3 Month Old Allergic to Everything?

Updated on October 05, 2008
S.C. asks from Munster, IN
23 answers

I have a 3 1/2 month old who has had blood in his stool since he was 8 weeks old. The pediatrician and gastronologist say it is a milk protein allergy. It also seems to be a soy and egg allergy. I've eliminated all those things foods from my diet to be able to nurse. He still has blood. So, I'm trying a hypoallergenic baby formula, and he still has blood. The doctors aren't too worried because he is gaining weight and relatively happy and quiet, he is 16lbs. But, I do not like to see blood in his diapers. Has anyone had this kind of problem? It has got to be more than just allergies. Help! THANKS

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So What Happened?

Hello everyone. Thanks for all the responses! The baby is on 100% Nutramigin formula and he now has no blood. Thank goodness! So, the pediatrician and the gastronologist were right, it was allergies. I'm glad it wasn't anything more serious. Thanks to the comment it could be a wheat allergy too (along with the milk, soy, egg, citris, beef, corn, and who knows what else). I've eliminated so much from my diet, and he still would have blood with only one nursing. I do feel VERY guilty not nursing him. And Nutramigin is expensive formula with very stinky diapers. I'm going to look up some natural alternatives. I hate to say this but since I quit my job to stay home and we are down to one income, it would help not to buy an expensive formula, but we'll do what we need to. The doctors I guess thought because he was thriving even with the blood it was OK to continue to breastfeed. But I can not handle the blood in his diapers. It wasn't just spots, he had red blood streaked in the BM. A lot. It made me very uncomfortable. I'm seeing the pediatrician today and the gastronologist later this week. I'm going to ask about any other alternatives to Nutramigin. I guess we moms do what we need to do to keep our babies healthy. I'll ask about an allergist too. He may be too young.

NEW PROBLEM I NEED HELP WITH! Now, I need help with the bottles. He is so used to being breastfeed, he has a lot of gas and is now colicky with the bottles. And he is only drinking 2oz out of a bottle! I know he drank more than that from me. Any suggestions for bottles for breastfed babies?

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K.H.

answers from Chicago on

Hi S.,

My little guy has a milk protein allergy and the only formula that seems to work is Neutramagin. It's really expensive and smells funny, but it works. You might want to give it a try. Pediatricians usually have samples so I'd ask before buying it.

Good Luck, K.

BTW, Is this S. C. from BCBSIL? I work there in eSolutions...K. Herwig.

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

That's one healthy little fella mommy. Try not to worry so much. The drs. know best. As long as baby is happy and healthy he should be o.k.

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J.E.

answers from Chicago on

I am sorry you have to go down this road but I have had thi with my son and daughter and you first of all need to get them on neocate or elecare formula. Please go to your Gi or Ped and beg them for this. This will stop the blood and you will see your baby soooooooooooooo much happier and feel so much better. It will change his life and he will grow even more. They diagnose this as milk allergy protein in the beginning because there is a diagnosis of EE but they usually ahve to wait till later to be scoped and tested. HOwever they did my daughter at 11 months would have at 9 months but I was too chicken and wish I would ahve done it then and my son later at 2. I am not trying to scare you but it is definitely allergies and probably wheat too should definitely take teh top 8 allergens out of your diet. Also there is a thing called leaky gut syndrome where the allergens pas though the lining of the stomach becasue the stomach wall is too thins when they are little causing a reaction. Probiotics free of all allergens like Klaire labs poweder will help build the lining back up. Please please get your child on neocate formula. And do not start foods till 10 months or if you do at 7 months do not start with a meat/protein will call the most reaction and definitely harder to digest. Who is your Gi and who is your allergist?
I dont want to scare you but he probably has a slight for of EE and it will get better as he gets older but at least you are saving him now. Start with veggies and do the SAME veggie for two weeks check for rahses and reaction and including blood. If you have a reaction give the neocate only for two weeks to heal and then start a new food. Do not give it right away or your son could racted to the next food automatically. Please e-mail me till he is one, I will get you though this and I am curious to who your drs are that do not have him on the neocare or elecare.
good luck and I am glad you are home forthis sweet special little one!
J.
www.curedfoundation.org

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A.I.

answers from Chicago on

Hi S.,

Our son had the same thing and it was just allergies, but our doctors helped us eliminate all the bleeding. I tried to eliminate the food from my diet to nurse, then we cycled through nutramigen & alimentum. My son continued to spit up all the time and have bloody stools. The GI doctor said it could take up to a month for the blood to disappear, so this process took time. Finally the doctor said we should switch to Neocate (I believe you need a doctor note for it) and my son was better within a day or so. It was an amazing and immediate change. He stayed on it until one year and has had no allergies since.

The GI doctor we saw said its important to remove the allergens entirely. She said if you do so while the child is young and let their body heal, there is a great chance that when you reintroduce the proteins at 1 year the allergy will not recur.

