Allergy Scratch Test Experiences? Negative or not?

jennstacy

My 18 month old daughter has been dairy, egg, soy, nut, and peanut free since 2 months old.  She had severe GI reactions....  She has been doing great and the dietician we see suggested we get allergy testing done now that she is 18 months old.  We did a scratch test and she was negative for everything except dog.  I was surprised, but hopeful.  The allergy doctor told me to start by introducing soy....so this week we did.  Today is day 2 and she has severe gas and woke up screaming from a nap....(highly unusual).  I am wondering if anyone has had experience with the allergy testing coming back negative but your child still having reactions?  I am unsure where to go from here...I would love to hear your thoughts!  Thank you!

mcarter127

The scratch test results could be falsely negative, especially if she has not been exposed to those foods directly (vs thru BF'ing) in so long. What type of GI symptoms did she have initially? Did you do an elimination diet to narrow down the suspected culprits? The really tricky thing about all of this is that sometimes when GI symptoms are the only reaction, it can indicate an intolerance rather than a true allergy. This just means that her body doesn't tolerate these foods but there is no immune response or histamine reaction. However, it certainly doesn't mean she can just have all those foods & depending on the severity of the reactions, she may still have to avoid those foods altogether for a while. I would definitely only expose her to one food at a time (since the allergist ok'd a food trial) & wait for her tummy to completely settle down before trying anything else new. I'd also start out with very small amounts of those foods & document very closely what symptoms you notice & how quickly they appear after she eats something. Also check in with the allergist & let them know what has happened thus far & see if they have any additional suggestions. Good luck & hopefuLy she'll do better with the other groups!

jennstacy

Thank you so much for the response....we knew for sure she was having a reaction to soy and dairy.  She had really bad gas, and tummy pain (we assumed due to not sleeping and crying ALL THE TIME), she also had blood and mucus in her poop, and it was really green until I quit eating dairy.  I nursed her for 16 months and she has been doing great. We introduced soy milk this week and about 15 hours afterward...she had terrible extreme gas, a rash on her face, and was not napping at all...very clingy and fussy.  Sigh...I was really hoping that it was improving!!