Whey Allergy - One Mums Story

Our son was always fussy, I'm sure you've heard of the type---finicky eater, rarely slept through the night, up before dawn, plagued with chronic ear/throat infections. Sadly, it took us until he was 2 years old to have him properly diagnosed with a severe allergy to whey, the watery part of milk.

When someone is allergic to milk products and consumes the allergen ---as in our son's case with whey protein--- the body's immune system mistakenly sees the milk proteins as dangerous "invaders." The immune system then kicjs in and responds by creating specific antibodies which are designed to fight off the "invader", aka the milk product. These antibodies are called immunoglobulin E (IgE) and trigger the release of certain chemicals into the body, one of which is histamine (pronounced: hiss-tuh-meen).

So when our son consumed foods that contained milk his little immune system naturally unleashed an army of chemicals to protect his body. The release of these chemicals can commonly affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and the cardiovascular system causing allergy symptoms like nausea, stomach ache, wheezing and/or itchy hives. In our case it manifested and lead to chronic bloating, ear and throat infections.

Since he was often sick and on and off anti-biotics, he enjoyed the comfort of a warm bottle or "bottie" which unbeknownst to us, was actually exasperating the problem. His milk bottles were whey based!

Once our son was properly diagnosed and off all milk products, our lives suddenly changed. My son, a lad who'd never got the hang of a good night's sleep no matter how much effort I put into helping him, suddenly slept the night, 630pm until 5am---a first! When he slept through the next night and night after, we were both holding our breath.

We've kept him off whey and strictly limited his consumption of any related milk products and the effect has been amazing. Almost overnight, the bloating evaporated, his bowel movements were more regular and he seemed to have more energy, perhaps from having good full night sleeps. He also began eating a wider selection of foods. But by far the biggest change was with his ears. No longer were we chained to the doctor's office, his "gluey ears" cleared up and regular rounds of antibiotics are thankfully a thing of the past.

As long we diligently read labels and restrict all dairy, our energetic little man is able to sleep like a baby and  enjoy feeling full of life and adventure instead of being held back by his allergies. We've even noticed correlations to his behavior and well-being when it comes to his sugar in-take and preservatives. When eliminated, any problems that developed not surprisingly disappeared.

The hardest battle since has been making sure well-meaning family members and friend don't innocently offer a sweet treat such as an irresistible cupcake or chocolate egg. Just this once, doesn't apply when we know the adverse affects such a little indulgence can have.

Does your child have allergies? Would you like to share your experience with us and perhaps help other parents learn from your experiences? Contact us.

Posted in: Childhood Allergies