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Milk allergy and behavior
Sep 22, 2008 04:33PM
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Okay, so I've had some time at work to really study up on cow milk/dairy allergies, intestinal bleeding, and anemia. I've looked at and read tons of medical and scientific sites in the last few hours (terrible...I should've been working. But this is all I can think about lately because I feel so in the dark about Trevor's intestinal issues).
Anyway, I'm feeling more and more confident that Trevor's problems are *probably* strictly related to dairy (not that I didn't believe you, Peek. It's just now that I have more knowledge of exactly how a milk allergy functions and the symptoms, I don't feel as helpless for him).
I'm not ruling out any other intestinal issues that could be causing his bleeding, but now knowing that dairy certainly isn't helping the situation, I feel like I'm making the right moves to help him overcome this problem naturally; hopefully without much, or any, invasive proceedures and harsh medications.
I've realized Trevor truly had a milk allergy, not intolerance, when he was an infant. His symptoms matched allergies completely: eczema breakouts, ear infections, runny nose, severly asthmatic wheezing and coughing to the point of gagging (he was on a nebulizer almost daily for a year), and continuous vomiting. The boy was a poster child for milk allergies. Unfortunately, I didn't know milk could be causing the problem until he was 10 months old (his ped was NO help), and even then, I thought it was intolerance and not an allergy.
Also, I read that a milk allergy is not outgrown, the symptoms just change. This is a quote from http://www.nutramed.com/children/kidsmilk.htm (this was a very informative web page, by the way. Another helpful one was http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=199).
"Infant milk allergy is thought to be a specific and limited condition which children 'outgrow.' This idea can be misleading -- many children continue to have chronic symptoms from milk, although the original problem may disappear, the pattern of illness changes and confuses parents and physicians. At the very least, we can say that some children have an allergic tendency that persists and evolves with different manifestations. Milk allergy is common in adults but is seldom diagnosed."
I'm now conviced that Trevor still has a milk allergy, and the evolved symptoms have become the intestinal distress and hyperactivity. I say hyperactivity because that, along with irritability and mood swings, are seen mostly after infancy, and Trevor is VERY high energy. Recently he's even quit taking afternoon naps, even though he is obviously fatigued because he gets moody, but absolutely will not settle down to fall asleep anymore. This is even becoming a problem at his daycare.
There are times when he's so hyperactive that, even when he tries to sit still, he's twitching. I played a memory matching card game with him last night, and he could not sit still. What I found even more interesting about his energy was I could see he *wanted* to focus on the game to remember where to find matching cards, but he had a difficult time remembering where cards were because he was always looking at them from a different perspective. He could remember the vicinity of the matching card, but he couldn't find the exact card time and time again because he was moving all over the place. He had the focus and the interest and we had tons of fun playing the game together, but he could not just sit. He was rolling, hopping, standing, crawling, fidgeting, moving, moving, moving! This was non-stop, and I seriously mean non-stop, for like an hour (which we could've finished the game in half that time if he had the ability to just be still).
I understand young boys can be high-energy, but there are times when Trev honestly seems out of control physically and not mentally, or vice versa, and it's affecting his interactions with other adults and his peers. He needs constant reminders and strict boundaries, more so than many other children his age I've noticed--I feel like I'm always harping on him, warning him, or disciplining him, and I feel burnt out all the time.
I know there's probably no way I can put his hyperactive behavioral description into words well enough to tell anyone that I don't quite feel his behavior is "normal activity for a boy." Honestly, it's something you have to see over hours at a time, or even days, to get the general idea of where I'm coming from; my family and close friends would know what I'm trying to convey though.
Anyway, I've had him off dairy completely since 9-17, and for certain, he has had no bleeding since 9-19. Perhaps in the next three weeks I'll see his behavior mellow out slightly. I'm not getting my hopes up too much for that to be honest, but it just may happen.
As a side note, his dietary sugar intake is pretty low compared to most children his age because I'm such a health nut, so that's why I'm anticipating slight behavioral mellowing by removing dairy.
Does anyone else have experience with children who have milk allergies that caused hyperactivity or behavioral problems? I'm interested in knowing more about it.
