Query regarding baby formula...

J. Roberts,

I nursed my PA son for 18 months, he never has any milk based or soy based formula, and he is very much PA. He has had only one reaction (knock on wood) but it ws very severe (at least in my eyes) He ate one baby sized bite of a peanut butter and choclate girl scout cookie and immediatly began screaming, until he fell asleep, he woke within 15 minutes vomiting, he also had hives and facial swelling, by the time we arrived at the hospital 5 minutes later, he had fluid in the lungs and coughing and sneezing. At that time, he was still nursing, but also eating table foods.
In answer to your question, no I never fed my PA child soy and he still developed PA.

My PA son was actually switched to soy based formula at 6 months old. This was before we knew of his allergies. The reason was that the doctor thought soy would be help for his eczema. She suspected he was allergic to milk at the time. Later tests at 10 months old revealed that he was allergic to peanuts, cats, dogs, and of all things SOY--the very product we were switched to to lessen his skin problems. Needless to say we took him back to milk based formula immediately. He seems to have no lasting effects from the soy he ate so regularly for those four months.

I still breastfeed Patricia (she is 19 months old). She had a bad reaction to peanut butter at 15 months. She has never had formula of any sort. But she is PA and also allergic to eggs and milk. (BTW, she has never had milk either)

Amy

TrciasMom & Shannon:

Thanks for your posts. I would have developed PA as well, even if I had been breast fed, too. I just wonder why doctors will still prescribe soy formula but say to avoid legume products until a child is 2. It seems a bit paradoxical. Thanks for answering. I appreciate everyone being so nice and answering my questions. I feel a bit out-of-place in here sometimes, because although I myself have lived with the allergy my entire life, I cannot speak from the parenting side since I have no children of my own (can only empathize with how frightening it must be from talking with my parents about what they went through with me). I wish you both luck, and if you have any questions about what it's like to actually have the allergy, feel free to e-mail me personally, if you like. Thanks again.

J.Roberts- My 9 1/2 yr old son was diagnosed w/ peanut/tree nut allergy at 9 months. He was breast fed 6 months, then went to milk based formula. Until he was 6 YEARS old there was no evidence of soy allergy but when my other son became lactose intolerant I began cooking with all soy milk. I was going crazy trying to figure out why his asthma was out of control and he was having tingly tongues on a regular basis, then I put it all together. He's a RAST 4+ for soy and other legumes, and once we figured that out the asthma slowed way down. I feel like the inundation of soy introduced brought the allergy out or exaggerated it. As far as the alleries in general, I am convinced that my ridiculous consumption of peanuts, nuts and soy protein shakes while I was pregnant is why he's allergic at all because we have no allergies in our family. I lived on legumes.
Very interesting!

Head Nurse:

You make a point about the in utero consumption, but I am not well versed on same. My Mom had eczema that was exacerbated by certain foods (tomatoes, which she loves, and still, at 60, she keeps eating them ALL THE TIME! She says she'd rather deal with the eczema flare ups than give up her tomatoes!), but no other food allergies. I thought it was largely genetic, almost like a recessive gene? (I'm a computer engineer, not a physician, so forgive me my stupidity if I'm really wrong, please!)

I have a TON of other food allergies as well as the PA, too. Only difference is they make me uncomfortable (erratic breathing; swollen trachea, gums and cheeks; usually red blotches) and that lasts anywhere from 10 minutes to 8 hours. I'm allergic to so many things my allergist at UAB said it would take about a full year to do all the lab work on me, so therefore, if there was a food I REALLY wanted to know if I was allergic to, to let him know and we'd test for it! My allergist said he's never met anyone allergic to so many foods, and he loves it (mainly because I have the attitude of "oh well, this is my life, whatever!"). The only one that really gets to me is being allergic to citric acid and some other fruits, because I LOVE fruit and can never have it (other than apples and bananas, mainly, and after 28 years, that gets a little boring!).

Gosh, I really hope PA isn't highly affected by in utero consumption by the mother. I used to make fun of my Mom and say it was all her fault for eating all those Lay's potato chips (rife with peanut oil in the early '70s) and Snickers bars when she was pregnant with me! And, if it IS true, may she never hear a word of it!!!! I am STILL trying to convince her it's not that big a deal to me to have the allergy my entire life! She thinks it's a travesty, almost, but then again, she's looking at it from the point of having her ability to eat anything she wanted taken away, which I never experienced. It's almost funny that after almost 30 years she still feels sorry for me for having PA!!

Have a good day!

Actually, one of the first vegetables introduced to babies is green peas - I've never heard not to introduce legumes until age 2 only to delay peanuts.

Also, citric acids found as an additive in food are usually derived from corn and should not cause those with citrus allergies any problems. Are you also allergic to corn?

Rebekah

P.S. Your allergies sound a lot like mine... I'm also 28 years old and allergic to just about everyting. The last time I was skin tested all the nurses and doctors in my allergist's office paraded through the exam room to look at my back in amazement. I reacted to almost everything with huge - at least quarter sized - welps. I was negative for only 2 things [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

J Roberts:

I read your message and it was like deja vu. I too had a child that I couldn't produce milk for and regular formula gave him eczema. Soy was the next choice and he had a really bad reaction to it. Our doctor has also said that soy is the reason for the PA reaction. Evidentally they're finding more and more links to soy and peanuts than they had before. There's alot of cross-breeding per se and what is supposed to be soy could be peanut instead. Interesting to read that you too have had the same experience.

J. Roberts...you say you feel a little bit out of place in this board because you're not a parent but I have to tell you that I love hearing from adults who have the same allergies as my daughter...PA, soy and all legumes. I know what life is like for her under our control (she is 8) but I often wonder what life will be like when she ventures out on her own..starts dating, goes off to college, etc. Any words of wisdom about the later years would benefit all of us! Thanks