I never would have imagined that the milk my son was drinking by the gallon was giving him so much grief. When my sweet boy was about one and a half he developed a nightmare of a cough. No amount of antibiotics, meds that the doctor suggested, humidifiers, or baby Vick's vapor rub would keep him from hacking away all night long. This went on and on. Weeks turned into months. I was at my wits end trying to figure out what to do. My sister told me she had a problem with milk and it tended to give her a lot of phlem in her throat. I talked to my doctor and decided to take him off to see what would happen. If I even suspected something had a little dairy in it, it was totally off limits. Within a day or two the dreaded cough-that-wouldn't-pack-it'-bags was completely gone. I decided to keep him off for several months. The cough remained only a bad memory. No sign of it was to be found. As my doctor suggested, after being off for several months we had a "party day". On this day I was to give him as much dairy as possible. Dairy galore! Cheese, yogurt, milk, you name it. So, that's what we did. He ate cheese like crazy. In short order he had severe diahrrea. Within a few hours the dreaded cough was back. He even had a rash on his backside. Alarmed, I took him right back off. Within a day or so the cough had hit the road once more. I was amazed at how clearly the cough left and returned in relation to the dairy. The reaction was unmistakable.
Now it's many years later. I give him some milk every great while hoping he's "out grown" it. However, sure enough he will need to run to the bathroom faster than lightening just like clockwork. It's been quite a transition going dairy free. I won't pretend it was easy. But the fruit of it has been remarkable. I have heard the saying " my food is my medicine". I would say that in both of our cases this has rung absolutely true. When I get discouraged and want to give up, I remember his story. I wanted to share it in hopes that it might encourage you, too.
