I am still trying to figure out what is happening with one of my 5 year old boys...he now gets red blotches that come and go in different areas on his head/face/neck during/after eating for a short time. I am wondering if it is a wheat allergy since it seems he has had wheat with most meals. This has been happening for the past 5 days.
I don't think it's a reaction to his meds b/c it happened at lunch today and he didn't take his meds then.
I just find it strange that he would suddenly develop an allergy after most of his lyme symptoms are gone (so long as he is on abx). He has been in treatment for bart, lyme and babs for 1 1/2 years.
Can the fact that he has been on abx for so long cause allergies to food?
Thanks,
tickbattler
Posted by btmb03 (Member # 18394) on :
OOh sorry about the red blotches on your little one. I've been on abx under a year..but the answer is a resounding 'YES'.
Foods I used to love I now react to terribly - esp shrimp. I've tried to go gluten-free and realize that though I can eat pasta without too much trouble, can't tolerate regular breads - I think in my case it may be sensitivity to bran?
I've also had to stop eating oatmeal (yum), flax and a host of other things.
I do believe abx can change not only gut flora (gut permeability as well) but the immunomodulatory effects I believe are what may cause food allergies & sensitivities.
Perhaps ask his LLMD if going gluten-free might help, it's worth a try!
Posted by tick battler (Member # 21113) on :
I am so sad about this...do you think the allergies can go away once the gut is healed? I feel terrible that the meds (or artemisinin) may have done this.
He was really suffering from lyme/coinfections, so we had no choice but to treat him...he is doing so much better now with regard to lyme/coinfection symptoms. I just hate to think that this could be a permanent side effect from treatment.
tickbattler
Posted by btmb03 (Member # 18394) on :
tick battler - So glad your son has made progress, check with his LLMD - we have so many sx that while not debilitating/disabling remain a mystery.
Perhaps it's a begnin condition?
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
The time and amount of abx he has been on may have highly stressed his liver.
Stressed livers can often cause or contribute to allergies. If your doc doesn't know this ask him if he is willing to learn.
The gluten free suggestion is very good one.
Posted by Richard1062 (Member # 19233) on :
well tick battler...our daughter developed allergies after she got Lyme but BEFORE she started on abx. So in her case, it was an over-sensitization effect from the disease, not the treatment.
Posted by btmb03 (Member # 18394) on :
You're right, now that I think about it my shrimp allergy started *after* I got sick but *before* I started abx.
But then again I do feel the abx have exacerbated this problem, esp with gluten which I never had before.
Posted by nomoremuscles (Member # 9560) on :
Yes. Though I wouldn't call them allergies, over many years of abx therapy I slowly became intolerant to most foods.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
If he's eating wheat every meal, that itself can encourage a food allergy to develop. Maybe try rotating his foods so that he's not eating the same food more than once every third day.
I was gluten free for most of my treatment and it did help. Eventually that intolerance did go away, but I still don't eat gluten every meal or even every day.
Posted by SoSublyme (Member # 15185) on :
There is an excellent chance that his food allergies will go away when the gut heals. (According to 3 doctors treating my probs and also according to ME!)
Best of luck.
Posted by tick battler (Member # 21113) on :
Thank you all so much for your replies. I guess it's tough to know if the illness or the medication is causing this sudden allergic reaction. And I still don't know for sure yet what food is the culprit.
I will try switching him to gluten free to see if this makes a difference. I didn't think he ate that much wheat, but for example today he had a couple of poached eggs on toast (Ezekial bread) for breakfast and a half of a sandwich for lunch, with fruit and yogurt. Tonight he had meatloaf (made with some Ezekiel bread) and vegetables. But every meal did have some bread in it.
How do you make gluten free sandwiches for kids?! What do you use to substitute for bread? I do already buy gluten free fish sticks and gluten free chicken nuggets, but I am not sure what to replace the bread with? Also, any ideas for healthy gluten free cereals/breakfasts that a 5 year old will eat?
