Since Eli would not nurse, we tried to give him formula to supplement my pumped milk. Yet, without fail, he would vomit, have severe diarrhea and would cry for days on end. This is true no matter what formula, and even when given in the smallest amounts (i.e. ½ ounce/day). We tried formula with predigested proteins, elemental formula, corn-free formula….nothing worked. Our sweet boy would cry for DAYS without letting up to even sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. We would pass him from person to person, bouncing that poor boy in our arms, trying to give him some relief. Then he even began vomiting my milk.
By a miracle, we got into an allergist right away. She but me on an extreme elimination diet and he improved within 4 or 5 days. We were thrilled! We were also sent to a GI doctor to see if there was evidence of some other GI problems. He said blood in the stool was consistent with a food allergy and we should proceed with that in mind. He recommended another formula that he said was sure to work.
We tried the formula a few days later. Terrible reaction. I was on the phone to the doctor right away. He said that was impossible. Those were his words: impossible. So we tried it again a few days later. Same terrible reaction.
Long story short: we ended up in the emergency room shortly after for a dehydrated and sick baby. Everything seemed to make him sick. Even Tylenol. But no one had any clue why.
We finally made it into a highly recommended GI doctor at the end of December. She decided to biopsy his small bowel and check for other causes. We waited anxiously for the results.
UPDATES:
His doctor called on Friday morning to deliver the news. It was mixed. She told us Eli has “severe food sensitivities.” In lay terms, most people would call them allergies, although they are not IgE mediated, which is the mark of a "true" allergy (the kind that causes anaphylaxis). Instead, they have an unknown cause. Not comforting for a mother who wants all the current research!
The game plan: I need to remain on a very restricted diet, eating only those foods that Eli hasn’t had a reaction too. He can have breast milk only. Then, at 9 months, we can try to introduce some limited solids. If he responds poorly, he will likely begin supplementation through an IV to meet his nutritional needs. This will last until he can take in enough foods on his own. She said most kids are okay by 10 years old, but that doesn’t give us a lot of short-term comfort!
The good news: he probably won’t have this for life! That’s better than we were expecting! Also, we are INCREDIBLY grateful that we know how to keep him well in the short term. These are both huge positives in our book!
We feel exceptionally grateful to have such good medical care and so much support. But we’re just taking things one day at a time and hoping and praying for good outcomes. Reminds me of the saying "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans." Ha! So true...
For the curious, my diet can consist of the following foods only:
- Oats, Barley, Rice
- Grapes, Apples, Bananas
- Avocado
- Pork products, Chicken, Turkey
- Potatoes – white and sweet
- Some oils
- Sugar, honey
- Some limited additional fruits and vegetables (carrots, broccoli, spinach and other ones I’ve had success with in the past)
Never have I been more grateful for all the weird foods at Whole Foods!
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