18 Month Tested Positive for Food Allergies

My son showed allergy to milk moderate, egg whites severe, egg yoke severe, soy moderate, and miner ones peanuts... and now almonds and potatoe. we did NOT have the wheat issue. Here is my advice after all my visits w/2 allergists. If they do NOT have a reaction (eczema, red splotches around mouth, diaherria (sp?), swollen lips, congestion, vomiting, upset stomache etc (assuming your peanut can tell you if they hurt). do it anyway. i am not a dr... but with time we have seen our son get less and less reaction to dairy and soy. now he can have soy anything, and dairy as long as its FAT FREE for some reason, and not milk directly. we wouldn't mess with the egg, as that is considered "severe" and i don't mess w/nuts as dad has anaphelaxis (sp?) from peanuts. When you get used to the egg you will realize its just eating out that's really hard. you can sub oil or bannana or applesauce for cooking, and oil for breading, and find that soy is used rather than egg is many products. If they are allergic to wheat i THINK they can eat couse couse (sp?), quinoa, brown rice, barley... and you can get wheat free breads though expensive. The doc told me if they don't have a reaction don't worry, that sometimes the tests can be over super sensitive. I'm sure i prob would have allergies i'm not aware of too. I think there's some theory out there that we have allergies that make us tired/muscle tired and otherwise fine and most people don't know. You didn't mention where it was w/the egg. The doc did say if there's a skin reaction, there's likely an internal reaction as well. I assume there's a reason you got him tested in the first place, so that info may be helpful. and it depends on if its a skin or blood test. we got both and dif things showed up on each test.

so in a 'nutshell' (ha ha) i would give peanut things he/she doesn't react to, and don't mess w/anything that shows severe allergy. at least that's what we do. hope that helps. any questions feel free to ask. My son was diagnosed at 6 mo and he's almost 3.

I have a son with a severe peanut & tree nut allergy, which can be very difficult at time, but after awhile it's pretty manageable. I have found the website www.foodallergy.org to be a Godsend. They even have recipes that exclude certain allergens. I would stay away from the allergens as much as possible. Recent studies have shown that kids allergic to milk, wheat & eggs can outgrow them. However, it seems that the more they are exposed to them, the more likely they won't. As for peanuts, outgrowing them is unlikely. And carrying an epipen is a MUST! I know many parents with peanut-allergic kids that don't. And all I have to say is that my son didn't need his epipen until he needed it. Prior to his anaphylaxis attack, he only mildly reacted to nuts. People can have a mild reaction several times and then all of a sudden have a severe reaction. Thankfully, my doctor insisted that we have it with us at all times. I know this is scary, but you really need to talk to your doctor.

When he starts school, the allergy situation is even scarier. Thankfully, schools are getting better at accommodating our kids, but some schools can be difficult. Know your rights - go to http://www.illinoisfaea.org/disability_law.asp
&
http://www.illinoisfaea.org/school_nurses.asp

I know it is so overwhelming right now. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns.

E.:

My daughter also tested positive for food allergies. She tested as a 1 for milk, egg whites and peanuts. She has been drinking milk (and a lot of it) since she was one. She has also had egg whites and I have not noticed any problem. Basically what her pediatrician told me is that if she has had the food before and not shown any reaction, it is ok to continue. Since she had not had peanuts before, they suggested waiting though. They will retest her (blood test) in a year and we can go from there.

So, depending on what your dr says, I would suggest if your son is a low level allergy (like a 1) and he has had it before without any reaction, it should be ok.

Hope that helps.

C.

It will be good if you can stay away from all the alergens. If not, sometimes a little will be ok if he is not severly alergic. My daughter severely alergic to cashew, even just the dust will make her breaking out hives and started coughing. She also tested positive for some pollen and dust, but in life, these things don't really make her sick, just easier to catch cold in spring and fall.
Based on the number, he doesn't seem to have a bad alergy. So when you go out and there is a little alergens in his food, you might still be fine. But just to be on the save side you can try not to give it to him if there is an alternative food. Just be careful. And have benadryl/zyrtec ready all the time with you.

I have been told over and over again that allergy testing under 3 is totally unreliable.

Why did you have him tested? What symptoms was he having?

Peanut allergies can be deadly so I would just cut that out until he can be reliably tested at 3. It's easy enough to cut out.

As for the other things-- Cut them out for a few weeks and then slowly introduce one thing at a time for a week or so and see if you see symptoms of allergy.

My mother was told she was allergic to everything as a child but never reacted to anything adversely.

My daughter is allergic to eggs but has no problems with eggs if they are part of something else-- like muffins, cake, etc. She just can't have eggs on their own-- like scrambled. This is common with egg allergies.

Remember that the flu shot contains egg so you would want to avoid that if egg allergy is suspected or verified.