Food Allergy
TulipsAndChampagne
member
Food Allergies to Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts & Beef
Challenged Soy and tolerated it.
The numbers mean nothing?
TulipsAndChampagne
member
in Food Allergy
We were at the allergist a few weeks ago, and the pediatric allergist said that the numbers from the (RAST?) blood work mean nothing. For example, DD tested moderate for soy, but later my DH confessed that he was giving her soy milk and she was doing fine. When we told the allergist, she said continue with the soy and that the numbers do not mean anything. Has anyone else been told this? I know we have the egg allergy due to an anaphylactic reaction and milk due to the hives reaction...but now I am wondering if the others are legit (tree nuts, peanuts, beef) or if I should challenge the test results.
Suggestions? Comments?
Food Allergies to Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts & Beef
Challenged Soy and tolerated it.
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Re: The numbers mean nothing?
Same thing happened to us. DS#3 tested positive for soy but he had been on soy formula with no problems so we left him on it with no problems.
The test can give false positives so at some point, if your LO has not been exposed to some of the things the test shows he's allergic to, I would do a food challenge. But I would NOT try it on your own. I would only do it under a doctor's supervision.
My twins are 5! My baby is 3!
DS#2 - Allergic to Cashew, Pistachio, Kiwi
DS#3 - Allergic to Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nuts and Sesame
my doc told me that if i was to get tested for allergies, i would probably be positive for one or more but my body knows how to handle it.
I have heard it depends on what your TOTAL IgE levels are.. if they are high than the numbers to specific food can be ineffective. A skin test would be more effective b/c you know how your body is reacting to the actual allergen. I never found out what my son's total IgE levels are, but plan to ask this on the next appointment.
I just read this recently so i'm still trying to read more about it and how that works.
My doc said this as well. She said she has no allergies or sensitivities at all but if she tested herself she would probably come up allergic to something.
What was the number? I don't know if I'm convinced that the numbers mean nothing. My son came up positive to wheat, soy, barley, sesame, & egg. The egg was 14. The rest were less than 2. That made me pretty comfortable that his ana reaction was due to the egg.
Here are her numbers:
Egg 55.5 (Very High) Rated a Class 5
Peanut 36.9 (Very High) Rated a Class 4
Milk 23.4 (Very High) Rated a Class 4
Almond 2.03 (Moderate)
Pistachio 0.49 (Low)
Coconut 0.39 (Low)
Beef 0.17 (Very Low)
Soy 0.28 (Very Low)
Food Allergies to Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts & Beef
Challenged Soy and tolerated it.
the reason he isn't reacting to soy is b/c 0.28 means Absent/Undetectable.. correct me if I'm wrong but to me it sounds like beef and soy are not allergies in this case.
I've been going by this chart.. so maybe mine is wrong.
IgE kU/L Level of Allergen
0 <0.35 Absent/Undetectable
1 0.35-0.70 Low Level
2 0.71-3.50 Moderate Level
3 3.51-17.5 HighLevel
4 17.6-50 Very High Level
5 51-100 Very High Level
6 >100 Very High Level
I would probably stay far away from the top four for now. And challenge Coconut and Pistachio if you want .. but one at a time.
after 2 years old we get to challenge anything below a "2" so for you that would be coconut, pistashio, soy and beef. Maybe almond since it's close. If kiddo is under the age of 1 our allergist said that he treats the smaller numbers more seriously because the tests can be so wonky and you don't want to cause a reaction. If you've been giving soy with no issue then I'd continue. And I'd ask about some food challenges.
Food Allergies to Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts & Beef
Challenged Soy and tolerated it.