Anyway, I'm feeling more and more confident that Trevor's problems are *probably* strictly related to dairy (not that I didn't believe you, Peek. It's just now that I have more knowledge of exactly how a milk allergy functions and the symptoms, I don't feel as helpless for him).
I'm not ruling out any other intestinal issues that could be causing his bleeding, but now knowing that dairy certainly isn't helping the situation, I feel like I'm making the right moves to help him overcome this problem naturally; hopefully without much, or any, invasive proceedures and harsh medications.
I've realized Trevor truly had a milk allergy, not intolerance, when he was an infant. His symptoms matched allergies completely: eczema breakouts, ear infections, runny nose, severly asthmatic wheezing and coughing to the point of gagging (he was on a nebulizer almost daily for a year), and continuous vomiting. The boy was a poster child for milk allergies. Unfortunately, I didn't know milk could be causing the problem until he was 10 months old (his ped was NO help), and even then, I thought it was intolerance and not an allergy.
Also, I read that a milk allergy is not outgrown, the symptoms just change. This is a quote from http://www.nutramed.com/children/kidsmilk.htm (this was a very informative web page, by the way. Another helpful one was http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=199).
"Infant milk allergy is thought to be a specific and limited condition which children 'outgrow.' This idea can be misleading -- many children continue to have chronic symptoms from milk, although the original problem may disappear, the pattern of illness changes and confuses parents and physicians. At the very least, we can say that some children have an allergic tendency that persists and evolves with different manifestations. Milk allergy is common in adults but is seldom diagnosed."
I'm now conviced that Trevor still has a milk allergy, and the evolved symptoms have become the intestinal distress and hyperactivity. I say hyperactivity because that, along with irritability and mood swings, are seen mostly after infancy, and Trevor is VERY high energy. Recently he's even quit taking afternoon naps, even though he is obviously fatigued because he gets moody, but absolutely will not settle down to fall asleep anymore. This is even becoming a problem at his daycare.
There are times when he's so hyperactive that, even when he tries to sit still, he's twitching. I played a memory matching card game with him last night, and he could not sit still. What I found even more interesting about his energy was I could see he *wanted* to focus on the game to remember where to find matching cards, but he had a difficult time remembering where cards were because he was always looking at them from a different perspective. He could remember the vicinity of the matching card, but he couldn't find the exact card time and time again because he was moving all over the place. He had the focus and the interest and we had tons of fun playing the game together, but he could not just sit. He was rolling, hopping, standing, crawling, fidgeting, moving, moving, moving! This was non-stop, and I seriously mean non-stop, for like an hour (which we could've finished the game in half that time if he had the ability to just be still).
I understand young boys can be high-energy, but there are times when Trev honestly seems out of control physically and not mentally, or vice versa, and it's affecting his interactions with other adults and his peers. He needs constant reminders and strict boundaries, more so than many other children his age I've noticed--I feel like I'm always harping on him, warning him, or disciplining him, and I feel burnt out all the time.
I know there's probably no way I can put his hyperactive behavioral description into words well enough to tell anyone that I don't quite feel his behavior is "normal activity for a boy." Honestly, it's something you have to see over hours at a time, or even days, to get the general idea of where I'm coming from; my family and close friends would know what I'm trying to convey though.
Anyway, I've had him off dairy completely since 9-17, and for certain, he has had no bleeding since 9-19. Perhaps in the next three weeks I'll see his behavior mellow out slightly. I'm not getting my hopes up too much for that to be honest, but it just may happen.
As a side note, his dietary sugar intake is pretty low compared to most children his age because I'm such a health nut, so that's why I'm anticipating slight behavioral mellowing by removing dairy.
Does anyone else have experience with children who have milk allergies that caused hyperactivity or behavioral problems? I'm interested in knowing more about it.
My oldest was hyperactive, but had no milk allergy that I know of.
Good detective work! Knowledge is power!
Good detective work! Knowledge is power!
Have you thought about goats milk, AJ? I heard that's supposed to be more easily digested. And they haven't messed with that yet with the hormones like they have cows milk. There's also soy milk.
I think you're an awesome mom, AJ! You are so involved with your son and care so much. He's a lucky little boy. Not all parents are like that.
