Son W/ Multiple Allergies. Help!

My 3 yr old boy has egg (and other non-food allergies) allergy and my 15 month old boy has egg, milk, peanuts and wheat allergy (and other non-food allergies). My husband and I have only seasonal allergies so I'm in the same boat as you. Whole Foods supermarket is a great place to shop for allergy free food. Someone in the store should be able to direct you to the foods that are free of eggs, milk and peanuts. Also there are websites that offer great recipes and advice. www.foodallergy.org is just one of many. Feel free to email me if you want to chat about it or if you find recipes that work.

Hi K.,

I developed an allgery to egg yolks and milk after having my daughter. Something about the hormones of pregancy can do that. Peanuts bother me but no allgery. Just to be safe I stay away. I have found that shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes and reading labels very carefully hepls. It's a bit more expensive to shop these places but under the ingridents sections it lists that the food was made in a factory with wheat soy, nuts, etc. It is toally manageable!! My daughter does not even notice the diff between good soy ice cream and the stuff with milk (Brand:Soy Delicious and Tofuti Cuties made from tofui but tastes just like ice cream). A web site for people with senstive tummies has helped the web site is helpforibs.com . Some of the recepies do call for nuts but only as optional, egg whites can usually be subbed and, all do not use milk. This might help to get you started!

I could really identify with your message. My son was in the hospital 5 times before he was 1 year old. I was on a quest for the next 7 years, until I finally found out that allergies are simply a sign of a weak immune system. ( something my pediatricain never told me)

I had him back to a normal life in about 6 months.

If you want to know the specifics, you can call me.
I really don't have the time to write about it.

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Kristen,
Do not freak. This is not as hard as you think.
First, get a copy of Is This Your Child? by Dr. Doris Rapp. This is considered the bible of allergies.
Then you could call Dr. Gary Oberg at Northern Illinois Integrated Health Center. ###-###-####. He is a pediatric allergist who is amazing. He treats my whole family now. My son has many allergies and other problems, too. Dr. Oberg diagnosed and treats all of the problems.

Good Luck.
Amy S.

Trust me, u r not the only 1. A couple months back I found out that my son has a milk allergy along with several other things as well. My son is now 18 months old and just like you, nobody in my family is allergic to any foods so it's hard to get acustom to it. It's hard to figure out what to cook and what to give him but as time goes by you become acustome to it. My son is allergic to milk so I give him soy milk. Being allergic to milk is hard because alot of things are made with milk such as ice-cream and cheese. Therefore, he can not eat any of those things. He is also allergic to egg yolk, chocolate, and carrots. However, there are organic stores out there where u can buy organic ice cream that is made with soy milk and he could have that. You should also try goat cheese. This usually works for kids with this allergy. U know, if u think about it, having this allergy is a bad thing but actually a good thing because soy milk and organic products are the best that a person can consume. It's good for the body. Very healthy. However, they are pricy but we really don't have a choice. Just hang in there. You'll get use to it. It was extremely hard for me at first because I'm a big ice-cream lover and I just had to adapt to the fact of not buying any ice-cream. I'm so use to it now that I see ice cream and I don't even eat anymore cuz I'm use to keeping it away from me and my home. SOmetimes, I'm at work without him and I still don't have any ice cream and then I stop and think "Hey, I'm at work by myself without him. I'm allowed to eat all the ice-cream I want." I hope this helps you somehow. But hang i nthere. You'll be ok. Vistit an organic store just so u could see what they have available.

Hi K.,
You're not alone! My 3 yr old son has a milk intolerance, dairy, peanuts as well as wheat allergy! It has been really difficult going to the grocery store. Everything has wheat in it! I also have a 2 yr old and we as a family have changed our eating lifestyle. We are still seeing our allergist because something else has my son breaking out in hives.I know how awful it feels to feel helpless when your son tries to scratch his skin off. It's been really hard especially when he's offered treats by family, friends or neighbors.Good luck, I too feel lost.

My daughter of 3.5 has dairy, egg allergies along with asthma and animal allergies. Recently found out my second daughter (1.5yrs) has peanut allergies, egg and tree nuts.
you can easily deal with this. If you'd like to talk I would be happy to chat with you.
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E.

we deal with food allergies on a much lesser level, but the changes made are the same. my son has a sensitivity to dairy as well as a few other types of food.

at your son's young age, it is quite possible that he will outgrow the allergies. the less he's exposed, the greater the chance i believe. depending how severe his reactions, you may need to take many precautions when out in public and eating out is probably a thing of the past.

there are numerous websites that offer tons of advice, support and sometimes most important of all -- recipes! http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/index.php is one, and a site i used often for meal ideas is http://www.mealsforyou.com because you can exclude certain types of foods while searching for recipes.

best of luck!

