Food Allergies - Lawrence Township, NJ

If the tests came back with specific things that she is allergic to, this means that everytime she eats them, her body is going into a state of inflammation or an immune response. Although you may not see the physical signs outwardly, there are definately things that are happening inside. The longer and the more that she eats them, the more she will become affected later. It may appear in behavior, moodiness, sleep (too much or too little), diarrhea, constant illnesses like strep throat, colds, mono, etc. It's best to avoid them not to prevent problems later in her teens and twenties.

You need to go back to the Dr and have all the information explained to you, along with a strategy for removing certain foods from her diet. Allergies can be tricky, sometimes it is certain combinations of foods. Ask the dr, I am surprised that they weren't very thorough in explaining the results.

Good Luck.

hey debbie,
I myself have severe food allergies. I believe that the classes go from 1 to 6. 3 is right in the middle, but you should cut out everything that your girls are allergic to. I was given a strict diet to follow and was able to gradually introduce foods back into my diet, starting with 1's and then 2's and so on. Allergies are tricky because i never had a reaction that I could pinpoint, it came in waves. Headaches, stomach problems and it can effect your moods and energy level. Talk to your doctor and see an allergist, who will be able to explain your options in more detail. But just because you can't see it dose not mean that it isn't effecting your children. Also it is heredity so you may want to have your son tested, it may be causing health problems you have not been able to pinpoint.
Good Luck

if she eats some of the stuff several times a day and doesn't have a reaction to it... it doesn't seem like it's that severe... (I could be wrong).

I too am a mother of twins (my guys are four and I have a 16 mon old too). I joined the Nassau County Mother of Twins club (www.ncmotc.org). I've found these women to be a wealth of information. one of my dear friends has a son with many allergies.... we've had someone come to the group ans speak on allergies.

Maybe that would be a good resource to look into... a twin's club that is...

good luck with EVERYTHING...

Hi D.
Food allergies-- one of my favorite topics because I had to deal with them with all 4 of my children. Ranging from causing crib death symptoms to simple rashes.
Call the MD's office -- ask should she avoid allergen?
I am allergic to ragweed and milk. I thought everyone was allergic, a little running nose, a little problem to deal with. Then we had our first, yikes. Diarreah, you wouldn't believe unless you lived through it. Finally, I asked-- he said allergens no matter what their source is a poison to the system of those with the problem. He was about 2 then, and MD said "you are poisoning your child". What I had was an intolerance, what he had was an allergy. Different.
As for numbers -- perhaps there are different scales hence the reason I said call and ask. On one scale it could be an intolerance and on another a poisoning. Your job is to find out.
Allergies can cause different reactions at different stages, now runny nose, latter stomach upset, later yet concentration and work problems-- I am in favor of avoiding any known allergens.
Read all info -- my favorite book is "Is this Your Child" by Doris Rapp. It is great for realizing what you are dealing with.
Some allergies are easier than others. Chocolate -- make blond brownies etc. Peanuts -- don't let it get worse, it is a deadly allergen. Milk read lables-- it is amazing what it is in. I am lactose intolerant --must avoid all milk products. I use soy.
Well you get the idea-- book my be available at the library
Since we always want our children as well as possible when they enter school, talk to people at the health food store about recovering from allergies. Sometimes just by taking Vitamin B you can really help yourself. Since they are twins perhaps this is at least part of the problem.
I will be interested to know how you make out
God bless you and give you wisdom
K. SAHM of 4, boys 32 & 36, and twin girls 18. Married 38 years and looking forward 1) our first grandbaby due Aug 1st and 2)to an empty nest.

Hi D.,
I know how frustrating this can be. I gave my son peanutbutter at about 14 monhts old (because our pediatrician never warned us not to) and he had a reaction to it. I was devastated and frustrated as I also have a 9 year old who eats pb too! We took him to a few different allergy doctors to figure this out and make sure thats what it was. One doc told us to do a blood test because he was so young eventhough there could be some false positives and the final allergy doctor we brought him to just performed a scratch test which I was very uneasy about but they obviously knew what they were doing. Ultimately and unfortunately we found out that he is allergic to peanuts and peanut products. It sounds like your daughter could have the same thing. We don't know how severe my son's allergy is as they said you can't tell.
So my advice to you is to bring her back to the allergist and ask them to do a scratch test (on her back) so you will know for sure and not have to guess what you can feed your daughter. I would ask them to test pb and all the other foods that she gets a rash from when eating it.
It is sad that you would have to take the pb away (or whatever else is bothering her) but they sell SunButter in almost every grocery store which is kind of like peanutbutter that you can have for the family.
I hope this helped even if you don't want to do it :)

Hi D.,

I have 3 kids that all have allergies--the two older ones have been easier to deal with so far. The two year old's are life threatening. :(

He had a severe reax to hummus and the allergist ran a blood test for sesame, which came back severe--a 4 out of 6. He has since had another severe reaction to something else as well. We will be going back for a full panel of testing now even though they like to wait until kids are three. Three seems to be when most allergies would be fully developed in a child, though you can develop after that.

Anyway, my point is that I agree with one of the early posters that the ranges may differ for different things, or even from different offices/labs. You need to call your doctor and definitely take it seriously. I need to carry a pair of Epi-pen Jrs. at all times. Did they ask you to get an Rx filled for the class 3 ones?

