It turned out that there were another couple of steps in the Chip-fixing saga.
Step 5
The Grandmas at Family Centre (see Step 4) eventually came to the conclusion that his stomach pains were silent reflux, and I was ordered to the GP for a prescription (and I do mean ordered- they fall JUST short of watching you make the call…)
So, it was to the doctor’s for us last Thursday morning (missing playgroup, and interrupting a rare morning nap…) The doc had a quick feel of Mr T’s tummy and happily concluded we had a refluxer on our hands. A script for Gaviscon and we were off.
I was happy giving Gaviscon a try (I would prefer to avoid drugging him up, but not as much as I'd like to ease his discomfort), but I didn’t really feel like reflux was the answer. It’s always been one of the things I wondered about, but a few things just never quite “fit”. Then again, nothing quite “fits”! I was reluctant to go further down the reflux meds path without exploring other options, so our quest continued.
Step 6
Things had improved a lot after I eliminated dairy (see Step 1), but although he was a mostly happy wee dude, the sore tummies continued. They seemed to come a wee while after eating, usually when he was trying to sleep, and they seriously screwed with our day sleeps (which as you other parents will know, can lead to a pretty grotty evening). For the previous couple of weeks I'd been wondering if there was another food intolerance/sensitivity/allergy in the mix. Maybe there was a food flaring up his “reflux”, or maybe there was no reflux at all. I’d been food diarying for about a month, but failing to see any patterns. Basically, it seemed that Chippo had a variety of digestive issues most of the time. Maybe they weren't as bad at night, or maybe he just slept through them better- it’s hard to know.
Step 5
The Grandmas at Family Centre (see Step 4) eventually came to the conclusion that his stomach pains were silent reflux, and I was ordered to the GP for a prescription (and I do mean ordered- they fall JUST short of watching you make the call…)
So, it was to the doctor’s for us last Thursday morning (missing playgroup, and interrupting a rare morning nap…) The doc had a quick feel of Mr T’s tummy and happily concluded we had a refluxer on our hands. A script for Gaviscon and we were off.
I was happy giving Gaviscon a try (I would prefer to avoid drugging him up, but not as much as I'd like to ease his discomfort), but I didn’t really feel like reflux was the answer. It’s always been one of the things I wondered about, but a few things just never quite “fit”. Then again, nothing quite “fits”! I was reluctant to go further down the reflux meds path without exploring other options, so our quest continued.
Step 6
Things had improved a lot after I eliminated dairy (see Step 1), but although he was a mostly happy wee dude, the sore tummies continued. They seemed to come a wee while after eating, usually when he was trying to sleep, and they seriously screwed with our day sleeps (which as you other parents will know, can lead to a pretty grotty evening). For the previous couple of weeks I'd been wondering if there was another food intolerance/sensitivity/allergy in the mix. Maybe there was a food flaring up his “reflux”, or maybe there was no reflux at all. I’d been food diarying for about a month, but failing to see any patterns. Basically, it seemed that Chippo had a variety of digestive issues most of the time. Maybe they weren't as bad at night, or maybe he just slept through them better- it’s hard to know.
So, trying to keep my scepticism in check, I made an appointment with
a highly recommended local naturopath to get some allergy testing
done.
(See that word scepticism? I realise that a lot of what naturopaths do is frequently dismissed as quackery, and that a lot of it has been scientifically discounted. BUT, when it comes to allergy and intolerance testing, EVERYTHING is a bit airy fairy, and none of the answers are clear, apart from food elimination. And the problem with food elimination is:
a) it takes 2-3 weeks for EACH FOOD; and
b) where the f*ck do you start?!
So, I figured I would take any opportunity I could to give myself a starting point for any future eliminating, but take any results with a grain of salt. Or two or three.)
The naturopath’s office was decorated with certificates and diplomas from a number of “universities” and colleges. He popped an electrode (or something) down Chip’s top, and got out his dinky machine to test through a list of foods. First, he assessed foods for compatibility, and then assessed a list of common allergens for reactiveness.
Our man scored a 5/100 for compatibility with cow’s milk, a 6 for wheat and a 3 for yeast (high is good). In terms of reactivity, he scored an 80 for gluten, 70 for lactose, 80 for casein, 75 for caffeine and 80 for alcohol (high is bad). The other foods he scored below 20 for in terms of compatibility are:
So, what am I going to do?
