Why Isn't the Blood Going AWAY !!!!!

October 15, 2013

I took out milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, butter and soy but the blood did not clear up (Please see the extensive list below of foods that I eliminated).  I thought that I had this problem solved. I did for a short period of time. It seemed like the blood was taking a few weeks to clear, even though the mucous remained the same. The blood in the diapers was not so bad, little flecks and strings here and there, I just thought it was taking some time for his colon to heal and then we would be done with this.  I couldn't have been more wrong.

My husband and I went out to eat for lunch October 15, 2013 with our lil cutie pie of 3 mos.  It was the first time we had been out to eat since my son was born and I was being extremely careful of what I was choosing to eat and drink. I even asked the server to check and make sure there were no traces of milk or soy in what I was going to eat. For lunch I ordered an almond milk London fog, chicken noodle soup and a salad. No offending food right ?

When I changed his diaper that afternoon, there was a massive amount of blood in the diaper.  I finally crumbled. I cried all afternoon and into the evening.  With my eyes swollen and puffy,  I complained to my husband that things are getting worse. I thought I was doing everything right. That night I frantically emailed my colleague who works in paediatric gastroenterology asking for help.  She advised to take out eggs, beef and limit the amount of nuts I consumed.  I had already limited more that, I had already decided to only eat lamb, rice, squash, Rice Dream and pears since these foods are coined to be hypoallergenic. In the meantime, I went to my paediatrician who confirmed allergic colitis and that I was doing everything right. Nevertheless she gave me a referral to see the gastroenterologist in a few weeks.  I was on a downward spiral and I needed help. I was desperate .... I was starting to doubt that it was allergic colitis ... and I was worried. My mind began to race of all the horrible things my son could be diagnosed with and my already sleepless nights turned into horrific ceiling staring contests.

I am listing an arm and a leg length list of ingredients that I had to take out of my diet. I hope this helps you if you are going through something similar. This information is from Health Canada.

Foods that contain, and/or may contain soy:

• Bean curd (dofu, kori-dofu, soybean curds, tofu)
• Edamame
• Kinako
• Natto
• Nimame
• Okara
• Soya, soja, soybean and soyabeans
• Yuba
• Bean sprouts
• Bread crumbs, cereals and crackers
• Breaded foods
• Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), hydrolyzed soy protein (HSP) and hydrolyzed vegetable
• protein (HVP)
• Imitation dairy food
• Infant formula, follow-up formula, nutrition supplements for toddlers and children
• Meal replacements
• Meat products with fillers, for example, burgers and prepared ground meat products
• Mexican foods, for example, chili, taco fillings and tamales
• Miso
• Nutrition supplements
• Sauces, for example, soy, shoyu, tamari,teriyaki, Worcestershire
• Simulated fish and meat products, for example, surimi, imitation bacon bits,vegetarian burgers
• Stews, for example, in gravies
• Tempeh
• Vegetarian dishes
• Baked goods and baking mixes
• Beverage mixes, for example, hot chocolate and lemonade
• Canned tuna and minced hams, for example, seasoned or mixed with other ingredients for flavour
• Chewing gum
• Cooking spray, margarine, vegetable shortening and vegetable oil
• Dressings, gravies and marinades
• Frozen desserts
• Lecithin
• Milled corn
• Meat products with fillers, for example, preprepared hamburger patties, hotdogs and cold cuts
• Seafood -based products and fish
• Seasoning and spices
• Snack foods, for example, soy nuts
• Soups, broths, soup mixes and stocks
• Soy pasta
• Spreads, dips, mayonnaise and peanut butter
• Thickening agents
• Mono-diglyceride
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) (may contain hydrolyzed protein)
• Cosmetics and soaps
• Craft materials
• Glycerine
• Milk substitutes for young animals
• Pet food
• Vitamins

Foods that contain and/or may contain milk:

