Just Found Out My Child Has Food Allergies - What's Next?

http://crazyallergymama.blogspot.com/ is a good blog-- and she's great about responding to comments. I'd get in touch with her for some mutual support!

My daughter sees Dr. Matheson in provo at 745 N 500 W Ste 200. He seems to have my daughters best interest at heart. He also is good with her. His clinic is at the Provo Allergy and Asthma Clinic. My daughter has a severe allergy to dogs and other seasonal allergies and may have asthma.

At that clinic they also have another doctor, I have never seen him, nor know his specialty. You can call their clinic and see. Hope this helps.

While allergies are real, I just read an article online that said blood tests for allergies return far more false positives and that the true test of food allergies needs to come from an allergist and scratch tests. Get in to see one (sorry I don't have any recommendations for you!) and make SURE he is allergic to all those things. The other point of the article was that removing so many foods from kids who weren't allergic to them CAUSED them to have food sensitivities to those items. Good luck!

The fact that they tested so many things at once could have led to confusion in the results. Those are all the most common allergies, so of course they would test for all of them. I would recommend getting in with an allergist and having him test your son, on thing at a time. The skin test is generally more accurate, and that is probably what he will do. In the mean time, load up on fruits and veggies and grains like oatmeal and rice and proteins (meat and fish). If you've had him on a non-dairy formula you can keep giving him that, too, until you talk to the allergist.

Good luck! I hope it turns out that he's allergice to fewer things than you first thought :)

Hey, I have an idea of how you feel. My daughter is allergic to milk and eggs and my son peanuts and tree nuts. I have a friend who can not have wheat. It is so hard and pretty much have to say goodbye to eating out as far as I have found. But most homemade things and recipes can be altered with the right ingredients to make anything you need. At Harmons or other stores I am sure is a box that is brown and yellow it is a powder that is an egg replacer you put so much water per so much powder and it replaces an egg in things like pancakes/cakes... etc... it just doesn't cook up like a normal egg, but will replace it in recipes. Soy milk and Rice milk are really good for replacing the milk and will substitute in anything as well. There is rice flour, potato flour, etc that will replace wheat and those can go in any recipe. My friend tells me if you get rice flour and potato flower and sort of mix them in equal parts, mixed well it reacts better in recipes because it acts more like an all purpose flour. Nuts.. those i have not found a replacement for... but avoiding them is a bit easier than I thought, at least now that I have been avoiding them for 3 years.

Then you will just have to read the package of EVERYTHING, some things you don't even know will have been made on equipment with peanuts or tree nuts or eggs or milk... etc. And package labels change, I know at one time things were okay, and then another time I have bought them and realized now there was a nut warning. So every time you need to look at that, even if it has been safe before.

Sunflower Market here in Murray Utah had a lot of vegan/vegetarian/allergy friendly foods. So I recommend finding a market like that around you that carries a lot of that ... usually it is some kind of organic themed store, Wild oats... etc.
Hopefully that was some sort of help. It is such a head ache some times and more work.... but once you get used to it, it will become routine.
My biggest problem is family members and friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles..cousins... they will all forget, not meaning to...so constant reminding is needed ... even just to be safe than sorry.

Good luck!

Sorry to hear about the allergies- My daughter is 8 months old and has dairy and soy allergies- I am nursing her so I had to change my diet around as well- Very overwhelming at first! First I would recommend the cookbook "Sophie Safe Cooking" by Emily Hendrix. This cookbook is actually free of all the top allergiens- It has really simple just fantastic recipes for breads-desserts-dinners-snacks etc. and it is all made with just a few ingredients. The best book I have found!
The best luck I have had is buying at a heatlh food store we have one called "Natures Bin" I buy a lot of organic ($$$) but organic does not add all the extra stuff that allergians can sneak into-
I would also recommend the website cafemom- there is a group there you can join for kids/babies with food allergies-Those ladies are lifesavers! A lot of them have been dealing with this for a long time and have great food suggestions-
You can do this! I know personally how hard it is in the beginning and some days are harder than others (I would love to eat some milk chocolate) but than I have a couple bites of my dairy/soy free chocolate and relax ;)
I also see you did not mention a soy allergy- so you can find a lot of soy alternatives that are very tasty--
Good luck!!