I've been watching your post about Trevor and thinking and praying for you guys. I just didn't think I had much to offer you. I've never seen these kinds of digestive or bowel problems in a young child before. I know I started getting them but just only recently in the last few years.
Are you going to experiment with taking him off cows milk? I'd be interested in seeing what happens. Keep us informed.
Take care & give that little cutie a hug from me! :)
God bless!
April
I think you're an awesome mom, AJ! You are so involved with your son and care so much. He's a lucky little boy. Not all parents are like that.
I've been watching your post about Trevor and thinking and praying for you guys. I just didn't think I had much to offer you. I've never seen these kinds of digestive or bowel problems in a young child before. I know I started getting them but just only recently in the last few years.
Are you going to experiment with taking him off cows milk? I'd be interested in seeing what happens. Keep us informed.
Take care & give that little cutie a hug from me! :)
God bless!
April
Yes, I have too much experience in this dept with my children who are now growing up. My son had severe reflux issues for 2 yrs from the tiny bit of hyopallergenic caseine (milk protein) in the forumla Alimentum which he was on for 2 yrs due to inability to eat solid foods from an immature GI tract. It took 2yr and a switch to Rice milk at that time to see the reflux all but go away within a few days!! His GI was amazed.
One can get aspiration from undiagnosed reflux from the milk problems .. especially if you mention asthma/nebulizer .. he may be refluxing at night and micro-aspirating ??? Has he seen a pedi pulmonologist at all ? And a pedi allergist? Or, the asthma can be reactive in nature. Definitely ask about "silent reflux" ... it isn't seen or heard , it just happens . esp. at night.
If reflux is involved please please come over to the MedHelp Pediatric GERD (reflux) community. Many there can help.
BEHAVIORIAL INDIFFERENCES CAN AND DO HAPPEN ... I have seen it with my very own eyes with my own children and finally I found the right allergist who listened and helped us through our woes. He was on the cover of Time Magazine for his work with food allergies and asthma.
My daughters have latex/plum/nut anaphylaxis and carries an epi pen .. the other one bee sting.
To answer your ? yes .. behavior and severe food intolerances can go hand in hand. 2 of my children are living proof. The internal inflammation can also cause low-grade temps and if one has inflammation on the inside, it is bound to change their behavior on the outside ....
C~
One can get aspiration from undiagnosed reflux from the milk problems .. especially if you mention asthma/nebulizer .. he may be refluxing at night and micro-aspirating ??? Has he seen a pedi pulmonologist at all ? And a pedi allergist? Or, the asthma can be reactive in nature. Definitely ask about "silent reflux" ... it isn't seen or heard , it just happens . esp. at night.
If reflux is involved please please come over to the MedHelp Pediatric GERD (reflux) community. Many there can help.
BEHAVIORIAL INDIFFERENCES CAN AND DO HAPPEN ... I have seen it with my very own eyes with my own children and finally I found the right allergist who listened and helped us through our woes. He was on the cover of Time Magazine for his work with food allergies and asthma.
My daughters have latex/plum/nut anaphylaxis and carries an epi pen .. the other one bee sting.
To answer your ? yes .. behavior and severe food intolerances can go hand in hand. 2 of my children are living proof. The internal inflammation can also cause low-grade temps and if one has inflammation on the inside, it is bound to change their behavior on the outside ....
C~
ChitChat, thank you SO much for sharing your experience! That helps me a lot and broadens my knowledge of what to keep my eye on for him.
April, yes, I have considered trying goat milk/dairy stuff for us in the near future, as I've read that it's digested differently than cow milk. I've also done a lot of reading on the difference of raw and pasteurized (cow) milk, and how pasteurazation and homoginazation significantly affects how (cow) milk is digested from raw milk. It's quite interesting and actually a bit shocking. So I've also considered trying raw milk, which can be legally sold and bought in certain areas of AL and TN. I'm only considering the options of goat or raw cow milk if I know for certain that Trevor does not have an allergy to milk, but I really think he does.
So for right now, he's been on soy milk since the middle of last week, and I'm going to keep him on a complete non-dairy diet until his appointment with the pedi GI on Oct 13.
