problem, when one of the neighborhood kids gave her
    another candycane, and she threw up 10 minutes later.  Needless to
    say, we got rid of every piece of red and peppermint candy in the
    house, and explained to the kids that this is not good stuff for her.  
    
    Atlehi has gained almost two pounds, is back to her normal self, and I
    am sleeping again.  Just wish I had thought of that before spending the
    entire holiday season with a bouncing, barfing baby.
    
    meg

    
    	Meg,
    
    	My 3 year old nephew just had this problem this Christmas season.
    	He actually began to get hives/swelling after eating several
    	of the little candy canes people hang on thier trees.
    
    	My sister assumed it was the peppermint, but is also being
    	cautious with foods that contain obvious amounts of red dyes.
    
    	Karen
    

Not so strong, but sounds familiar: as a child and even still I will get 
carsick if I eat peppermint (so I elect cinamon or wintergreen candies given 
the choice.)

Also, I have had rashes from some red and black dyes. (Black dyes have red 
in them.) I couldn't wear the black ear pieces on my first pair of glasses.  
But I never noticed a problem with any food dyes with me.

I'd lean toward the peppermint as the problem too.

    I wasn't sure where to post this, but since it could be a food allergy,
    this looks like the correct note.
    
    On May 18th, my 9.5 month old had her third Hepititis B shot.  During
    the visit, the doctor also said that she could start milk products.
    After the shot, Alyssa was acting very hyper and not herself at all.
    She also looked different although at the time I couldn't pinpoint why
    I thought that.
    
    At dinner I gave her a little morsel (a half a finger tip's worth) of a
    pierogi filling (cheese and potato).  About a half hour later, her 
    eyes were swollen shut and she had trouble breathing.  I called my
    doctor and was instructed to call 911.  She was rushed to the emergency
    room where she was given steroids and benedryl.  It took about 48 hours
    for the swelling to go down and she was on medication for a few days.
    
    I thought it was the shot that caused the reaction.
    
    About a week later, I gave her about a fourth of a teaspoon of cottage 
    cheese.  She hated it and spit it out however she had a red blotchy
    rash on her face for about an hour and was very out of sorts all day.
    
    I have a call into her doctor - who will be back tomorrow.  Since the 
    cottage cheese caused only a mild reaction, the nurse suggested that I
    try to give Alyssa a little yougurt (flavored is ok) to see if she has
    a reaction.
    
    I am thinking that maybe a dairy allergy combined with the shot had
    caused the severe reaction.  The nurse thought that the shot had
    nothing to do with  it.
    
    If someone has a true milk allergy (as opposed to lactose intolerance
    which is more common) can she have soy milk or goats milk??  (These are
    questions that I will ask the doctor.)
    
    I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with a dairy allergy.
    
    (Nine months old is too young to go for an ambulance ride)   ;^(
    
    Nancy                
    
       

	Nancy,

	I'm glad Alyssa is ok now.

	My son seems to have a dairy problem, but I'm having a hard
	time convincing the doctors!

	He can tolerate yogurt and cheese, but cannot have milk or
	ice cream.  His reaction is more similar to a lactose intolerance
	in that he gets diarrhea (no swelling).  However, I've tried
	to give him Lactaid milk, and he *still* got diarrhea.  I'll
	be asking a lot of more specific questions at his 15 month
	check up.  I suspect this might also relate to his 7 months
	of ear infections.

	Either goat's milk or soy would be a good substitute for cow's
	milk.  A baby in our church is allergic to many many foods (wheat
	and milk being two) and has no problem with goat's milk.

	
	I'll probably go that route with Andrew (right now, I'm sticking to
	formula and yogurt until his next visit), as his father is allergic
	to soy and I don't want to risk it.

	Karen

    
    re. 38
    
    Soy milk should be OK, it is made from soybeans and contains
    no animal products. The drawbacks are it contains much less 
    calcium than milk, contains no Vit A and D, and some soy milk 
    has added sugar. It does contain fat and complete protein.
    But, soy milk is not a cow milk substitute for children, IMO. 
    
    
    Eva

    I am sorry your child had such a serious reaction.  As far as goat's
    milk, it will depend on what part of the cow's milk your child is
    allergic to.  I know that it has less casien(sp) than cows milk which
    allowed Lolita to tolerate it.  I am not a milk drinker because of
    lactose issues, and I know you can raise healthy children without it,
    but you need to increase protien, fats, and calcium sources, as well as
    make sure they get out in the sun every day or a vitamin D supplement.  
    
    None of my kids drink much milk once they are weaned, and they are
    healthy strong and pretty normal for being raised by me.  A good
    reference book for milk substitutes would be a book on raising vegan
    children.
    
    meg

    Jonathan had been diagnosed as sensitive to cow's milk, in the same way
    as your child - not lactose intolerant, but they said he's actually
    sensitive/allergic to the PROTEIN in the milk.  He drank soy milk
    successfully for a while - till I read the contents, and decided I may
    as well be giving him apple juice!
    
    Seriously - he did stay on his soy-based formula till he was ~13 mos
    old, and when he was ~15 mos old stopped showing any 'allergic' signs.
    
    But, give him too much tomato, and WATCH those cheeks glow!!  Geez,
    what a grump!  
    
    I don't know anything about Goat's milk, but I'd suspect you'd have a
    problem, since it's still a milk-protein.
    
    I don't remember him having trouble with yogurt, but we're not big
    yogurt eaters anyway.
    
    

I'm allergic to milk and milk products, and my younger son (now age 2) also
has trouble (of some kind) with milk.

The first thing I want to say is *don't* experiment on her right now with
anything containing milk.  I'm amazed and appalled that the nurse suggested
you try her on yogurt.  It may be that the only reason Alyssa had only a 
"mild reaction" was because she spit it out!  Since her allergy appears to
be life threatening - don't experiment!

It's possible that it would be safe to experiment in a year or more, with a 
tiny amount. 

The rest of what I have to say is minor compared to that.  :-)
What does Alyssa drink now?  Breast milk?  Formula?  If formula, check the
label.  Most formulas, even soy formulas, contain some amount of milk.
Sometimes the same formula in different containers (ready made vs. powdered,
etc) may have a different make-up.  In ingredients listings, the milk is often
"hidden".  Instead of "milk", it may be listed as whey or caseinate, for
instance (my spelling is probably off on the latter), or the food may be
made with butter.  Many, many foods are made with one or more of these. 

If Alyssa is already eating/drinking something with one or more of these,
you should know that.  If she is healthy normally, then you know that she
can handle that form in that amount and you won't have to be totally paranoid
about it.  :-)

I speak from experience, of course.  Although my milk allergy only limits the
*amount* of milk products I eat, there have been times that either Justin or I
have been *totally* off milk products.  

As Justin gets older, we relax more.  His reaction is not directly
life-threatening; he gets ear infections from the build up of mucus.
My body's reaction is that I build up mucus, which gets in my throat, and
I clear my throat a lot and drive people around me crazy.  My allergy wasn't
discovered until I was 12 years old.  Now, much later (*ahem), I eat anything
I want, but I can only handle 1 scoop of ice cream (instead of the 7 stacked
on 1 cone I had 1 day when I was a kid *sigh :-}  ) and I rarely have milk
as a beverage.

