My daughter is 18 months, and lately we've been having some major diarrhea issues. We recently moved across a couple states, and i was expecting her to get sick from the new environment, but not like this. The first week that we were here, she had pure liquid diarrhea. 9 days! We used bottled water just incase, changed her constantly ( still did TONS of laundry) and I was very careful of what she ate. I took her to the doctor and they ran tests. BTW anyone out there that has had to collect specimen that is LIQUID.. i feel your pain! The tests came back clear and she went back to normal while waiting for the results. A few days later, she was back to liquid again! This time, lasting 6 days. it cleared up, and she was good for 3 days. Now, her stool is getting very loose again, and I don't know why. (never had a fever or other symptoms btw). She has gotten terrible rashes from spaghetti sauce before, so i avoided it for a time, but seems to have been handling it fine for a couple months now. Today, i realized that we just had pizza and that may be the cause of the diarrhea. The doctor says she is fine, but I am just not sure of how much m ore her little back side can take! ( or my washer!) To top it off, she is beyond picky on what she will eat now. all of her favorites, she will no longer touch. meat, potatoes, rice, she will not eat them at all. She eats veggies and fruits like a champ though, and pb&j's. Should i consider a daily vitamin? I am out of ideas, and just need to bounce the issue off of other people. ..thanks in advance!
For a long time my youngest would get diarrhea from fruits and juices. We had to watch the amount of fruit she ate (and which ones) for a few years. Luckily she seem to have out-grown it and can eat all her favorites again (I still watch how much of them she eats though.) Main culprits for her were grapes & watermelon but I limited all of her fruits.
You may want to consider having your baby tested for food allergies to pinpoint. I agree with another trip to the pediatrician. In the meantime get your baby on probiotics to help her tummy. If she likes yogurt you might try that. Here is a link to a tiny pill that would be easy to put in her food, and a vitamin supplement with prebiotic, which is food for the probiotic:
Multivitamin with prebiotic: http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sk...
Probiotic: http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sk...
Don't laugh, but I even give that probiotic to my dog daily. He is a poodle and poodles often have problems with their ears. His ears are much healthier since I started this!
I would go back to the pediatrician and tell them that you want to find out why she is having this digestive problem.
We had that same tomato issue, but it just caused the rash on the face where ever it touched her, not the rest of the stuff you are describing, but you never know. Tomatos are part of the night shade family, so there may be other things that she is eating that are also causing a problem, but I would also ask to have other digestive issues ruled out too.
As for being picky, it it pretty common for 18 month olds to reject food that they ate before, and as long as she is eating fruits, veggies, and milk, and gets that pb&j she is probably fine. You could add a mulit vitamin if you are worried. Have you considered peanuts as the offender?
good luck, I would just camp out in the peditricians office and be a squeeky wheel, tell them you have had it, and you want answers.
M.
I'm with the other moms who recommend having a discussion with the pediatrician about the longevity of the issue.
Instead of allergies (which is quite likely though I believe you'd see more of a whole systemic response vs. just diarrhea), my thought is more related to stress and how the move, the new environment, etc is affecting her.
My neice, around this age, was in a day care class she HATED. She had awful diaper rash that nothing could treat. The pediatrician put her on a restrictive diet (I believe she could eat chicken, broccoli, strawberries, rice milk, and a few other things). Nothing was being identified as the cause.
When she moved classes a few months later, the diaper rash went away. it was her body's way of dealing with stress when she couldn't communicate it appropriately.
Just a thought that perhaps, she's processing the stress of a move, a new environment, and unfamiliarity of her surroundings through physical manifestation.
Good luck.
Hum, this is a tough one!! I'd take her back and see if you can get her allergy tested to help eliminate any foods. Other than that, I'm kinda at a loss. The only time my son had problems like that was from the city water where we lived. It was the chlorine they used to disinfect it. Even pool water would make him do it!! I'd have to give him mylanta in the evening if we had been in the pool that day just so it wouldn't be so bad if he did poop. It would blister his bottom on contact it was so bad at times :(
I do have some suggestions that I've learned over the years to help her-french fries. Let her eat them when she has a round of the poo. The starch in them is easy on the digestive system and can help firm up the stools. If she is getting a diaper rash, use the blow dryer on her bottom on the lowest setting and a few feet away. This will help get the much needed air to her bottom but without running around naked and risking her going on your floor too! If you feel comfortable giving it-1/4 or less of mylanta 1 time a day to help naturalize the acid in her system which might bring her some comfort.
Good luck and I hope you figure it out soon!
S.
Her system may just be out of wack because of the first bout of diarrhea. It eliminated all the good bacteria in her gut & now she is probably extra sensitive to food items that would not have bothered her before. Try giving her a probiotic to help balance her gut out again. You should be able to find one at a whole foods store. If you are confused just ask for help & they should be able to stear you in the right direction. If nothing else try giving her yogurt with active cultures every day for at least a week & see if this helps.
My mom told me when I was young I had a tomato "sensitivity" . It was not an actual allergy.
.I had all of the symptoms you have described... But as I got older it went away.. I have no problems now..
I would get an allergy test done. Maybe think about going to a different clinic to get a second doctor's advice. I would just go with the doctor saying she is fine because she isn't if she is getting it all the time and for days at a time.
I would consider the possibility that she is allergic to something. However, an allergic reaction should only last for a day or two. Is there anything that she's eating every day on the days that she has diarrhea?
It is not good to have runny diarrhea this often. I'd call the doctor back and say she's till having it and ask for advice. When you were there did they make a suggestion about using a fiber rich diet and possibly giving her something like psyllium seed (Metamucil) which is a natural stool manager? I would also think he told you to cal or come back if she didn't improve. That is the standard line for doctors. Perhaps so standard we don't hear it.
Fruits and veggies do have fiber but fruit can also cause diarrhea. Because she is refusing to eat certain foods I think that something is going on in her body.
I would not give her a daily vitamin even if you've not been doing so up until now. Vitamin/mineral pills can cause digestive upsets.
I would definitely call her doctor. Something is not right.