Hi there~
My name is C. and I know exactly how you feel. It can be very overwhelming and you can easily freak out! My daughter is allergic to wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts and fish! So I understand your frustration............
I began at the whole foods or natural grocery stores and learned alot, they usually have a dietician/nutritionist on staff to help guide you in the right direction.......I just try to think Rice, Potato, and corn based! As well as endless fruits and vegetables. They have rice milk and rice bread,rice pasta, and cake recipes and cookies, and all the goodies. It is VERY overwhelming but just take a deep breath and use your mommy instinct and you can come up with all kinds of ideas. My 2 year old has been on a dairy free, soy free, wheat free diet for about a year now and honestly it has been a blessing she eats more fruits and veggies than any other child I know! She learned to like the healthy things more!
Good luck and feel free to contact me if you need some recipes or ideas.
____@____.com
I do warn these items can be more expensive.

Hi, K.! Hang in there! My 19-month old son was tested for allergies a couple months ago; the doctor told us all he was allergic to was peanuts, and asked if we had given him peanuts yet. At that exact moment, my son was sitting on my lap eating one of his favorite snacks--peanut butter crackers! The doctor told us that if Eli wasn't having a reaction to the peanuts, to keep giving it to him; he said it would help Eli's body build up an immunity and he wouldn't be allergic anymore. This guy was a pediatric allergist, so I trust his opinion pretty well. Point is, don't give up and think you have to stop all foods for your son. Talk to an allergist or get a 2nd opinion. The allergist we saw said that the thought on child allergies has changed just in the past year, and that they don't recommend keeping kids totally away from foods anymore.
Check into it, and good luck!
S.

K.--
You are now living in my world---and it isn't as hard as you think. You will adjust and you will eat healthier. I don't have time to write a lengthy letter now, but if you'd like to ask questions I'm practically an expert---between my two boys we have dealt with gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, strawberry, sesame, and probably something else I'm forgetting. My boys are healthy and eat plenty--if you'd like to call me directly I can fill you in on all sorts of things. Look up namaste foods, enjoy life foods, and the kid friendly allergy cookbook to begin. We have treated them with alternative medicine, including NAET and NET (neuro emotional technique) with great success. There are also alternatives to prescription anti-histamines. Good luck!
J.
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K., my chiropractor, Dr. Hershey, has been heavily involved with getting rid of allergies. He will be in his office on Tuesday after another long seminar on the subject. I don't know the ages he does, but it would be worth the time, as he actually gets RID of the allergies, not mask them.
Here is the email I got yesterday! Good luck with your little one!

Hello Everyone,

Dr. Hershey will be out of the office from Thursday, Sept. 24th, through Monday, Sept. 28th. We will return on Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 3 pm. Dr. Hershey will be attending a seminar on Allergy elimination techniques (NAET) in California. He will be ready to treat a multitude of allergy problems when he returns.

Please contact us by Wednesday if you need care this week. Dr. Reese will be covering for Dr. Hershey while he is gone. We will forward his number by tomorrow in an e-mail.

Sincerely,

Alycia Hershey
Office Manager
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Get a babysitter & go explore the grocery store. Make notes of what's safe for him to eat & when you take him shopping it'll be a lot easier to pick up just what you need that's safe for him to eat too. The only allergy websites I know are the allergy association http://www.aaaai.org/ & I don't remember the other one now. My peanut allergic kids are bigger & label-readers themselves, but I've gotten good at spotting the "safe" stuff right off. I've gone by myself to the store & just picked up boxes & bags to check labels.
I still have peanut butter in the house-2 of the 4 aren't allergic & would wither up w/o their PB&J, but anything that has peanut products in it at all has a big giant X on the top & sides of the container so my peanut allergic ones know to avoid it.
Thankfully, it's a bit easier to quick scan labels these days-companies are required to list allergens at the bottom of the food label or make them bold in the regular ingredient list.
Something I learned from a friend through her son's allergic reaction-check w/the doc & pharmacist before giving your son any meds. Her son was given a GI med w/milk in it & had a horrible reaction. Nobody checked for food allergens in his meds before they prescribed them. Ask about allergens in medicines-and check the OTC labels too-before you give him any meds.