So, back to your questions:
<    If someone has a true milk allergy (as opposed to lactose intolerance
<    which is more common) can she have soy milk or goats milk??

She can have a soy "milk imitation" as long as it doesn't contain any milk.
I don't know whether she can have goat's milk or not.  We haven't tried it,
and as I mentioned before, I'd suggest you don't experiment (if you ignore
this advice, at least experiment on a weekday during the day when you have
quick access to your doctor).
    
<    I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with a dairy allergy.
    
<    (Nine months old is too young to go for an ambulance ride)   ;^(

Been there; done that.  :-}

Glad she's okay now!!!
    
      Carol       

Just wanted to add some things we've found and learned:

Most/all dark chocolate doesn't contain milk.  The Easter Bunny was able to
bring Justin a chocolate rabbit that he isn't allergic to!

There *are* some soy-based formulas which don't contain milk.  We use Isomil
concentrate, but check the label yourself.

Pretend milk (not formula) - most of them suck.  At least there's more variety
than when I was a kid, and they seem to taste a lot better (not saying much,
though the one or two I've tasted recently were acceptable).  However, they
have little-to-no nutrition!  SOME of the brands now make a rice milk or soy
milk which don't contain dairy and which have added calcium and/or vitamins. 
They are harder to find (of course) but you can ask your store to carry them. 

Calcium - There are some orange juices which have as much calcium in an 8 oz
glass as milk does!!  Calcium is the main thing our pediatrician said we
were missing for our 2.7 year old since he can't drink milk.  The pedi said he
shouldn't have any trouble getting the vitamins elsewhere.

Hope this helps others dealing with milk allergies.  :-)

     Carol

    
    Minute Maid is the only orange juice I've seen with added calcium at
    least in frozen concentrate. I buy it all the time and Lauren has
    a glass every day (so do I).  
    
    Karen

    Tropicana makes it in the cold section (1/2 gallon) and it tastes
    WONDERFUL!!!  Jonathan and I love it!!
    
    

FYI, there's a wonderful organization called the Food Allergy Network that
provides tons of information on food allergies.  My son has a severe peanut
allergy, and the stuff we've found out from them is invaluable.  They send
alerts for products that have ingredients (potential allergens) not listed,
they notify members of product recalls, they have literature on how to decipher
ingredient lists to spot particular allergens, they have educational pamphlets
and videos, recipes, etc.

I have info at home; I'll post it tomorrow.

						Brian

    RE: .42 - She had formula once and got sick from it.  She is 
    breastfed.  I was looking forward to weaning her to whole milk.  ;^(
    I guess not.
    
    Nancy

    RE: .46
    
    I would also recommend the Food Allergy Network.  My son
    recently became allergic to soy, nuts and chocolate (and possibly
    some spices).  After several calls into the allergist, he finally
    told me about the Food Allergy Network.  I received some invaluable
    information from them and will probably sign up for a membership.
    
    As my son heads off to kindergarten in the fall, I'm sure we'll
    be needing some additional solutions and support.
    
    Steven was 5 when he had his scratch test.  While allergy 
    testing often will not give you a definitive answer, it may give a 
    starting point in which to find the answers.  It is a long and
    frustrating road.  
    
    I empathize with all parents that have to figure out exactly what
    is causing the allergy.  It took several months for us to pinpoint
    soy and peanuts. 
    
    I'd love to see more activity in this topic.  I welcome ideas
    on how to manage these allergies by offering alternative foods.
    
    	Linda

	Andrew has had milk based formula all along, which is 
	what I suspect contributed to his ear infections (in hindsight!).

	He has had intermittent diarrhea over the past six months, but
	goes into full ten-diapers-a-day mode when he gets more than a
	few ounces of cow's milk.  It was hard at first for me to pinpoint
	the problem, because he's known to have frequent loose stools
	anyway, and when I first started him on milk, it was only 4 ounces
	a day (which seems within his tolerable threshold, barely).

	I just scheduled his 15 month check-up for tomorrow, and plan
	to discuss this at length with his doctor.  I'll share
	what I find out.

	Karen

    My sister was very allergic to cows milk.  She had no problem 
    with goats milk.  My father actually bought some goats, they 
    bred, we had more goats, they bred... but that's another story.  
    I never had cows milk til I went to school, though I wasn't allergic. 
    I remember telling my mother how horrible their milk was in school and 
    I would never, ever be able to drink it. One other thing I remember
    well was that the goats ate poison ivy and apparently gave us some
    immunity to it.  When my father got rid of the goats, we all quickly
    'discovered' what poison ivy was! 
    
    Goats milk is quite expensive, $6/per gallon.
    
    Sharon

		The Food Allergy Network
		4744 Holly Avenue
		Fairfax, VA 22030-5647

		703-691-3179

<                      <<< Note 312.47 by ALFA2::PEASLEE >>>
<                      -< Formula didn't agree with her. >-

Nancy, I'm not trying to get you to wean her (far from it!), but if you wanted
to you could try formula that doesn't have any milk products in it.  She might
take that just fine. 

'Course, it doesn't taste nearly as sweet as breastmilk.

     Carol

My son Joel (17 months) is alergic to milk also.  I've never heard about such
a severe reaction to milk (but then again, I'm not a doctor).  Joel may have
wheezed a little bit one night after some milk, but I'm not sure.  He drinks
soy formula (ProSoBe) with no problem.  I've looked into soy milk but they
seem to be nuitritionally bankrupt!  Some are calcium fortified, but they
don't have as much as milk.  Also, since I weened him from his bottles, he
doesn't drink as much formula as he used to.  He much rather drink water 
(I don't blame him, it tasts disgusting!)  We give him the calcium fortified 
OJ.  Also, our pedi. recommended giving him Tums.  We used to grind them 
up into food, but now he will chew them. (he loves them)

With such a severe reaction, you should read labels very carefully.  Lots of
things (especially baked goods) are made with milk products (such as whey).  
Joel is not sensitive to these, but Alyssa may be.

I've been assured that Joel will will probably outgrow this. Here's hoping.

Lori

	We went to the doctor on Friday.  Since Andrew tolerates
	milk-based formula, the doctor said I could keep him on
	that if I wanted to.  However, if I feel he is getting enough
	calcium from other sources, he said don't bother with the formula.

	It seems that Andrew is bothered by the milk protien.  I'm not
	sure that he's actually allergic, as he tolerates milk protien
	in yogurt and cheese.  Perhaps he will grow out of it, but for
	now, I'll be pushing the yogurt and cheese (sorry this isn't 
	an option for you, Nancy!).  I bought some frozen orange juice
	that is calcium fortified.  I make it with a little more water
	than usual, and Andrew loves it (he wouldn't drink the 			
	"not-from-concentrate" OJ I buy for Dad).  The frozen seems a bit 
        less acidic.  

	Karen

    My fifteen month old son is allergic to milk protein also.
    He cannot tolerate any dairy products - no milk, cheese, 
    butter, margarine, etc.  He can eat yogurt and drinks soy
    based NextStep formula (for the calcium).  My question is
    how do I make sure he is getting enough fat in his diet?
    Oh, he is also allergic to peanut anything (no peanut butter).
    I know fat is important for brain development, any suggestions?
    
