s/o allergies re: tests

MarMat · March 2011

I've been reading that some of you have made allergy tests for your LOs, skin or even blood.

If you mind to educate me, I've been told by my pedi and an allergist we saw, that we should wait until LO is 3 to make any tests (Both said they are not reliable at this age). Which seems a long way to go.. meanwhile we are just trying to control her environment, and DD is on asthma medicines.

DD hasn't had any evident allergy, but the pedi suspects of a food induced asthma, which is why we are trying to avoid allergens (egg, dairy, dust, etc).

I feel so lost. Please share your experience.

vmm0016 · March 2011

Our pedi wanted us to get the test done early because Keira was severly allergic to milk and has exzema. He said that she could grow out of them but wanted to be safe and run it early because she ended up in the hospital with the milk allergy. Lots of allergies run in my family, so we see the allergist next week.

MarMat · March 2011

vmm0016:
Our pedi wanted us to get the test done early because Keira was severly allergic to milk and has exzema. He said that she could grow out of them but wanted to be safe and run it early because she ended up in the hospital with the milk allergy. Lots of allergies run in my family, so we see the allergist next week.

Is it the skin kind?

ZacksBride · March 2011

ds broke out in hives when he was given milk based formula at around 5 months. so, it was easy for us to know the trigger. based on the milk allergy, pedi advised us to avoid other common allergens (eggs, nuts, shellfish). we knew soy was ok cause he had had soy formula w/o a problem. then, at 1 year, he had the blood test done (RAST testing, and he came back off the charts positive to egg white/yolk, milk proteins, tree nuts (except for a few) and peanuts.

so, we basically just practice avoidance at this time. he has never been exposed to eggs or nuts, but we are ok with just avoiding for now. i have no intention of writing him off as allergic to nuts, etc without ever exposing him, but for now i don't see a need. the plan is to have a repeat RAST test done at 2 years to see if his titers are going up or down, and after that we will be going to an allergist. his milk allergy is definitely still active cause i gave him goat cheese a few months back and he broke out in hives (cow and goat aren't supposed to cross react...)

do they have you avoiding all of the 8 most common allergens (eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts)? if they want you to avoid everything, then i would request some sort of testing to try to exclude some allergens. some kids with dairy problems are ok w/ soy, others arent. for us, soy is a major part of ds's protein intake, and i would want to know one way or the other if it was safe to give before just avoiding because of a possibility of allergy. good luck! food allergies are tough!

vmm0016 · March 2011

MarMat:

vmm0016:
Our pedi wanted us to get the test done early because Keira was severly allergic to milk and has exzema. He said that she could grow out of them but wanted to be safe and run it early because she ended up in the hospital with the milk allergy. Lots of allergies run in my family, so we see the allergist next week.

Is it the skin kind?

Yes, Eczema (sorry I spelt it wrong earlier) is a skin condition. Apparently, people with it are more apt to have allergies.

MarMat · March 2011

ZacksBride:

do they have you avoiding all of the 8 most common allergens (eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts)?

Not all, we are avoiding eggs, dairy and fish for now. DD was in soy milk for a while when we first introduced solids, but now she won't even drink it. So it ocurred to me that we could also do almond milk, I've been mixing it for two weeks (50/50) and she takes it with no problem.

But I'm unsure if almond could also be triggering an allergy.

DD had also had eczema before, so I know the chance of getting allergies and or asthma are higher.

MarMat · March 2011

vmm0016:

Yes, Eczema (sorry I spelt it wrong earlier) is a skin condition. Apparently, people with it are more apt to have allergies.

Ohh I meant the test allergy..

DD has also had eczema before

aniceucchik · March 2011

Well, I think your Pedi is full of crap, to some extent. The blood test is a simple draw of blood, and that test isnt as accurate as the skin test, but it provides a good starting off point. After we got the blood test at the Pedi we scheduled the skin test at the allergist, which confirmed what the blood test told us. Jacob gets hives from any dairy (and mustard seed, havent tried any more seeds) and gets a body rash from eggs, and we have never had a nut exposure, but I assume its hives as well since his numbers for peanut were almost as high as dairy. He is also sensitive to corn, strawberries and citrus/acidic juices.

