oh JOY, no more SOY!

So for those of you wondering how my no dairy life is going. Pretty good. I had gotten used to no cheese, cream, butter, or all the hidden dairy in all the foods we eat. But, it wasn't really making a difference, so I was VERY frustrated and went back to the Pediatrician today. Here's how it went.

She said no more soy. Why?? Well, because at least 50% of the kids allergic to dairy are allergic to soy. I was trying to ignore this fact as I already knew this from all my research because in all my label reading realized that soy is in EVERYTHING! Pretty much anything processed has soy in. Walk into your kitchen right now, and pick up a package of anything, and I'll bet ya it has soy in it. *sigh* SOOO, I of course said, OK, well could this be something else? She said not likely. Mainly because he is gaining weight so well. The only other things that this could be are more serious issues that would involve surgery, but he would not be thriving like he is if he had those conditions. So, that's good news I guess. I mean, if my child had to have surgery...I would be a BASKET CASE!

But, this means a HUGE lifestyle change for me as a breastfeeding mom. There is a non-dairy, non-soy based formula, but as she put it, it's like "liquid gold" (her words) because of how expensive it is. So, yeah, can't afford that in this economy, when the alternative (my breast milk) is FREE!! Plus, there is so much research on there that kids with allergies are better off being breastfed anyway because it helps to prevent further allergies.

She did refer me to a pediatric gastroenterologist that will hopefully give me a little more guidance. I need that. I'm feeling very frustrated and lost with this whole process. Everyday I think of another question I have about what to do. Today my question is: Is it really that harmful to him? Is he in pain? This I'm not sure. But, I definitely want to do everything I can to prevent that if he is. Hopefully the GI doc will be able to better answer those questions. But, a lot of you have asked me about what having a food allergy actually does. Here's a pretty good explanation:

An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system, which is the body's normal defense against dangerous foreign substances, "mistakes" a normally harmless substance for an invader, such as a virus. No one knows why this abnormal reaction occurs in some people and not others. People who have this type of unusual immune system are said to be hypersensitive, and medical scientists often use the term hypersensitivity instead of allergy.

The body's immune system reacts to an allergen in many different ways to cause the discomforting symptoms of an allergy. The process begins when the allergen stimulates the immune system to manufacture certain antibody molecules called immunoglobulin E (IgE). The antibody molecules then combine with the allergen molecules and bind to mast cells and basophils, causing the release of histamine and other active compounds. The histamine in turn affects the blood vessels and mucous membranes, leading to swelling, congestion, and leakage.

So, I'm onto more research, more food label reading, and probably a search for a whole foods store close to me. If you want to know a little more about what the heck soy is, and allergies to soy, you can go here. If you don't care, that's fine too. But, I'm throwing it in for my reference later. Wish me luck people! I thought cutting out cheese was hard. This is going to be harder.