I am curious because I don't know the answer: If there were no visible allergy reactions, why would you remove the foods from his diet?

I agree with the other moms that suggested you go see an allergist and have further testing done. An allergist will be able to tell you how accurate the blood test is (I know in animals the blood test is VERY inaccurate--esp. for food allergies). I would be suspicious about the allergies they SAY he has but he has no reaction to...like eggs. An allergist will also be able to give you good resources.
Sorry I don't know any good allergists in that area, but my husband sees Dr. Hendershot in SLC and he is great!

Hi K.,

I have a friend who is a massage therapist but she also does Splankna Therapy. She can desinsitize your child from the food allergies. She has used this on her own children as well as other children I know from our church. It's amazing! Here is her website http://www.musclesinmotion.info/Home
Please call her and ask your questions. You don't have to live with food allergies!! I just wish medical doctors would be more open to this sort of thing. It could change so many people's lives!! Blessing to you and your family!

My daughter is allergic to all gluten and dairy products. Now it looks like my baby boy has allergies too and we're trying to figure out what he's got allergies with. It seems so overwhelming at first, but the resources on-line and through this blog are really helpful. You'll be amazed at how well you will be able to adapt.

I recommend a really great cookbook called "Sophie-Safe Cooking" by Emily Hendrix. You can find it online through amazon or barnes and noble. I've seen it for about $15. It's a whole lot of great recipes without milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, treenuts, fish, and shellfish. Many of them have basic ingredients, so it won't break the bank quite as much as some allergy-free foods can.

Good luck!

Take a deep breath first. I've seen many friends kids out grow their various serious food allergies - but it takes time. I know one kid out grew his food when he was around 4 and the other was about 8. Just because it has not happened yet, don't assume it won't.

I had lots of food and environmental allergies as a child - none that posed a serious risk to my health. I outgrew many of those allergies, but when I started having some health challenges as an adult, I got retested. Turns out I had some different allergies that I was not aware of.

Look into an allergy elimination technique that many chiropractors use. I don't know enough about it to comment on it.

Be sure to look closely at your environment in the house too - non-toxic cleaning products, air, water, and the personal care products you use. I believe creating a healthier environment enables the body to focus on other repair and healing work instead of processing all the toxins in our world. livinghealthiernow.com has lots of articles and links to clips and research.

Good luck.
S.

K.,
It might seem overwhelming right now but when you look back it will just be another life change and one for the better. If you want some one on one advise or help with food find your local health food store/vitamin cottage. This is the place where you can find dairy free cheese, milk, wheat free cereal (some are awesome and I eat them), wheat free pasta. You will still be able to eat some of the same foods you just have to get them from a different store and they are just going to be made differently. My bestfriend even makes wheat free and dairy free cakes for her son...if you would like I can get you some of her receipes. My kids allergies are mild compared to her son's but we eat rice cakes instead of chips, or wheat free crackers. Take a deep breath it will be all right.
Best of luck!

I don't know a good allergist in your area. I wish I did! I'd definitely follow up with one. When my son was a baby, he also was diagnosed with a list of foods a mile long he shouldn't eat. I later found out from a true allergist that there are different blood tests and if you run the wrong one, it just pretty much tells you what the kid has eaten recently. He ran the right tests and our list was shortened significantly. If you're son isn't having any visible reactions, my guess would be maybe you need the correct tests run. A bummer, because I know it's a ton of blood. I hope it gets better for you and you can find a good allergist soon! If not, and you can swing it, I know a really great one at National Jewish in Denver. They have a great day program, and my understanding is they work with the Ronald McDonald House, so housing and one meal a day is only $15. NJH offers the child and the parent one meal a day as well, plus there is snack stuff available at breakfast time, usually, for day program patients. GL!

My daughter was tested when she was one and tested positive for allergies to: rice, oats, corn, eggs, wheat, dairy, chicken and beef. Yes, it was REALLY hard to determine what foods to feed her. I started giving her a lot of quinoa - cooked with veggie broth and peas (good protein content) and i tried to feel her lots of veggies and soy yogurt and I still breastfeed. She is now 21 months and I've been re-introducing foods to her slowly and she has shown NO signs whatsoever! Although the egg allergy remains she is free and clear on everything else. So just know, most allergies they grow out of - I don't know about peanut though. Take heart and embrace creativity! Good luck!

