Ugh, now the improvement I thought I was seeing in Colt is sliding backwards. I feel like we are right where we started. I placed a call into the pediatrician yesterday. When she called me back she said it can take up to two weeks after the elimination of the cow's protein, soy, and nuts to see major improvement. We saw another pediatrician in the group last Thursday because our regular pediatrician was out. Two weeks seems more reasonable to me than 72 hours to see improvement. She also told me that we would re-evaluate when we go in for the next weight check on September 15. There also are no good blood or skin tests to check for specific allergies in babies this young. So the elimination diet is really our only option right now.
Colt had a really rough day yesterday - extremely fussy and he now has dark circles under his eyes, which are also a result of the allergy. He is so squirmy, too. I just thought he was super active, but this is a sign of his poor tummy aching. The doctor said he isn't very comfortable, which just makes his mom feel horrible. I just want to hold him all day long now because I don't want him to be uncomfortable and not feel like he is super, duper well loved and that his mom and dad really, really want to fix this for him! We are trying!
I told the doctor I really didn't want to give him formula, especially with the food allergy. She said she does not advocate formula and actually will not recommend it until the mom cries "Uncle" and won't put up with the dietary restrictions any more. She said she worked with one mom whose son's allergies were so bad that all she ate was baked chicken, apples, and avocados for 8 straight months. When the mom finally said she couldn't do it any more, her little boy had to be hospitalized to figure out what kind of formula he could tolerate. She reassured me this is an EXTREME case and that I just need to have patience with the elimination process. She also reassured me that most all babies will out grow the allergy, so we have to have hope! Kevin said he can't imagine his little guy not having dairy - as mom and dad L-O-V-E dairy products. If Kevin had to eliminate pizza, ice cream, yogurt, and chocolate milk from his diet he may waste away! ;)
So, please pray for mom to have patience and for sweet Colt to start feeling better. We will keep you posted!