Hi! It does not look like you need any more advice, but we have been following the EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR TYPE program very successfully for six years now, and it has drastically improved all of our allergy issues.
So, you may want to look at it. It is not just a fad diet,it is very scientific and very logical, and very individualized.
Hope this is a good piece of information for you.
Sincerely,
G. Faith Miller

K.,

My 3yr old daughter grew out of her milk and soy allergies after her 2nd birthday. While she was allergic, I'm sure I felt much the way you do now. It's not easy, that's for sure.

Here are some weblinks that should get you started. Be sure to check out the POFAK group, as it is designed for Parents Of Food Allergic Kids. It's a support group that should be able to answer your questions!

POFAK:
http://kidswithfoodallergies.org/index.php

http://www.foodallergy.org/

http://www.allergicchild.com/top_8allergies.htm

http://www.peanutallergy.com/

http://www.foodallergycookbook.com/

http://www.foodallergyalliance.org/

I hope this helps.
K.

K.,
First of all, let me say that I am so sorry. I know how difficult it is when you find out that your baby is "different" somehow. Remember that things could be worse (how cliche, huh? but still true!)

Luckily, you live in a fairly urban area where plenty of food options are available. My daughter is allergic to Red #40, which is in virtually EVERYTHING and here are the steps I have taken to make my life easier:

1- Find support for yourself (and as he gets older, for him too) even if it is online. These groups are pretty common now and easy to find if you do a search on them at google.
They will help you cope as things come up that seem difficult, let you vent your stress, and give you ideas and advice as you need it. They also help you understand/remember that you and your son are not the only ones!

2- Find grocery stores close to home. We shop at Whole Foods, which is WONDERFUL for carrying brands that have no nuts/wheat... all the common allergies. Just ask and they will walk to the aisle you need- they are very knowledgeable and helpful here. You will soon learn the brands you can and can't buy. For specialty items, you can usually find them online. Try stores like GNC and Fruitful Yield, etc. Most organic groceries will have some items you buy... you just have to shop around!

3- Search restaurants and make a list of ones you can go to, or who have their menu set up to tell you what ingredients they use.

4- Tell everyone, or better yet: buy a medical alert bracelet or necklace. If this allergy is a life-risking one, you have to let everyone know... and remember that people will forget or not ask you before they hand him a package of M&M's! It can be exhausting, but constant reminders to everyone can save his life. Don't forget to update records everywhere- preschool, church, babysitter, pharmacy, doctor's offices, dentist, etc.

5- Beware of certain vaccinations- he won't be able to get certain shots because they contain eggs. Ask and ask again. I have a nephew who is allergic to eggs and he can't receive a flu shot. Always double check online or with the nurse and doctor... checking and checking again is not a bad idea. Do the same for meds- check once with dr and again with pharmacist. (I've saved myself like this more than once... sometimes one just doesn't know!)

6- Make a certain cabinet in the kitchen that is for okay snacks, and/or a certain shelf in the fridge. My daughter has learned by now which things are okay to eat and what to NEVER eat. They catch on quickly and learn to ask!

Things will be okay... in fact, the added benefit for me since learning my daughter has allergies, is that I read labels for the whole family now and we ALL eat better for it!
Hope this helped,
Amanda (____@____.com)

Hi K.,
My son also has multiple allergies. He is allergic to sesame seeds, peanuts, all other nuts, eggs, cats and is lactose-intolerant. No one in either my husband's or my family has had any food allergies either. I discovered my son's allergies when he was about 15 months old when I gave him one little dab of hummos (ground sesame seeds) to taste. Within minutes, he had red blotches all over his face and his lips became very swollen. I called the doctor's office and the nurse told me to go to a drugstore immediately, open a bottle of children's benedryl right in the store and give him a spoonful. This worked. After this, he was tested by an allergist for several common and suspected allergies.

My husband forgot that he had peanuts in his Thai food (he forgot five minutes after he tossed them in his dish) and gave my son one spoonful. My son got blotchy and started coughing and throwing up. Stay away from Thai restaurants! And make sure you don't leave your son with anyone who is absent-minded.

