The Curse of Genetics

I am struggling to come to grips with the fact that Luke and I may quite possibly be the only 2 members of our family who can drink regular milk with no problems! Bob is lactose intolerant, and Caleb has a bona-fide milk allergy with hives and the like. Anna is definitely sensitive to milk proteins in my milk now--she gets an eczema spot on her neck, a yeast diaper rash, and she spits up a ton. When Nathan was about 5 years old, he started having a little bit of blood on his bum when he would poop, and he was itchy down there. I took him in to the doctor, and he had a complete workup. Countless stool samples and exams later, the doctor said he couldn't see any reason for the blood. Nathan had a lot of diarrhea, so I decided to stop giving him regular milk with his breakfast cereal and to drink, and start him on soy milk. I figured maybe he was lactose intolerant like his dad. And by a few weeks later, the blood stopped, and he has had no problems since. Cheese never bothered him, and he can also drink regular milk if we are traveling or whatever for a few days without a problem. Now this summer Jonathan has started bleeding when he poops . Just a little bit of blood, right at the end of the stool or on the tissue when I wipe him. He doesn't complain of itching so much as his bottom hurting. I resisted the idea of it being milk--he never has diarrhea. He isn't constipated at all either, but there is definitely a little fissure or 2 down there. I can see it. Diaper rash cream hasn't worked, and there is no way I am going to bother taking him to this clinic when the very competent pediatrician at the huge Wright-Pat hospital couldn't find anything wrong with Nathan. But starting today, I have stopped giving him regular milk too. I guess we'll see in a few weeks if it has made a difference. Sigh. I might as well have soy milk piped directly into the house! So it's just Luke with the regular milk right now--I might have to start getting half gallons, LOL!

But unfortunately Luke has inheirited my propensity to get canker sores, poor boy. He has 2 of them now on his gums, just like I get them. Isn't genetics amazing?! I think his are a testament to the fact that we haven't been eating really well lately--quick meals that don't require the oven, and I haven't gone to get fresh fruit and vegetables for at least a week or so (but don't worry--I went yesterday!). And somehow the boys stopped taking their vitamin every morning too. Hopefully his will go away soon, now that I have gotten us back on track. I mixed up my concoction of milk of magnesia and liquid benedryl for him to swish around in his mouth last night. Let's just say he wasn't impressed with that taste, and he didn't ask for that again today, LOL!

I am also dealing with cankersores again. I started getting them again right after I stopped dairy in my diet, so it certainly could be that. I am taking Viactiv calcium supplements, as well as my prenatal vitamins. It was also the time when I battled strep throat for two weeks. I remember from biology classes that canker sores are latent viruses that pop up when triggered, and I am sure that my strep battle could have triggered them in me. This informative site lists some possible triggers for canker sores, including bacterial infections. I have 4 in my mouth now, and have had for a few weeks now. When one goes away, a new one starts. I have had almost none since I switched toothpastes a few years ago, and when the odd one would start, I would just swish my benedryl mixture, and it would go away a day or 2 later, having never really ripened into the huge ulcer that it potentially could have been. But the benedryl isn't working now either, so it is becoming pretty frustrating! This is what Luke has to look forward too. At least he will be able to soothe his canker sores with ice cream, as he certainly won't be nursing anyone!

*Update* Well, Luke woke up this morning (Saturday) with a fever of 102, so obviously he is fighting off some kind of bug as well. Maybe we're NOT all just incredibly malnourished!