Food Allergies & LO

stokesm21

I really didn't want to start a new thread but halfway through the week and not quite the weekend, there were no "Randoms" created for this week. I was watching a show where a 6 month old baby was having a serious allergic reaction to eggs and it got me thinking. Yes, I can Google and will, and will talk to my Dr but experiences are good as well. I don't personally have any food allergies but both my sister and my Dad do. My sister has had them since she was a kid but my Dad grew into them. My sisters were to the point of having an EpiPen. My Dad's probably are as well but he doesn't have one. Any chance of these being hereditary? Both are allergic to certain fruits and nuts. My gums get tingly when I come into contact with some citrus fruits (ex: orange juice) so I could be growing into an allergy as well but so far I'm okay. And I really don't eat a lot of citrus fruits anyways. I do have allergies but mine are environmental (grass, trees, pollen etc.) and to animals. 

In your experience, do allergies run in your family? If so, do your children have them as well? (STM's) With so many food allergies in mine, I'm obviously a little nervous for when the time comes for me to start LO on solids. 

WeddingNotes13

DH has a shellfish allergy. DS had allergy testing because of sensitivities that he had as an infant. Because of him being so young, they only tested for suspected triggers. The allergist did not include shellfish. She said DH"s allergy did not give DS increased risk. We have since confirmed that DS does not have a shellfish allergy. He does have a peanut allergy, but that is not anywhere else in our family. 

alcrimmins

No allergies other than seasonal here! DD does have bad reactions to the season changes but gets along just fine with Zyrtec. I do know that when it's time for solid foods you can give your lo the food at the dr office if you feel it is necessary. I always gave new foods on Monday's at lunch time. It was early enough in the day that we could make a trip to the see if necessary and she was able to eat it all week to make sure she didn't have a reaction. 

MamaRN13

@alcrimmins  I gave DS peanut butter in the parking lot before his 1yr well check! We don't have any food allergies in our family but I was paranoid for some reason. Gosh I had completely forgotten I did that (and will totally do it again with this LO )!

Creedon778

DH and I don't have any food allergies in our family, but we do both have seasonal allergies. I've seen that if both parents have seasonal allergies it does increase the chances of your child having a food allergy (but still very low). DS1 has a severe peanut, tree nut, and sesame allergy.  He broke out in head to toe hives to PB, went into anaphylaxis after having a walnut, and broke out in some hives with hummus  Despite being an avid nut eater while pregnant and nursing, we experienced his first reaction when he had PB for the first time just after he turned 1. Back then the advice was to avoid PB/nuts until after 1, but now they say to provide exposure early and often. DS2 had a milk & egg allergy as a baby that made his eczema worse, but grew out of them by 2yo. Our allergist has said he will test DS3 at 6 months. If he looks in the clear he'll recommend mixing in various nut butters with his solid foods at 6 months.

DS1 recently started an oral immunotherapy program to desensitize him to his food allergies. It's a 10mo - 1 year process and won't "cure" him of his allergy, but if all goes well he'll take 6-8 peanut M&Ms as his daily "medicine" for the rest of his life so that his body doesn't have a reaction if he is exposed to it accidentally through cross contamination. 

nktrodden826

Yep, I have Celiac Disease which is an autoimmune disease and is genetic but my husband and his family have no history of any food allergies. My family also has a very very strong line of penicillin allergies- both parents, all 4 grandparents, 2 uncles, my brother, and myself. I was a skeptic- my mom always put on my medical records that I have a penicillin allergy just because everyone else does and I finally took a medication with TRACE amounts and swelled up and was covered in hives. So there is some truth to hereditary allergies, I guess! 

DS did and DD now have blood in their stools which is a sign of a milk protein allergy (temporary lactose intolerance) but can be a sign of another food allergy. Both kids now see the same allergist- DS was allergic to eggs but after nursing for 22 months the allergy is gone. We're not sure what little Miss is allergic to yet, everything on the panel came back negative, so we don't know what's causing her to poop blood at the moment. 

The way our allergist explained it to us is you can have the kids allergy tested with the skin test but it doesn't show you everything. It will show up on their backs if they were to have a serious, potentially anaphylactic reaction, but it won't necessarily show up if the reaction is minor- perhaps upset stomach, diarrhea, or something of that sort. I think it's important to have kids tested if you suspect something otherwise I wouldn't bother just yet! 

cielaw89

DH and I have environmental allergies but no food allergies that I know of. My hay fever is sometimes uncontrollable. I take Flonase nasal spray and Zyrtec to keep my allergies somewhat controlled. DH is adamant that I get allergy shots.

My mom and grandpa (her dad) have food allergies. Mom is severely allergic to berries and has a lesser allergy to avocado (which she eats anyways)and my grandpa is allergic to practically everything (nuts, shellfish, mustard, peaches, certain peppers, and a bunch of other things I can't think of). He has to have an epi pen on him at all times; my mom doesn't, but she has had to make a trip to the ER once or twice after getting hives and swelling from eating some ceviche that had large amounts of avocado in it.

hoping LO is spared the allergies, both environmental and food.