    Thanks,
    Terry

    
    re .55
    
    You may try other nuts, other than peanuts. Walnuts,
    cashews, macademia, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
    are high in fat, readily available and quite yummy.
    You can snack on them, mix them with cereal or cook
    with them. Natural food stores carry no-salt nuts.
    Sesame seed based snacks, like tahini, are good too.
    Also try avacados, coconuts and olives. 
    
    
    Eva

    
    re .55
    
    One more thing, you can add cooking oil to the water
    used in making rice and pasta, if he eats them. Adding
    a few tsp of oil to a cup of rice will make the rice
    a little more moist. You may want to experiment with
    the amount of oil. Olive oil in toast is pretty good
    too.
    
    
    Eva

How about salad dressings for dipping stuff in?  You can have him dip 
veggies or meat.  My nephew eats all his meat dipped in french or
catalina salad dressing.  We got some strange looks at Disney World
restaurants when we asked for it!
						Tracy

Try non-dairy margarine.  Fleishmans (sp?) has one.  

A good way to find non dairy products is to look for kosher food (marked with
a K or a U with a circle around it) that is marked "Parve".  That means neither
meat nor dairy.

Lori

    As a replacement for peanut butter (which my son is also allergic to),
    the nutritionist we went to suggested that we try some almond butter. 
    I never looked hard enough to find any (I assume it would be at a
    health food store), so I can't say how it would be.
    
    If anyone else has tried this, I'd be interested to find out where you
    got it, and how you liked it.
    
    Peggy

    Health food stores and the health food section of my local grocer both
    carry Almond butter.  it is tasty, but expensive.  There is also sesame
    butter (tahini) available, but it may have a stronger taste than some
    kids like, ymmv.  Cashew butter is tasty, but I have problems with it
    and others who tend to bwe hivey may also.  
    
    One small warning I leartned about from a friend that has peanut and
    soy allergies:
    
    Read labels on all salad dressings, and ask about what kind of oil your
    local french-fry joint uses.  Peanut oil also sparks a reaction from
    her, as does soy oil.  Many commercial salad dressings contain one or
    both, and some fast-food joints use one or the other.
    
    meg

    Nut butters are a staple in my house.  They are more expensive than
    peanut butter, but you can make them yourself if you can manage to buy
    the nuts in bulk at a cheaper price. Almond, cashew, filbert (hazelnut)
    are all tasty.  You can add or eliminate salt by making them yourself,
    too.  I use a small food processor (Oscar) to make them.  You can also
    add extra oil to increase the fat content for your little one, which
    tend to make them easier to spread.  Store in the refrigerator, since
    they will not have any preservatives in them ; the oil can go rancid
    rather quickly.
    Sarah

	I heard a recent report that there are some essential fats needed
	by the body are present in canola oil (which is more heart
	healthy than some other oils).

	I don't think it takes much to get enough fat.  Perhaps add
	a bit to spaghetti sauce, or use to fry french toast for the
	little one.  A little extra oil in his pancake mix, maybe ?

	In a pinch, a McDonald's hamburger and some french fries
	probably satisfy the weekly requirement ;-)  (and they use
	lard, so no worry about the potentially allergic vegetable
	oils ;-) )

	Karen

>>    One small warning I leartned about from a friend that has peanut and
>>    soy allergies:
>>    
>>    Read labels on all salad dressings, and ask about what kind of oil your
>>    local french-fry joint uses.  Peanut oil also sparks a reaction from
>>    her, as does soy oil.  Many commercial salad dressings contain one or
>>    both, and some fast-food joints use one or the other.

It's always good advice to read ingredient labels.

Peanut oil does not *usually* trigger a reaction in peanut-allergic people,
since it doesn't usually have peanut protein, unless it's cold-pressed, but
it's impossible to tell from an ingredient list. Still, peanut oil is not all
the common (it's expensive), and it *feels* weird to be gambling with something
explicitly made from peanuts, so we avoid it.

Also avoid hydrolized vegetable protein unless is explicitly says it is made
from something acceptable; it's can be made from peanuts.  (Note that this is
not the same as hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is usually spelled out as
being made from soy or cottonseed.)

And if you're avoiding nuts, be aware of non-nut names for nuts, e.g. filberts,
pignons, wintergreen, and various foreign words.

Some allergists (many?) suggest that people with peanut allergies stay away
from all nuts (even though peanuts aren't actually nuts).  My son also has a
(somewhat milder) allergy to almonds, so we avoid all nuts for him (as
recommended by his allergist).

Many food allergies are outgrown, but two that typically are not are shellfish
(which I have) and peanuts.

						Brian

    Karen,
    
    I wouldn't be so sure about not worrying about McDonald's
    because they use lard.  Steven is allergic to soy and has
    consistently had allergic reactions to McDonald's burgers,
    nuggets and fries.  He has no reaction to the same foods
    from Burger King.  Burger King does not use soy.  I haven't
    been able to get a copy of the nutritional guide from McDonald's.
    None of the McD's that I've checked ever have any in stock.
    
    I agree about the salad dressing (and mayo!) one of the first
    ingredients, I have found is soybean oil.
    
    	Linda

    I'd love to try to make my own almond butter (it was also suggested
    that my son have one of the "healthy" oils each day, so I could mix
    that in).  What kind of food processor do you use?  I've got two, but I
    don't think either one would be appropriate for something like this.
    
    Peggy

	You're probably right.

	I think McDonald's uses soy *in* its burgers, too.

	As for the Nutritional charts - most restaurants have one
	on the wall, even if they don't have them in stock.

	Karen

    Thanks Karen.  I'll try to go inside McD's next time.
    For now Steven's happy with his occasional trips to BK.
    But when the new playground is finished at our local
    McD's he'll be asking to go there. 
    
    BTW, the person I spoke to at McD's said they used 100% beef 
    in their burgers (I thought they had soy in them also).
    
    		Linda

<    BTW, the person I spoke to at McD's said they used 100% beef 
<    in their burgers (I thought they had soy in them also).
    
About a year ago I read that McDonald's is the world's biggest buyer of
cow eyeballs.

      Carol  :-}

    
    
    IMO, it is a good idea to stay away from fast food places
    when there is any kind of food allergies. The food tastes
    terrible, ingredients questionable, nutritionally inferior,
    IMO. If the food was that great, they wouldn't have to bribe
    kids with toys.
    
    
    Eva
    

    Eva,
    
    I disagree with you.  If you dislike fast food places, that's 
    fine, but the points you make don't have anything to do
    with food allergies.  
    
    You may think the food tastes terrible, but what does that 
    have to do with allergies?
    
    Ingredients are questionable in any restaurant you go to.
    As previously stated, the fast food restaurants provide a list 
    of ingredients for each of the foods on their menu.  Precautions 
    CAN be taken to avoid allergic reactions.
    
    My son considers it a treat to go to BK and McD's...and he
    has been so cooperative in avoiding foods that he can't have,
    I will do whatever it takes to give him a treat that he
    isn't allergic to, and that includes finding out what is
    contained in the foods in these restaurants.
    