I dont know how the tests could be that unreliable-for the blood test we were given ranges of his allergies with egg being mild and dairy and peanut being moderate. The skin test confirmed a reaction by producing hives/red marks at the injection site and the allergist nurse measured the sizes to check the levels. I cant believe an allergist told you that tests were not accurate. I would get a second opinion.

aniceucchik · March 2011

ZacksBride:

ds broke out in hives when he was given milk based formula at around 5 months. so, it was easy for us to know the trigger. based on the milk allergy, pedi advised us to avoid other common allergens (eggs, nuts, shellfish). we knew soy was ok cause he had had soy formula w/o a problem. then, at 1 year, he had the blood test done (RAST testing, and he came back off the charts positive to egg white/yolk, milk proteins, tree nuts (except for a few) and peanuts.

so, we basically just practice avoidance at this time. he has never been exposed to eggs or nuts, but we are ok with just avoiding for now. i have no intention of writing him off as allergic to nuts, etc without ever exposing him, but for now i don't see a need. the plan is to have a repeat RAST test done at 2 years to see if his titers are going up or down, and after that we will be going to an allergist. his milk allergy is definitely still active cause i gave him goat cheese a few months back and he broke out in hives (cow and goat aren't supposed to cross react...)

do they have you avoiding all of the 8 most common allergens (eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts)? if they want you to avoid everything, then i would request some sort of testing to try to exclude some allergens. some kids with dairy problems are ok w/ soy, others arent. for us, soy is a major part of ds's protein intake, and i would want to know one way or the other if it was safe to give before just avoiding because of a possibility of allergy. good luck! food allergies are tough!

Our Allergist said that 90% of people that are allergic to cows milk are allergic to goats as well, since the proteins are similar. We found out that Jacob isnt the lucky 10% that can have goats milk since it gave him hives as well. I would avoid any dairy if I were you, no matter what kind of animal it comes from.

MarMat · March 2011

aniceucchik:

Well, I think your Pedi is full of crap, to some extent. The blood test is a simple draw of blood, and that test isnt as accurate as the skin test, but it provides a good starting off point. After we got the blood test at the Pedi we scheduled the skin test at the allergist, which confirmed what the blood test told us. Jacob gets hives from any dairy (and mustard seed, havent tried any more seeds) and gets a body rash from eggs, and we have never had a nut exposure, but I assume its hives as well since his numbers for peanut were almost as high as dairy. He is also sensitive to corn, strawberries and citrus/acidic juices.

I dont know how the tests could be that unreliable-for the blood test we were given ranges of his allergies with egg being mild and dairy and peanut being moderate. The skin test confirmed a reaction by producing hives/red marks at the injection site and the allergist nurse measured the sizes to check the levels. I cant believe an allergist told you that tests were not accurate. I would get a second opinion.

Thanks for your input, I also didn't believe this, I'll look for another opinion.

SaranJonathan · March 2011

We gave DD scrambled eggs 1 week before her first birthday. Before this she had scrambled egg yolks just fine. Well she broke out in hives. We went to the allergist at 12 months of age. He did the skin testing for the major allergens. She came up positive for eggs and shellfish. She then was ordered the blood test (RAST) and again came up positive for eggs and this time negative for the shellfish. I was told to avoid shellfish anyways as well as nuts until 3. I think your pediatrician is wrong. Call a specialist in the area and ask them about testing at a year.

sapphire angel · March 2011

vmm0016:
Our pedi wanted us to get the test done early because Keira was severly allergic to milk and has exzema. He said that she could grow out of them but wanted to be safe and run it early because she ended up in the hospital with the milk allergy. Lots of allergies run in my family, so we see the allergist next week.

