So my youngest has been having issues with reflux and constipation. I am wondering about dairy issues? It is interesting as E is dairy free but he had the opposite problem. Has anyone else had this happen? Imade a doctor appt. for him on Monday as he has been throwing up too the last couple of days at school after he eats!

My girl, 5 (almost six) has really bad constipation & tummy pain when she eats too much dairy and has since she was a baby.... I am very careful about how much she gets and that she eats plenty of fiber etc. If she eats too much dairy, her stools get hard, dark and dry and she has trouble passing them (sorry if TMI). She does great on almond or oat milk and I am learning to make almond milk in my blender since it's fairly expensive at the store... we don't deny her ALL dairy but we don't let her have a pile of cheese on her tacos either (we ration her to a teeny bit of cheese), or a bowlful of milk with her oatmeal, etc. she's ok with dairy in baked goods like biscuits etc and seems to be ok with things like goat cheese.... i just watch her to make sure she's going #2 frequently enough.

ACTUALLY, she did great on raw cow's milk, her stools on that were like a breastfed baby's, but it's illegal/difficult/expensive (black market) to get here, so we can't get it often.... i blame the pasteurization and homogenization.... so i would recommend trying raw milk from a reputable supplier to see if that is the problem.... i've heard of other children having the same issues (not being able to handle stuff other than raw milk) online, that's how i found out to try it.... so my girl isn't the only one.

ACTUALLY, she did great on raw cow's milk, her stools on that were like a breastfed baby's, but it's illegal/difficult/expensive (black market) to get here, so we can't get it often.... i blame the pasteurization and homogenization.... so i would recommend trying raw milk from a reputable supplier to see if that is the problem.... i've heard of other children having the same issues (not being able to handle stuff other than raw milk) online, that's how i found out to try it.... so my girl isn't the only one.

Raw milk is illegal here too Cheese but we *can* get unhomogenized.. still pasterized, but I wonder if that would help? Also we can get raw milk if we buy a share of a cow.. can you guys do that up there?

ETA: dh and dd #2 are both more prone to constipation, which seems to be dairy related, BUT I find that as long as they are eating enough raw fruits and vegetables they are fine.. it's sometimes more about what they are NOT eating then what they *are* eating.

I have been cutting back on the cheese, not totally eliminating dairy. The dr. said he definitely has reflux, so we started him on some medicine! So we will see how that helps? He also seems like he has a lot of mucus and is very drooly, the dr. thought that the drooling might be related to the reflux?

My oldest had reflux. He didn't have the excessive drooling, but I read that it can happen. (There's actually a medical term for it, but now I've forgotten what it's called.) Saliva helps neutralize stomach acid, so it can be his body's way of trying to protect his esophagus by overproducing saliva that needs to be swallowed.

Has he ever been allergy tested? The vomiting and constipation can be symptoms. (Diarrhea is more common than constipation with allergies, but it sometimes happens.) Was the dr's appt helpful?

Thanks for your input, yeah the more it goes on we think dairy is part of the problem we haven;t eliminated but we are cutting back. The drooling happens quite a bit and seems more so when he is not focused on his swallowing. He also has some speech issues, so I was never sure if the drooling was related to that too. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was allergies. Where did you have the allergy tests done?

My oldest had a lot of medical issues going on so he was tested at Children's Hosp. (He was the one with esophagal problems but was negative for allergies.) I requested allergy testing for my youngest and the pedi referred us to an allergist. The test was simple, and we had initial results within 15 minutes. (He had multiple severe allergies--needed an epi pen for 5 different foods.) So both experiences were with a pediatric allergist. I think it is usually referred to a specialist.

I must say, though, I tend to be extremely picky and usually dissatisfied with dr experiences. Maybe it's not typical, but both of my experiences with allergists were amazingly positive! They totally listened and respected my observations.

When there's a question, I do highly recommend testing. It's so quick, simple, and non-invasive. Allergies can become very serious without much warning, so it's good to know and have it on the medical record.