    Please don't tell someone with allergies to stay away from 
    fast food places just because you don't like them.
    
    		Linda

    
    Linda,
    
    	Do you know what kind /brand of vegetable oil they use?
    They use the cheapest bulk oil available, whatever it is.
    Do you know how the oil was used for before they dunk the
    fries in? Hopefully, it is not something someone is allergic
    to. Do you know what part of the cow the burger comes
    from? Probably parts that you won't use in your burgers. Do 
    you know if they handle their meats properly? Do you know 
    what part of the chicken the nuggets are made of? McDonald's
    certain uses parts that would have gone to my cats bowls. Do 
    you know what kind of chemicals that put in the salad to keep 
    it fresh in the salad bar? Sulfates based sprays are commonly 
    used as a salad preservatives in fast food chains and some 
    people are allergic to them. Do you know what sort of chemical 
    cleaners they used? I certainly don't know all the answers, 
    but I do question them. 
    	
    	Some of the heath-minded restaurants do not have questionable
    ingredients. Try some health food restaurants. Try some restaurants
    where the people in the kitchen are prefessionals.
    
    	I am sorry that you take it so personally and defensively. I 
    certainly didn't make myself very clear and I made a mistake in
    assuming that the drawbacks of fast food restaurants are common
    knowledge. IMO, if a person has to avoid certain groups of food, 
    it is so much harder for them to obtain the nutrients that they 
    need and to develop healthy eating habits. From a limited selection
    and for a small tummy, it is logical, IMO, to try to teach our children
    to eat right. But to each his/her own...
                                                                   
    
    
    Eva
    

	I don't want to get in the middle of a heated debate here, but I 
	tend to agree with Linda...  My son eats very healthy at home.  
	He is only three, but still asks for snacks like celery and 
	apples (I'm sure that won't last!).

	He also has allergies and, as I mentioned in an earlier note, 
	we've been through several attempts to narrow down what he is 
	allergic to.  I envy those of you who found it to be something 
	simple. For us, just when we think we have it figured out, he 
	eats something that doesn't seem so unusual, and gets hives on 
	his hands.

	When you are dealing with a child like this, the LAST thing you 
	want to do is to make him stand out as different from everyone 
	else.  I've already told the daycare center what foods to avoid.  
	I've also told them that if they are having a special treat, 
	please don't exclude him.

	Unless there is a very specific and known reaction, I don't 
	think that an occasional visit to McDonalds or Burger King 
	is going to ruin his eating habits.  I DO believe that avoiding 
	these places will make him want to go there even more.

	Peggy

I agree with Linda and Peggy.  My son has peanut allergy, and one of the places
we CAN bring him is Burger King.  They publish a list of ingredients, so we
know for a fact what they put in the food.

The cheapest oil?  Good, because peanut oil is expensive and thus will not be
used.  (If it were, it would be on the nutrition chart anyway.)  Food tastes
bad?  It doesn't appeal to me tremendously, but the kids (millions of them)
love it, seek it out, and don't mind going there even without the toys.  It's
easy, quick, fun for the kids, and safer than most places.  Nutritionally bad? 
It's not like we eat there every day, or even every week.  It's one of the
places we can go and order food for everybody that they will eat.

The safety issue is a BIG one for us.  There's a bakery we like, and we can't
order ANYTHING from them for him, because there's an off chance that a peanut
or a bit of ground peanut might have found its way into the batter.  (The
bakery explicitly refuses to guarantee the absence of peanuts, which is good
policy for them IMHO.)  Hand-made foods like that are a problem; paradoxically,
mass processed foods are usually fine.  A small mistake may require a trip to
the hospital, and could be fatal.

Sorry, Eva, I know your remark wasn't meant to be personal, and was trying to
be helpful, but it's really hard dealing with some food allergies, and an
admonition against fast-food restaurants basically closes off one of the only
places we can go out to as a family, so it struck a nerve.  I hope you
understand.

						Brian

This is a tad off the subject, but in one of the past notes someone mentioned
making their own nut butters, and listed filberts as one option.  I have been
unable to find filberts/hazelnuts in any of my local grocery stores - all they
seem to have are walnuts, pecans, almonds in the baking section, and in the 
snack section all they have are  macadamias, cashews, pistachios, and peanuts.

Does anyone know of a store in Southern New Hampshire that has filberts/hazel-
nuts?  Or know of a mail order place, or someplace along 495 in Massachusetts?

Thanks,

Leslie

    Leslie,
    Can't help you specifically, but I get mine from an Italian grocery
    store in Worcester, MA during the Christmas season.  That's the only
    time they have bags of shelled hazelnuts.  Otherwise I have to buy them
    in the shell and crack them myself.  
    Whoever asked how to make nut butters : I use a mini food processor,
    called an Oscar.  The minis work better. I toast them in the oven at 
    425 for about 5 minutes, rub vigorously between tea towels to remove 
    the skins, let cool, and process with the chopper blades until it goes 
    from chopped to pulverized to butter.  Sometimes I add more oil to keep 
    it from being bread-tearing paste.  Store in the refrigerator.  I also 
    will chop some extra nuts to mix in to make chunky style.  It doesn't 
    exactly get perfectly smooth.  I would think you would have to strain 
    it somehow to get the consistency of store bought creamy peanut butter.
    We aren't that fussy in my house.
    You can add a bit of sugar if you like it sweeter, or add a pinch of
    salt to bring out the flavors more.  For my son's version, I don't add
    either.  But sometimes for my own I'll splurge on a pinch of salt : )
    Sarah

Macadamia nut butter is _wonderful_.  If you want a darker coloured paste you 
clould try roasting a few in a pan with perhaps a little sesame oil (just a 
few drops)

Chele

Macadamia nuts are _very_ expensive in the U.S.

    Thanks everyone for your great suggestions for adding fat
    to Christopher's diet.  Adding a little oil to the sauces
    I make is something I never thought of (and so easy).  If
    possible could someone give directions on how to make nut
    butter (I would imagine toast with just jelly is getting
    boring for Chris), and I would like to try it myself.
    
    Once again thanks,
    Terry

    I gave some directions in .76 for making nut butters.  Cashew is my
    favorite, but it's rather pricey.  Macadamia is WAY out of my price
    range : ( 
    Sarah

    Re: .55
    
    I realize you said your 15 mo. old is allergic to dairy, does this
    include eggs? If not, I'd suggest scrambled eggs, too. Also (can't
    resist), be careful of the nuts/seeds stuff w/ a toddler (prime choke
    hazards when in non-crushed form; Also,the nut butters on soft bread
    can sometimes cause choking, too....Keep the jelly content up!) Another 
    suggestion is other, high fat veggies, like avocado maybe?