I had testing done on myself as a child and am mildly allergic to several things that I still eat every day with no problems. Do you know which foods were class 1? I would say you don't need to avoid those, but the class 3s I would avoid like the plague.

Good luck--this is scary stuff. Food isn't just food anymore. :(

Give yourself peace of mind, make another appt with the MD to go over all of your questions and concerns. He is the only one who can really interpret the results of your child's allergy testing.

Hi Debbie,

Definately call your doctor's office back with your questons. Their job is to make everything clearer to you, not let you walk out the door more confused! I would also advise you that skin is an elimination organ, but not the only one. Some people don't show allergies via skin- it could be an internal problem that damages the lining of the intestine. So, one of the best ways to check it out is avoid all of the allergenic foods for a month, then reintroduce them (one at a time) and check for reactions over the next few days (including excess gas, diarrhea, and skin issues). Then you will know if she really does have a problem. Might be kind of a pain to rearrange her food like that, but the consequences of continually eating something you don't digest and assimilate properly can be very devastating to your immune system later on.

D.,
I can understand your frustration with this. My son is 4 years old and has a severe milk allergy as well as peanuts, tree nuts, and high sensitive to egg and soy!!

The one thing I will tell you is do not give your daughter any of the products she is allergic to!!!! PLEASE!!

Just b/c she has not reacted so far doesnt mean she wont, Her body could just be tolerating it for now and then one day BAM, she has a bad reaction. This has happened to me...I used to give my son pancakes (frozen brand), yes, they had milk in them but he always liked them and had no reaction...Then one day while he had a cold i gave them to him and within minutes he got blotches and hives n his face and thatled to puking and a rash....My allergist said since his immune system was down that his body couldnt fight it off likr it had in the past...

I love my allergist and trust her word 100%

Im not trying to scare you but take it from a mom who has been through reaction from mild to anaphylaxs...Its not pretty. If you need and info about sites to go on or recipes you can e-mail me...My friends joke about how "food allergy savy: I am....I didnt have a choice and wish I didnt HAVE to know as much as I do.

And that nurse was wrong, the bolld levels and/or IGe titers can go up to 100, actually ever highr but the "class" only goes up to 5 I think, So it is a signifigant allergy....Good luck and know that you are not alone in this.
L.

____@____.com

I think that you need to call the allergist's office and have an informative conversation. Sometimes, we forget to ask a lot of questions or don't undersatnd what they are talking about when we are at the office. Then we get hom and go - hummmm??? Get more info from the expert - allergies could be dealdly. You need to know what to feed and NOT feed your daughter. Good luck!!

1 in mild reaction

3 is severe,

some allergies can actually worsen as you get older

and just because she isn't having a visual reaction does not mean she isn't having an internal reaction.

I would say stop the 3's

and teach her what foods she can eat and can not eat.

you won;t always be around to monitor her eating habits, so teach her.

hi, i have food allergy issues... i was gonna get my kids tested, my doc said dont bother, theyre often wrong. also, my sister got her daughter tested and she came up allergic to things she has been eating ok, and came up ok for things that give her reactions. so i dont know, like the other mom said, some reactions arent visible. i would be extra careful with peanuts anyway, and ive been told that the earlier you give it, the more chance of them develpoing the allergy. check out jen l's post from yesterday....

Are you seeing an allergist or a pediatrician... I highly recommend seeing an allergist/ENT specialist. Regular Peds drs cant know everything and shouldnt have too in my mind. And look for one with more accepting to alternative meds (I am not talking about a dr thats main practice is praying over tea leaves either though). Kids this age are "moving targets" as our allergist says since they can out grow many allergies by 4 or 5 yrs or once their IG tract is mature and then allergy kids start to develope more environmental allergies. We have a 3.5 yr old with egg, dairy, almond, wheat & strawberry allergies (thats all we know of for sure) plus the usual environmental allergies. I thought I was overly concerned but my daughters eating until we took her off all the foods the latest blood test indicated she has allergies to. Now her sleep is 10x better,theres no daily bloated look to face or an extended belly in the evening, fewer days of heavy dark circles under her eyes, or of scarry sudden drops in her energy (we were worrying it was blood sugar related). I think wheat was her major culprit but it didnt even show up in the first blood tests. So we were a whole grain family and her symptoms didnt subside when we took her off the foods initially identified as allergins. On her own she has started to ask if she is allergic to foods we personally havent given her before. And its a ton of work packing her meals for daycare and preschool (when its included in the cost of the child care service for everyone else!). But she likes to have her special foods. Also with our daycare being one of those peanut free ones its tough to get all the right nutrients in to her diet and have it appear "normal". The fillers they put in all these things is crazy. We eat very well at home - raw, organic, unprocessed, home made, fresh foods (99% of the time) for example. Find a Co-op or a good natural foods store and you will find tons of alternatives for the off the shelf items all the other kids enjoy but watch your grocery budget double!! And then there is making things your self from scratch. It takes time to find the right recipes but they are out there. I have a couple great cook books that are "Allergin Free" so it often eliminates all the common food incredients found in baked or cooked foods (eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, etc.).

Good luck.