Good Bye Soy, Hello Hemp

We bid farewell to soy milk last week after learning about the many dangers that soy formula and soy milk pose for infants and toddlers. Frankly, after reading much of the easily accessible research on the topic, I cannot understand how soy formula is even allowed to be on the market -- especially for baby boys.

Trying to feed a little guy with so many food allergies is harder than taking care of a baby with a trach. After trying many different "milk" products and dietary changes, we finally found a milk that Crewe actually likes AND gives him the hydration and nutrition that he needs. Hemp it is! Hemp Vanilla, to be exact.

Until a few weeks ago, I hadn't even heard of hemp milk. I was amazed to learn how much nutrition is packed into the seeds of the hemp plant (a distant cousin to the marijuana plant). It has some of the fat that a 1 year old needs, a fair amount of protein and more calcium than cow's milk.

For those interested in the soy issue, here are just a few of the disturbing things I found in my research:

Soy formula/milk:

• contains toxic amounts of the metal mangenese. The excess metal does not work its way out of the body, but collects in the brain and can alter the way the brain directs traffic. It has been linked to autism and aggressive behavior later in life.
• blocks the absorption of iron, calcium and zinc
  
• contains estrogen-like compounds that depress thyroid function and can alter growth patterns, inhibit the effects of male hormones, and cause sterility (soy formula is the equivalent of 5 birth control pills each day)

Don't take my word for it, just do some simple google searches and you'll see for yourself.

Allergies and Lymph Nodes

Since Crewe's condition is so rare there is not a lot of research that helps us to know what to expect as he progresses. Every 6-8 weeks it seems like we have at least one new medical learning or happening that sheds a little light on what cystic hygroma means for our little guy. Here's what we've learned over the past couple of weeks:

• In addition to milk, Crewe is allergic to egg yolks, egg whites, and wheat. His RAST test even showed that he has a mild soy allergy (slightly alarming since he's on soy milk/formula). We haven't tested for peanut allergies yet. There is no history of food allergies on either side of the family so we are thinking this has to be somewhat related to his condition. Seems to make sense since the lymphatic system is part of the immune system and allergies are the result of an overactive immune system. We are hopeful that he will outgrow these allergies. My creativity is being tested as I search for a variety of things I can feed him.
• The body is capable of "growing" new lymph nodes practically overnight (rare, but possible). Two nights before we left Colorado, Crewe woke up screaming about 1:00 am, which is highly unusual. I couldn't find anything wrong with him. Finally, I noticed this HUGE mass on the left side of his neck (see photo above). It was hard and very tender to the touch. We called his doctor in Phoenix who told us to ge him on an antibiotic and come to see him asap. Turns out it's a new lymph node. This could be the body's way of trying to facilitate more lymphatic fluid flow... or a reaction to his MMR shot ... or simply teething. We don't know exactly what has caused it and when and if it will go down in size.

Fortunately, these new learnings haven't come with too much pain.