Susie-Q&A

• Apr. 2, 2007 - To the Doctor We Go

Well, Scrub has been throwing up the last few days. It isn't a tummy bug, as far as I can tell, and I'm not sure what's up. So, if the time works with DH's schedule, I'll be taking him to a visit with the doctor later today. My guess is that he's not chewing well before he swallows. He's gorging and overwhelming his stomach. Yesterday, he ate three pieces of pizza at lunch and then later threw it up at Cubbies. This morning, I gave him a smaller amount of oatmeal and told him to chew each bite ten times. So far, so good.

But I'm not a medical professional, so there it is. We still have to go to the doctor to be on the safe side.

I'm also taking my chronically constipated child off of dairy for a few weeks to see if it's an allergy. Nothing else...and I mean NOTHING...has helped. I'm upping his water intake and making him sit on the toilet twice a day. I may readminister Benefiber plus lots of water if I don't see results in a few days, but I'm through with the laxatives FOREVER. There has to be another way. He is soiling all day long and it's been going on for years now. It's well past time to solve this. Any other suggestions (and all prayers) are welcome. As long as no one suggests I take him to another doctor or specialist. Also, anyone know of a good non-dairy substitute for butter? That can be used in baking?

Saturday was not a stellar day for me. First, DH discovered that the battery had run down in the van because one of the children left a door slightly ajar (after trying to find a missing toy he thought he'd left in there). DH was not happy, because he had promised to do a brake job for a friend. It's not easy to jump off a dead van parked in a cluttered garage.

While he was out on errands, the tub overflowed, soaking a large area of carpet in front of the bathroom. I'd asked my eldest to run a tub based on a mistaken belief that my 3yo needed a bath. Fortunately, she did not need a bath (for potty accident reasons, anyway), but oldest DD did not get the message and I forgot completely about the tub. I must've sucked ten gallons of water out of that carpet with the shop vac. Sigh.

Thus did my baking marathon become derailed. I did, however, manage to put up a bag of Paula's Purty Nearly Instant Biscuits and some homemade flour tortillas, in addition to one batch of peanut butter granola.

Yesterday, we made it to church on time (thanks in part to the granola--quick breakfast) and I found the pastor's sermon very moving. I never thought to contrast Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem with a Roman triumphal entry...I'd done that with another New Testament passage, though, right after studying about Rome with the kids. It really illuminated the text. Anyway, it's moving to think of Jesus weeping over the inhabitants of the city as he enters to "Hosannas," knowing they will reject their Redeemer in a few short days.

We encouraged the children to bring their own Bibles and to stand up and participate in worship this time. Someone took the baby out for me when he got fractious (and actually got him to nap!), and I had to take the three-year-old out at one point, but otherwise it was okay. The girls even brought an offering of their own accord. But they forgot to put it in.

Today we still need to homeschool and I need to do an Emergency Quick Clean. Which means, I'd better get off the computer now.

Comments

• Apr. 2, 2007 - dairy free baking answers

Posted by Anonymous

Hi Susie,

Here's some good info for baking without butter. I didn't realize parve would equal dairy free?
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/342989

SusanY

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• Apr. 3, 2007 - I forgot to tell you...

Posted by TeamBettendorf

Or maybe I am forgetting that I already told you. But a friend of mine's whose dd struggles with the constipation/diarreah cycle said that her naturopath said Vitamin C to saturation works better than laxatives and is not habit forming. You may also try psyllium as it either binds or loosens as needed. Drink LOTS and LOTS of water when taking psyllium.

And you may not want to hear it but wheat is a bigger culprit than milk (in my experience) in food allergies that cause tummy/bowel distress. Oily BMs are the signature symptom of wheat intolerance. Not sure if that applies here but I thought I'd mention it.

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• Apr. 3, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by christy fritz

my caleb was constipated the first couple years and it was milk, even while i was nursing... if i drank it he'd bleed when trying to go... elimination of dairy did help. but we found that cultured dairy (yogurt, kefir, some cheeses, cream cheese,cultured butter) after we did some repair work on his colon, is fine now, and raw milk is easier on him... and of course goat milk, if you can get past the taste is very best for digestion... but kinda expensive. the one thing i did find with him was that it was not the lactose but the protien in the milk that he was reacting to.... there are lots of studies and you can just google "milk protein allergy" and get lots of info. i would follow alot of the dietary suggestions though, cause there is alot of processed junk in the dairy substitute. you can get an easy blood test for this if you request a immunoglobin A,E, G ... I think thats what we did... it was covered by ins.
we also did a stool test that wasn't covered and found out he was lacking is some digestive enzymes that made it hard for him too. Those are easy to supplement without the test...
RenewLife.com has a KidZYME brand that may work for his age... They also have FLORABears that are chewable probiotics that I give Clara every day.. I give the others Primal Defense for kids.