Coincidentally, my Keira has a milk allergy also but not as severe as your Keira. We also avoid soy and bananas and an intolerance to mangoes (same family as the banana). Our milk allergy triggers eczema. Soy triggered gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating up like a beach ball for several hours and unable to pass the gas easily). Bananas made LO swell around the mouth. Mangoes made LO extremely fussy for several hours but nothing obvious.

We did a blood test for food allergies and as I understand it the blood test is more indicative of an allergy that could send you into anaphylactic shock. Ours came back completely normal for all common food allergens and yet LO still doesn't tolerate the milk and soy so we would possibly see a positive scratch test. Other environmental allergies we treat as they crop up because our pedi said the allergy tests can vary alot this young so he wants to wait so long as we don't have any more moderate to severe allergic reactions like we saw with the banana.

What have you done to control allergens in your environment? Air purifiers? Hypoallergenic sheets? HEPA filters on your AC unit and vacuum? Household products?

You said you eliminate food allergies but only listed some so be sure you are doing all 8 of them (someone above listed them all out). Did your allergist or pediatrician give you a list of all hidden dairy/soy ingredients in prepared foods? If not, just send me a PM with your email and I can email you the list I have...it's shockingly long with things I never would have considered like caramel color...

sapphire angel · March 2011

MarMat:
ZacksBride:

do they have you avoiding all of the 8 most common allergens (eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts)?
Not all, we are avoiding eggs, dairy and fish for now. DD was in soy milk for a while when we first introduced solids, but now she won't even drink it. So it ocurred to me that we could also do almond milk, I've been mixing it for two weeks (50/50) and she takes it with no problem.
But I'm unsure if almond could also be triggering an allergy.
DD had also had eczema before, so I know the chance of getting allergies and or asthma are higher.

What about rice milk instead of soy and almond? Wouldn't almond but considered a nut so it's a common allergen? Same goes for coconut milk. If animal milk is an issue then it's not at all uncommon to react to soy also as those proteins are similar.

MarMat · March 2011

So, how much does this tests cost? DH is thinking that maybe the analysis here in mexico does not has the technology required. We were planning on a trip to the US, so maybe we could take advantage and make the tests while we are up there.

alyssa7 · March 2011

At 3 months, our son kept breaking out in hives. I cut out dairy and it didn't make a difference. They thought maybe it was eczema but I didn't think so. They said to rule out food allergies, we can draw blood. I didn't like the idea b/c he was only 3 months but I'm glad we did because he was very allergic to peanuts. I had the feeling this was the case b/c he would break out when I nursed him and I often snacked on trail mix while nursing.

g8trkim · March 2011

My friend's doctor recommended one for her 11 month old. I think because of her eczema. I don't know how reliable it is but they determined she has an egg and peanut allergy.

vmm0016 · March 2011

MarMat:

vmm0016:

Yes, Eczema (sorry I spelt it wrong earlier) is a skin condition. Apparently, people with it are more apt to have allergies.

Ohh I meant the test allergy..

DD has also had eczema before

We did the blood test first. Next week when we see the allergist we are going to do the skin test.

Kmac-06 · March 2011

We suspected a dairy allergy when DD got hives from yogurt and cheese around 8 months. Our pedi recommended waiting until 1 year to do any testing and to just avoid the suspected allergen (dairy) until then. Around 11 months she had a severe reaction to scrambled eggs so we also started avoiding all eggs.

We did the blood test first, it is called the RAST test if you want to look it up. She tested positive to egg, dairy, wheat, and peanut. We will be going for the skin prick test in a couple weeks, which is supposed to back up the blood test. Although she tested positive to wheat, it is in her daily diet so I expect the skin test will show she is not allergic to it. There can be false positives and negatives with either test, but doing both tests gives a more complete picture of your LO's allergies.

I would get a second opinion if I were you, it seems silly to avoid everything if it is not necessary. Some allergies are usually outgrown by age 5 - egg, dairy, wheat, soy. Others are usually lifelong - shellfish and peanut. Allergies can change over time so that may be why your dr. suggests waiting but I don't see anything wrong with testing now as long as you know it can change over time. GL!

MarMat · March 2011

Thanks for your input ladies!

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