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November 12, 2007 at 4:08 pm #45359
Anonymous
InactiveMy son Ben (2 & 1/2 years old) has been itching at his face, head and neck for the last week. Not lots of itching, but in little bits all over his head, face and neck. There isn’t any rash at all, but a few times I have seen little swollen welts, kind of like mosquito bites, but they seem to disappear after a couple of hours. He’s not complaining about it or anything, he just seems like a nuisance to him. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what might be the cause. He hasn’t been eating anything different – he’s a VERY picky eater and will only eat a handful of foods, so there’s certainly nothing new there. No new meds, we haven’t changed shampoo or skin lotion, same detergent – I just can’t figure it out! He did cut his last 2 baby molars last week, but I don’t think that would make him itch – at least teething never has before. Any thoughts? I’ve been wondering for a while about getting allergy testing done on him. Do you know what age they recommend for that?
Thanks for any thoughts or input!
November 12, 2007 at 6:00 pm #45369InactiveGosh, the only thing I can think of and it seems silly is dry skin. I know this time of year I start itching b/c I don’t keep lotion on like I should. I hope it’s not a big deal and you can figure it out soon.
November 12, 2007 at 8:41 pm #45375InactiveKaelyn has been doing the same thing lately. For her, I’m pretty sure that it’s dry skin. If I lotion her up, she’s fine.
November 13, 2007 at 2:27 pm #45419InactiveThe little welts that come and go and the itching sound like what my Ben used to do, but, for him, it was related to heat. I think it was like heat rash. It would be mostly around his neck and ears. Probably not heat rash, but maybe he is reacting to some clothing that he is wearing? Some sweater or something???
November 16, 2007 at 5:53 pm #45542InactiveI’m wondering if maybe he’s reacting to the carpet, or the sofa material. Sometimes when he’s playing with his cars or trucks, he likes to lay down with the side of his face on the floor or sofa as he rolls them along. That might explain why it’s on his face from time to time and never anywhere else on his body.
Hmm… still a bit of a mystery!November 22, 2007 at 5:53 pm #45685InactiveJust wanted to share with you that we think we now know the cause of Ben’s unusual itching, and unfortunately it’s much more serious that we could have thought.
Let me start with saying that over the last few months, Ben has started to have some unusual behaviour which we were first trying to brush off as just his own little quirks or idiosyncrasies. Things like lining up his toy cars in perfect order, end to end, and if someone were to disturb this arrangement he would throw a fit. Also he began reciting things he had heard, like TV commercials or books we had read. However, in the last few weeks, these behaviours were becoming almost more obsessive and more bothersome. I started to do some research and was fearing that he may be developing some type of developmental disorder, like Asperger’s syndrome or something similar to that. But I had also read that this type of behaviour could be caused by an unusual type of food intolerance to proteins like casein (in milk) and/or gluten.Then just recently, Ben has been waking up in the night screaming hysterically and he’s simply inconsolable and unable to tell us what is wrong. This is very unusual for him because he’s been a really good sleeper since about the age of one. Well, yesterday morning, he woke up again screaming and hysterical and when I went in to his room, his eyes were swollen almost shut! His eyelids were so swollen it looked like someone has shoved pingpong balls under them!! I’ve never seen anything like it. Frantic, I took him right to the emergency room. But in my mind, I thought of what I had read about milk or gluten causing unusual, almost autistic behaviour and also thought about the itching. Then it all seemed to click that this must be related!Long story short, our pediatrician who saw us at emergency agrees with me wholeheartedly and has heard of this happening. Basically, we believe he’s developing an intolerance/allergy type reaction to casein (and maybe gluten). It is likely causing his brain to swell (thus the painful screaming in the night) and likely the cause of his unusual behaviours. There is also some type of allergic reaction happening as well to explain the itching and the swelling around his eyes. We have now cut all dairy from his diet, and if that doesn’t show complete improvement, we will also have to cut all gluten out as well.The last few days have been a stressful whirlwind. We have had our hands full with Paige over the last year, and now we are so worried about Ben. In one way I am a little relieved, however, that there could be an explanation for his behaviours and perhaps he doesn’t have a developmental disorder. I just pray that eliminating milk is the answer and we will certainly eliminate gluten too if necessary. It means a huge adjustment, I don’t know what I’ll feed my already picky eater, but we will work it out. I just hope we’ve found the cause.November 22, 2007 at 6:53 pm #45686InactiveOh, no! How scared you must have been. I hope and pray that it’s nothing more serious than a casein allergy. I’m sure it will be a big adjustment for all of you and I hope it does not extend to gluten as well. The poor little guy! That’s great that the doctor was so informed. I hope things get better quikly. Please keep us posted.
November 22, 2007 at 8:26 pm #45689InactiveWow – I’m always so amazed that food can cause such intense reactions. I hope that eliminating casein proves to be the solution for Ben. The first few weeks of adjusting to the diet will feel really overwhelming, but it does get easier – I promise! I also have a picky eater. The amount of food that gets wasted in our house kills me (especially because dairy free/gluten free foods are so expensive). But there are a lot of decent choices out there and it’s a market that’s constantly expanding. You may find that when you remove the allergens from his diet, he’ll actually start eating better. Lots of kids make the connection between food and the yucky way that they feel. Once the allergen is removed, they start to feel better and then eat better.
One thing that may help make this transition easier for you: the first few times that you try to shop for allergen free foods, try to do it without children. I had Kaelyn with me the first time that I shopped and she got impatient and fussy before I was even close to being done. I left the store in tears, convinced that I’d never be able to find “safe” foods for her. Now, we have a pantry full of foods that she can eat.We’ll keep Ben and your family in our thoughts and prayers.November 22, 2007 at 8:56 pm #45691InactiveOh man, Sherri. What a roller coaster ride. I can only imagine how frantic you must have been and how worrisome it is right now. I will pray that the new diet will clear things up for him and that he will start to feel better soon.
November 22, 2007 at 10:13 pm #45702InactiveOh Sheri I am so sorry for everything you are going through. I hope that an altered diet will be the answer for Ben. I know this must be very stressful for all of you. BIG HUGS! Please let us know how everything turns out.
November 23, 2007 at 9:20 am #45711InactiveWow Sheri! That all must have been absolutely terrifying! I hope that it is just a casein allergy and nothing more serious. I’ll be praying for you and Ben. Good luck with the new diet change. I hope the lack of casein makes a difference and you won’t have to eliminate gluten as well. *hugs*
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