I think getting a second opinion is a good idea- here is my GI doctor:
http://www.childrensmemorial.org/depts/gastroenterology/b...

Lastly, I'm glad you're posting about this because it's important to trust yourself as a mom. If you think there is something wrong (and I believe bloody stools are NOT normal) - keep pushing doctors to take care of your little kid.

Let me know if you want to talk any further!
A.

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

I so feel for you!! I would be freaked out!! I had a friend whose baby was allergic to everything!!!! Rice, Wheat, Milk, You name it and shes fine now and tolerating more. But she got rashes everywhere, I'm not quite sure,if she had blood in her stool, But you have talked to a gastronologist, I do agree it being more than a food Allergy. Does he possibly have a weak Walled anus that bleeds when he poops?

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S.X.

answers from Chicago on

my son was/is allergic to milk/soy and egg also, but we never had any blood. is the gastronologist happy w/just the weight gain? perhaps is something like chrones? is it bright red or dark red? perhaps hemroids from diaherrea from the allergies? i'm guessing... is your child in pain?? all formulas i saw still ahd small amounts of soy... have you SEEN an allergist for him/her? that's what i would do. don't listen to your dr if they say you can't test until later, you can test now.

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A.B.

answers from Chicago on

I think you need to get a second, third and fourth opinion about your baby's situation. It isn't normal to have bloody stools at any age, but especially a baby. Find a new doctor that is as concerned as you are.

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D.H.

answers from Rockford on

If I were you, I would take him to a specialist. Better to be safe than sorry! When my son was 4 months old his boy parts were very swollen and his doctor said it would go away within a year. Well his Dad took him to a specialist and he did sergery within the week. He had a hernia. Good luck with everything. I really think you should take him. I think you will feel better about it.

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T.V.

answers from Chicago on

S.-

I would go and have biofeedback/meridian testing done. It could be a variety of things and it is not normal. If conventional medicine is not giving you an answer try a naturopath. They often will find things and diagnosis health issues that conventional medicine never finds. This could pose a more complicated set of issues later. rule out everything now.

The vaccines are also attributed to allergies and soy in formula or milk form should never be digested by people.

www.hpakids.org
www.westonprice.org
www.vitalhealth.org
www.allingoodhealth.com

The first two are informational and referral websites. the bottom two are what I said above-those are clinics.

Let me know if you need more info.

T.
detox coach

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M.C.

answers from Chicago on

Have you tried Enfamil nutramigen? My nephew had blood in his stool and this is the only thing that worked. Good luck!

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

So you have received a lot of responses and I have not read all of them, but I noticed that many talked about putting your son on formula -- DO NOT PUT HIM ON FORMULA!! Continue to breastfeed him as it is the best thing for him -- especially for his digestive and immune systems. I would follow Toni V's advice and seek out a naturopath or homeopathic doctor to administer an MSA test and for treatment. The test will identify sensitivities and may help you figure out what you need to eliminate from your diet.

You are also going to want to put your son on a probiotic to get your son's digestive system healthy. Candida or yeast overgrowth causes "leaky gut" (google it) and is the probable cause of food allergies in infants. The homeopathic doc you see will have to recommend a probiotic for you since your son is so young. We used a dairy-free probiotic for my son and started at 10 months -- but if we had started treating him sooner it probably would have been fine to give him. It was called I-Flora Acidophilus 4 Kids. (he's taking a different one now that he is older) The earlier you start treating his gut, the better off he will be. The lining of the intestinal wall "closes up" at about 1 year. There is a lot you can do at this point to correct what is going on.

We detected my sons's "severe" milk and egg allergies at about 6 months. I stopped vaccinating him at that point. (You might want to consider this as well. Tests have shown that vaccines could trigger allergies.) I also cut dairy and egg out of my diet until I stopped breastfeeding him at 15 months. And we started seeing a homeopathic doc in Glenview -- a little far for you, but his name is Tom Bayne (and he's wonderful). The severity of my son's allergies has not been tested since we started seeing the Homeopahtic doc, but he has had exposure (mostly accidental) to both milk and egg during this time and his reactions (if any) are NOT EVEN CLOSE to what they were when it was first detected and he broke out in hives. You might also want to read a book by Scot Sicherer. I can't remember the exact name, but it's something like Dealing With or Living With Your Child's Food Allergies. Let me konw if you have any more questions. I have been living with this for over a year now and feel confident that we are doing all the right things to either help my son outgrow his allergies or at least prevent them from getting worse.
Good Luck.

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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

My sons have both been on a rice-based formula. It is homemade, but I got the recipe from a naturopathic doctor. Email if you want the recipe. You can show it to your doctor and see what he/she says. Legally your doctor cannot tell you to use it because it is not approved by the FDA, but if you ask your doctor if it is nutritionally complete, I am sure he/she will say yes. My children's pediatrician did.