You'll have to be careful at restaurants and parties. Most cakes, pastries, cookies, etc. have eggs in it so if you want your kids to have these things, you'll have to bake it & use a substitute for the eggs (I use banana or applesauce instead). Also you have to read labels on EVERYTHING now because if the food was processed in a factory where peanuts were present, that food can cause an allergic reaction. It only takes a very miniscule amount to cause an allergic reaction. So this rules out most candy.

Sorry to say this is not going to be easy. Even being vigilant about keeping your son away from the offending foods, accidents may happen. For this reason, you must have an Epi-pen Jr. with any adult that cares for your child. Your son's caretakers have to be instructed on how to use it. Talk to your allergist about this because the allergy does have the potential to become so severe that breathing can stop. Also make sure Children's Benedryl is always on hand.

I'm sorry if all this is scaring you but these allergies are serious business (especially the peanut one).

Hang in there.

Diana

It looks like you already got a lot of great advice. My husband has a rare and very severe allergy to milk. So when we first started dating and moved on to marriage I was paranoid about accidentally giving him milk. The good thing is that is the last year companies have been forced to label their products and tell you specifically what common allergens are in the product, such as milk, eggs, wheat gluten, etc. This makes like so much easier! You don't have to know the names of all of the proteins to look for etc.

Another piece of good news for you is that a lot of kids outgrow their allergies. That is what makes my husbands allergy so rare. A lot of kids are allergic to milk but most outgrow it. I don't know how you go about testing when they outgrow it, but I am sure your doctor can tell you.

There are a lot of websites out there about food allergies that can give you great substitutions. http://www.kidshealth.org is a good one. So is http://www.foodallergy.com. I also like http://www.about.com.

Good Luck!
D.

Hi, I read your message and just have a few references for you. My children don't have food allergies, but I know people who treat children who do. There is a chiropracter in Schaumbur, Dr. Helen Lee who is fantastic. She would do a simple evaluation of your child and see what supplements may help him and why he's allergic to certain foods. Her website is touch of life chiropractic. I know her personally and she is wonderful. You can also try Dr. Mercola. He is a nationwide known Dr. for naturally treating all people and children with all kinds of allergies and other issues. He also has a website. I think it's Mercola.com and you can find info. on his site about children's food allergies. I've seen Dr. Lee and my mother has been to Dr. Lee and Mercola. You can also buy allergy free foods at Whole Foods. They have a large selection of foods that are dairy, egg and peanut free. Good luck.

Hi K. --

I can relate to your situation. We found out when our son turned 14 months old that he was allergic to peanuts, eggs, wheat and our dog. We sent our dog away for six weeks, put in air purifiers in his room and in our play area, and completely changed his diet. Unfrotunately, we didn't see much of an improvement in his allergic reaction (our son's allergies came out in severe eczema. His face and hands and feet would break out in rashes that were very severe). Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric dermatologist at the University of Chicago hospital who has been incredible. Her name is Dr. Neha Robinson. She gave us several tips to dealing with it and actually told us to bring the dog home and allow him to eat the foods that he was allergic to. We now control the allergies with creme and lots of lotion. She said most kids grow out of these types of allergies, and that many kids are allergic to eggs and peanuts as a child.

You may want to consider getting a second opinion on the severity of the allergies. The tests our doctor ran showed the allergy level related to a severity scale that put it into must better perspective for us. In our case, they weren't severe enough to have to stop all kinds of foods that were on his allergic list.
I hope this helps.

Hi K.

I know it is rough, but after the shock it does get easier and there are lots of resources out there. My son has lots of food allergies too. I order a lot of his snacks (cookies & breakfast bars) from a company named "Enjoy Life". You can find them on the web- my 3 1/2 year old likes the choc chip cookies, brownie cookies, berry breakfast bars and the choc breakfast bars. You just have to read EVERYTHING. Good luck

M.

HI,
MY SISTER-IN-LAW TOOK MY NIECE TO GET TREATMENT @ CENTER FOR PREVENTIVE HEALTH, DR SOHEILA VAHABI. IT'S CALLED NAET TREATMENT. I ALSO TOOK MY SON THEIR FOR COLLIC, HE HAD ALLERGIES TO MY BREAST MILK AND PRETTY MUCH ANY OF THE FORMULAS I WAS GIVING HIM. MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE HER A CALL TO SEE IF THIS WOULD BE AN OPTION FOR YOU. SHE LOCATED DOWNTOWN ON ERIE, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM NORTHWESTERN E.R. PHONE IS ###-###-####.
GOOD LUCK!!!