My Quest

So, I'm trying SOOO hard. And this is hard.

Sorry to post about this yet again, but hey, if you don't want to read it...don't!


I went to this store on Saturday. Drove all the way to Buckhead and everything:

It really does look like this

and this inside.


I think if there were a grocery store in heaven, it would look like a Whole Foods and we would all get to shop there for free. I went in pursuit of dairy/soy free items that the local grocery store might not have.

I found the following:
pizza crust
bread
hamburger buns
cookies
and get this. NO CHEESE mac and cheese. What?

Ok, so here is my review. Cookies-disgusting. Pizza crust, buns-yum. And surprisingly, mac and cheese-YUM!! It tasted more like chicken noodle soup or something, but had the same creamy consistency that mac and cheese has. But, for $5 per serving...a little high. But hey, this mac and cheese was only 270 calories per serving. Not bad for a mac and cheese.
I also got some delicious avocados, tomatoes, artichoke and basil salsa, baguette bread, etc. there. Just to splurge. I mean, I did drive all that way. It was worth it too. I admit, I love food, and I just can't help but think, why did this have to happen to me? But, I catch myself and remember, it didn't..it happened to Kyle, poor baby.

So, I've been cutting out the soy for 6 days now, and it hasn't been too bad. However, there is still blood in his diapers. I can't seem to find any info. on how long it's going to take to get out of my system and his. Frustration! I have to admit, I have had more than one thought about giving up breastfeeding. Usually those thoughts come to me in the middle of the night at about 4am when I'm not thinking clearly. So, JD and I have been talking about maybe trying formula for a week and seeing what happens...so I went to Wal-Mart today to check out this "liquid gold" she told me about, and I got real nervous when I realized they kept it under lock in key. Yeah, like with the cigarettes.



Ironic that it has a gold label and lid isn't it? Well, it cost $25 for this little can that I hear lasts about 1-2 weeks only. I bought it, but made sure I could return it if unopened. She said I could. So, now I have this thing sitting on my counter staring at me with its $25 gold label. Not sure what I'll do yet. If I try it, and he is miraculously better, then I know it's something I'm eating and it's back to trying all these crazy elimination diets. Today I entertained the idea of doing what other moms call the TED-Total Elimination Diet. This involves eliminating at once all of the top 8 allergens which include:

* Milk
* Eggs
* Peanuts
* Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
* Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
* Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
* Soy
* Wheat

HOW? I ask again...HOW??? I just don't know what I would eat. I love food too much. Anyway, after eliminating for about 2 weeks to a month, you add stuff back in and see where the reaction is.

Crazy.

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.