Food Intolerance
My sweet Isaac
I have great news! After spending half a day at the allergist’s office and nearby lab, we found out that Isaac is not allergic to food. Wait, don’t start celebrating just yet. He has been labeled instead intolerant of milk and wheat. What does that mean? Well it means, he still cannot eat wheat gluten or the whey in cow milk.
Has our life changed after this new discovery? No. The only thing that has changed is my fear that he would possibly develop an anaphylactic reaction to the foods he cannot consume, which are wheat, milk, peanuts, and aspartame. Through Applied Kinesiology, Dr. Colwell diagnosed Isaac as being unable to consume these four items.
Consequently, my husband and I are diligent in keeping these foods out of Isaac’s hands. However, there have been slips. For example last month, Isaac literally ate a bite of bread before I caught him. His reactions are becoming worse and more gastro-intestinal in nature. With a bite of white bread, a few hours later Isaac had uncontrollable diarrhea and later cried because his stomach hurt so bad. Years ago, he just got an itchy, eczema-type rash.
As far as we know, Isaac has not had peanuts. He had so many issues with milk and then wheat as a toddler that we kept him away from peanuts. Peanut allergies are too serious to be taken lightly. Knowing that he might not be able to tolerate peanuts is much better than wondering what kind of allergic reaction he might have. Luckily with the allergy test, we now know his immune system will not react to peanuts. So, no Epi-pens to carry around in Isaac’s future.
I am definitely comforted by the fact that I don’t have to worry about foods processed in facilities with peanuts. I still think we are going to steer clear of peanuts. He loves almond butter and other tree nuts.
What irritated me most during this whole process is that the allergist proceeded to lecture me for seeking alternative treatment through Applied Kinesiology. At one point of his lecture, I reminded him that I was here seeking the traditional approach. I asked him to stop lecturing me and test my child.
The most annoying thing about the whole visit was hearing him tell me to keep Isaac off of wheat and cow milk. Really? Traditional medicine came up with practically the same exact diagnosis as alternative medicine. If I had not sat there and endured the lecture, I would not have been as annoyed.
I now understand that the doctor was upset about semantics. He distinctly saw a difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. As a mom, I did not. I knew that Isaac had bad reactions to certain foods, which I used the word “allergy” to define them. All along I should have been saying “intolerance.”
To be clear, an allergy requires an immune response. Your body mistakes the allergen as something harmful and develops antibodies to fight it. Allergies are more dangerous and life-threatening to an individual. A food intolerance can cause horrible reactions. It can make you extremely uncomfortable and even make you wish you were dead, but you will not go into anaphylactic shock. If you are still unsure of the difference, the Mayo Clinic published this explanation by Dr. James Li.
However in Isaac’s case, our day of allergy testing did not rule out Celiac disease, which is a serious condition that can lead to many complications like malnutrition, infertility, and leaky gut syndrome. We were advised to not put Isaac under the invasive tests to find out, especially at his age.
Whether he has the disease or not, Isaac cannot tolerate wheat gluten at all. He has to stay away from it because it makes him very sick. If you have gone through Celiac testing, please share your story with me. I am trying to do what is best for my son, but also what makes the most sense. Does the diagnosis matter? Is it a concern that it would be a pre-existing condition? As my family wades through the world of food intolerance, we would appreciate any help and advice.
I guess in the end, “Am I happy that he was tested traditionally?” With much thought, I can now say, “Yes.” It was a learning experience. I learned the difference between food allergy and food intolerance. Now I am not promising that I will never slip and use the word allergy again. Actually most people use the word allergy as I have for years to describe his reactions. Most importantly, I learned that Isaac will not die from being exposed to a certain food. And, all that is good news.
I have to admit, I am a bit puzzled by your “traditional” doc labeling a whey allergy as a food intolerance (lactose intolerance). It even states in that article you link to that food allergy symptoms are not always life threatening and can involve symptoms of the digestive tract. I am guessing he used either a skin prick test or the very simplified IgE blood test.
