# Elimination diet for reflux...how long to see results?



## Quirky (Jun 18, 2002)

OK, my exorcist baby looks like this uke uke uke on a fairly regular basis. Reflux and all that jazz. She's on Zantac which seems to help so she's not fussy/arching in pain, but now she's super gassy (stinky!). I've already taken dairy completely out of my diet and am going to cut out soy too. I'm a vegetarian so this isn't going to be easy! How long does soy take to clear...in other words how long before I would know whether it's making a difference? It will be really difficult for me to give up all dairy AND soy, so if I don't have to I don't want to!

Any other foods I should try eliminating - any super culprits in spitting up/gassiness?


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

I'm completely dairy/soy free and it's made no difference for poor Evan. Zantac is pain in the butt and I would move on to prevacid.


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## poppyqwn (Jan 5, 2005)

My 3rd is like that. I took out all dairy and a few other things. I can't remember what all of them were. Nothing really seemed to do anything for us. After about a month of the Zantac it didn't seem like it was doing anythign anymore and we stopped it with out any problems. He still puked but, if just became more of a clean clothes problem then a diet problem. It just stopped one day around 4.5 months. He will still get a little pukey if I get alot of dairy or have any tea or anything, but it is soo much better than it was. I think it was mainly just a time thing for us. Good Luck.


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## bectoria (Apr 15, 2005)

When my dd was first diagnosed with reflux, her pediatrician had me eliminate all dairy from my diet for 2 full weeks to see if it helped. She said it can take over a week for all traces of a food to leave your system.

HTH
Becky


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## Gidget (Aug 31, 2002)

It can vary. I had ALOT of dairy in my system. It got a little better bit by bit, but I didn't see any good improvement for about a month. It took another month for his symptoms to be gone. It was so bad I had to read ALL labels at the grocery store. You would be amazed at the things that have dairy and soy in them. I won't lie, it is pretty difficult to adjust. But, ds is 17 months now. I can now eat most things and he eats some cheese with no problems. I don't know how reliable they are, but if you are still unclear over it all, you can look into allergy testing. I hope your babe is better soon. Reflux sucks big time.


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## mumztheword (Jun 9, 2004)

Not to confuse the issue, but I spoke with my pedi about the same thing and his response: "anything you eat is in your breastmilk within 4 hours after you eat it." I had stopped dairy for 4 days when I talked to him, and he felt like if there was no difference in that short of time, then it wasn't a problem.

Who knows? I wish there was one pat answer for all of this stuff...


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## Heather123 (Feb 9, 2005)

I'm not sure how long it takes, I hope it gets better for you.

Don't mean to threadjack, but how do the doctors determine a baby has reflux?


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

I think most of the time it's just done by diagnosing the symptoms, feeding problems, can be slow weight gain, sometimes excessive vomitting, crying, etc. They can do an upper GI or a ph probe too.


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## fourgrtkidos (Jan 6, 2004)

There is something much better than Zantac and/or Prevacid. It is all natural and no side effects because it is a food. If anyone is interested it is called via viente. It is a phytonector drink. It regulates your pH and many other great things. Anyone I know who has tried it eliminated reflux/ heartburn. I aslo know a mom who had to stop breastfeeding for medical reasons and her baby could not tolerate formula until she started putting this supplement in her bottle.

www.viaviente.com

If you want more info from me, I can help you order. pm me.


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## nsusa (Apr 18, 2005)

I would assume that via viente is more for adults and not directly for the baby (or is it)? Our little one (4 weeks old) is on Zantac and it is horrible. We're looking for better ways to help him as he throws up after getting Zantac. My wife is not eating a lot of dairy products - so, the breast milk should be kinda Ok. But who knows .....

Christoph


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## fourgrtkidos (Jan 6, 2004)

Because their are not medicines in via viente it is safe. It is a food, essentially.


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## nsusa (Apr 18, 2005)

So, would you mix it with some breast milk into a bottle twice a day? Sorry, I am a little bit confused. I can see it given some older babies - I am just concerned as ours is just 4 weeks old.

Christoph


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## Quirky (Jun 18, 2002)

The AAP recommends no supplements for babies under 6 months - no water, no food, no nothing - so I personally would not feel comfortable giving Via Viente to a baby for reflux. There are studies showing Zantac and Prevacid both to be very safe and effective for babies.

There is a much better way to get Zantac - get it compounded at a compounding pharmacy. There are two problems with regular Zantac - one, it is alcohol based (and so tastes yucky), and two, it is mint flavored. Mint exacerbates reflux. Go figure! All in all very unpalatable for babies.

A compounding pharmacy can make Zantac without alcohol or mint, and they can sweeten and flavor it as well to make it palatable. It is more expensive, and insurance may not cover it, but it's much easier to get into baby.

Here are two great websites on reflux:

http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/ (this one is particularly good)

http://www.infantreflux.org/

Also, for nsusa, if your son is sensitive to dairy, your wife needs to take all dairy out of her diet and give it a good couple of weeks with no dairy whatsoever (read labels carefully for whey, casein, etc.) before re-introducing some to see if it makes a difference. Just cutting down on dairy wouldn't do it.

As far as my OP...thanks everyone for your thoughts! So I'm doing soy-free as well and so far have to say I don't see much of a difference....she's still spitting up and quite gassy (and doesn't poop very often...like once a week). I don't know that the dairy/soy free thing is making a difference, but I'm going to give it another couple of weeks and try reintroducing as a challenge.