Also, now that I'm aware of his diet and what I've eliminated, I realized that up till now, I had NO IDEA that milk and milk proteins are in SO MANY foods! I have become obsessed with reading food ingredient lables as well as looking at all these informative sites. I'm beginning to know how it feels to be a parent to a child with a special needs diet due to allergies.
Holy cow, how do parents and children in these situations keep their sanity?! Especially when they have more than one food allergy! It seems all the things that cause food allergies--wheat, dairy, nuts, dyes, preservatives--are in every single food item on the market! What in the world do they eat, and where do they find it?
I came across a post on MH from 2002 that explained some things about dairy allergies, EFA deficiencies, and behavior-related issues, and recommended a book called "Special Diets for Special Kids." I looked up the book online and read some reviews about it (many good reviews), and I figure I'm going to get it this week so I can use it for the next month as a reference. And quite possibly longer than the next month, but we'll see.
Any other recommendations would be appreciated if anyone knows of a few.
April, yes, I have considered trying goat milk/dairy stuff for us in the near future, as I've read that it's digested differently than cow milk. I've also done a lot of reading on the difference of raw and pasteurized (cow) milk, and how pasteurazation and homoginazation significantly affects how (cow) milk is digested from raw milk. It's quite interesting and actually a bit shocking. So I've also considered trying raw milk, which can be legally sold and bought in certain areas of AL and TN. I'm only considering the options of goat or raw cow milk if I know for certain that Trevor does not have an allergy to milk, but I really think he does.
So for right now, he's been on soy milk since the middle of last week, and I'm going to keep him on a complete non-dairy diet until his appointment with the pedi GI on Oct 13.
Also, now that I'm aware of his diet and what I've eliminated, I realized that up till now, I had NO IDEA that milk and milk proteins are in SO MANY foods! I have become obsessed with reading food ingredient lables as well as looking at all these informative sites. I'm beginning to know how it feels to be a parent to a child with a special needs diet due to allergies.
Holy cow, how do parents and children in these situations keep their sanity?! Especially when they have more than one food allergy! It seems all the things that cause food allergies--wheat, dairy, nuts, dyes, preservatives--are in every single food item on the market! What in the world do they eat, and where do they find it?
I came across a post on MH from 2002 that explained some things about dairy allergies, EFA deficiencies, and behavior-related issues, and recommended a book called "Special Diets for Special Kids." I looked up the book online and read some reviews about it (many good reviews), and I figure I'm going to get it this week so I can use it for the next month as a reference. And quite possibly longer than the next month, but we'll see.
Any other recommendations would be appreciated if anyone knows of a few.
Have you taken your DS to an allergist yet? I also believe DD has a milk allergy, she breaks out in hives around her mouth and neck when she has the tiniest amount of milk products. I told her pedi at 9 months that she had a reaction in the form of hives and her pedi said "if she was allergic to milk then she would be allergic to your breastmilk because it has the same lactose" I was like WTF? I know the difference between lactose intolerance and a true milk allergy. Some "Doctors" are incompetent idiots. I have done a lot of research myself about milk allergies and I now would not even give DD cows milk if she did not have reactions to it. DD wont drink anything other than breastmilk or water(she does not even like juice) so I am now trying to see if she will drink hemp milk. Hemp milk has lots of nutrients and more fat than cows milk (which my DD NEEDS badly). It is a little on the expensive side but at this point I am willing to try anything. DD also had a reaction to eggs so I need to make her an appt to see what allergies she has.
I just wanted to add that Le Leche league has a great allergy forum if you are breastfeeding. But even if you are not they have wonderful info on products and support for families who have children with allergies.
http://forums.llli.org/index.php
I just wanted to add that Le Leche league has a great allergy forum if you are breastfeeding. But even if you are not they have wonderful info on products and support for families who have children with allergies.
http://forums.llli.org/index.php
Just a comment about the raw milk...When I was kid, our family rented land to a dairy farmer who gave us unpasteurized milk in return. Until I moved out and bought my own milk from a grocery store, I never knew I was lactose intolerant. I can drink raw milk, no problems. There are ways that you can get raw milk if you want to try it. I would tell you, but then I'd have to...well, lets just say it wouldn't be pretty (jk) Seriously, pm me if you want to know :) Good luck!