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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

Boy you must be overwhelmed with the responses. I hate to even give you more to think about. But my friends little girl has a stomach disorder, there's not even a name for it, but there is a book called breaking the vicious cycle. It gives foods to eat and avoid. I think there is a website called breakingthe viciouscycle.com Basically her body can't digest complex sugars only simple ones. Another friends daughter has crones and another ciliac. I would push your dr about why he's not convcerned that it could be one of these. if you're not satisfied with his response get a second opinoin.

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B.A.

answers from Chicago on

Hi - my 3 year old son was allergic to Wheat, Gluten, Corn, Eggs, Sugars, Vitamin C, Yeast, Food additives and preservatives, and several other things.

We took him to an allergist in fact, and they just tested him for a few things - he was still having problems.

Well he had 12 undiagnosed food allergies we found out.

We took him to a NAET practitioner - www.naet.com

NAET is an allergy elimination technique that actually tells the practitioner what organs are reacting, what antibodies are reacting with this allergen, and actually programs the body to accept the allergen. Its so amazing - I literally tell everyone I know about it.

So far my son's allergies to all of the above are totally gone. We have several more to go -but he has been off all of his allergy meds and steroids he was on. And WHAT peace of mind not to have to worry about every little thing my son would eat. No more asthma attacks either.

We go to Dr. Tam in Lombard - he is FABULOUS!! You can go to naet.com and find a practitioner near you.

On a side note - Dr Tam did talk to us about blood in our son's stools - he does stool samples and has them analyzed for many different things - he is very thorough.

GOOD LUCK!!

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K.C.

answers from Toledo on

We have a great gastro guy at University of Chicago. His name is Dr. Gaudilini. Go to the University for a second opinion and don't wait. I fought with my doctor for two years and went around her and my insurance. My gut feeling was correct and my daughter is allergic to wheat.

Good Luck!

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V.D.

answers from San Diego on

I know you have already received a great deal of responses, but thought I'd throw my story in here...as a bit of encouragement. My youngest daughter (now 2) started having blood in her stool at 13 days old. Took her in had all sorts of tests done (x-rays, CT, blood tests, dye test, etc.) everything appeared normal. Was told it was likely a milk protein allergy and was told to watch my diet (I was a breastfeeding mom), record everything I ate and I was also to record her stools and save the diapers with blood. After this went on for several weeks, with no changes, I was referred to a specialist (Gastroentrenologist) out at Children's Wis. (fabulous dr.'s by the way). After reviewing all the tests my daughter had done and her history, they agreed that it was a milk protein allergy and had me see their nutritionist to help me with my diet, in order for me to continue breastfeeding (I was very oppossed to switching to formula). Her stools would get better and then every now and then the blood would appear again. The end result was....she outgrew it around 10 months old.
However, since that time she had troubles with pooping. She was in so much pain with her bowel momovements that she was put on a laxative (Miralax) for several months (3 1/2 months) until we weaned her off of it. A little background on that too...is she has a samll hemorrhoid, that developed during all her "poop issues." So we are now dealing with that...that occasionally causes her discomfort. Just 3 days ago, she had quite a bit of blood in her stool again...so occasionally the blood still appears, believe now it's more related to the hemrroid/anal fissure than internally, as the blood is bright red.
Anyway, all this to say, if it IS a milk protein allergy...then they usually outgrow it by the age of 1 -2. If you feel uncomfortable with the advice/information that you have received thus far, than seek a second opinion. If further testing hasn't been done (x-rays, barium test, etc.) then by all means get those first...those are what for sure rule out malrotation (the intestines being backwards). You are the mom...follow your gut, so you can have peace of mind about this.
Good luck and will keep your little man in my prayers.

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T.S.

answers from Peoria on

Wow, that's scary! When my son had blood in his stool I flipped out and took him to see the pediatrician. The dr. told me that if you can see that it's red then it's from the outside. If it were something wrong with his bowels, stomach, or intestines or anything like that it wouldn't be red, you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at it. Turned out to be an anal fissure. Does he strain when he poops? Just a thought... Good luck!

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K.F.

answers from Chicago on

Sounds scary, and weird that it's still htere even after you've elimitated food suspects. Personally, I would change doctors and try to get second or third opinions. It can NOT be okay to keep seeing bloody stools.

I'll pray for you and good luck...

