Allergy testing

jd614 · October 2013

Is anyone doing good allergy testing before introducing the high allergen foods like milk/eggs/nuts? My brother and sister each have a child with nut allergies and DH has bad seasonal allergies . As it's gotten colder I've also noticed some very dry patches of skin on DS legs ( possibly eczema ?). In paranoid about food allergies .. Should I be proactive and get him tested ?

jd614 · October 2013

That's food allergy testing .. Dumb auto correct

tamarar5 · October 2013

Hmm. I wonder if I should. I hasn't given it any thought. I'm allergic to she'll fish and have a milk sensitivity, and oddly enough, I'm allergic to bananas. I think dd is allergic to strawberries. Her bio donor was severely allergic to strawberries, and do I've always be cautious. She just HATES them and because of the potential allergy, I don't push it.

But DH has no allergies and so far E seems interested in everything.

wifeofadam · October 2013

My oldest has severe food allergies, but I've never tested my other kids. My reasoning is that they could be allergic to just about any food and you can't test for them all - plus the tests can be inaccurate and give false positives (RAST tests often give false negatives and skin tests give a lot of false positives). The only true way to determine a food allergy is with a food challenge, so if you introduce one new food at a time, you'll figure out if they're allergic. If you're really concerned about a specific food, give them one bite and wait a minute before feeding the rest. If there's an allergy you'll usually start to see a rash on the face or trunk within ten minutes of exposure (often not until the second time they are exposed - some people don't react the very first time).

holly321 · October 2013

Ds just had blood work. He is always covered in a rash.

tamarar5 · October 2013

@DC and @+adamwife+

Do either of you carry Epi pens for your kids? Do they even make a baby-dose epi? Though I don't have many allergies, as mentioned above, DD is (most likely) allergic to strawberries and while I doubt that E will have any-- we haven't had any reactions yet and he's tried about a half dozen different foods-- DH was just talking to me about looking into something like this for LO earlier. I think it's kind of funny and cute, and also really practical. I AM severely allergic to catfish, lobster, and crab... but not clams or shrimp. (That said, I don't eat any shell fish at all.) He is quite concerned that E might have inherited some of my food allergies.

wifeofadam · October 2013

I do carry an epi-pen and have since before DS1 turned one. They make different doses of the pens for children vs. adults, so there is a safe one to use on babies. Just ask your doc.

tamarar5 · October 2013

Thank you!

light52 · October 2013

DS3 has had severe seasonal allergies this year and they started getting the worst about the time we started table food. Not sure if it is related but my gut says yes. Our pediatrician said they usually wait until a year to do any kind of allergy testing but since his has been so bad (asthma attack from the allergies) they are doing bloodwork at his 9 month check this week. If you think it is a big concern, just ask your pediatrician what they recommend.

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