Wanted to report that a 15 year old girl with ulcerative colitis has gotten
breastmilk from her sister and cousins and can now spend a restful, painfree
night. If she doesn't have the breastmilk, she's in agony. She can't (or
won't) drink breastmilk that has been frozen-tastes "soapy", she says! (How
about that, Catherine Genna!) We are all thrilled about this. This girl was
breastfed for at least two years, developed the colitis at about 2 1/2,
possibly began as some kind of infection or parasite from a doubtful water
supply during the summer spent in the mountain vacation area of upstate NY.
Girl has normal intellectual capabilities but is the size of an 8 year old.
Has spent the last 12 years in excruciating pain. After I read about the LC
whose colitis episodes stopped 10 years ago after 8 ozs. of breastmilk, I
just KNEW that this girl HAD to get breastmilk. It was a matter of convincing
HER. When she saw her 2 year old cousin drinking expressed breastmilk in a
cup (his baby brother gets most of mom's milk straight from the breast!) she
decided that she could do it, if this toddler could-it couldn't taste all
that bad!
Hope I haven't posted about this already, I'm really exhausted since hubby is
out of town and I have double duty-getting youngest son to school and then
toodling off to work all day, then picking up youngest son and getting dinner
for him and two hulking other sons (A.J., 14, computer whiz and Sammy, 18,
cool jazz guy).
Pearl Shifer, IBCLC