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J.F.

answers from Chicago on

S.,

A friend of mine has a little boy who is allergic (or used to be) to EVERYTHING. I mean everything. For a few years, the only thing he could eat was a special formula that was extremely expensive and his parents would buy it in bulk on eBay. I don't know exactly what his diagnosis was called but it was an autoimmune disease. He had gastric problems -- basically his body (esophogus, stomach, etc.) would attack itself whenever he eat or drank anything. He was on a strict diet of only this special formula. I've been told its very bland and not good but it was all he ever knew. He was on this for years and I believe he might still be supplemented on it. In the past year or so he's been allowed to eat a few foods such as white potatoes and a couple other things. Gradually they are able to give him more and more. My friends live out of state now and we don't talk to them much but from what I last heard, their little boy is thriving.

I don't want to alarm you but I had never heard of anything like this before and perhaps you haven't either. I just want you to know it's a possibility. They saw a specialist in Ohio I think. Dont' settle for accepting that everything is fine if there's blood in your son's diaper. That is not normal.

Good luck.
Jen

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L.C.

answers from Chicago on

hi,

you have so many responses but just wanted to confirm another case with you. my daughter had bloody specks in her poop at around 3mths. she seemed perfectly fine otherwise. i freaked and called the doctor. i wound up cutting all dairy out of my diet and also supplemented with nutramigen (sp?. a few other posts have it as well.) be forewarned: the formula is AWFUL! and very expensive. i felt so guilty giving it to her that i wound up nursing most of the time. she eventually outgrew her allergy. i reintroduced dairy in my diet around 9mths and she has been fine since. good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with everyone that you should get a second opinion. I'm a bit off topic but my son did have eczema. From 1 year old to about 3.5 years old, my son had eczema & had been coming down with high fevers and severe upper respiratory infections way more than the average "8-10" times per year for immunity building. He was on antibiotics at least 5-6 times per year. He also had eczema but no blood in the stool. We removed wheat & dairy and did the GFCF diet, but he was about 3.5 when we started that diet. We also called a DAN doctor to discuss supplements for his age. We started vitamin Ester-C 250-350mg/day, probiotics to heal his gut, omega 3 fish oils, colloidal silver and the GFCF diet. Cleared up his eczema and most of his upper respiratory allergies. We've done the diet for about a year and he has only been sick 3 times since we started the diet November 2007. Now I think the poor boy is blessed with my environmental allergies so we're not out of the woods yet. However, he recovers much quicker even from a wimpy cold he caught at school a couple weeks ago. He used to be down with a wimpy cold for 2 weeks and now is up and about within 3 days. Diet changes are huge nowadays for kids. Wheat, gluten, dairy, preservatives & artificial colors really wreak havoc on little ons with sensitive systems. Good luck with your son and definitely get a 2nd opinion. -Judy

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J.F.

answers from Chicago on

Hi S.,
Did your son have cradle cap when he was born perhaps? What you're describing sounds like digestive problems. I would suggest getting him on some coconut kefir asap. Coconut kefir is a pro-biotic filled with beneficial bacteria that aid in digestion. You can purchase a store bought pro-biotic (we use flora life flora bear when we're in a pinch), but my humble advice is to make your own as it is much healthier. Go to www.bodyecology.com, take the candida quiz, join the messageboard and start poking around.
The diet was developed for those of us who have an over growth of yeast (candida) in our systems. What happens is basically this; at birth, our children's bodies should be innoculated by all of the healthy bacteria that momma has in her body, but if momma doesn't have the healthy bacteria to pass on, then baby's digestive system doesn't form properly and they can get what is refered to as leaky gut. What that means is that there are spaces along the digestive tract that are permeable and when foods are eaten, they slip through the holes and into the blood stream causing allergic reactions. The only way to fix these problems is by regulating the diet.
If you're interested I can email you the different formulas that you would need to make at home that would be beneficial to your son. I'm sure you can find the receipes on the site as well or just post what you've got going on and you'll get tons of responses and support. Its an awesome site- mom's dealing with everything from food allergies to Autism.
I've had my son on the diet for 3 months now for asthma and allergies and have seen awesome changes in him! I hope this helps.
Blessings,
J.
picassoscat400@ yahoo dot com

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J.K.

answers from Chicago on

S.,

You might try joining a Yahoo Group called Food Lab. It's mostly moms who are dealing with diet-related restrictions in their families who have allergies, celiac disease, etc. There are a lot of posts from moms who's babies' symptoms are blood in the stool.

My son was diagnosed with eczema (including weeping, bleeding and lack of sleep for so much scratching) at 3 months and I was desperate for information and answers. I decided to do a full elimination diet - where you eat off a short list of safe foods until the baby's symptoms clear up, then slowly add foods to identify what are the offending food. It's a hard diet and I almost didn't do it because eczema isn't even always food related, but it was worth it. I've identified several foods he is allergic to (eggs, corn, avocados, coconut, citrus), which I avoid, and his skin is clear. The other advantage is I know in advance what foods we shouldn't give him directly, now that he's eating solids. He's 8 months, and I've been on the diet for 3 months. Whatever you do, I hope you are able to find some solution.

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