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Ben's Tears 2

Finally the GP said she would refer us to a specialist, but advised this would take around 6 weeks. I knew we couldn't wait that long, so we decided to go privately with our hard earned savings.

The consultant felt I was not mad and that Ben had either refulx or cow's milk protein intolerance. He medicated for reflux, but when this did not work, we moved to a dairy free diet and Ben finally became a happy boy. The relief was huge. Ben began to gain weight and finally looked well. At last his tears were replaced with smiles. We continued to breast feed for a year (with me on a dairy free diet)and supplemented this with a prescription formula which I used to make custard and rice puddings. Ben remained under the dietician for a further two years and we trialled dairy on a couple of occasions without much success. However at around two and a half, Ben seemed to have fewer symptoms as we gradually introduced dairy and he is now on a full dairy diet.

So, why write this story 5 years on. Well, I still suffer from the legacy of those 4 dark months. My inability to comfort Ben had a profound impact on my confidence which has affected other areas of my life since. Our early days were about survival not love. However it is time to move on and writing this has been a cathartic experience. Ben is a happy, cheeky 5 year old. He will always be my special little boy and we now have a wonderfully warm relationship. If you are in the same position, we hope this story helps you to have the confidence to be your child's voice and to keep going until you are heard. x

Ben's mum

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