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View Full Version : food sensitivity.. testing being done finally...



bekajoi
October 2nd, 2008, 01:04 PM
So, Aaron has been suspected for sensitivity with foods, and I was doing a food log, eliminating one thing at a time, trying to figure out what is going on...

Last night he ate seitan (vital wheat gluten "meat") done up like a chicken fried steak. He has been offered seitan before and didn't really eat it before, he picked at it. I never stress over what he eats, quantity wise, and overlooked this before, I guess. So I saw it as he ate it, and was fine.

Well, he had it last night, had a bad bathroom break before bed, and went to sleep. (typical night) He woke up a few times in the middle of the night, crying. Didn't answer my "are you ok?" questions, so he must have gone back to sleep. He did this once in the morning before I hopped in the shower, too, and I just figured he was having a bad dream or being grumpy.

After I got out of the shower, I heard him crying again. He was saying his tummy hurt. A LOT. :( I picked him up and carried him to my bed to let him rest there, for faster trip to the potty. He didn't want to move, kept falling asleep, and crying as he moved and woke up. :(

So I go to take the kids to school (Anna & Jacob, neighbor boy), and get home to find dh changing our sheets. He threw up all over the bed. :( Then I went to check on him in his own bed and he threw up into his bucket in there already. He was listless, didn't want to do ANYTHING. Didn't want to move to the couch to watch tv, he said it hurt to move, hurt to walk. Poor guy!

Dh and I talked and we made an appointment for him to see the doc. I decided to take the food log I've been doing for him to show what I am doing, explain why, and see if this episode had anything to do with food. Go figure, as soon as I make the appointment, he starts asking for food. I offered applesauce, banana, and rice through the morning.

We got to the doc's and the doctor asks why I am thinking it could be Celiac or gluten intolerance, so I explain, and talk about the last few months, how he's not been "normal", but he used to be. I also list the other things I think it could be, and that I'd JUST taken soy out the day before. He's been off dairy for 2 weeks now. Dairy free didn't seem to make a difference. Soy is infrequent, but wheat is a daily thing here right now. So of the 3 suspects, wheat/gluten seem to be the biggest one to look at.

She checks him over, he feels much better now, doesn't show signs of illness, no fever. He's otherwise in perfect health. She doesn't think I'm insane, and decides to run a full set of allergy tests, and thinks the Celiac tests are founded after hearing what I have to say. She orders those as well as a few to check his levels for nutrition even though by my list of what we eat, she's not concerned, but they order them together just to be safe (to check that it's not a LACK of something, rather than an issue with something) ~

So they took 3 vials of blood, he cried a lot. But I'm SO glad they are running all these at once, not doing one round then saying "nope, not it, try again".

The doc was really glad we got him in for testing right now, rather than weaning him off all this stuff, and then coming back in. She'd have had to send us away for a month to reintroduce it to have it in the system for tests. She was also really impressed with my food log, so I guess I can do one of those really well! No lectures about eating veg to vegan, I did make sure to mention they're getting a multivitamin for B-12 and iron, and a calcium supplement to be sure those are ok.

Anyway, the doc did make a good point, that if all these come back negative and he's NOT allergic to any of the major things, maybe this is HIS "normal". Especially if it isn't actually bothering him and this morning was a fast-to-pass virus. I think if these tests come back negative (not inconclusive), I'll let it lie and just watch him from here on out.

:( Last night the poor kid had his worst potty break since we started the log, just before he fell asleep. :( Two steps forward, one step back. Still, answers are coming.

So that's that, and I should be making an appointment here in the next week, to find some answers.

OH!!! And this doc said if it looked like we were doing lots of prepackaged foods, she'd mention red #40 and HFCS as culprits, and I said we've been avoiding those for a while now, as my kids react badly to it. Demon babies are no fun. ;)

YAY for a doc that thinks they suck too!!!!!!

Tofu-N-Sprouts
October 2nd, 2008, 04:46 PM
Good deal, nice to have a doc that supports you! Poor little guy though...

What about reacting to fats, like gallbladder problems? My nephew had them (some similar symptoms) I don't know if they find that with blood tests, I think they do.
But it's usually an adult thing, so not often suspected/diagnosed in kids. Just asking because your child reacted so severely to a "fried" item. That can set gallbladder attacks off. Even in kids, though less common.

Also, I know you said you'd been off dairy for a while, but don't rule it out as a culprit, it takes a long time to know for sure with that, especially if you've used it all your life and just grown "used' to some of the symptoms. Most allergies are lessened by eliminating dairy completely and staying off it. (Not saying that 'cause I'm pushing a vegan agenda, but 'cause I have allergies!)

yoginisarah
October 3rd, 2008, 10:15 PM
I've heard that those tests are REALLY inaccurate. My friend's child has many allergies including severe reaction to all nuts. His test came back saying he wasn't allergic to nuts or dairy or gluten....all 3 of which he has extreme reactions to. I've heard the best way to figure out a food allergy is to do an elimination diet for 6 weeks and then slowly introduce suspected allergens one by one.
Hopefully it will work for you though. Food allergies/sensitivities are so hard!

Tofu-N-Sprouts
October 4th, 2008, 02:08 AM
If done correctly, allergy tests are quite accurate. If you take an antihistamine before the tests or other meds, it can skew the results, as can other variables. But in most cases, they're accurate.

IamJen
October 4th, 2008, 04:34 AM
I've had good experiences with kiddos and allergy tests as well. Hug your little one tight for us bekajoi! Hopefully soon, you'll know what the problem is, and he can be back to his perky self. :)

bekajoi
October 7th, 2008, 04:36 PM
Still waiting to hear back. It's 5 days out right now... Getting antsy.

bekajoi
October 14th, 2008, 05:33 PM
Not all tests are in, doc wasn't in, that's why they haven't called. The nurse I spoke with said from what she could TELL, the tests that came back look ok, so far. But it looks like allergy panel and celiac are still not in yet.... so I'm not holding my breath for a good result yet.

The tests that ARE in came in yesterday. So it looks like the doc underestimated the timeframe, basically. Still waiting.

IamJen
October 15th, 2008, 02:47 AM
Oi. Hang in there!

KHADIJAH
October 18th, 2008, 12:04 PM
Hope you baby gets better.