Allergy Testing

M.,
You may need to move away from the soy and milk based formulas. They are definitely an issue for kids with allergies. There are choices that are not soy or milk. The doctor should be able to provide you with other options to fulfill the nutritional needs. As far as the testing goes, you may want to ask the doctor to do skin testing instead of blood testing.

I am a person who as a child was allergic to soy and milk products and had the same reaction. There are definitely other things on the market. Wish I knew what they are. Sorry, but good luck.

Hi M.,
My daughter was diagnosed at 10 months with allergies to all of your sons allergies plus a slew more. A huge warning sign that your son is allergic to whatever your giving him may be the eczema flair ups. I would request that the doctor retest him. Also make sure that the soy formula or milk that you are giving him has no hidden ingredients. Also sometimes products are manufactured in the same plant that wheat or dairy are processed and there is cross contamination in the products. I can sympathize with the constant reading of ingredients and trying to find foods etc that are good for your children. Let me know if you need any recipes for when he is older. There are thankfully a few great easy products out there to make cakes, cookies, and pancakes that are wheat and dairy free. Hope this helped.
L.

Ok I myself work as a certified medical assistant in the Allergy and Immunology Dept. in a hospital. I've been working here for about 6 months now and have learned the in's and out's of allergy testing. Yes blood test are accurate. The allergy skin test it self I can really not say. I've know since I was about a year-old that I'm allergic to tomatoes and in any form(meaning ketchup, sauce, cooked tomatoes and raw tomatoes etc.). I love tomatoes and still havent learned my lesson and I always break out. When I was allergy tested last year(not where I work) I asked the doctor to test me for tomatoes and he said it was NEGATIVE.....I was so confused but was convinced and I know for a fact that I am allergic to tomatoes....Hope this helped a little....p.s-go with you feel is right......good luck

Hi! I am actually an allergy nurse. You should bring him into the office and have him skin tested for it. It just involves a superfiscial prick test. The reaction, if positive will look like a bug bite. Believe it or not but the skin testing in more reliable then the bloodwork. I had a patient who came up negative to crab in his bwk, but had a reaction to it. Then when we skin tested him, he was in fact positive. The practice I work for is ENT AND ALLERGY. There are like 25 offices in the tri state area if you need anyone. Good luck!!!

My son loved milk. At about age 1 he devloped a huge rash, severe diarreha, and eczema all over his face. Drs told me over and over that he was some kind of infection, then virus in his system. I decided to change him to lactaid milk and only small amounts of milk in his food. Everything disappeared. HE is now 4 and he is still able have milk in small amonts in his food (yogurt, cheese, etc). I would see an allergist as suggested but eczema did play a role in the milk. Goodluck

We had my son blood tested at 13 months because he threw up after I gave him peanut butter. He came back allergic to: Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, cats and dogs...
We have a cat and a dog, and my son is fine around them. He drank soy milk since he was a year, ate milk products, ate eggs & wheat, NO PROBLEMS EVER. So, I dont have much faith in the blood tests. The allergist told me to avoid nuts, and keep doing whatever we are doing, since he doesnt have any reactions.
GO WITH YOUR INSTINCTS!

My son had eczema. But to tell you the truth I never heard of it happpening becaus of allergies. Because it was donr by blood test I would say it's on target.
A dairy allgery is very difficult, my niece has the same allergey. Did you try the lactate free milk. Not soy.
try it the reaction will be better. Like no reaction at all.

N.

Trust your instincts. My sons allergy testing revealed very little useful information. We went to a nutritionist and a developmental pediatrician instead and they were much more helpful in identifying the difference between an allergy and a sensitivity. He might outgrow some of his allergies, but I would stay away from soy for a while if I were you.

Best,
A.

Hi M.,
My son was allergic to cowmilk too and my nutritionist told me the molecules from soymilk looklike the cowmilkmolecules so his immunesystem gets confused. a so called x-reaction. so stay away from soy aswell! talk to a nutritionist how he can get enough calcium and proteins in his diet. sucre boosts allergic reactions!! and yes it does take a lot of energy from you! I had to quit work. get as much support around you as possible: family, friends and professional and educate yourself. The good news: my son grew out of it and I know a whole lot about real healthy food. Did you also know that peanuts and cowmilk are highrated as cause for earinfections?!! anyway, good luck! hang in there and have faith.
D.

The blood tests are not as accurate as the skin tests. Often blood tests are followed up with skin tests to check what is happening. You could request for someone to do a skin test on him for just soy. Believe me, I have bad allergies and the skin tests aren't easy, especially for a little guy his age. They would give his skin a little prick and put some soy on it to see how he reacts. They can tell by what happens how severe the allergy is or if he has one. I'm not sure where you are but myself and my children have a wonderful allergist and she has made my quality of life a gazillion times better by treating me properly and making sure I did what I needed to do to manage my allergies and allergy induced asthma.

Email me if you'd like her name and location.

N.

Hi M.,

My 15 month old daughter was recently given a blood test for allergies, and the pediatrician told me that at such a young age, if a test is negative, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're NOT allergic. if the test is positive, however, they are DEFINITELY allergic. I was told that if she tested negative to eggs, but she reacts to them, then she may still be allergic and to keep her away from egg products. Further tests later on may show that she's allergic. So definitely go with your instincts. Good luck with the eczema!

K.

My daughter had a blood test and they found she is allergic to peanuts. The blood test IS accurate.

It makes sense that after having milk that your son's eczema explodes because the gene that carries allergies also carries eczema and asthma.

As far as soy milk producing a reaction...maybe there is wheat in the formula? I would ask the doctor about that.

M.:

There are different kinds of blood tests to test for allergies, and also a scratch test. The scratch test (I believe) is more reliable. HOWEVER there is also a chance that your son may NOT be ALLERGIC to soy, but still have a reaction to soy and soy products. It's called being "intolerant" or having adverse reactions to those products, but there is NO FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE for us parents! My son reacts (eczema, congestion and even vomitting) to dairy, beef, soy and too much wheat, but showed absolutely no allergy to any of it when he had a blood test done. My pediatrician told us the same thing he would tell an allergy baby's parents - avoid the food group... Look at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergy/AN01109 and http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/foods-allergy-intole... for additional information. I found both of these sites very helpful. Since your son has tested positive already for some allergies, I recommend that you see a pediatric allergist for further testing, and then take what you learn and do what you KNOW is the best thing for your son. All the medical advice on allergies will never replace your gut instincts! I hope this helps!

J. - a tired working mom of a 16 month old :-)

He may have developed a new allergy to soy. You are giving him regular milk now? The test are usually accurate, the doctor usually tells you the percentage of what your child is allergic to. My two girls now ages 3 and 17 months are allergic to soy, wheat, milk, peanuts and eggs. However the doctor told me the percentage of the soy allergy was low, so they may be able to drink it without getting a reaction. When I tired soy formula on my now three year old when she was an infant she had a bad reaction to it, so I never gave it to her again. My girls also both have eczema. If they eat something that they allergic too, they eczema gets out of control also. I would get him tested again. My children drink rice milk now. Good luck.