What are the symptoms of having an allergy to cow's milk?

Question

I have a 12 month old that I have been trying to switch to cow's milk. For the last month and a half I have been putting a little mixed with formula. About 3 weeks ago I went to straight whole milk. Last Thursday my son threw up during the night, and has been having diarrhea for the last week, he also threw up last Sunday night. His diapers have been very stinky and have a yellowish foamy look to them. They usually run out of his diaper down his leg and he has kept a diaper rash the last couple of weeks, we have tried every rash cream possible. We had stool sample checked for Clostridum difficile and Rotavirus. Both were negative, Is it possible that he could have a milk allergy, of some other sort of virus?

Answer 1

I remember when we switched our son to milk at 12 months that he had a bit of an adjustment period where his stool was a bit runny, yellow and very very smelly. In fact, switching to milk caused more of a foul smelling stool than any other food he'd eaten. So while I'm not discounting that your son may have some intolerance of milk, it could just be him adjusting to something new in his diet.

Answer 2

you should def speak to your dr but here is som info in milk allergys

Milk allergies are over-diagnosed by the general population and under-diagnosed by doctors. The real incidence of milk allergies lies somewhere between the folklore and the skeptical view of many physicians. Around five percent of children and adults seem to be either allergic to milk or intolerant of it. One carefully controlled study showed that 75 percent of infants under one year of age were allergic to cow's milk. Cow's milk allergy is more likely to develop in children who have a family history of milk allergy. The good news is that of the approximately two percent of children who are truly allergic to milk, many will outgrow this allergy by the time they are two or three-years-old.

The protein in cow's milk is what provokes the allergies. Because milk is a species-specific protein, cow's milk is suited to bovine intestines. Exposure of human intestines to bovine protein may cause irritation and damage to the intestinal lining, allowing these allergenic proteins to be absorbed into the circulatory system. The immune system recognizes these proteins as foreign and attacks them, causing the usual allergy symptoms of wheezing, runny nose, or a red, rough, sandpaper-like rash, especially on the cheeks. Milk allergies are often the underlying cause of repeated colds and ear infections, due to fluid building up in the respiratory passages, sinuses, and eustachian tubes of the ears. Milk allergy has been implicated in subtle behavioral changes, such as irritability and nightwaking. Research has even shown that the allergic proteins in milk (beta lactalglobulin) can pass through a breastfeeding mother's milk into her baby and cause some babies to react with colicky symptoms. The colic- cow's milk connection should be suspected as a possible cause of fussy behavior in an otherwise, normal breastfed baby. The allergic reaction between the milk protein and the intestinal lining can cause minute gastrointestinal bleeding (sometimes so slight that it is missed) and be a subtle cause of anemia in infants and young children.

Chronic milk allergy can also weaken the intestinal lining, allowing foreign substances into the bloodstream that would ordinarily be screened out, a condition known as the leaky gut syndrome.

Since true milk allergy involves the protein in the milk, the fat content of the milk should not affect allergy symptoms. People who are allergic to milk may be able to tolerate cheese or yogurt, or milk in baked goods. When milk is heated, the proteins become less allergenic.

Answer 3

Does he spit up alot? Usually milk allergy in baby makes them have gas and burps. That diarreah sounds like c diff or rotovirus but if cultures were negative, maybe another infection. I'd get him to the doctor asap and also make sure you are giving lots of fluids or he may get dehydrated. Take him off cows milk and give him nutramigin for a few days.
Good luck

Answer 4

Those are all the same symptoms my daughter had and she was allergic to cow's milk. Switch him to soy milk and see if that clears up the problem. Talk to the doctor first though and see what he thinks about it.

Answer 5

It very well could be. My 2 year old is allergic to milk. He had a negative affect to formula too. We had to switch to soy formula. He would be up all night with gas pains and he started having blood in his stool. Try switching him to soy milk for a while and see if it clears up. If not it might be something else.

Answer 6

The main sign of milk allergy is usually blood in the stool.

Answer 7

That sounds like lactose intolerance to me. Stop giving him milk and see what happens. If it keeps up go back to the doctor.

Answer 8

yea sound like his allergic