Bottom line...
I give the kids...water, whole foods ( we had to do absolutely NO sugar for Caleb for six months... crazy!!! but it helped a ton with his bloating stomach... oh yah and no bananas or lots of fruit either, just apples (with skin) and about a cup of frozen bluberries a day...he really liked that part. of course lots of veggies, which were not his favorite, but after a few "training" sessions he eats them :) )
-Yummy greens ( a cheap chewable green 3 a day) from doctor'strustvitamins.com
-probiotics- either primal defense or florabears I do the powdered in yogurt for extra probiotics...
-cod lover oil...1/2 tsp Garden of life lemon mint flavor from vitacost.com
i used KINDERLOVE liquid multiple vitamin but it's expensive so i am still on a hunt for a good one

other things we used with caleb only temporarily...
enzymes and herbal digestion remedies.

i was familiar with some of these issues when they hit because i had read the maker's diet... we don't do everything... but i think sprouted bread or natural no yeast sourdough have really helped us all. that and the kefir. it's a great read though, if your interested in trying to fix things yourself.

i know this is way too much info... but it touched a familiar nerve. i think there is hope though.

the very best thing that cured it all for us i think was probiotics... we gave him Primal defense for kids which you can get at vitacost.com for about 18 bucks... work up to the maximum dose over a couple of weeks. It really helped. my doctor is a board cert pediatrician, but also has homeopathic/herbal training and gave us some options that way that I think helped too. Herbs for kids brand which you can get at health food stores has a minty ginger herbal blend that really aids in digestion too.

we will definitely pray... caleb can especially! :) he's still always asking God to heal his flora and help his digestion. :) gotta love kids.

feel free to email me if i haven't scared you off with this book...YIKES! fritz12@adelphia.net
take care,
christy fritz

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• Apr. 3, 2007 - some corrections to the comment

Posted by christy fritz

i meant I WOULDN"T follow some of the dietary suggestions for dairy substitutes.

and the butter issue..
we used smart balance for a long time... but organic valley carries a cultured unsalted butter that you can get at ingles ( if you have one) that was really easy on caleb's system...
i agree with the wheat comment too... it can be much worse than milk and worth considering.. grain is just hard on digestion in general...especially for sensitive ones.

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• Apr. 3, 2007 - dairy free cooking

Posted by Musicmommy3

Hey!
I feel for you on the dairy thing. Take it from someone who had to cook dairy free for 8 months while nursing one child and dairy AND egg free (that was a bit trickier) for 6 months while nursing another-creativity is the KEY!!
Oh, Smart Balance is good for you but it's not dairy free. It contains whey. That company makes another kind called Earth Balance. That is Vegan. What you can do is find a natural whole foods store and look for vegan substitues for things like butter. The Earth Balance actually tasted great. I wish I'd had that the first time. I subbed olive oil for butter while nursing Gideon when he was sensitive. You can dip bread in that instead of putting on butter. You can actually make things like biscuits with oil but of course they don't taste as good. Dairy is relatively easy to sub in baking. Either use water or soy milk, sometimes juice works. You'll have to play with stuff to see what works for your taste buds. It will take some adjusting because dairy is in practically every American food. (most all prepared foods have whey or casin in them.- both are dairy)
What I did was pretty simple. I actually got on Vegan websites that contained recipes and used their recipes but added in actual meat instead of tofu. That was really simple. They also have lots of variety that way.
blessings as you search for the culprit.
:):)

I was beginning to worry about you not posting. I know that you said it would be light but after leaving us so long with the last post I was a tad concerned. Sorry things are rough and crazy but you're a trooper. You'll make it!!! Love, Angela :)

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• Apr. 4, 2007 - Untitled Comment

Posted by tonya

Don't you just love those days when everything goes crazy?

I feel so sorry for poor little E. Have you tried milling your own wheat yet? That seems to cure constipation EVERY time at our house. Within a few minutes actually. I can give them a muffin and 30 minutes later, BOOM! or should I say 'plop'.:)

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