tell me about allergy tests

Re: tell me about allergy tests

• CLL1001 member

  November 2012

  We had the blood test done during DD's 9 month bloodwork. It showed that she isn't allergic to anything but I'm not sure how accurate it is at this point.One of the other Dr's at our pedi office told me they usually wait until around age 3 to do allergy testing unless there's an issue of course...DD was having some dairy issues for a while which just ended up being a sensitivity because she's fine with it now.

  

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• dazidog

  November 2012

  DD #1 had an allergy test when she was about 2 years old. They did the skin pricks and I personally thought it was horrible. At first she didn't know what was happening but by the 3rd or so prick she was screaming bloody murder. The worst part was they screwed up and had to do 10 of them over again. I had never heard anything about it not being accurate. The only thing that showed up on DD's was a slight allergy to egg whites which the doctor said is common and just to slowly keep feeding her eggs as they usually outgrow it. She had to get another allergy test just a couple months ago, for follow up before starting school, and she didn't have a reaction to anything. DH took her to that one.

  A blood test was never offered to us in place of the skin pricks. I think though that I would have opted for the blood test if given the choice. DD does great with needles/injections. Again, I'm not sure about the accuracy of the tests in relation to age.

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• Five Months to Plan member

  November 2012

  Our pedi told us there is a new blood test. We will be discussing it more at her 2 year appt. we have been having some trouble with allergies and DH has terrible terrible allergies. If it is a blood test we have decide to have her tested. 

  

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• nicki731

  November 2012

  We had the skin prick tests done when my LO was about 6 or 7 months old maybe? We went to an allergy/asthma specialist for ongoing wheezing, stuffiness, eczema. The tests weren't fun but it wasn't the end of the world. They did 32 pricks on his back, and the pricks were done really quickly with these paddle types things that had 8 pricks each. The worst part was then we had to hold him down on his belly for 15 minutes while they waited to read the results. He did not like being held down, and probably felt itchy and uncomfortable. Then after that first day, we had to come back in a few weeks for more tests in his upper arms with about 10 different tiny needles, which again wasn't fun but wasn't the end of the world.

  I've never heard anything about not being accurate. For us it was worth it because now we know what he's allergic to so we can do something about it (dog, mold, grass). Good luck to you and your LO whatever you decide.

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• Meeshe member

  November 2012

  My oldest had the skin prick test done at 13 months.  My youngest had the blood test done at 21 months. 

   The allergist didn't mention it but our pediatrician did say something about them being "not all that accurate at this age" in reference to my youngest. My impression is that things can still change a lot when they're this young.  My oldest tested allergic to dairy and eggs at 13 months.  We did a food challenge on the dairy at 2 and she had outgrown it (we just went ahead with the eggs).  She was retested recently with a skin test at 5 and tested allergic to cats and dust, she did not test allergic to dogs but we absolutely know she's allergic to dogs.  She gets red and blotchy when she touches certain breeds and it triggers asthma.

  My youngest was tested because we suspected a peanut allergy, and he did test postive for that.  He also tested positive for eggs, dairy, wheat, and soy.  But they didn't seem very concerned about any of that and she said it's because it's not all that accurate at this point.

   My thought is that if you're seeing a reaction to something, it can't really hurt to do the test but don't be surprised if it changes because their bodies are still developing very quickly.

  Also, my kids did fine with both kinds of tests at all the various ages.

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• lucylea member

  November 2012

  We are seeing a pediatric allergist next month for DS to be tested.  Their office likes to do both because each test has its own pros and cons, including high false positives.  I'm not looking forward to holding DS still for the 10-15 minutes after the skin prick, but am looking forward to having some possible answers.  

  

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• MrsAery-to-be member

  November 2012

  We did the blood test with DS at 18 months. He had a reaction to peanut butter at 12 months so we specifically tested for nut allergies. The blood test came back in the range of "moderately allergic" to peanuts/peanut products. We were given the option of seeing a specialist to do the skin prick test but decided against it. We didn't want to put DS thru that, the blood draw was bad enough. Also not all insurances cover it according to my pedi. We were fine with just knowing that he is moderately allergic and we will avoid all peanut products from now on. Our pedi recommended testing again in 12-18 months since sometimes kids grow out of food allergies. We will probably just do a blood test then too unless our pedi recommends something else.

  

  
  

  
  

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