    I wanted to give an update on Alyssa (re: .37).  She had some allergy
    testing done.  She had drops of different substances, cows milk,
    casein, soy, wheat and egg white put on her back.  Then each substance was
    scratched.  I then had to hold her still for 10 minutes.  
    She had a huge welt on her back where the cows milk substance was.
    Surprisingly, she did not have a reaction to the casein.
    The pediatric allergist thought that she must be allergic to some other
    type of protein in the cows milk.  She has to stay away from anything
    with milk, milk solids, whey, casein etc.  (Most foods have some of this
    it it!)
    She can however try goat's milk.  The doctor thought it would be
    rare for her to have an allergy to it.
    I tried soy milk the other day.  That stuff tastes terrible.  I am
    going to pick up some goats milk today and try it tomorrow.
    I have requested that she have an appointment with a pediatric
    nutritionist so that I can understand how she can be provided with all
    of the nutrients she needs.  (I hope I don't have to wait another month
    for an appoinment).
    She has a healthy and varied diet for the most part.  It looks like
    I'll be continuing with the breastfeeding.
    Nancy

    Re: Previous - I gave Alyssa a sip (not even a sip) of goats milk this
    morning and her face turned all red and blotchy and she wheezed
    alittle.
    This was before nap time so during her nap I checked her (every minute)
    and she seemed ok.  When she woke up her face started to swell up.  She
    seemed to have alot of energy and was not lethargic however.
    I called the allergy specialist (the one that said she shouldn't have a
    reaction to goats milk) and he thought there must be some common
    element between the cows milk and the goats milk causing her reaction
    although he didn't see how.
    I gave her some benedryl and the swelling seems to have improved
    somewhat.
    I was talking to a couple of people about this and it seems that there
    are alot more cases of allergies to milk now than there were a decade
    ago.  It makes me wonder what is being done to livestock in terms of
    drugs to increase milk, bovine vitamins and antibiotics.
    We have an appointment with a nutritionist so that we can be sure that
    Alyssa is able to have a complete diet without milk.
    Just call me basket-case mom..
    

Let us know how your appointment with the nutritionist goes.  I've often
wondered if I should take my son to one as well (also allergic to milk, but
eats very well in general).  I'd be curious to see what they say.

Lori

    How about an update on Alyssa's allergies?  How is she doing?  Did
    the nutritionist help?  Any useful suggestions?  I've written to
    the Food Allergy Network (which was suggested in this file).  They
    seem to have a lot of good, up-to-date info.  
         
    Thanks,
    Terry

We went to a Nutritionist to discuss how Alyssa can get proper
nutrition despite her allergy to milk products.  Because she 
can't have milk products, we need to make sure she gets calcium, protein,
fats and riboflavin through other sources of nutrition.

The meal plan we can up with was this:

        Breakfast:
        Cereal with iron    or  Egg          or       Pancake 
        Fruit                   Toast                 Fruit
        Bread                   Juice (Calcium fortified)


        Snack:
        Cheerios or rice cake
        Juice

        Lunch:
        1 oz Meat or Protein source
        1/4 c Pasta or or other carbohydrate w/oil
        2 oz Vegetable

        Snack
        Graham crackers w/peanut butter 
           
 
        Dinner:
        2 oz Meat 
        1/4 c Rice or Potato or Pasta w/oil
        2 oz veggies
        Rice cake    (she could eat rice cakes all day - she loves 'em!!)
        
        Snack: 
        Fruit 


    The goal is basically:

    4 Grain servings
    4 Fruit/Vegetables
    3 Protein servings  (28 g)
    800mg of calcium
    2 tbs oil or fat

    The difficult part of it is the protein so I have been trying to 
    give her protein fortified pasta.  

    She seems to be doing well.  Her one year visit is coming up so
    I hope she has put on a couple of pounds.  She has been off the 
    charts for her height but her weight has been around the 60th 
    percentile.
    
    We are very careful what we give her, reading all the labels and 
    avoiding unprocessed foods.  it gets to be difficult when she sees
    someone eating something she can't have, especially when she is
    around other kids.  I think the social aspects of this make it
    very difficult to deal with.  I find that we sometimes avoid
    social gatherings when we know there will be alot of food and people
    not disciplined about picking up plates and cups!
    
    I'd be curious about how others with milk allergies deal with this.
    Also is there anyone whose child has outgrown a milk allergy?  I'd
    like to hear about it!  It'll give me something to look forward to.  
      
    Nancy

    Nancy,
    
    Thanks for posting the update.  We find that social situations
    are the toughest too.  One thing that has worked for us
    in regards to seeing other kids eating things that Steven
    can't have is to find "special" treats for him. We have
    successfully been able to remind him when he gets sad about
    not being able to have chocolate that "well YOU get to have
    [name that goodie]".  We remind him that there are alot of
    yummy foods that he CAN have. He's allergic to soy,nuts and 
    chocolate.  
    
    Kindergarten and Halloween will be our next big obstacles!
    
    Hang in there, it sounds like you are on the right track
    and doing your best.  I too am hoping he'll grow out of this (soon).
    
    	Linda 

	Nancy,

	Other than the juice, what is the calcium source in that
	plan ?  

	Sounds very similar to the way Andrew eats, except that
	today I'm still giving him cheese.

	I'm very seriously contemplating going 100% dairy free for
	him as winter approaches, to see if it keeps him clear of
	ear infections.

	Right now, the only other calcium source is his fortified
	OJ.

	Karen

    another suggestion...my daughter has/had an alergy to milk/milk
    products.  We started her on SOY formula and she gradually went to
    Goat's milk.  After her second birthday we started to re-introduce milk
    and cheese.  She can now tolerate small servings of milk (3-4 oz) and
    LOVES cheese.  We also gave her more fruit and veggies than normal...
    
    Kathi

Earlier this year our doctor suggested we take Samantha (4 yrs) off dairy
products to see if it would cut down on the ear infections.  Since then, she's
only had one minor swimmer's ear which is an outer ear infection and not related
to the previous problems.  That was a relief when we heard that....

We are using the 100% Lactose reduced milk and pretty much cut out cheese, real
butter, yogurt and ice cream.  My wife still uses some cheese in cooking (being
half Italian, that's not something she can just drop from the menu!) Samantha is
*very* good about what she can and cannot eat.  She was over a friend's house
for dinner the other night and was offered a brownie for dessert.  She asked if
it had any milk in it!

We use the calcium fortified OJ and she loves rice and pasta so we think we're
keeping up a good nutrition level.

Dave

    I know this note is a couple years old, buy my question relates to
    allergies.
    
    Lindsey is going to be 3 this month.  She goes to day care full time
    and is normally very healthy.  Recently day care has been giving red
    (I don't know what flavor) kool-aid for snacks.  Lindsey has been
    coming home at night saying her stomach hurts and she is running a
    fever, last night was 101.6.  I give her tylenol, she acts fine starts 
    playing, eats dinner then goes to bed around 8:00 and the fever
    disappears during the night.  She gets up in the morning, no fever 
    and she eats everything we put in front of her. 
    
    I do know that a reaction to any food can cause an upset stomach, what
    about a fever, I've never heard of this.  Anyone else come across this? 
    I'm now experimenting by not allowing her to drink kool-aid at school,
    I'm sending other juice.  I did this once before and it worked.  It
    also works on the weekends if I don't give her kool-aid.  I can give
    her any kind of fruit juice and she is fine, but not kool-aid. 
    
    Any comments?  I think they are related but was wondering if anyone
    else has run in to this. 
    
    Thanks,
    Lisa Cozzens                      

    re 312.88 and calcium sources.
    
