We saw the pediatric gastroenterologist today, and it was...quite illuminating. Monkey has been diagnosed with a protein allergy. As the doctor explained it to us, there are some babies whose intestines are a little less mature than others. That means that a higher percentage of proteins from what they eat (or in Monkey's case, the things that Mrs. Z eats) goes into their bloodstream. These proteins can be interpreted as a foreign and dangerous substance by their body, and it sets off an immune response (allergic reaction). This causes irritation and cramping in the intestines, along with the other symptoms (fussiness, starting to eat and then screaming, hurting tummy, etc.) with which we have become oh-so-familiar.
It's difficult to figure out which proteins might be causing this reaction, given Monkey's inability to speak English and his "highly processed" diet. Statistically speaking, the usual suspects are: milk, soy, wheat, corn, eggs, nuts and seafood.
Mrs. Z is going to have to eliminate all of these from her diet for the next three or four months.
Yikes!
Monkey is going to take a break from the solid foods for a few weeks while we adjust to the new diet and let his gut heal a little bit. So probably around Christmas we will start again and see how it goes. We may continue the acid reflux meds for a few more weeks, but we can stop them if they aren't helping him (seems like they aren't right now). We have a follow up appointment in the spring, but if the diet changes don't work we will go back sooner. All things being equal, he will most likely outgrow this by his first birthday.
In the meantime, hopefully we will get some better sleep when his tummy stops hurting.
1 comment:
You should look into "eat Right for your Blood Type." Facinating book and may provide some insight to the food alergies if you know Monkey's blood type.
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