Trevor has been off dairy for two weeks, I have noticed the slightest bit of improvement in his behavior. He's still bouncy and very much the same little boy, BUT...in the last three days I've noticed he's more receptive to obeying and cooperating rather than getting defiant and having extreme outbursts of hyperactivity or meltdowns. He's more responsive without putting up a fight so much, and softer-spoken in his reactions.
I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining this slight, not-so-obvious behavior change, so I called my mom Saturday night and asked her how he was for her that morning, as she'd taken him for a couple hours while my sister and I did a taekwondo class. I asked if she thought his receptiveness to obedience and cooperation were the same as she'd always known him to be, or if he was a little better than usual, or if he was a little hellian, or if he was much better than usual. I honestly thought she's say he was the same...not "bad" but a bit on the "difficult" side. But she told me that he was in fact a little better than usual, and that she was even a bit surprised at how responsive he was.
Maybe he's just having a good week, and I'm relating it to the dairy issue because that's what my mind is consumed with. But just MAYBE I'm actually seeing a positive result.
Only more time and careful observation and experimentation with dairy will tell.
I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining this slight, not-so-obvious behavior change, so I called my mom Saturday night and asked her how he was for her that morning, as she'd taken him for a couple hours while my sister and I did a taekwondo class. I asked if she thought his receptiveness to obedience and cooperation were the same as she'd always known him to be, or if he was a little better than usual, or if he was a little hellian, or if he was much better than usual. I honestly thought she's say he was the same...not "bad" but a bit on the "difficult" side. But she told me that he was in fact a little better than usual, and that she was even a bit surprised at how responsive he was.
Maybe he's just having a good week, and I'm relating it to the dairy issue because that's what my mind is consumed with. But just MAYBE I'm actually seeing a positive result.
Only more time and careful observation and experimentation with dairy will tell.
Well, I was doing some searching on the Internet about this particular topic and I just wanted to weigh in on the discussion. I am 27 years old now, but when I was a kid I was allergic to milk, even breast milk. I couldn't hold down breast milk and was even allergic to some formulas. Milk caused over-production of mucous, coughing, sinus problems, etc. Typical milk allergy stuff, but it was lactose intolerance. I had been tested for allergies, but not specifically for milk allergy. As I got older and into my early teens, I drank milk and used it in cereal, but began to have severe migraines. I linked it to milk, as whenever I had milk I would get migraines (which I now know is a change in symptoms according to that wonderful article posted earlier.)
I cut back drinking so much milk and noticed that it went away, but then I would have severe mood swings, becoming extremely depressed and irritated. Once again we connected this with milk through some simple deductive reasoning. My allergist told me that he hadn't heard of anything like this and he was in his 60's. My cousin, who is now 16, has the same problem, but he gets very belligerent.
All this to say, first you all have helped give me some info about milk allergies and the changes in symptoms as a child grows into an adult. More importantly, let me give some hope. I have cut out milk completely from my diet, except cheese. I have noticed that my reactions to milk only come with drinking milk (even organic milk), eating ice cream, and eating yogurt. Things made with milk don't bother me and cheese doesn't bother me. I drink Almond or Rice milk and I do just fine. I like it better than goat milk or soy, which tastes horrible to me. I use it on cereal and it's just fine. I know that others vary in their severity of milk allergy, but for me I have evened out and don't have the violent emotional/energy swings that I did, nor any physical symptoms. I hope this helps give some hope and help with your children, because you certainly have helped give me some more information about my own allergies. Oh, by the way, Rice Dream makes some amazing Rice Milk ice cream....just FYI =~)
I cut back drinking so much milk and noticed that it went away, but then I would have severe mood swings, becoming extremely depressed and irritated. Once again we connected this with milk through some simple deductive reasoning. My allergist told me that he hadn't heard of anything like this and he was in his 60's. My cousin, who is now 16, has the same problem, but he gets very belligerent.