    I know broccoli is a good source of calcium.  Other high
    calcium foods include sardines, almonds, hazelnuts, parsley,
    black beans, pinto beans and kale.
    
    I ordered a lot of info from the Food Allergy Network and
    it arrived yesterday.  I browsed it when I opened the package
    and the info looks good.  I'll enter whatever tips they give
    that might be useful.  
    
    Christopher has been off ALL milk products for a little while.
    His last visit to the ENT doctor last week was great.  The 
    doctor said his ears have never looked clearer - I firmly 
    believe his milk allergy was the source of his numerous ear
    infections.  
    
    Terry 

    Lisa,
    
    You have an idea of what we went through with Atlehi this winter.  Ours
    turned out to be a reaction to the red dye or the peppermint oil in 
    candy canes.  I can tell you it was pure hell, particularly since she
    had little to no body fat as a cushion to begin with.  
    
    Yes she ran a fever, we think it was because of the dehydration
    involved in the belly aches and diarreah.  
    
    meg

    Lisa,
    
    That sounds like the flu that has been going around.  Steven
    (and his cousins) all had this.  They had bad headaches also.
    Once the tylenol kicked in they were fine, but then seemed to
    have a relapse.  This went on for about 4-5 days with Steven.
    
    But to answer your question, yes.  Allergies can cause stomach
    problems.  This is how Steven's allergies started last summer.
    He had stomach cramps and diarrhea.  He now gets hives for most
    of his reactions, except chocolate...Chocolate still causes
    stomach cramps as well as headaches.
    
    	I hope this helps!
    
    	Linda

    re: .91 - It might be the red dye in the kool aid, or it might be that
    they are using sugar free (with nutra sweet) and she's sensitive to it. 
    Definitely stay away from the kool aid for a while!!
    
    re: the lady ( I don't recall note number! ) whose little boy is
    allergic to chocolate and other things -- I was a hyper-allergenic
    child, who could not eat chocolate or peanut butter and I wasn't overly
    fond of milk, giving my mother many late nights and early mornings with
    my colic.  With regard to Halloween, I had an older brother who was NOT
    chocolate allergic, so we had an arrangement in our house that both
    treat bags got sorted through, and all the chocolate candy went to
    Marc, and all the non-chocolate candy (candy corn, hard candies,
    twizzlers, smarties, caramels, etc.) went to me.  We started this as
    soon as I began trick-or-treating, and it was never an issue.  Believe
    me, my brother didn't really think it was much sacrifice to give up his
    twizzlers in exchange for my Reese's and Milky Ways!!
    
    re:  Getting enough calcium -- I don't know whether this will work with
    babies and really small children, but my doctor had me taking the 
    TUMS calium chewables (no stomach medicine, just calcium) during my
    recent pregnancy, and my older boy (7 years) who is an enemy of all
    healthy foods and beverages, absolutely loved them and took them with
    me -- he still does!  They taste pretty good (fruit flavors) and aren't
    as chalky as most chewables.  Any child who is old enough for chewable
    Tylenol, etc., could take these, too!  Adults are supposed to take 2-4
    a day, but I just let my son have 1-2.
    
    Regards,
    
    Marla

    Marla,  I think I'm the "lady" you were referring to.
    
    Halloween worked out GREAT!  We met up with Steven's cousins and
    "trick or treated" together.  At the end of the night, they got
    out their bags to eat 1 treat of their choice.  Well, this turned
    into a "trade session" with Matt and Nick getting Steven's chocolate
    for the non-chocolate treats.  They were all thrilled.
    
    I had also got a bag of goodies to do our own trading when we got
    home (hey! Mom and Dad have to eat too!)  This included some non-
    edible goodies (silly putty, stickers, workbooks).  
    
    I'd say Halloween was a success.  Thanks for the hints!
    
    	Linda

Thought I'd pass this on; there's a support group forming (formed?) in Natick,
MA for parents with food allergies or food sensitivities.  Contact Colleen at
508-655-7859, or Diann at 508-650-1716.  They plan to meet monthly.  This info
is from a flier I picked up, I haven't called.

Part of the reason we haven't called is that the major emphasis in the flier is
that it includes parents of colicky babies, which led us to think that food
sensitivity and behavior issues possibly arising from food reactions are going
to be the main thrust of the group.  Our major concern is serious allergy with
life-threatening consequences, a condition with a different set of priorities
and requiring a different set of precautions from those for food sensitivities.
However, I thought perhaps some other parents might be interested.

						Brian

    I have been trying to get my daughter involved in a playgroup, however
    there is a lack on compassion on the part of some parents that don't
    understand the severity of food allergies.  (In my daughter's case it
    could be life threatening).  
    I would like to start a support group for parents of children with food
    allergies both as a support for parents and as a "safe" playgroup
    environment for the kids.
    If there are any noters that are interested, please send me mail so
    that I can plan an initial meeting.
    I live in Sterling, Ma.
    
    Regards,
    Nancy Peaslee

    My daughter is 6 months old, we started her on solids "the first time"
    at 4 months, she loved them, but we noticed as the weeks went on
    she was waking up screaming in the middle of the night more and more.
    She normally would sleep straight through from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30-7:00
    a.m..  We thought maybe it was a phase and continued feeding her
    solids.  Finally I called the Dr. and we decided to stop everything
    but the cereal.  Sure enough she went back to sleeping through the
    night.  So I continued with cereal and pears up until this past week.
    I started with carrots, she spit up BIG TIME, so I stopped the carrots
    and started sweet potatoes, now she is up in the middle of the
    night screaming again.  I am not sure if she is "gassy" or this
    is just some weird conincidence.  She cut two teeth at the same time
    and we are not sure if maybe that is what kept her up that night.
    
    Anyone have any experience similar to this with solids.  She is
    getting a little rash around her mouth too, same as last time.
    Poor thing she loves to eat, she drooled watching my husband and
    I eat at Pizzario Uno that weekend..haahha.  
    
    Thanks.
    
    Lisa

    Re: .99 - A rash is a signal from the body's immune system that 
    there is a true food allergy.    Your daughter's reaction is not an
    intolerance, it is an allergy.  This means  that she is consuming an
    allergen  which is increasing the amount of IgE (Immunoglobulin E)
    antibody in her blood.  The IgE antobodies circulate in the blood and
    enter body tissue which then cause allergic symptoms.  True allergic
    symptoms include reactions of the skin, lungs and gastrointestinal
    track.  
    It sounds like your daughter is having reactions of the skin and
    gastrointestinal track, however there is always a chance she could also
    have a reaction to her respiratory system.
    Most common reactions are swelling of lips, mouth, throat, then nausea,
    cramping and diarrhea as well.  Itching, hives and eczema are common.
    Allergic reactions can occur with any food especially in an infant
    however there are a limited number of foods in general that can cause a
    reaction: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, peanuts and nuts.
    My daughter has a potentially life-threating allergy to milk protein.
    So I take these things very seriously.
    I'm not a doctor, but it sounds like your daughter has a true allergy
    and she should be kept away from the offending foods, otherwise she
    may have a severe reaction.  I can understand how you feel when she is
    eyeing your plate with envy, however you need to cut any suspicious
    foods out of her diet for a while and try again in a couple of months. 
    At only six months, you have the time to wait and slowly introduce
    foods.  If she is screaming at night, she may be in alot of pain and
    your really don't want to take that chance of that continuing.
    Unfortunately I have found that there are very few pediatricians that
    know about food allergies in infants/toddlers so you have to be
    assertive with your health provider to assure your child's well being.
    