• Beta-lactoglobulin
• Casein, rennet casein
• Caseinate (ammonium caseinate, calcium caseinate, magnesium caseinate, potassium caseinate, and sodium caseinate)
• Delactosed or demineralized whey
• Hydrolyzed casein
• Lactalbumin and lactalbumin phosphate
• Lactoferrin, lactoglobulin
• Whey and whey protein concentrate
• Butter, Buttermilk
• Cheese, curds
• Cream, ice cream
• Ghee and butter fat
• Kefir (milk drink)
• Kumiss (fermented milk drink)
• Sour cream
• Yogourt
• Artificial butter, butter flavour or butter oil
• Dark chocolate
• Baked goods (including some type of breads) and baking mixes
• Battered and fried foods
• Broth and bouillons
• Caramel colouring or flavouring
• Casseroles, frozen prepared foods
• Cereals, cookies and crackers
• Chocolate bars
• Desserts, for example, custards, frozen yogourts, ice creams and puddings
• Dips and salad dressings
• Egg and fat substitutes
• Fat replacers, for example, Opta™ and Simplesse^®
• Glazes
• Gravies and sauces
• High-protein flour
• Malt-drink mixes
• Margarine
• Pâtés and sausages
• Pizza
• Potatoes (instant, mashed and scalloped potatoes)
• Seasonings
• Soups and soup mixes, cream soups
• Soy cheese
• Canned tuna, for example, seasoned or mixed with other ingredients for flavour
• Candy, fruit and granola bars, for example, those containing caramel or chocolate
• Flavoured coffee, coffee whitener and non-dairy creamer
• Some french fries (made from potato mixture or mashed potatoes)
• Some hot dogs, deli and processed meats
• Nougats
• Seasoned chips, for example, sour cream and onion
• Waxes on some fruit and vegetables

Foods that contain and/or may contain egg:

• Albumin, albumen
• Conalbumin
• Egg substitutes, for example, Egg Beaters
• Globulin
• Livetin
• Lysozyme
• Ovo (means egg), for example, ovalbumin, ovomucin, ovotransferrin
• Silico-albuminate
• Vitellin
• Baked goods (including some type of breads) and baking mixes
• Battered and fried foods
• Cream-filled desserts, for example, custards, meringues, puddings and ice creams
• Egg and fat substitutes
• Fat replacers, for example, Simplesse^™
• Lecithin
• Mayonnaise
• Meat products with fillers, for example, meatballs and meatloaf
• Nougats, marzipan candy
• Pasta (fresh pasta, some types of dry pasta for example, egg noodles)
• Quiche, soufflé
• Salad dressings, creamy dressings
• Sauces, for example, Béarnaise, hollandaise, Newburg, tartar
• Alcoholic cocktails and drinks, for example, eggnog and whiskey sours
• Fish mixtures, for example, surimi (used in imitation crab and lobster meat)
• Foam and milk toppings on coffee
• Homemade root beer mixes and malt-drink mixes
• Icing, glazes
• Meat products with fillers, for example, preprepared hamburger patties, hotdogs and cold cuts
• Soups, broths and bouillons

Mucosy Stools, Crying, and now Blood ! No Problem !

August 23, 2013

The mucosy stools didn't go away, but the screaming did subside when I took milk out of my diet. It truly was that easy.  A lot of crying still continued, but I was ecstatic. At least a Mommy can do what she does best and I was able to soothe my sweet baby.  I was relishing in the deep bond I was creating with my son. I would keep him close to my body wrapped in a Boba wrap and he seemed to enjoy the rise and fall of my chest with each breath I took.  He was listening to my heart beat and would fall asleep to my swaying stance.  Even though I was completely drained and walked around like a zombie, we were both at peace strolling around the  neighbourhood with the sky so blue, sun so high and warm breeze brushing through our hair.  I would whisper "I love yous" in his ear with a little smile.

After coming back from one of our rejuvenating walks, I changed my son's diaper as I normally would. My peace came crashing down and my heart sank.  My throat tightened and my tears came back. Blood. There was bright red, stringy mucosy blood in the diaper.  I must have been staring at it awhile, as my brain was trying to process this new information and trying to decide how to handle it.