I think what he meant is Isaac has a food sensitivity, which could almost be likened to a lower grade food allergy. Whey is actually a protein in milk, like casein, while lactose is the sugar which we are sometimes intolerant too (lack the enzyme to digest).
I must admit, the terminology is all a bit insane! Especially since doctors have yet to truly define what a food allergy encompasses. There is this major gray area between what is traditionally thought of as a food allergy (life threatening swelling, hives, etc.) and a food intolerance, which involves only the gut and a specific inability to digest something. Isaac’s symptoms sound severe enough and reason to keep on the path you were on. Sounds like you have it all together better than the doctor. Good luck!
I have one daughter who is allergic to wheat and one with an intolerance. The daughter who is allergic was told that she cannot have a definitive celiac screening unless she eats wheat for two weeks. It’s not worth the damage it might cause. There is wheat in too many things. You can grind gluten free oatmeal as a flour to use in many cookies. Much of the wheat free recipes do not taste good. Try making your favorite oatmeal cookies this way – you will find the people who are not allergic to wheat eating them. iThere are some energy bars that are gluten free. It makes a nice snack when everyone else is eating wheat products. It’s tough, but controllable.
Lara,
My heart breaks to hear about your sweet little boy’s food intolerance. I too am gluten intolerant but was not diagnosed for many years. We now suspect there were symptoms for many years but until my condition became full blown and made me very sick we did not discover the culprit. Symptoms worsened for six years and by then my my vitamin reserves were depleted. I was very sick. After a morning prayer session pleading for answers, hope appeared. I remembered a friend of our family, who is an R.N.,had a strange aversion to regular bread. I knew that this was my answer when she told me to get tested but she did not suggest the usual test. She suggested a fecal test from a doctor in Dallas. This was all handled by mail and was very private and non invasive. I tested positive for gluten intolerance but this did not confirm celiac disease. However from what I had learned already if someone has the Herpetaformis Dermatitis (sp?) then it is certain they have celiac. Since I had the skin issues too, I was certain I had celiac. Soon after starting the gf diet I had no doubts about it. Blood tests can give false negatives and it seems that the other test is so invasion and would only confirm what we already knew. As far as pre-existing since a gf diet is the only prescription, we did not feel it necessary to have to offical test. I might feel differently about one of my children.
I have attended a celiac support group mainly for help in the beginning on how to cook gf. Frankly they were helpful in providing information on gf cooking but did not want to fall into the trap of being a victim as some of them seemed to do. They chastised me a bit for not having the gold standard testing done. I can live with that.
Hope this is not too long but I do hope it helps. If you are not familiar with the test mentioned above contact me for the doctor’s name and how to arrange for testing.
Lanae
Lanae,
Do you have to be on wheat or gluten to get accurate results on the test? Thank you for all of your information. I will be contacting you privately for more information.
Lara
Alisa,
Thank you for your thoughts on the subject. To add to the confusion when Isaac was given cow milk at about a year old, he had strange bowel movements and horrible diaper rashes. I kept telling my concerns to his then pediatrician, but she dismissed my concerns. Finally she said, “If you really think he has a problem with milk, give him lactaid.” After one cup, he had broken out in head to toe hives, which seems to me to be an allergic reaction. I hate to say it but I think I actually am more confused by seeking diagnosis than just leading a cow milk and gluten free lifestyle like we have for the past few years.
Lara
My understanding is that you must be consuming gluten in order to have an accurate test.
Lanae
Lara:
Do you use homeopathy as remedies for health problems? There are several and I use them when I forget to take Lactaid after eating dairy products. One is Podophyllum: A common diarrhea remedy. The stool is profuse and offensive smelling. The stools may be yellowish or green and are often completely liquid, and the bowel movements can come very frequently. Let the pellets under the tongue and in just minutes the discomfort is diminished, if not altogether eliminated.
Most health food stores carry these wonderful products.