I’m not taking this test as gospel, but if it might help, I’ll try.
I'll be honest- drastically changing my diet while trying to take care of myself and an infant on nap strike AND get ready to return to work in a few short weeks has been more than a little overwhelming. It's not that hard to get your vitamins and nutrients in without eating dairy or wheat, but it takes some adjustment when all of a sudden toast is out of the picture. And couscous. And fish fingers (whaddaya mean fish fingers aren't health food?) Also? Having to "toss" nearly a litre of expressed breastmilk because I pumped it before changing my diet. Not cool at all, when you don't have a lot to spare. And well-meaning advice about whether he's getting the nutrients and so forth that he needs (answer: yes)? Not welcome.
***
That sounds like a lot of doom and gloom. It's not. We're enjoying getting out and about, usually without tears or drama. He's sleeping well in the stroller, at least for an hour or so, so I get a walk in most days. Although he's on nap strike, most days he only cries when I'm trying to make him nap in the bassinet- he's pretty happy a lot of the time if I just let him play. He's stupid cute, full of smiles and chatter and mini baby laughs, and he's enjoying discovering his hands, which is adorable. He's a pretty awesome kid, and he's growing SO FAST!
(See that word scepticism? I realise that a lot of what naturopaths do is frequently dismissed as quackery, and that a lot of it has been scientifically discounted. BUT, when it comes to allergy and intolerance testing, EVERYTHING is a bit airy fairy, and none of the answers are clear, apart from food elimination. And the problem with food elimination is:
a) it takes 2-3 weeks for EACH FOOD; and
b) where the f*ck do you start?!
So, I figured I would take any opportunity I could to give myself a starting point for any future eliminating, but take any results with a grain of salt. Or two or three.)
The naturopath’s office was decorated with certificates and diplomas from a number of “universities” and colleges. He popped an electrode (or something) down Chip’s top, and got out his dinky machine to test through a list of foods. First, he assessed foods for compatibility, and then assessed a list of common allergens for reactiveness.
Our man scored a 5/100 for compatibility with cow’s milk, a 6 for wheat and a 3 for yeast (high is good). In terms of reactivity, he scored an 80 for gluten, 70 for lactose, 80 for casein, 75 for caffeine and 80 for alcohol (high is bad). The other foods he scored below 20 for in terms of compatibility are:
- cheese (4)
- pork (14)
- soy milk (15)
- cashews (18)
- peanuts (20)
So, what am I going to do?
- Eliminate yeast and wheat (cheese is already out)
- Stop using our lactose based colic powder
- Keep caffeine low
- Try not to overload on peanut butter
- Continue not eating soy or pork (apparently I can add tofu back, though)
I’m not taking this test as gospel, but if it might help, I’ll try.
I'll be honest- drastically changing my diet while trying to take care of myself and an infant on nap strike AND get ready to return to work in a few short weeks has been more than a little overwhelming. It's not that hard to get your vitamins and nutrients in without eating dairy or wheat, but it takes some adjustment when all of a sudden toast is out of the picture. And couscous. And fish fingers (whaddaya mean fish fingers aren't health food?) Also? Having to "toss" nearly a litre of expressed breastmilk because I pumped it before changing my diet. Not cool at all, when you don't have a lot to spare. And well-meaning advice about whether he's getting the nutrients and so forth that he needs (answer: yes)? Not welcome.
***
That sounds like a lot of doom and gloom. It's not. We're enjoying getting out and about, usually without tears or drama. He's sleeping well in the stroller, at least for an hour or so, so I get a walk in most days. Although he's on nap strike, most days he only cries when I'm trying to make him nap in the bassinet- he's pretty happy a lot of the time if I just let him play. He's stupid cute, full of smiles and chatter and mini baby laughs, and he's enjoying discovering his hands, which is adorable. He's a pretty awesome kid, and he's growing SO FAST!
3 comments:
I'm reading all this thinking "but he's not old enough to eat all this anyway!" and then realize its YOU ... Poor girl! But ... I'm sure you'll do anything for him so it wont be hard ! :)
Oh my gosh, poor baby--and poor mama! It really sounds like food allergies could be the problem... solution? I hope that you're seeing some positive changes, and that that gorgeous little boy starts feeling better soon!
He is sooo cute :). I can't even imagine what you are going through, all that sounds so overwhelming and hard. You are doing awesome and I hope some good changes come to Chippo soon. Hang in there :)
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