Child with multiple allergies

[StGermain]

My great-nephew is about 15 months old. So far, he's been diagnosed with allergies to corn, wheat, soy, milk, egg, peanuts, vanilla, cherries and cinnamon. He's pretty much eating meat and vegetables. A healthy diet, but he just continues not to thrive. And he's getting to the age where he notices that he isn't getting what everyone eats. Acid reflux since he was born, but has a reaction to all the reflux meds. He's had every test known to mankind, seemingly (endoscopies, colonoscopies, barium enemas, swallowing studies, etc.). It's been a fight for every ounce he gains. This is a record of his weight at medical visits

05/09/11-9m 13d- 19lbs 6oz
06/09/11-10m 14d- 20lbs
07/01/11-11m 5d- 20lbs 7oz
07/27/11-1yr 1d- 21lbs 3oz (most he has ever weighed)
08/02/11-1yr 7d- 20lbs 4oz (down 15oz)
08/03/11-1yr 8d- 19lbs 13oz (down another 7oz)
08/04/11-1yr 9d- 19lbs 9oz (weighed this at 8m 23d) (down another 4oz for a total of -1lb 10oz in 8 days)
08/24/11 - 1 yr 1 mo - 19 lbs 14 oz


This last visit was Halloween. He'd lost almost a pound in three weeks and yet he's taking in plenty of calories (according to the nutritionist, he was taking in 142% for his age group. They've been talking about metabolic disorders, but haven't identified anything. He's moved from Vanderbilt Children's Hospital clinic to University of Tennessee Children's Hospital clinic, hours away.

The good news is he's a sweet-natured kid, loves to laugh and play.

Does anyone have any hints, tips, suggestions? This is my sister's only grandchild, and everyone has been worried about him since the week he was born.

StG

[Mama Zappa]

Poor kiddo (and poor family). I have no advice really, except to ask if they've repeated any of the tests since he's had so many foods removed from his diet.

The reason I ask is that I've read that a celiac patient's gut will look very different, i.e. healthier, after they've been "clean" for a while. If anything like that is at play (or if it's "just" allergies and similar gut damage happens from allergies), seeing a change in the test results (good or bad) might be informative.

There are a lot of good resources online for food allergies. A friend's daughter was on a SEVERELY restricted diet for a number of years because of allergies.

[StGermain]

Mamma Zappa - They've just recently done a new colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. He was pretty much diagnosed with the wheat, diary and soy quite young, and was on special extra-expensive formula. With the testing, each facility seems to want to run their own tests, not really trusting the results from another facility.

The allergies are a pain, but I'm more worried about the lack of weight gain. A baby shouldn't go 4 months without gaining any weight. He likes to play and is active, but doesn't have the muscle development he should have.

StG

[rhubarbarin]

Is he getting plenty of starch from sources he isn't allergic to, like potatoes and white rice?

[purplehorseshoe]

Fats, too, I'd imagine - olive oil, avocados, that sort of thing.

[Broomstick]

While I can't speak to the medical aspects of this, I can speak from my experience as a child with multiple allergies myself. The good news is that this is survivable. I'm sitting here in my late 40's, still with multiple food allergies, and doing alright.

Yes, it's a pain in the butt. But one can learn to cope.

I went through periods of not thriving well, as did my niece who has allergies even worse than mine. The niece is still a bit undersized but is otherwise healthy and active. She still has her multiple food allergies as an adult as well. I'm sure people are telling you he'll outgrow it - well, let me tell you, it's definitely not guaranteed.

He might still be allergic to something in his diet. There might be something else going on. Good luck, and try to remain optimistic. It's worrying, but he's not the only person dealing with this sort of thing and most of us turn out OK in the end.

[Motorgirl]

Fats, too, I'd imagine - olive oil, avocados, that sort of thing.

I have a FOAF with a son allergic to dairy, wheat, fish, soy and a few other things. He is really small at age 8 but doing well otherwise. He pretty much lives on avocado, olive oil and chicken. It's a bit of a struggle to get him to eat carbs, for some reason, but he's willing to eat french fries sometimes.

ETA - by "doing well" I mean he's a smart funny kid who does well in school and has lots of friends.