Thanks so much,
tickbattler
Posted by tick battler (Member # 21113) on :
Thank you SoSublyme and six for the encouraging news that they may go away. I needed to hear that. It seems lately I have been bombarded with new issues with my 3 kids who are all sick with lyme/co's...it is tough to keep up with it all.
I am scheduled to see an herbalist this week for them and an allergist next week. Just took one to a dermatologist today for a strange welt on his neck that is not going away. Of course, they don't know what it is. It seems there is always something to worry about.
Best,
tickbattler
Posted by SoSublyme (Member # 15185) on :
Hi TickB,
There are lots of gluten-free breads on the market now (at Whole Foods, Roots, etc.) I'm not sure how they taste...I've just been avoiding bread in general.
My heart goes out to you...I can't imagine having to deal with this very strict diet with one of my kids.
Some of the gluten-free stuff is actually not that bad tasting. I've actually started to like Van's gluten-free waffles...the regular and the cinnamin are pretty good.
There are lots of gluten-free cereals at my local Roots. At the general grocery store you can also pick up Rice Crispies, Puffs and now the gluten-free variety of Crispex (I think that's the name.) Rice Crispies have malt in them which is on the "watch list" for those with gluten allergies, but they are basically gluten-free.
I would also use rice milk with the cereal since sensitivity to dairy is one of the most common food problems.
I agree with Six that the most important thing is to rotate the foods eaten so they aren't repeated more than every four days or so. That's to help prevent allergies to even more foods while the gut is stressed.
Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :
Not able to read what others wrote. but, I am still learning what I can and can't eat.
I had several medical personnel tell me to go on the if it is white it ain't right food intake.
No potatoes, white rice, bread, eggs or iffy..still trying to figure out if they are OK or not...
sorry brain is going..
but i have noticed that i need to be more cautious of what i eat..even before i started treatment and had a dx.
Posted by Shosty (Member # 12232) on :
Problems with dairy are common too. The problem can be clearer after the food is given up, then rechallenged. The reaction becomes clearer for some reason.
I can't eat gluten, dairy, soy, citrus, nuts, corn, avocado, banana...my daughter can't eat dairy or gluten. Yes, we think abx did this, and that leaky gut syndrome is the cause. But our diets are still limited.
Rice cereal is really good (either brown or the mainstream Cream of Rice). I eat it with applesauce on top. Oatmeal is controversial for those who are avoiding gluten, but I eat it sometimes, with apple slices, cinnamon and a few cranraisins.
Rice tortillas come frozen and are sold in health food stores, and there is a whole line of rice breads that is really good.
Bob's Red Mill makes good baking mixes for muffins and biscuits.
Rice cakes come in all kinds of flavors. Good with peanut butter, humus, guacamole, tuna.
Rice pasta is also very good. We have come to prefer it even.
Try other grains too, like quinoa.
It's not that bad. Honest. Go to the celiac.com site for the list of ingredients that have gluten, like maltodextrin.
This may or may not be temporary, but present it in a positive way I still make my kids muffins,
For 6 muffins, I do 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Baking Mix, and add cinnamon. Then I mix 1 masehd banana, 3 Tbs corn oil, egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 oz. applesauce or whateve makes the right consistency, then add nuts, or blueberries or whatever. They are quite good.
For baking with corn flour or other flours, besides baking powder, always add xanthum gum for consistency. The Bob's Red Mill mix already has baking powder and xanthum gum in it, so it is easy.
Good luck!
Posted by njlymemom (Member # 15088) on :
One of my children developed sudden, overnight, food allergies. It started with apples, then other fruit and vegetables she liked. This started after tx.
I buy organic, washed everything. Couldn't figure out how this could happen so suddenly.
She has come a long way with her tx. Just this past summer she tried a piece of apple again - with me holding the benedryl just in case - and she was ok.
Pediatrician says that this can happen, and I can't remember what she called it.
She is not LLMD - so I kept my opinions to myself.
I just find it hard to believe that it has nothing to do with her many infections. As she is getting better, she is able to eat more and more of what use to cause reactions (mouth swelling).
Wishing you luck with this....hang in there it will get better.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I still make my kids muffins,