A life begins without.

In the beginning, was the post.
I never know how to start a first blog post. Do I assume that there is no-one listening, and start winter batting to myself? Do I assume that you will all one day, want to read my first great missive? The one that started it all?

Well, let me start by introducing myself. I'm a part-time teacher and part-time Mum. I've just finished a 37 week stint at home with my baby boy, which I loved more than I ever thought possible. I'm now on the summer holidays and going back prt time in September, after 3 weeks full time, which was really hard work.

Boy, oh boy! What's happening to you?
My little man started life well, being born on time, weighing 9lb 10oz, putting him on the 97th centile! Then at 4 weeks, he stopped gaining weight, and it was found that he had a tongue tie. This was cut at seven weeks, and we then were hospitalised because he refused point blank to feed at all.

He started to receive treatment for reflux, as he also vomited all of the time. Later we started to get bowel problems. He was re-admitted, on average, every three weeks, as he had the same problems again. We were getting no-where, and in desperation, a friend suggested cutting out dairy and soya, which, under the dr's supervision, we did. We saw a huge improvement in him. He was no longer screaming all day, every day. He started to be the happy boy that I knew and loved.

All better now! Right?
But he wasn't sorted. We had more refusals, more admissions and more weight problems. He has now dropped to the 20th centile. With the dietician, we tried an elimination diet, for both him and me (as I was still breast feeding him). It was hard work. We cut out dairy and soya still, but also nuts, eggs and wheat / gluten. We saw a huge difference in him.

Then we started to see more usual allergic reactions (blistered mouth, hives, puffiness in his face) to bananas, tomatoes and strawberries. We cut those, and things settled for a while.

We saw a specialist allergy peadiatrician in St Thomas' hospital, who suggested it could be EGID, more specifically eosinophilic oesophogitis (ee or eo for short). He referred us to another specialist back in May, and we have been waiting ever since. Our local hospital have given up trying to find a cause, or investigate, and we are struggling without any help.

No more, please.
Since then, he has also become allergic to coconut, fish and shellfish. We also have issues with beef and corn, although these are intolerances, rather than allergies.

Anyway, this blog is a sounding board for me, as I am sure my friends and family are fed up of hearing about it all. It's also going to be a place where I post recipes and meal ideas, things that worked, and things that didn't. I hope that one day, it can help another family who are going through the same as us.