Hi, we have an appointment with an allergist to see exactly how severe my daughter's allergy to eggs is. Our main concern is how that will affect her ability to recieve crucial immunizations.
Based on a recent blood test, her pediatrician was able to see that she does have a moderate reaction to eggs. I'm thinking then, that it won't be necessary to poke my baby 100 times to see what triggers her reactions. Does anyone have an idea as to what we might be in for? The office is on their lunch break so I'm unable to ask them at this time. I want to b able to be as prepared as possible so that I can comfort my little one as much as possible.
Thanks for the helpful info. My husband was the one to take our baby to see the akllergist and they did a few scratch tests. The egg reaction was minimal and she was able to get her flu shot. However, since we mentioned that she broke out after trying to stuff her mouth with some peanuts (silly girl) the allergist also tested her for a peanut allergy. She had an immediate reaction (her earlier blood test showed no reaction, though) ... so now we know. Her dad said it was practically painless- she was more scared of the stethescope than the scratch test.
Hi R., I just went to my first allergist...it wasn't bad at all. The worst part is when you have a reaction and you can't scratch. The little pin pricks are very minimal. It does take about 2 hours or so, bring some snacks or toys. For babies and children they only do minimal testing, don't worry about her getting poked a lot.
Good luck!
My daughter had a blood test when she turned 1 and then every subsequent year. She didn't take the flu shot the first couple of years because of her egg allergy, but needed her MMR shot before we went to Hong Kong. She went to the allergist to have it administered. I thought it would be a quick appt so I had my mom take her instead of taking off from work. They did 5 pin pricks on her back, egg whites, egg yolk, a prick of the MMR shot and 2 other pricks. The whole process took about 2 hours, because they had to watch her reactions. My mom said some immediately produced a reaction and my daughter would start crying/itching/etc., but all in all she was finally able to get the shot. Other than that, we haven't seen the allergist. We do know she has life threatening allergies to Dairy and some antibiotics, but has since out grown her egg allergies, based on the yearly blood draw. I would probably bring some toys & a lovey for comfort. Best of luck.
Hi R.,
You didn't say how old your daughter is but if she is older than three, you can have her blood drawn to check for allergies. It is called the RAST testing. There is a more accurate test called the CRAST.
My son had them done and showed the most severe allergy to eggs and he has shots and immunizations. Just depends o what kind of reaction she has. If it is an anaphylactic reaction, then you don't want any eggs of any kind.
BTW - there is a powdered egg substitute you can find at most health food stores.
Also, the RAST or CRAST testing is good because if your child has one food allergy, she may have others so its good to know for sure all of the foods that may be reacted to.
Hi R.,
You've probably reached the allergist's office by now, but here was my experience with my 2 1/2 year old a few months ago.
She was tested for airborne allergies, which might be slightly different, but she had the skin prick test.
First we met with the allergist and discussed the test, the possible allergies, and possible ways to deal with them.
Then, she had the skin prick test. This was difficult. They took her shirt off entirely and two nurses pricked her hard with this device that injects 6 allergens at once through tiny needles. My daughter really cried and seemed offended at having been hurt by these strangers. She was on my lap and I just comforted her for a long time.
She couldn't touch anything on her back for the full test time (30 minutes, I think).
They allergist I went to (Kaiser, Santa Clara) had a special room with a big TV and lots of videos so we just wantched TV the entire time.
The nurse came back in and measured the welts on her back twice and then we were done. I later had a phone consult with the doc to discuss the results.
Good luck! Bring lots of distractions. I'd find out what they have available to distract your little one. If they don't have a TV you might consider bringing something she can watch or do (your laptop, if you have one?). Bring something that's a real treat for her because it won't be much fun!
Good luck. I hope she doesn't have serious allergies!
