New to food allergies

dmndsr4eva

My son is 3 and occasionally he gets a large red patch on this back.  It appears maybe every couple of months and stays for a few weeks.  I have no idea what it is or what causes it.  It appears to be a food allergy I am thinking maybe strawberries.  When I was younger I used to get a rash every once and awhile and my parents thought it was from strawberries.  It doesn't seem to bother him.

If I take him to a doctor can they determine what is causing the rash?

imimahoney

An allergist or some pedi's can do skin tests for allergies, so yes. Also, some allergists allow for a challenge in the office. How I've seen it done- you go to the dr. office and offer the suspected food and then you wait around to see if there is a reaction. My friend did the latter when she was challenging her son for peanuts and tree nuts. If the allergy is serious, like his was, it's important to do it in a controlled area and where medical attention can be given immediately if needed. 

smiling76

So it doesn't itch at all?

Does it hurt at all do you know?  could it be exzema?  My DS1 gets little rashes like that and although it could be related to a food, it's not an actual rash from an allergy.  BUT of course I'm not there, so only you know best.

But yes--docs can totally do scratch or even blood tests.  They are really great--although sometimes not completely accurate.  For instance, according to the latest blood test my DS1 showed no peanut allergy anymore--however, he got a peanut and began vomitting and got all rashy (luckily no choking)--so yeah.....I don't trust all of them completely but a great baseline.