So, I wasn't a good advocate..

grbnik · August 2012

..for my DD. We went to the Ped yesterday, because my DS and DD both had a stomach virus that was lingering (and, she had been diagnosed with an ear infection as well). I asked Ped to give me a referral for a ped allergist, because I suspect EoE. He said that she is still gaining weight, and having wet diapers (even though she eats no food, and very little BM- like 20 oz a day, if that). He also said that allergy testing can be painful, and wouldn't want to go that route until she shows clear signs of not gaining weight. So, me wanting to be proactive resulted in me being a huge p*ssy, and I said, okay, let me think about that. So, then I came back to the office, and started making calls to ped allergists around my area, to see if they need a referral. But, now I am chickening out about the testing. She would still need to be scoped with biopsy for EoE dx, so that would be worse- why I am so worried about the allergy testing? I just don't want to hurt her anymore than she is now (if hurt esophagus is inflamed due to allergies). I hate having to make hard choices! Any insight on testing? Was it totally worth it, and the pain they felt was just a small part of a bigger picture? I know it is, I am just nervous. help!

Bat_Ish_Crazy · August 2012

I was made to feel that way with my DDs pedi when she was around 4-5 months old. I suspected a milk protein allergy/intolerance & I felt we had confirmed a latex allergy. I brought it up with the pedi & she essentially shrugged off my concerns & told me that the latex allergy wasn't a big deal and my concerns about dairy were probably coincidence.

At 1 year, after staying dairy free myself to clear up DDs head to toe eczema and gas, I decided to go ahead and start introducing WCM. Lo and behold, her eczema flared all over her body & my peaceful sleeper started waking several times at night with gas. I told the pedi, she again shrugged it off. She said she would draw blood to test for the milk allergy to make me feel better & if it came back negative, we could just start back up with WCM. Really? I asked for a referral to an allergist & she said she would give it to me if I really wanted it, but she felt "all allergists do too much."

Now we're dealing w/ a peanut allergy also.

At the end of the day, even if the pedi thought that I was overreacting or exaggerating, what harm is it to run some tests to give peace of mind?

In your case, why wait until your DD gets to the point of losing weight?

We've done the blood draw for testing & it wasn't pleasant watching them draw blood from her arm, but it was very quick & she was her normal, happy self 15 minutes later.

We have the skin prick testing tomorrow afternoon ... and I'm sure she is not going to enjoy it. She is having a lot of stranger danger anxiety right now and does not like doctor's offices to begin with ... but we will be armed with more information when it's over, and she will be ok. I'll come back and let you know how it goes.

luvmagoldn · August 2012

Honestly, the testing is not a big deal. At that age our allergist only does the blood test. She saves scratch tests for older kids because it is hard to keep babies still for the duration of the scratch test - which really is only about 20 minutes.

I would follow your gut on this. If your insurance doesn't require a referral to specialists just make the appointment on your own.

Good luck.

funchicken · August 2012

I would make an appointment with an allergist to talk about it. My younger DD had lots of food intolerances when she was a baby, and the allergist told us that for her particular issues a blood test probably wouldn't show anything, but a skin patch test might give us some info. We opted to wait, and her GI issues improved tremendously just before she turned one.

My older DD has a peanut/tree nut allergy, and she's had a scratch test and a blood test. Neither one was bad. DD1 also had a blood draw when she was around your DD's age and it was much easier than I thought it would be.

If it makes you feel any better, DD1 only drank about 22oz/day of BM/formula, so I don't think your DD's milk intake seems crazy-low. I know it's hard not to stress about things, but don't let it overshadow the good things

mrsmac08 · August 2012

The blood test was no worse for my twins than getting a shot...and they were quickly distracted by a special snack. Also, neither baby (they were 12 mos at the time...DD also had the skin test at 9 mos, and didn't even seem to notice it) was at all bothered by the skin test.

Bat_Ish_Crazy · August 2012

We've just finished DDs skin prick test and it was not bad at all ... she was more bothered by the fact that people she didn't know were touching her and talking to her than anything else. It was pretty quick, also.

twoasone1 · August 2012

My DS1 has EoE. He has also had multiple allergy testing. The allergy testing was no big deal. The scope to test for EoE usually isn't a big deal. His first one was because, as we learned, he couldn't handle the normal sedation that they use for it. Now, he is always completely put out for his scopes. So, for us, they are a little more involved. But, under normal conditions, they aren't a big deal either.

I second a pp who said that 20 oz is still pretty good. But, if you feel that she isn't getting what she needs, then you should follow your instincts. Before my DS1 was diagnosed, I was lucky to get him to eat 6 oz. a day. Again, if you feel something is wrong, it would be better to not wait until it gets to that point. DS1 is a week shy of 3 and we are still teaching him how to eat. He only can eat 6 foods right now, but because he was so sick and refused to eat when he was little, he now has a feeding tube and never learned how to eat.

Sorry, that this got a bit rambly. Let me know if you have any other questions. I am glad to help if I can!

NiniJ55 · August 2012

We did the skin pricks at 4 months old. She screamed and cried so much (not while they were pricking her - but screaming at the reaction). it was truly hard to watch - but it was worth it knowing that she has a dairy allergy. I take a whole new approach to how I introduce solids vs what I did with DS. So far she has reacted to a few different foods and I may not have known what to look out for otherwise (I had no idea allergies caused eczema).

We plan to draw blood at 12 months old. It's worth it IMO to get the the bottom of it. And BTW - I did not get a referral from my pedi. I made the appointment on my own and did my own research. Mama sometimes knows best and I followed my gut as you should follow yours.

Good luck!

ETA: 20oz of BM is not bad at all. BM changes as the baby gets older to meet their needs. Most BF babies top out around 4oz a feeding. I remember DS did not take much BM at all but he was well above the curve for weight gain. Some babies don't take well to solids in the beginning and just need more time. I'm not saying your intuition is wrong but just to say that she could also very well be perfectly fine (I pray that she is, actually). Again, good luck and keep us posted.

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