    
    Nancy

    
    My 22 month old daughter broke out in a severe rash on the back of her
    leg a few months ago.  We kept it under control with vaseline etc.
    Around Thanksgiving the spot became larger and a few other spots
    appeared.  Then about two weeks before Christmas she her face swelled
    up, especially around her eyes and became bright red and rashy.  The
    doctor said ECZEMA. However, the doctor felt that the eczema might
    be allergy related, especially food related.
    
    So, I guess my questions are:
    
    1. Anyone have a child who has allergy related eczema?
    
    2. Also, any good recipies for the a child who cannot have the
    following:
    Dairy, Wheat, Peanuts, blue or red dye (not too much of a problem),
    and 
    I'm still waiting for information on other foods that have been put
    on the No list.
    
    Any information would be appreciated.
    Thank you.
    Kim
    

    I have allergy related rashes from cashews, excessive amounts of
    cinnamon (I used to love a particular brand of spiced tea with heavy
    amounts of cinnamon, it was lots of fun figuring out what was raising
    the bumps) Fortunately they aren't to hard to avoid, and I push the
    cashew problem because I love them and once in a while I decide to
    enjoy them.  (Note, I have never had wheezing or any other problem than
    the rash, but I keep an eye on it)
    
    While I don't have any there are several books on dairless, wheatless
    meals.  There is also a frozen dessert called ricedream.  If corn is
    not on the suspect list, there is corn pasta, quinoa pasta, and a
    couple of others.  Beware of the words semolina on some pastas that
    look to be wheat free, it is a form of wheat.  One friend whose child
    had dairy and wheat allergies son loved rice with spagetti sauces of
    varying kinds.  She also did a fair amount of baking with oat and
    barley flours.  I'll see if see still has some recipes.  Her son has
    grown out of his allergy to wheat although milk is not somethin you see
    a lot of in her house.  Use chicken broth instead of milk in anything
    like mashed potatoes, and use potatoes to thicken things or to make up
    the milkie stuff in cream soups.  My family isn't big on milk or any
    uncultured dairy products, my oldest had problems with casein and I
    have lactose issues so we don't make recipes where milk can't easily be
    gotten around.  
    
    One thing to be careful of.  Red and blue dyes are stashed in all kinds
    of processed foods from candy to some canned soups and in shampoos and
    soaps.  If you suspect a problem with them become a label reader, I did
    looking for hidden milk and was shocked at some of the stuff that goes
    into foods.
    
    meg

    I also have allergy related excema and hives from chocolate and peanut
    butter, since early childhood, and was milk intolerant (it would seem)
    as an infant.  Food allergies that cause rashes do exist.  It sounds
    like your pedi is advising you to avoid the most common foods which
    cause rash reactions.  I would suggest you *demand* testing before you
    modify your child's diet that much.  Milk and wheat are especially
    popular with doctors, and they are not always the true problem.  My
    best friend's little boy battled for *years* requesting allergy testing
    due to repeated ear infections, etc., and when the doctors finally
    agreed there might be a problem, they had her cut out all milk and
    wheat products, to no avail.  When they finally did the testing, he had
    simple pollen and dust allergies, no food problems, but was absolutely
    allergic to all of the various anti-biotics he'd been given for years,
    and also to red dyes.
    
    Take care and good luck!
    
    M.
    

    One great snack for kids with food allergies is rice cakes.  My son has
    grown up having them, and now loves 'em.  I also made a point of
    bringing an extra package to his daycare.  That way, they could
    substitute a couple of rice cakes, when the rest of the kids were
    having something he couldn't eat.
    
    Be careful if there's a peanut allergy.  Some of the rice cakes have
    peanut oil in them.  As for other non-wheat foods... there are a lot of
    cereals that are mostly rice (Rice Crispies, for example)..

    Have any noter's children experienced a reaction to apple juice.  My
    one year old daughter has tolerated applesauce for about four months
    without any problem.  I've given her apple juice in the past on ocassion 
    and noticed that she sometimes developed a slight diaper rash -- but 
    I never put the two together as a possible cause and effect 
    relationship.  On Monday she consumed a lot of apple juice again and
    proceeded to have five maybe six messy diapers -- without
    getting too graphic -- let's say they were very watery and her bottom
    has become exceedingly red and sore.  
    
    Has anyone else's children had a similar reaction.  I'm trying to
    determine if this is a stomach virus or some kind of a reaction.
    
    Thanks in advance!
    
    Lisa  
                                        
    

    As an infant, David was very sensitive to ANY kind of juice.  I used to
    water it down, 1/2 juice and 1/2 water.  Pear, apple, you name it.
    It would cause the very reaction you mentioned.  Actually, I still
    water down juice, because he complains it's too sweet otherwise.
    Helps it last a little longer too : )
    I wasn't worried about comprmoising his vitamin C intake, because he
    was also eating fruits.
    Sarah

    Hi Lisa, you know I was just thinking the same thing the other day.
    Ariel was reacting to apple juice when she was an infant so we stopped
    it. Now she is 2 1/2 and I started buying apple juice a couple of weeks
    ago and noticed that her BMs are the same way.  I've always had an
    intolerance to apple juice too, but I thought it was because of my
    gall bladder problem.  Maybe its an allergy?  We don't buy it a lot
    so I've never really put much thought into it.  We are going to the
    Pedi next week for a checkup so I think I'll ask.  I read in Parent's
    magazine that apple juice is not as great as other juices. It along
    with grape juice was ranked the lowest for vitamin content and high
    in natural sugar.  But Ariel really likes it. It just doesn't like
    her.  I think I'll stop again until the visit.
    
    Rose

    Apple juice loosens Angeline up too.  For us, though, it's a godsend
    because that kid can sure get impacted!
    
    I expect it's just some sort of natural reaction as opposed to an
    allergic reaction.
    
    							cj *->

    Well, it's been 24 hours without any apple juice, milk products or just
    about anything that might make Stephanie "go" .  She had six messy
    diapers yesterday (yikes!).  Today only one so far -- hopefully
    eliminating the juice and milk will help.  If it doesn't I guess we're
    off to the pediatrician -- or maybe she just has a virus...only time
    will tell....
    
    Thanks for all of the information.

    My 4.5 month old is milk sensitive, using Nutramigen.  One of the first
    pedi's I saw recommended watered apple juice if the formula wasn't 
    keeping him full from feeding to feeding, since he progressed to a full
    32 ozs. daily at a very  young age.  We gave it up very fast, 'cause it
    upset his stomach, made him "runny", and gave him a rash.  On the other
    hand, he barely felt the applesauce our regular pedi now lets him have. 
    I *do* mix the applesauce with some rice cereal, just to cut the acid a
    bit, but I also mix a little applesauce into his rice cereal breakfasts
    and dinners to sweeten them!  (Fabulously varied diet, eh?  Rice with
    applesauce or applesauce with rice...)
    
    my 2 cents.
    
