Dear Lactnetters:
Hi, I need some help with this one:
4 month old boy was diagnosed with an "episode of colitis" (?) via
colonscopy; history is as follows:
Birthweight:6 13, now at 15+, so weight gain is not an issue.
Mom went back to work at 2 1/2 weeks, leaves her pumped milk, but baby was
being supplemented all along with a few ozs of Similac as needed daily (at
the babysitter's) At 6-8 weeks, stools were "streaked with mucousy blood",
about 3 weeks ago the blood became more pronounced and ped had mom stop
breastfeeding and give Nutramigen to allow dairy to "clear" mom's system,
after one week of this mom went back to breastfeeding. No more bloody mucous,
but baby seems uncomfortable a lot of the time.  When baby was 3 months old
he was put on Amoxil for an ear infection but meds were stopped after 4-5
days bec. stools were bloody.
Could this be a severely allergic baby? Could the bowel take this long to
heal? Should the doctor order more tests and which ones? I told mom that it
could take longer than one week for dairy to "clear" her system; also
suggested she consider going off the other allergens for two weeks (wheat,
citrus and eggs) and then add them back one at a time as a challenge. Would
the RAST test be helpful here? Would broccoli or other leafy greens that mom
is eating cause a problem?
I suggested that mom read Dr. Doris Rapp's book on allergies "Does this sound
like your child?"  It's a great book, but I also told her that I'm not
recommending that she particularly DO anything that is suggested in the book
(her ped ought to do the recommending...) but that the book is extremely
helpful in learning about which foods are related to each other, to help with
eliminating the possible offenders in toto, also very helpful in learning
about elimination trials and challenges.
TIA for your help in solving this "mystery"
Pearl Shifer, M.ed., IBCLC
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