Need advice -- possible milk allergy?

I may be able to relate. My dd is I believe at the very least lactose intolerant,she is 16 mos old and we did not realize it until she was 10 months old. We were successful in giving her lactose free formula which was better but not perfect, and for some reason Similac worked better than the enfamil. We are getting her allergy tested next week for dairy and other things. My 2 1/2 year old ds is peanut/soy/milk/egg white allergic. He has drank rice milk since he was 15 mos old (we use harmony farms brand- nut free facility). Ds scored a considerable number for dairy allergy, HOWEVER, he eats yogurt and cheese, as does dd, without much of a problem. If he gets too much dairy we notice them get rashy,so we just try to be sensible. Perhaps you could try a milk substitute but let her have a small amount of yogurt and cheese if that's what she likes. Also my dd cannot eat dairy on an empty stomach, so I tend to give her her yogurt after a full meal. Our allergist says it is possible to be "sensitive" rather than truly allergic, so she feels it is okay to do as I have been doing. Where we can eliminate dairy we do, but for things like homemade ice cream, there really is nothing like the kind made with dairy, so when I know we're going to have ice cream (like a birthday or whatever) I compensate by cutting back on dairy the few days before. By the way, ever since my dd started on rice milk her diarrhea and little eczema patches are gone, I will be curious to know if she actually tests allergic to it. Just be sure if you switch to rice milk or something that you get one that's fortified and you'll have to compensate for fat loss, we use olive oil in food and I buy them Stonyfield Whole Milk yogurts.

sorry,double post.
[This message has been edited by wendysco (edited July 10, 2003).]

Wendysco I am very curious if you don't mind me asking what was your son's cap rast score for milk?

I'm still learning the different tests, and the endocrinologist got my copy of the bloodwork, but he was a class 3 milk, peanut was a class 5, soy was also a class 3. I forget the exact numbers but I remember where they fell in the little "class" guide. My ds by the way drank formula/milk until 16 mos old, not even lactose free, carnation follow-up and whole milk. He had HORRIBLE eczema, bloody and raw and infected. It was not until we saw the "witch doctor" as I refer to the waving of the vials, who told me he was allergic to milk and soy so to put him on rice milk. He improved ALOT, when I took him back about 4 months later to see where the "allergies" stood it was then that he told me that his milk allergy was very much improved and that we would probably be okay with yogurt. I may take him back again after we get next year's allergy tests back and just see how the chiropractor's stuff correlates to the allergist's numbers just sheerly out of curiousity.
[This message has been edited by wendysco (edited July 10, 2003).]

very interesting on the RAST score for milk allergy. My ds was tested and came back a Class 3 and the doctor said that was highly allergic...well, he is 2 yrs old and still "touch" allergic...A cup of milk fell on him off the counter and everywhere it fell he got hives...He rubbed his eye and it swelled shut. Even so, my allergist said he still can outgrow it...although I am not that optimistic. I think it is great that your ds is a Class 3 and can tolerate some dairy...Your lucky!!

My kids were very slow to clear their food allergies. Our pediatrician said a matter of a few weeks, it took them like 3 months. That's why he doesn't believe they have FA, probably doesn't even believe the test results from the allergist. The diarrhea issue should be better in a few days but it took her a month or so to fully heal her what I assumed to be stressed digestive tract, and your child sounds like it was much worse than mine. I know we are very lucky to be allergic to milk in this way, it really doesn't make any sense. I only hope it doesn't get worse because I'm still giving them dairy. I would however never give my kids something that they reacted to by touch, have you ever noticed a contact reaction from your daughter? Maybe after a few dairy free days you should try on her skin first instead of ingestion. Just a thought, but I'm one who rubs everything on the inside of the kids arms before I give them something new. Last week it was tomatoes, probably not very scientific but it makes me feel a little better, like I'm actually doing something.

My second son was allergic to milk. We figured it out when I was nursing. He had blood streaked and mucousy stools that totally cleared up when I eliminated milk. By the time he was one he was able to tolerate milk again.
Once milk was eliminated, things cleared up in a few days.

Kami's Mom, how did the dairy-free trial go?