    M.
    

    
    Apple juice can cause diarrhea-like symptoms in some (and constipation
    apparently in others).  That's why it's forbidden when treating 
    diarrhea.   Applesauce is OK - and is part of the BRAT (bananas,
    rice, applesauce, and toast) diet recommended for recovery from
    stomach upsets.   I don't understand why one is OK and the other
    isn't since they're both made from apples and waters....
    
    Watered down white grape juice is usually a safe bet and seems
    to be better tolerated by more children than apple.   Perhaps
    pear also.
    
    cj/

    
    Apple juice versus applesuace, the juice is raw and
    the sauce is cooked. My daughter is allergic to apples
    and apple juice (she gets bumps on her lips and itchy
    throat) but she can eat applesauce. Cooking/heat changes
    the chemicals.
    
    Eva

	Like a light bulb turning on, friends helped us solve this enigma.
	Apple juice gives my 2-year-old daughter Brenna a rash just as .105
	describes.
	
	It turns out that most apples juices are clarified with wheat husks.
	The amount of wheat remaining in the juice, if any, is below
	any amount that would make the maker list it as an ingredient on
	the bottle, but enough of the wheat-ness remains to cause people
	who are sensitive or allergic to wheat to have this reaction.
	
	Apple cider and applesauce, I understand, do not have wheat husks
	in the processing. Brenna doeso applesauce just fine. (Cider's
	out of season/expensive now, so I'm not sure what effects cider
	has on her.)
	
	Lisa, does your daughter show any wheat sensitivity?
	
	Cheers,
	
	Sam

    Sam,
    
    there are unfiltered aple juices that you can use if aple juice is
    something your child(ren) love and the wheat issue causes sensitivity. 
    A common brand in colorado for this is treetop, but the ocal health
    food stores carry others.  
    
    meg

    Hi Sam,
    
    I never considered an allergy to wheat.  She seems to eat most
    everything else we put in front of her without any problem (messy yes -
    everything goes everywhere!)  I will monitor her and see what I
    discover.
    
    Incidentally, her rash is finally clearing up.  To complicate matters
    she contracted a tummy virus so even when we stopped the apple juice
    the virus kept her "going".
    
    Thanks again to all who wrote!
    
    Regards, 
    Lisa

FYI, the Food Allergy Network has a web site:

	http://www.foodallergy.org/

						Brian

There's a new allergy and asthma support group running at the Beth Israel
Medical Care Center in Lexington MA.  My wife is going to a meeting tonight,
I'll report back with her comments.

						Brian

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has a New England chapter that
runs a food allergy support group.  The support group meets periodically at the
Beth Israel Medical Care Center in Lexington MA, and occasionally sponsors
lectures.  For info, contact:

Patricia Goldman, Ex.D.
AAFA New England Chapter
220 Boylston Street, Suite 305A
Chestnut Hill, MA 02167
617-965-7771
FAX: 617-965-8886

The Food Allergy Support Group, AAFA New England Chapter, is sponsoring a
lecture:

    "Advocating for your child with food allergies at school and day care"
    Ellie Goldberg, M.Ed.

    Monday, March 10, 1997
    7 pm
    Beth Israel & Children's Medical Care Center
    482 Bedford St.
    Lexington MA

Call 617-965-7771 to register.

    I'm entering this for a friend because she's really worried about her
    baby's allergy to cow's milk and I would appreciate any replies from
    noters with similiar experience.
    
    The baby is 5 months old, she was initially breast fed but when it came
    to changing to formula milk she was sick.  Not violently sick but about
    a mouthful at a time.  Because her father has a violent reaction to
    cows milk my friend was told to only give her special formula milk. 
    She has been OK on this.
    
    Yesterday she spent all day at a children's hospital having allergy
    test.  She was given gradually more and more cow's milk throughout the
    day.  She had no adverse reaction, so they said to start on the cow's
    milk formula.
    
    She started on this today and has the same reaction as before (ie
    throws up about a mouthful of milk each time).  My friend phoned the
    hospital but they weren't interested and told her that as long as there
    is no rash then it's OK.  However she is really worried - any
    suggestions?
    
    Kerry
    
    

>         <<< Note 312.121 by EVTAI1::MELHUISH "Kerry MELHUISH @EVT" >>>
>                               -< Milk allergy >-

    My twin sister threw up every formula my mom tried....eventually
    she tried plain milk from the store and she took that fine.

    RE: .121
    
    My daughter has a very severe milk allergy which you can probably read
    about elsewhere in this notesfile.  She will be 3 in August and has
    always been breastfed.
    At 10 months we had the ok to give her milk products, and one tiny
    figertip's worth of cottage cheese gave her hives, facial swelling and
    trouble breathing.
    She had allergy testing done at one year, skin prick test, 90+&
    accurate, which confirmed the milk protein allergy.
    
    That said, I have done extensive research on my own and have had
    numerous discussions with medical professionals about this.
    
    Vomiting the same food over and over is one symptom of an allergy.
    There  are others that I mentioned above.  When a person is exposed to
    a food he/she is allergic to, they can have a range of reactions, they
    may not have the same reaction twice.
    
    The following comments are my opinion only!!!
    
    It sounds like the specific allergen may not have been identified.
    
    Milk has two proteins, casein and whey.  Some formulas have more of one
    protein than another.  So a child may be ok on a whey-based formula 
    but get sick on a casein based formula and vice - versa.
    My first thought when I read the note was that perhaps there are
    different formula bases here.
    
    My second thought was that your friend should consult with another
    doctor ASAP because the childrens hospital that you referred to, does
    not in my mind seem to be taking a responsible attitude to find out
    what is wrong with the child in question.
    
    I would not experiment with any milk products, additional exposure
    could cause a more severe reaction.
    
    Another thought might be that the child is allergic to something else
    in the formula (corn syrup)???
    
    When a parent is allergic to something it means the child will have a
    tendency toward allergies.  So if dad is allergic to cow's milk then
    junior will be allergic to something be it peanuts, nuts, soy, eggs,
    wheat, milk, fish or shellfish, but junior won't necessarily be
    allergic to milk.  
    So in your friend's situation, the child may be  allergic to
    something, but that something might not have been identified.
    
    People can die from allergies, so I would urge your friend to try to
    get an accurate diagnosis of what is going on with the child.  Maybe it
    isn't allergies but a medical professional needs to diagnose why the
    child is spitting up.
    
    Nancy

    
    re .121
    
    	In your note, you stated that the baby was sick about
    	"a mouthful at a time".
    
    	Does that mean for an entire feeding, the baby spits up
    	a mouthful ?
    	
    	If so, that may just be normal spitting up.  My son used
    	to return what seemed like the entire bottle when he ate.
    
    	Karen
    

    Sometimes babies aren't allergic to the formula, but their tummy
    just can't handle it.  My daughter threw up mouthfuls at a time
    after every feeding.  We switched to Carnation Good Start (still
    cow's milk formula), and that fixed it.  Good Start has enzymes 
    which "pre-digest" the formula.
    
    If the baby really is allergic, that's a different story ...
    
    Janice