All this to say, first you all have helped give me some info about milk allergies and the changes in symptoms as a child grows into an adult. More importantly, let me give some hope. I have cut out milk completely from my diet, except cheese. I have noticed that my reactions to milk only come with drinking milk (even organic milk), eating ice cream, and eating yogurt. Things made with milk don't bother me and cheese doesn't bother me. I drink Almond or Rice milk and I do just fine. I like it better than goat milk or soy, which tastes horrible to me. I use it on cereal and it's just fine. I know that others vary in their severity of milk allergy, but for me I have evened out and don't have the violent emotional/energy swings that I did, nor any physical symptoms. I hope this helps give some hope and help with your children, because you certainly have helped give me some more information about my own allergies. Oh, by the way, Rice Dream makes some amazing Rice Milk ice cream....just FYI =~)
My 11yr old uses only Rice Milk -- she gets bad strapping intestinal pains from regular milk and it's a delayed reaction. Her skin tests are negative. She gets bad constipation, too & headaches. Her older sister, along with this daughter, both get migraines from chocolate by itself or in chocolate milk.
There is a reaction that can be "T" Cell mediated delayed reaction which is a bit technical to read about but may be worth a search online for.
Our Pedi Rheumatologist spoke about it and delayed reactions many years ago and I have not forgotten that it is A) uncommon and B) technical to read about.
C~
There is a reaction that can be "T" Cell mediated delayed reaction which is a bit technical to read about but may be worth a search online for.
Our Pedi Rheumatologist spoke about it and delayed reactions many years ago and I have not forgotten that it is A) uncommon and B) technical to read about.
C~
My son drank soy infant formula for the first two years, then wanted to drink soy milk for about four years. Big, big mistake! He wet the bed almost every night until he was 7. He was literally bouncing off the walls, couldn't control himself, didn't seem to care about consequences so discipline was ineffective, eventually became intolerant of stress and developed sensory defensiveness.
He was ten when I had him tested and found out he was allergic to soy. I never knew soy could cause such problems.
My son sustained intestinal damage and leaky gut syndrome. He began to have severe light sensitivity, extreme fatigue, ADD-like behavior. THEN, he stopped growing! When his GP couldn't help us, I did extensive internet research (on our new computer) and decided he needed to be seen by an endocrinologist.
The endo was very worried (first doctor who really cared, other than the nutritionist who diagnosed the soy allergy with a saliva test). She ordered an MRI. To make a long story shorter, my son is now suffering from adrenal insufficiency, and has a pituitary cyst causing severe hormone loss. I can NOW find lots of info that soy can cause endocrine damage. We were fooled by all the pro-soy marketing hype. Read The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla T. Daniel PhD, CCN. I know what she says is true, for the most part, because my son is a living example of the info in this book.
I'm certain all of his nutritional deficiencies are linked to the soy infant formula. Unfortunately, the doctors think this is absurd.
Everyone should read Enzymes for Digestive Health and Nutritional Wealth by Karen DeFelice. My son is doing soooooo much better, thanks to the information in this book, (and a really great nutritionist). Enzymes really help with behavioral and neurological problems caused by gut damage and food intolerances. This book is an eye-opener. I understand what happened to my son now, and have a treatment plan to help him. But we still have a long way to go.
I don't like soy anymore.
I pray that Trevor will have a complete recovery, and will have the perfect childhood all children deserve.
Enzy
He was ten when I had him tested and found out he was allergic to soy. I never knew soy could cause such problems.
My son sustained intestinal damage and leaky gut syndrome. He began to have severe light sensitivity, extreme fatigue, ADD-like behavior. THEN, he stopped growing! When his GP couldn't help us, I did extensive internet research (on our new computer) and decided he needed to be seen by an endocrinologist.
The endo was very worried (first doctor who really cared, other than the nutritionist who diagnosed the soy allergy with a saliva test). She ordered an MRI. To make a long story shorter, my son is now suffering from adrenal insufficiency, and has a pituitary cyst causing severe hormone loss. I can NOW find lots of info that soy can cause endocrine damage. We were fooled by all the pro-soy marketing hype. Read The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla T. Daniel PhD, CCN. I know what she says is true, for the most part, because my son is a living example of the info in this book.
I'm certain all of his nutritional deficiencies are linked to the soy infant formula. Unfortunately, the doctors think this is absurd.
