Food Allergies More Testing or Not??

Updated on May 25, 2012
A.L. asks from Blue Earth, MN
4 answers

I am a mother of 3 beutiful children ages 5, 3, and 11 months. My 3 yr old recently had some testing done to figure out why she was getting so many tummy aches and very constipated. She also has exzema and seasonal allergies. the testing we did was for insensitivities and came across that we should avaid all milk and cheese of everykind. she also came back as moderate to peanuts and gluten. We started her on a gluten free/dairy free diet and she is doing very well. She has not wet the bed since, she sleeps better and does not have tummy aches. When someone does give her a sandwich or crackers by mistake she gets a tummy ache in a few hours. My question is then do I dig deeper to see whether it is a true allergy, just avoid all together, is there a risk of other issues if she has them on occasion? Anybody with ideas or same issues I would love to hear from you.

I also have just had my 11 month old tested and are waiting on results. He has already showed signs of milk problems. he wakes up in middle of night screaming if he has had products like yogurt melt or cheese puffs for babies. We have elliminated these from his diet since.

Anybody know how celiac disease starts. They told me they did not think she needed to be tested because there is no family history of the disease. I just don't want to feed them something that is going to cause further harm to them.

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

Just because there is no history in the family (and you don't know that...it's just that probably no one has been tested!) do not rule out Celiac disease. My two year old has Celiac disease, and we don't have any "history" in the family...but a long history of Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and other conditions.

Symptoms for my child while consuming gluten (and they showed up right away when I switched from rice to barley infant cereal) were failure to gain weight, constant explosive diarrhea, skinny legs, arms, and butt, bloated tummy, almost constant pain (evidenced by hours and hours of screaming, thrashing, inconsolable fits) and the most awful dermatitis you've ever seen...look up "dermatitis herpatiformis." Literally, it looked like her skin was rotting away in some places.

After putting her on a strict gluten free diet, her symptoms improved almost immediately. It was like a miracle change. This unhealthy, unhappy baby began to thrive...to walk, talk, grow, smile, laugh, and play...things she hadn't been doing. We had to put her back on all the foods for the testing, which broke my heart, because he symptoms immediately return. She is so sensitive that even a touch of something processed on the same line as a gluten bearing product can cause a full blown attack in her.

Testing at a young age can be unreliable at best and they need to be consuming large amounts of gluten for at LEAST several months prior to the test. If you don't want to go through those things and you see such a marked improvement, just make that leap to a fully gluten free/dairy free diet for your child. My child is also moderately lactose intolerant as a result of the Celiac disease...when she is fully healed she will probably be able to consume dairy products but for right now, we are doing lactose free for her.

If you would like any help with the gluten free diet, please PM me and I'll offer you my best advice and tips, as well as foods we have really found to like and meals for the whole family that are gluten free.

I know how awful this can be, I do understand, and I'm here if you want to talk. :)

1 mom found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

http://www.celiac.org/index.php?option=com_content&vi...

I would fine tooth comb this website and find out how it relates to you and your family then go from there. I think a specialist is better than a General Pract/Pedi with this area.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.R.

answers from Columbus on

What tests did you have done? IgG? IgE (RAST)? skin prick tests? If you want to see if there are any food allergies, go for both the RAST IgE and the skin prick tests. I think there's a blood test for celiac disease. They look for certain antibodies.

If she tested positive for peanut (IgE), have they prescribed you an epi-pen for possible anaphylactic emergencies? If not, you should ask for one, especially if she has never been exposed to peanut protein yet.

If it was a food allergy, they could have some mild reactions intially, and then have increasingly worse reactions with further exposures. Sometimes the first exposure can lead to anaphylaxis. But since you saw improvement when going gluten and dairy free, I'd say it's worth testing for celiac disease and lactose intolerance or milk allergy, just so you know for sure what you're dealing with.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.W.

answers from Madison on

Not really a true answer to your question, but just a note that you should figure/find out exactly what is meant by a moderate allergy to peanuts. Peanut allergies are very very different from gluten and dairy intolerances. Whereas the intolerances cause tummy distress, a nut allergy can be a very serious, true allergic reaction, leading to anaphylaxis and even death. If your child has a nut allergy, you do not just do your best to avoid it as you might for wheat and dairy, you go out of your way to avoid even the possibility of exposure. Also, just because a previous nut reaction was mild or moderate, that does not mean that the next one won't be life threatening. If your daughter is really allergic to nuts, you should be carrying an epi-pen in case she is exposed and has a severe reaction. If that happens, you may not have time to get medical care before her airway is threatened.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions