Any experience with a corn allergy?

Carrie7508

DS1 had MPI as an infant and tested positive for allergies to peanuts and tree nuts at age 2.  We thought that was a challenge until DS2, who has MPSI, intolerances to beef, cocoa, and was just diagnosed with a corn allergy via skin prick test and ongoing bloody, mucousy stools for the past four months.  I EBF (thankfully, since corn/dairy/soy formulas are few and far between) and am currently on a very strict elimination diet to make sure he doesn't have any other intolerances that we haven't picked up on.  Has anyone else here dealt with a corn allergy this early? Did your child outgrow it? Did other grain intolerances/allergies go along with it?  How do you manage when it seems like nearly everything we encounter has corn contamination? Just feeling a little overwhelmed with all of this.  Thanks in advance!

sugarbug10

My 3 yr old has casein protein and moderate corn allergy. To be honest, I cook most everything from scratch for him and I am best friends with the owners of our local natural foods store. It is difficult for sure but just start a lot of recipes from a vegan cookbook and then add meat. Those are pretty whole foods based and have helped me a lot. Also there is a blog by a lady called "raising the protein intolerant child" that has helped give me food ideas. Good luck.

pmduggan01

My LO had allergy blood work done last month and corn showed up as an allergy, along with wheat, egg, dairy, and some other things. He saw a pediatric allergist last week, and we'll eventually do a challenge with corn. In the mean time, I've eliminated it from our diet the best I can. (I'm BFing him, too.)

Since last month nearly all of my cooking has been from scratch, reading lots of labels, and doing a lot of research. One of the things our allergist said is that high fructose corn syrup does not contain the corn protein, and so not to worry about LO being exposed to it. Here is a link to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma Immunology web site where it is discussed (about midway to the bottom of the page). https://www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/avoidance-corn-allergen.aspx

Both LO and I have had food this week with dextrose, and he has done fine.

cremenn

Could you tell me about your experience with the food allergy testing? My LO's Ped said she didn't reccomend him getting tested because hes so young (4 months) and that it's pretty painful/invasive to do, I was thinking there's got to be a way to test him, it would really help me with this elimination process!

pmduggan01

What happened to us is that DS had his first food allergy reaction to his 1 year birthday cake. I brought it up to his ped, and he said he could draw blood and test to see his allergies that way, but he didn't order the test at that time (I'm not sure why).

Then DS had more reactions to other food before his 15 month appointment. That appointment was with an associate of DS's pedi. I told her about the reactions, and she ordered the blood draw right away. It tested for the top allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, peanut, tree nuts, egg whites, shell fish, regular fish, sesame seed, corn), which he came back positive for 7.

That pedi referred DS to a pediatric allergist, who then said that a false-positive result is at 50%, so she did a thorough history on him, where it was decided that he does have an allergy to eggs and maybe some of the others. We are slowly reintroducing the other foods to see how it goes. She also prescribed EpiPen.

Anyway, to answer your question, it was just a blood draw from his arm -- not that invasive.

Carrie7508

cremenn said:

Could you tell me about your experience with the food allergy testing? My LO's Ped said she didn't reccomend him getting tested because hes so young (4 months) and that it's pretty painful/invasive to do, I was thinking there's got to be a way to test him, it would really help me with this elimination process!

The allergy testing was really not a big deal.  DS2 did far better with it at 4 months than DS1 did at 2 1/2.  Just a series of pricks on his back all at once, he flinched and was a bit fussy as it was itchy, but didn't cry.  He got a welt at the site for the histamine (control) prick, as well as the corn allergen prick.  It was SO helpful in the crazy elimination diet we were trying to navigate to figure out what was causing his issues.  Our allergist is great and will retest after a year to see where he stands.  It's nice to know definitively what we need to avoid (Dairy, Soy, Corn) rather than continually guess what in my diet was causing his reactions.  Hope that helps!

musgral8

I'm a newbie here, butting in from N14. I have no experience with children having a corn allergy, since this will be my first, but I have a severe corn allergy. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 10, so even though I know it's overwhelming, be very thankful that you guys caught this early. I know in my case the more exposure I have the worse it has gotten (I am now so sensitive to it that I get hives if a corn product touches my skin). I'm not going to bore you with all of my symptoms and my lifelong battle against this (I grew up in a family and an area that has very little education about food allergies, so I have read extensively and researched and seen countless doctors on my own), but I will tell you that the corn allergy has caused leaky gut, which has lead to countless food sensitivities over the years. The only way that I can guarantee that I eat corn-free is to fix everything at home. I eat no processed foods. If it comes from a box I automatically assume that it has a corn derivative in it somewhere. Yes, it is hard, but it is worth it to feel good again. DH and I have assumed a paleo diet (I am also gluten intolerant) and it has been the best thing for us. You can modify the paleo diet how you see fit (include dairy if you want, or beans if you want), but every paleo recipe will be corn free. Guaranteed. 

I wish you the best as you figure out how to feed your family. It is challenging, but having healthy kids is worth it. I plan on continuing to eat paleo as we bring children into our family, and there are some great kids cookbooks that may be helpful. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I will be happy to share. 

luvboston

I have a severe corn allergy pm me I can give you lots of tips

macchiatto

One of my boys was allergic to wheat, corn, peanuts, strawberries and sesame. We discovered wheat and corn when he was about 10 months, peanuts through skin testing at 15m, and strawberries and sesame around that same age. He outgrew all of them by the time he was 3 (and then developed allergies to cinnamon and mold, plus asthma) but corn was the last one to go.

It is a bit of a pain because corn is in EVERYTHING. "Safe" products change frequently but at the time I found some corn allergy blogs that kept updated lists of safe products. Restaurants were especially tricky.

macchiatto

cremenn said:

Could you tell me about your experience with the food allergy testing? My LO's Ped said she didn't reccomend him getting tested because hes so young (4 months) and that it's pretty painful/invasive to do, I was thinking there's got to be a way to test him, it would really help me with this elimination process!

B/c my boys both had eczema (one of them pretty bad), our pedi did some stool testing when they were about 3m to test for dairy or soy allergies. That was negative. She did have me try soy formula for a while and then Alimentum to see if that helped with the eczema. It did not. 

Then when we introduced solids, he was having SO many eczema flare-ups it was hard to tell which ones were maybe food-allergy related and which might be coincidence. So she referred us to an allergist and he had skin testing at 10m. Then both boys had skin testing at 15m as part of a study we were in. He did cry and scream a bit when he was pricked but the tough part was keeping him held and entertained and keeping him from touching his back for 20 mins until they could read the results. 

Texascutie88

I have a bad corn allergy and not sure when to introduce it to LO.

Salemkitty13

DS had a skin prick test at 10 months. He cried for a moment and that was it. Honestly he cries more half the time when I change his diaper (doesn't want to lay still long enough) His skin (on his back) looked great by the next day. I couldn't believe how well he did.