Everyone should read Enzymes for Digestive Health and Nutritional Wealth by Karen DeFelice. My son is doing soooooo much better, thanks to the information in this book, (and a really great nutritionist). Enzymes really help with behavioral and neurological problems caused by gut damage and food intolerances. This book is an eye-opener. I understand what happened to my son now, and have a treatment plan to help him. But we still have a long way to go.
I don't like soy anymore.
I pray that Trevor will have a complete recovery, and will have the perfect childhood all children deserve.
Enzy
My 4-year old son is very active (sometimes hyper), bright and has problems settling down for nap (although he doesn't have to sleep at preschool, he still has to lay down). He can sit down and concentrate for hours at a time but is very sensitive, especially when he is in big crowds. After 2 hours at a party he has stopped listening to us and we have to go home. He has great days at school and some where he just causes trouble...I am trying the no-dariry diet but it's hard because he LOVES to drink milk. I have tried several different brands of soy milk but he doesn't like any of them and can taste if I do half-half (cow milk and soy milk) in his cheerios. We are talking to a psychologist and now I am reading this book called: "Raising Your Spirited Child Rev Ed: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. I haven't read the whole book yet but he fits into her description of Spirited children so well!! Maybe Trevor is also one of these children? In the book she gives tips on how to handle these wonderful but challenging kids.
Here it is 9 months later. I would love an update on Trevor. Did you stay on the milk free diet? did it work for him? Have you found more information. I have a 10 year old that we have been seeking answers for for years. Thanks for any updates!
Hi
My eldest son is 13 now, he was breast fed for the first few months of his life - no problem. When he was weaned it was noted that he would get an allergic rash (like nettle stings) and swelling whenever he had milk products, we stopped the milk for about 1 year. We were told that children outgrow milk allergies. When milk was reintroduced he did not get a rash. Over the next few years his behaviour appeared to change, very active yet not quite with it. When he started school at 5, ADHD was suspected, we stopped the milk again and noted a dramatic improvement in drawing skills. Again we were told to stop the milk for only three months, which we did. Since then my son has had milk in his diet, but there has always been something no quite right. Last week we were told my son has aspergers. Something tells me its the milk, yet he craves bread (they say you crave what harms you). I too have read how allergies manifest themselves differently over the years rather that disappear.
Today we started a gluten free diet (due to the cravings), if there is no change we will try the milk, Only then can I accept a diagnosis. I feel I owe it to my son to give this a try, in view of his history, and past improvements. Experience as shown me that allergies can affect behaviour. Two weeks of abstinence should clear the bodys system and improvements noticed, if this is the cause. Fingers crossed xx
My eldest son is 13 now, he was breast fed for the first few months of his life - no problem. When he was weaned it was noted that he would get an allergic rash (like nettle stings) and swelling whenever he had milk products, we stopped the milk for about 1 year. We were told that children outgrow milk allergies. When milk was reintroduced he did not get a rash. Over the next few years his behaviour appeared to change, very active yet not quite with it. When he started school at 5, ADHD was suspected, we stopped the milk again and noted a dramatic improvement in drawing skills. Again we were told to stop the milk for only three months, which we did. Since then my son has had milk in his diet, but there has always been something no quite right. Last week we were told my son has aspergers. Something tells me its the milk, yet he craves bread (they say you crave what harms you). I too have read how allergies manifest themselves differently over the years rather that disappear.
Today we started a gluten free diet (due to the cravings), if there is no change we will try the milk, Only then can I accept a diagnosis. I feel I owe it to my son to give this a try, in view of his history, and past improvements. Experience as shown me that allergies can affect behaviour. Two weeks of abstinence should clear the bodys system and improvements noticed, if this is the cause. Fingers crossed xx
Just a quick note-many breads have milk in them. Our daughter, who is 3, has extreme adverse reaction to any milk and/or items with any kind of dairy. She has been tested for any allergens and there are none. She also craves bread, which contains milk products. When we remove dairy completely from her diet, she is like a different child. The doctors that we have been to think we are crazy, but we are the ones living with the by-product when she has dairy. We are going to try a GI doc to see if there is anything to that. We have exprienced many of the same symptoms listed throughout the blog. We were so happy to find this-we figured we couldn't be the only parents going experiencing the this.
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