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Hi All – I haven’t posted here in a L O N G time but I was a regular during our reflux nightmare with my first child Sophia. After almost four years of pulling the pieces of the reflux puzzle apart I think we have finally found the last key to our succes. I’m not saying this applies to all but it may help someone out there.
Our daughter had severe reflux, gastrointestinal upset, colic type behavior and poor growth from the start. She was in the 10th percentile for weight at a year and on 30 mg of prevacid starting at 6 months. Our biggest challenge despite medication was CONSTANT night wakings. She would wake up every hour on the dot until 18 months – sleeping in a swing on high speed up until she was around 7 months old.
Around 8/9 months I started questioning multiple protein issues due to disasterous food intros. – mood swings, tummy upset, rashes, etc. By a year old she had already had numerous ear infections and now at three and a half she has had 25 to date. At 12 months I determined dairy was definitely a cuplrit and at 18 months I switched from breastfeeding to carnation good start soy formula successfully. By 2 years we were on all milk products and happy – off of meds finally.
At the three year mark I brought her to an allergist wondering if maybe allergies were contributing to the ear infections. She tested positive for 6 environmental allergies and was put on Zyrtec, steriod sinus spray, and a perscription steriod oinment for the awful rashes she gets. Eliminating the environmental allergies seemed to help buuut, the reflux roallercoaster began again. She started back on 15 mg of Prevacid approximately 6 months ago only to need a double dose within a month or so. Puzzled I brought her back to the allergist to explore food allergies which was my initial intent with our previous visit – he said he doubted food allergies because she was eating mostly everything and he wanted to start with environmental prior to food testing. This time though after none of her symptoms had totally gone away, we are slated for ear tubes, and worse yet she was back on Prevacid he decided to go forward with food testing.
She came back positive for MILK allergy. Now, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was and so was the allergist. I guess I just assumed that the MSPI and reflux were in the past and that this new flare up was simply because she had reflux and would forever more. Its been three weeks off of milk products and a would be ear infection went away on its own, shes off of the daily doses of prevacid (within two weeks) and all of her rashes have cleared up. If she has cheese or any other milk product she gets itchy instantly and the reflux flares so I give her her Prevacid now on an as needed basis (ie when she has cheese – old habits die hard and its hard convincing a three something year old that cheese is evil
) Anyway, if any of this sounds familiar – try the milk route, it could save you A LOT of grief. I always doubted my instincts with Sophia and I’m not saying that milk caused her reflux, I think she had relfux and milk made it ten times worse – I just wish I had stuck to my guns and not been so wishy washy with my food concerns. Our second child is a dream baby – no reflux UNLESS I have milk (I’m breastfeeding). The second time around I didn’t doubt myself and cut milk out immediately without even knowing about my first childs allergry – Thank God for her sake and mine that we had already been there done that. Right after the 2nd was born I tested out milk and she was up for hours, spitting up, colicy, and had tummy upset. No milk, shes a happy spitter that sleeps like a log. It took three times before I said – no more milk for me, I’ve been dairy free for five months and the thought of pizza is enough to make me insane, but sleeping through the night starting at two months is worth never eating pizza!!!!!! So call it what you will – but I think if anyone has a reflux child, staying away from milk can’t hurt. Its worth a shot and its not something my GI specialist, two pediatricians, or a highly regarded allergist recommended upfront to us in the past four years! Luckily I followed my instincts with that one but I didn’t do it whole heartedly since I didn’t feel it was supported by all of my doctors, wish I hadn’t been so niave.
Hope that helps someone.
Take care ~ Liz
lovemysophia 2007-12-04 13:48:42 hi Liz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
congrats on baby #2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!can’t believe we’re on baby #2, LOL!!!here’s to a non-refluxing second one!THANK YOU for the update! It sure will help others
I can’t find her
There are a lot of posts about various ‘milks’You might want to try rice or potato or hemp?soy might give problems as well (it’s the ‘s’ in mspi, milk/soy protein intolerance/allergy)?I did a search (upper right-hand corner of the scren is the search button) & chose ‘All Foruns’ and searched ‘one year and older’I came up with:
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