Ok, so, my daughter has had constant diarrhea for about 7 months now. We have seen her regualr doc, and an allergist where we have changed her diet, ran stool tests, blood tests, and even tested for CF. The allergist is now sending us to a GI doc, which is fine. However we can't get in until summer. I was hoping in the meantime anyone may have some idea as to what she has going on! I am at a loss here, she will be 2 next month and weighs about 21 pounds, her little belly is always bloated, but other than that she is pretty darn happy!
Thanks!
poor kid. Could it be too much fruit? Hope someone comes up with an idea that works. Best of luck.
eliminate dairy and gluten for about 3 weeks . introduce one for a few days and see if symptoms worsen. also try probiotics but its hard to find a dairy free one. maybe wait until you know she isnt allergic/sensitive to dairy. most likely she is having digestive issues because she is eating something she soudnt. not always easy to find on an allergy test either....do an "elimination diet"
No dietary advice, but make sure you call the GI regularly to see if there are any "cancellations". Many times people make appointments and don't keep them, so you may be able to get in sooner! Let the receptionist know that you are flexible (even if you really aren't) and that if someone cancels, please feel free to call you.
I am surprised that the allergist sent you to a GI guy. One of my daughters had the same issue at about the same age. Figured out it was the sesame seeds on the buns we used for hamburgers that gave her the trots. Seeds and grains can cause digestive issues You might try no wheat or sesame seeds.
Hi S.---Keep a food diary so that you know exactly what she is eating. Trying to recall from memory, even if you are the only feeding her, is typically unreliable. To get this figured out, you need to be VERY specific. Once you have a pretty good idea of the foods she eats, then try the elimination diet as suggested already. It does take about 2 weeks to discover whether or not a particular food is the culprit so be patient. Another possible source is additives in food. Be sure that anything she eats has no label on it whatsoever...fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes/beans, nuts and seeds. Most everything from a box is not really food, but a food product. The body knows the difference and your daughter might be particularly sensitive to these additives. Beware of artificial colors and preservatives, sweeteners, HFCS (which is now being called corn sugar...and the body knows that corn sugar is a highly processed food), MSG (which goes by MANY different names in order to hide it on the label), and fully and partially hydrogenated trans fats as well as interisterified oils (a substitute for transfats which actually is worse for raising bad cholesterol). All these things could be triggering some sort of reaction in your little ones digestive system. And we really need to take care of our digestive systems. 80% of our immune system is in our gut.
I also agree with getting her a kid friendly probiotic. With diarrhea, the good bacteria is being flushed from her system along with not having nutrients from the food she eats be absorbed properly.
I will send you my family nutrition packet with some of this info on it. Watch for it. My offer to talk about how your diet impacts your health issues still stands. I wish you much luck and I look forward to talking to you someday soon. In health, D.
I agree with eliminating dairy. It is a highly allergenic food for humans...even though those allergies usually do not cause obvious problems that can be traced to dairy as the cause. Dairy can cause excess mucous as well as increasing the risk for type 1 diabetes in kids and prostate cancer for men. But don't take my word for it, please go to www.pcrm.org and put dairy in the search box. Spend some time in this website...there is a TON of great health info. Another resource for sharing the dangers of too much animal protein in the human diet is www.thechinastudy.com.
need a little more info... Is it brown or yellow? Is it watery or just thin and pasty? Is it the kind that shoots out of the back of the diaper? Is she breast fed or off of the bottle?
It sounds like the GI doc visit will be your answer tho, I would demand a much sooner visit if I were you. 21lbs seems pretty small for a 2 yr old, but I'm not sure how abnormal that really is. The moms with 2 yr old now will probably have much better advice than I do.
If she isnt in any pain, that's a good thing.... but it's definitely not normal to have diahrea for 7 mos. Wish I could tell you something better.
This really sounds like allergies/food sensitivities to me. That would require an elimination diet, starting with the most likely offenders - dairy, wheat, soy. Can't the allergy doc guide you on this? Dairy can certainly cause all the symptoms you describe. If it runs in your family, that's even more reason to suspect this. If it's true, please consider breastfeeding if you have another baby while you eliminate the dairy from your own diet.
Google Toddler Diarrhea. My great niece had it for over 6 months from age 2 to 3. I kept telling her mom and grandma that something was wrong, but the pediatrician and pharmacy said it was toddler diarrhea. It was a mess to deal with; no pun intended. Also because we were beginning to think about potty training, things were complicated further. She would have diarrhea several times a day; very, very loose stools; all over everything. Otherwise, my niece was happy, content. She had no other symptoms. Diet did not affect it much. We did limit juices, apples, etc which reduced the diarrhea somewhat, but it still was a lot to deal with for its duration. Hang it there. Get everything checked out for piece of mind, but it is a real diagnosis.
Fiber will help bind her up. So foods with fiber will help. there are natural fiber powders that can be mixed with juices or flavored drinks (I have one and it is GREAT). Does she like Bananas? If so, have her eat a banana daily. The postassium will help and bananas, when eaten regularly, will bind the body up. Has she been tested for acid reflux? Unfortunately, I've heard it is more common in little ones.
Also, getting good bacteria into her body will help her tremendously. Yes, our body needs good bacteria. If you aren't familiar with good bacteria, you can reach me at ###-###-#### or respond to my post. I have a health and wellness business and provide dietary information as well as supplements that can help your daughter.
Many blessings.
Maybe you should have a Nutritionist or Dietitian check over what she's been eating. Have you tried testing for Celiac's? Have you tried eliminating all dairy from her diet? Those are the two most prone 'allergies', if you can truly call it that, which will cause diarrhea.
As for weight... my daughter didn't reach the 30 lb mark until 3.5 years old and she's never had any illnesses or issues. Some children just are petite. So until you know what's wrong, I'd leave the weight on the back burner.
I'm assuming you've tried getting rid of dairy. What about gluten? Hope you can get this figured out, poor baby!