I agree with some of the other posters that those results (or at least some of them) *could* be false positives. I would definitely have SPT (skin prick testing) done for any foods that showed up positive despite no visible reactions. Allergy testing is only around 50% accurate (often less so for kids under age 3, IIRC. And real life reactions trump test results. There are also food challenges, either in-office (IOFC) or at home, depending on the allergen and your son's reactions. I assume he's reacted to *some* foods since you had allergy testing done in the first place. You could also keep a food diary and see which foods are causing issues. (Food diaries are kind of a pain to keep but so very informative!)

And now some web links. FTR, I've got a son who is allergic to tree nuts, seeds, peanut, mango and coconut... and another son who is intolerant (tested negative but definitely reacts!) to dairy, soy, egg, wheat, chicken, rice and banana. So believe me, I've done a LOT of web research on this stuff! ;)

allergy support group (nationwide + a few out of country): http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TerrificKidsWFA/?ygu... (I love this group...just be ready for LOTS & LOTS of posts!)

egg substitutes for cooking (scroll to the bottom): http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/eggs.htm

general info on dairy avoidance: http://www.godairyfree.org/

Wheat-free flour subs: http://www.eatingglutenfree.com/gluten_free_recipes/ (Bette Hagman is hugely popular amongst gluten-free bakers for her great baking recipes which would all, obviously, be wheat-free!)

Cooking & Recipes (you'll still have to sub for some stuff, but these will have at least some recipes you can use as is):
veganlunchbox.blogspot.com
foodallergy.wordpress.com/
www.nourishingmeals.com/
www.ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes/
There's a start...feel free to email me if you need more resources.

Regarding peanut: If your little guy is definitely allergic you'll probably be advised to avoid all tree nuts as well (increased chance of developing tree nut allergy, and also because they are often processed in the same facilities...so big risk of cross-contamination).

And don't forget about fruits & veggies. Your little guy might have to skip eggs, yogurt and Cheerios but there are tons of natural, easy-to-prepare foods that he can have... and they're super-healthy for him, too! :) Hang in there!

Hi K.,
I too just found out this year. The is this sort of dis belief and then there a feeling of mourning. It's better to know now as you are forming those little taste buds. She'll be clear what she can and can not have.

Living Without Magazine/website is great
"Out of he breadbox" Bakery make delicious breads and you can find it in the freezer section of Vitamin Cottage.
Rice pasta is easy to find. And most of all, the best thing we can give our bodies is lots of fruits and veggies!

I know Vitamin Cottage has a list of products that are wheat free and I think whole foods does to. and many restuarants have glueten free menus.

You are not alone and soon it will become a way of life!
Good Luck
L.

Hi K.,
I am so sorry about your son. My first child (daughter) was diagnosed with severe food allergies at 4 months old. It is very overwhelming but very managable. You need to join FAAN.org. It stands for the Food Allergy and Anaphalaxysis Network and it is a wonderful resource. They were such a wonderful help to me. I am in CO, so I can't help you with an allergist, but I will encourage you to go to the best on that. Find a university hospital and check doctor's rankings, etc. There are a lot of BAD allergists out there and this age is critical. If you can catch them early and eliminate them from his diet, they will go away. Our daughter was basically a vegan. She was allergic to dairy, soy, eggs, almost all fruits and vegetables except a couple and more. It was very overwhelming, but she grew out of every food allergy by the age of 2. Part of that was b/c we caught it so early, but at age 1, they can still grow out of it. Make friends with staff at Whole Foods/Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage, etc. They can be very helpful. You need to learn how to read labels. FAAN is great help with that. I took my daughter's food with me everywhere. You cannot trust outside food and the number of reactions needs to decrease as close to zero as possible if you hope to eliminate the allergies. I know this is a lot of information, but please feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions. Also, prepare yourself that most people do not understand food allergies. They think kids will just "get over it" if you keep giving them the foods. We were very discouraged and frustrated even by family members. You just have to take a stand for the health of your child. It is very real and very serious and it can be a battle. Just know that knowledge is power and the more you understand about them, the more you can beat it. Please let me know if you have any questions.