Let me specify "we" and assure you that it's only my poor blotchy skinned, snot nosed daughter who is indeed giving up dairy for lent. OR for the next 2 weeks, seeings how we aren't Catholic!
So Natalee's been sick...AGAIN...story of our lives. We deal with a continual runny nose and every 2-3 weeks it turns into an infection because there is just so much, well, snot. It settles in her belly, in her throat, and makes her miserable. So today my mom stayed home with her (thanks again, Grandma) because our sick days have been eaten alive at work this year and she took her to the doctor for me. Might I add how weird that was for me as we usually do everything together. I hardly ever even take her to the doctor without Mike b/c that's just how we roll so sending her with someone else was just strange....
but anyhow...
I asked mom to inquire with the doctor if she thinks a dairy allergy or any other factor could be contributing to this continual drainage and stuffy head. I mean, we did the tube thing, which I'm grateful for b/c at least her little ears are draining, but still, the snot. Always, the snot. And Krista said indeed dairy can cause thick mucus and that also the exzema on Natalee's hands, neck, and ankles is a big indicator that her body is fighting some kind of allergy.
Let's clarify--Natalee has never drank "real" milk...she went from breastmilk to soy formula to soy milk b/c straight milk gave her a tummy ache and diarrhea. But as I introduced other dairy and dairy by-products she seemed to do okay. No visible upset stomach, no loose diapers, etc. So we've been letting her eat yogurt and cheese and other dairy things.
Alas, we shall no longer. For the next 2 weeks we are on a STRICT no dairy diet. I'm the one making it strict because I want to know for sure whether it works or not. If she clears up then we will know she has a dairy allergy (you can't test until age 4). After that we can start re-introducing things again to see how much, if any, dairy she can tolerate. Maybe she can tolerate the dairy in a slice of bread...but maybe not.
It's exhausting, a little scary, pretty expensive, and a lot mind boggling to do this. I went shopping tonight (God bless Hy-Vee's whole food section) and bought staples...bread, soy cheese, vegan soy yogurt, a couple different "snack" type foods, mix to make pancakes, etc. It was an...adventure. Poor Natalee is going to have a lot less variety than she's used to for awhile while we figure this out. Please pray that our dear baby-sitter stays on board with us and that we all don't get terribly frustrated in the process of this learning adventure.
Any knowledgable tips are ALWAYS welcome. Also, I'd be curious to know this: if your child had an allergy that wasn't life or death, like this milk allergy, would you go to all this trouble? because let me admit that as I was reading labels at one point the thought crossed my mind that a perpetual runny nose wasn't really so bad...but then I felt guilty b/c we all deserve a chance to feel our best--even 1 year olds who can't tell us themselves!
6 comments:
For the two weeks I would absolutely go to the trouble, b/c I would want an answer. After that I think it would be a trial and error thing. Like you said, it may not be all dairy that bothers her. I have no idea how to cut dairy out of a diet b/c It's a LARGE part of the Mehringer house hold diet. My son would rather have cheese then gummy bears. Good luck and I hope and pray that at the end of these two weeks you at least feel you have a definative answer.
I don't know, Jenn. . .I guess maybe it's worth a try, it does seem she's been sick a lot!
Well you know I think it's worth the trouble. Because while the snotty nose isn't life threatening, who really wants to have a snotty nose all the time. Avery feels better when we stick to the diet so he's a lot more fun to be around, lol. We recently tried to back off from some of what we were doing and, needless to say, we're back on it again because we like the Avery on a diet much better than the Avery off the diet (we love both Avery's of course).
Good luck. If you find a product you really like, check out amazon because you can buy some things in bulk which makes it cheaper. Also, the lady that works in the whole food section at Hy-Vee is wonderful and has even ordered stuff for me.
Good luck! ` Laci
"whatever it takes" is one of those things i probably say too much... so yes, i would buy all the crazy foods stuff and do!
but i've come to a new (for me) realization that just because i think X means i'm doing whatever it takes doesn't mean that other people's X is the same as mine and yet they are still doing whatever it takes! i hope that makes sense. LOL not sure how to word it. so the extreme is defined by you. some people may think the way we have chosen to eat is extreme, but it's not extreme to me. :)
i too am very thankful for hyvee's health food section and i've found too, the better i do at eating protein the less our grocery bill is because i'm not spending money on filler foods! but when feeding toddlers this is still very hard!!
i hope these next two weeks are filled with answers and give you much clarity with what the next step is! :)
-brea
i think it is very worth it to stop cold turkey for 2 weeks. like we talked about, i bet you can introduce small amounts of dairy. what a way of life huh? good luck!
i think it is worth it too. it is only 2 weeks. the first few times grocery shopping will be the hardest after that it will be a piece of cake b/c you will be used to it and not get annoyed. it's kind of like going to a different grocery store and things being in totally different places, it's annoying! we like "comfort" and the "same ole, same ole" routine. this will be become that. good luck, i will be praying for you.
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