Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Feeling Deprived

I'm feeling a little deprived, and selfish. So be a kind soul and help me out!

Ava has issues. Several, in fact, but I'm only concerned with one at the moment. She is allergic to milk. Cow's milk that is. No we're not talking she gets a little diarrhea or diaper rash from ingesting it. We're talking hives, violent vomiting, swelling, and airway constriction. The doctor gave her one of those lovely little epi-pens to keep on hand if Benadryl and Albuterol won't do the trick. Scary, but also really sucks for me (here comes the selfish part.)

Since Ava has so many issues, the majority of her diet comes from me still. We cannot put her on formula because of the milk/soy. We could put her on rice dream, but I just can't see her getting proper nutrition from it. (She is too tiny to mess around with.) So, the only choice is to continue nursing her for the near future to ensure she stays healthy.

I'm sure you've guessed that means I cannot have any dairy. I know, I'm a big baby. I'm sure some of you have gone without it before and it wasn't a big deal. BUT, I love food. I love to eat. I love to bake. AND just about everything, that's worth eating anyway, has milk in it. So please- do a girl a favor and tell me something so yummy that has no milk products in it. It will make my day, or night.

And if you dare say something about chocolate or ice cream, I'll have to hurt you!

6 comments:

Missy said...

Have you tried Nuetramagen(sp?)? My oldest boy was allergic to milk. Not nearly as bad as Ava. We tried Soy but it was too hard on his tummy so the doctor had us try Nuetramagen and it worked fine. The down side is that it was around $25 a can and that was 6 years ago. But it is worth looking into.

AMiller said...

My sister-in-law had a similar problem (a very little girl, could only nurse, nursed her for 18 months, failure to thrive, restricted mother's diet, etc.) I only know that it was really hard. I will ask her what her favorite things to eat were.
I am feeling very sorry for you - that is really hard. I just had a delicious chicken stir-fry last night. It didn't have any milk in it. Want the recipe?
My other ideas are pasta with shrimp tossed in it, fried chicken with mashed potatoes (use soy milk for the mashers), peach cobbler for dessert, turkey sandwiches (no cheese), and peanut butter and apples. I will have to think about this one.

The Bryant's said...

You should feel deprived. But Ava is always so happy, you must be doing something right! Our favorite treat this time of year is frozen fruit; pineapple, watermelon, grapes, etc. I am going to keep thinking becuase you need a way to splurge without hurting Ava. Good luck!

The Bryant's said...

My friends recommended...almond milk, rice milk, Rice Dream ice cream, and "natural" food stores, like Whole Foods in Athens, should have other substatues for milk. I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

Wendy said...

Popsicles. Right now I am eating a LOT of popsicles....

I don't have any other great ideas at the moment, but if I come up with any I will pass them on!!

Donna said...

Have you tried almond milk? Amelia drinks almond milk...to me it taste like melted ice cream because of the sugar they put in it. But you can make almond milk yourself and sweeten it with stevia or xylitol (natural sweeteners). You can find it at Whole Foods, but Wal Mart sells it now right next to the cow's milk....near the soy milk.