MSPI moms

monksmama

Xposted with Food Allergy.

me down from the ledge please. long and TMI

 I've been off major dairy for about 2 weeks. Little miss was spitty and fussy and I was dairy free with the other two so it was no big deal.

 Saturday I noticed she had a nasty rash on her ear with a yellow goo. Monday the pedi dx'ed eczema with an infection and sent us off with bacitracin for her ears, Dr bronners for the bath and no more chocolate for me. He was convinced the eczema is linked to my diet and wanted me to start by cutting all dairy and chocolate and move to soy if we needed to. We already use free and clear, 'safer' soaps etc. 

Her ears are still rashy but the yellow went away. Now the rash is all over her cheeks, behind her ears, her neck and is spreading to her shoulders. Today I noticed it starting on her hands. funny how it is all areas that come into contact with her spit up Yesterday per a call the pedi has me putting the bacitracin on her cheeks as the were starting to yellow. 

Starting Wednesday evening she has been a wreck. Her reflux symptoms are going crazy. We're arching, coughing, gagging, congested, spitting and just being miserable. She is so hoarse it is killing me. If she is not nursing or sleeping she is screaming.

 So Wednesday night I put the pieces together and realize that her symptoms coincide with my eating beef. Looking back over the past two weeks anytime I was left scratching my head over her reaction, I had eaten beef. Of course had an all beef hot dog for lunch Tuesday, Salsbury steak with beef gravy Tuesday night and a plain hamburger for lunch Wednesday.

I did some research and read that while not common, it is not unheard of to have a beef intolerance go along with MSPI. As of Thursday I gave up beef, all dairy hidden as well, soy and chocolate. Because I am an idiot, I ate some peanut butter on acceptable crackers for lunch. 

Last night she had two diapers with streaks of blood in her poop. And again, she was a refluxy hot mess. I can't help but wonder if it was the peanuts. This morning her diaper was yellow, no blood but really mucousy. The eczema is just awful and my poor baby is miserable. I tried calling our pedi but he is out until Monday and realistically I know he can't do much besides offer me a pep talk.

 DH wants to give her formula. : Just until her little body heals and I detox. I would do it in a heartbeat if it was sure to make her better, but from my reading I believe there is still a chance she could react to even the tiny bit of dairy protein in the hypoallergenic stuff. So if there no promise it will do her any better, I just feel she is better off with BM. I just get the impression DH thinks me selfish for not even trying. 

I'm now off dairy, soy, beef, chocolate, and peanuts but only have been for a day and a half. Am I wrong in thinking the blood and mucous is still because of the beef? How long do you need to be off something before you see some improvement? I know they say it needs to be 2 weeks to get out of your system, but there has to be some signs it is working, right? 

If you had eczema as a symptom, does it hit before or after the tummy trouble? Could the eczema still be catching up to all the beef I had eaten? 

She just seems to be doing worse. 

My boys were both bothered by dairy but nothing like this and I feel so lost and overwhelmed. I can help but feel like I am poisoning my poor little girl every time I go to feed her. 

She is growing really well. She was 7.5 at birth, 6.10 when we left the hospital and a whopping 10lbs at 5 weeks on Monday so I'm not worried about failure to thrive right now, but obviously this is no way for her to live.

 If I make an appointment, who do I see? A gastro or an allergist? Am I jumping the gun by not giving the diet a solid chance? Is there anything else I can do? I feel so helpless.