As I mechanically wiped him up and put a new diaper with clear eyes, I all of a sudden decided that this was no big deal. It's okay, no problem ... I will accept that he has Cow's Milk Protein Allergy. The treatment for this is take out all dairy and soy from the diet. As I say to myself ... again and again ... I can do this, it's okay, no problem, I will just take out all dairy and soy from my diet and this will be fixed.  Presto !

Mucosy Stools and Screaming Baby ... Are they related ?

July 26, 2013

My son was born on July 12 and like all newborns do ... the intense crying starts after a couple of weeks or so of being born. I suppose there is varying degrees of crying for new mothers to tolerate. My son's crying was intense and long enough to completely break my heart and send me to tears. It happened at anytime of the day or night. He could be peacefully sleeping and all of a sudden his face would scrunch up as if in pain and he would let out a piercing scream would sound from his beautiful little mouth. I was horrified. At first I thought it was my fault somehow ... Did I not feed him enough? Did I not burp him enough? Does he need another diaper change? Did I not cuddle him enough? Did he not get enough sleep? Am I missing a cue he is trying to communicate to me?

I tried to remedy all the above only to have him screaming in my arms, while I wept silently into his shoulder thinking that I must be the worst mother on the face of the planet.  These episodes carried on for hours. I rocked, bounced, cuddled and kissed him hoping that he would settle and be a happy and peaceful baby ... like most babies should be ... right?

Then ....

With a diaper change this day (July 26), I noticed mucous in his stool. As a paediatric dietitian and knowing about what baby poops should look like, I knew this wasn't a very good sign. It could be nothing, but it could be something.   I have heard that some foods such as garlic, onion, and cabbage could sometimes be very upsetting to babies'  tummies causing fussiness.  I also know that an allergy to cow's milk protein can cause extreme irritability.  If babies are allergic to cow's milk protein, symptoms may include loose stools (possibly containing blood), vomiting, gagging, colic and skin rashes, like eczema. Well, my son had only one symptom out of all of these.

Now with the mucosy stools, I needed to do something and make a change. I was desperate, it was so difficult to hear him cry and scream. I was exclusively nursing at this point and had copious amounts of breastmilk. I decided to avoid milk to drink (not all dairy) and see if his screaming would stop and hopefully normalize his poops. I had no idea what was causing his colic, nor his mucosy stool and I had no idea that this could be an allergy.  I just thought, well...I'll give it a try for a couple of weeks, I have nothing to lose.

As I changed my son's diaper through blurry, teared eyes, I hoped that as easy as it was to take out one simple food, would be as easy to clear up my son's screaming and my never-ending tears once and for all.

Who I am and how I will share my story

Hi! My name is Michelle Gibson and I created this blog to share my experience of nursing my son who has allergic colitis. This blog is not intended to provide nutrition or medical recommendations and/or advice. It is only an outlet to connect and share with others who may be going through the same or similar situation. I also want to share this story with my family and friends so that they can better understand what I have gone through and what I am going through. They have been a tremendous support system and I couldn't have been strong without them. Motherhood alone produces intense emotions that we all experience, and having a baby with a medical condition can throw anyone for a loop. Nurturing an infant with allergic colitis has had me on a roller coaster of emotions several times a day and can range from a spectrum of sadness and anger to relief and happiness. So, I invite you to comment and share any and all of your thoughts and emotions as we go through this journey together.

I am a pediatric dietitian with 10 years of experience. I would consider myself quite knowledgeable in the area of infant nutrition, but of course not a "know it all" in all fields of nutrition and specific population groups.  With my background in infant nutrition I thought I could easily and confidently provide myself with dietary guidance in helping my son's colon heal, well.... I was completely wrong!  With roller coaster emotions combined with sleep deprivation, it was impossible without help to tease and sort out the food culprit that was giving my son bloody stools with every diaper, 7-8 times a day !  I seeked medical help before I was on the downward spiral of being completely frustrated and giving up breastfeeding along with my hopes of nursing my son until he was at least 12 mos of age.

My son is currently 7 mos old, however I am going to blog retrospectively so that I can provide detail of my day to day experiences and share with you all that I did and felt.

Thank you for following and listening to my story !