Geez, it's much harder to give up soy than it was to give up dairy!


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## fourgrtkidos (Jan 6, 2004)

I am a RN. I am REALLY surprised that you take AAP recomendations as gospel. Who do you think funds the AAP and the studies that claim medicines like Zantac and prevacid are good and safe? They absolutely are not. Prevacid and Zantac both fuel the cycle of reflux and heartburn that they claim the cure.
I am not recommending over the counter vitamins. I was recommending a food. I was recommending restoring a normal pH balance and providing nutrients that even our organic foodsources lack because our soils are stipped, so that our bodies do not rob themselves of the nutrients and create problems like reflux.


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## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

Quirky, in my experience offending foods clear the system FAST. Unless you have some major leaky gut issues or eat gallons of soy a day or something, there is no reason to believe that any food you eat will still be around enough to matter a few days after eating it. YES I know all about the studies that say 1-2 weeks etc. but I'm talking in actual practice, for most babies that's just not necessary. I would have something with dairy in it (unknowingly) and have miserable kids for a day, recovering on day 2, then all fine by day 3.

The stinky poops gives me another idea: foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? Does she get the good hindmilk or is she more of a snacker? Does she "drain" a breast more than not? Have you tried breast compression, nursing one side for a few hours, etc? Does she have a good latch that's strong enough to get the milk when it stops flowing easily?

I was also wondering what sort of supplements you take. If I were you, I'd stop them ALL for a little while. I think sometimes they cause lots of problems in babies... the herbs, the synthetic vitamins, the added iron, etc.

If these two things don't work, you're going to kill me, but I'd say go on the strict elimination diet, meaning eating nothing but these foods for 1 w-h-o-l-e week:

*Rice
*Potatoes (white and sweet)
*Pears
*Apples
*Peas (green)
*Green beans
*Lamb or turkey (I know you're veg just putting it in post for those who aren't)

Meaning nothing goes in your mouth except for these foods. Not even medicine, herbs, tea, pepper, seasoning, margarine, whatever. Yes it's dramatically short of many nutrients but your baby will get them fine in your milk from your stores, and your body will also be fine for such a short time.

Given your No. European genes, the other likely culprit is wheat.







: (again, don't shoot me. I can't imagine being wheat free as a vegetarian)

****

Once the poops are back to normal breastfed poops, I wouldn't worry about the spitting unless she's not gaining well or is miserable. She'll grow out of it. Reflux peaks between 2 and 4 months and then usually abates fairly rapidly as the baby learns to sit up.

p.s., stick with the Zantac. Its been studied to death in pediatric populations and your genius idea about compounding it eliminates the yuck factor. I know you know this but the last thing you need now is to introduce another variable (miserable baby) to the equation. I also am in 100% total agreement that herbal treatments including Gripe Water etc. are FOODS and should not be given to a baby < 6 months, ESPECIALLY a baby prone to food sensitivities!!


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## Kashel (Apr 15, 2005)

I second most of what Periwinkle has said.... my son was diagnosed with reflux at 2 weeks old (diagnosed through his symptoms - throwing head back, lots of crying, uncomfortable lying horizontal etc).... At 6 weeks old I came across a reflux specialist in Australia that put me onto the idea that it is food related....

I am on a SUPER elimination diet through the RPA Hospital in Australia which specializes in these things - by super I mean STRICT :-( and the good news is - NO REFLUX. Totally gone. At the moment, I am only eating quinoa, green beans, celery, leek, chicken and lamb. My son even reacted to rice. And I had been a vegetarian for 16 years :-( Here are some details:

http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy...ol/ffintro.cfm

The idea of eating meat still makes me sick, but he was reacting to soy and legumes, so there was really no alternative. BTW soy is in everything.... make sure you read ingredients carefully.

However, I have started introducing foods to see what he reacts to - and not surprisingly, when I ate some potato he refluxed and vomited for 3 days.... These children have sensitive bodies! There is no doubt in my mind now that reflux is caused or worsened by food. And don't let anyone tell you that what the mother eats doesn't come through the BM....

In terms of how long it takes to get food out of your system - well some foods longer than others. Strictly speaking dairy can take 6 weeks. BUT if he is reacting to diary then you should see an improvement within 4 or so days.

Reflux is the WORST! I also think the idea about getting Zantac recompounded is a good one. Personally I buy the adult tablets - crush them up in 10 mls of water and then administer the dosage as per normal. This needs to be freshly made daily and refridgerated.

It is best to keep up the dosage of Zantac while you are doing the elimination diet. You could also think about adding some probiotics to your diet - but make sure that it is dairy free and not cultivated with wheat....

Good luck - and if you need any more info then PM me. I am in an excellent email support group for women with babies going through the same things.... you are not alone, but the path is a difficult one :-(


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## Gidget (Aug 31, 2002)

I forgot to say that I had started out with the standard reflux elimination diet. ONce all that way out of the way I started reintroducing foods one at a time and found out that way what he was allergic to. I think another reason it took me so long is that it took me some time to realize that it was not simply the "standard" dairy that was giving him problems(you know cheese, milk, ice cream etc) but all the hidden stuff in foods. Eggs, soy and peanut were also a problem.

I agree with the pp, soy IS in everything these days. In the early days I was on a very limited diet until I was able to figure out what I could work with. I hope all the reflux babies here get better soon, it is a terrible thing for a baby to have to deal with.


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