UPDATE..allergy testing in toddler

[nertsmommy]

My 2-year-old goes in for allergy testing on Thursday. A couple weeks ago she had 6 vials of blood taken for allergy testing and now she's going for the skin test part. Anyone BTDT? I'm just wondering how bad this is going to be on her. She's being tested for 19 different allergens, food and environmental.

 

 

UPDATE: Thank you everyone. She was tested for 24 different allergens. She reacted to eggs, but I was told she can still have trace amounts in baked foods. Her blood showed an allergy to milk, but not her skin so she can still have that. :hurray: Her blood severe showed signs of an allergy to nuts, especially walnut and pecans but also cashews, brazil nuts and almonds. He isn't even going to do the skin test for nuts. He said it would be too dangerous. :ohmy: He will be testing for hazel nuts and coconuts because she has had them with no reaction. She is also allergic to cats, dogs (we suspected this one), dust, and dust mites. She appears to be fine with peanuts. She needs to go back again in two weeks and be tested for 24 more food allergens that we typically bring into the house.

 

I'm not too worried about the dust and animals. That only causes some congestion. It's the nut one that really worries me. He said her walnut ones was 100 times higher than normal and pecans were 90 times higher. I'm not sure what that meant and I was so tired this morning from being up all night I didn't think to ask more questions.

[MomatHWTK]

The will probably do her back, she will need to lie still and on her side or tummy. You may be able to sit in such a way that she can be on your lap, but she will need to try to stay still.

[Mom22ns]

BTDT. They did do the testing on the back. Ds took his shirt off and sat on my lap, facing me and hugging me. It wasn't bad really. Sitting still while all those welts formed and itched... yuck. Then his back was washed and we were off. It did take more than one round because they couldn't fit everything on his little back at once.

[SMRB]

DS was able to lay on his tummy for his at that age, so we gave him a coloring book to occupy him (now it's a Leapster when he has it re-done). The prick part isn't bad - they used a big grid with 12 or so points on it, so they just pressed it down all at once and then marked the grid with a pen. When he's had more than one set done, they just use another grid and do them side by side on his back. DS kept wanting to reach around his neck to scratch during the wait, so distraction and keeping the hands occupied are key. Once they measure, you're good, because the wipe down and benadryl after take care of the itching. Overall, not a huge deal though, even for a toddler.

[prairiewindmomma]

Not a big deal....the nurse was fast in putting in the samples. The hard part was having to deal with itchy kids.....she put them in places they couldn't reach to scratch. At the end, no amount of distracting was going to keep them quiet (my kids had +++ reactions), but no one thought their fussing was a big deal. And, honestly, it wasn't. :)

[Tess in the Burbs]

we had back done most of the time but one time they did both arms. He screamed bloody murder even with the cream I put on before. I was tested later in the same office and I cried, so I still have guilt over what they put him through that day. Ask for the back.

[Spryte]

Ours did arms. It wasn't bad at all. Of course, seeing DS light up like a Christmas tree wasn't fun when everything came back positive, but I digress...

 

Did you get the numbing cream? That helps a lot. :)

[nertsmommy]

They did tell me it would be done on the back. I was told not to give her any meds at all for 1 week prior to the test. They said nothing about numbing cream, but I assume I can't put anything on her. All this because she had a reaction to a piece of christmas candy. She hasn't been allowed to have peanut since then either. She loves peanut butter sandwiches and is losing weight because she's a picky eater. I just can't wait for this to all be done.

Thank you everyone for your experiences. I'll bring the Kindle Fire and let her play the Daniel Tiger game she loves. Hopefully that will distract her.

[GoVanGogh]

Allergist attempted allergy testing on DS's back when he was around 2-3 years of age. They didn't get past the initial part, as DS reacted so badly, was screaming hysterically and clawing at his body. The doctor stopped the test, thankfully. It was an awful experience for us.

[nertsmommy]

Thank you for the replies. I updated my original post with the results.

[sbgrace]

We have a nut anaphylaxis here. Was her pistachio negative? Did you get epi pens?

 

I've been told the RAST numbers don't necessarily correspond to severity of allergy. An allergy to one tree nut is an allergy to all though for most allergists. Most nut allergic people won't have an issue with coconut. Hopefully that one will be clear for you.

 

If you have questions I'm happy to try to help. Here is a link to nut safe treats. Here it seems like everywhere we go treats are being given. If you were going to do something for Valentines there are safe, widely available candies. http://www.allergysf...ety/candy/nuts/

[Spryte]

Sorry about the new allergies. We have lots if allergies, too. It's a learning curve, but you'll find your groove.

 

And don't be afraid if the epipen, should you ever need it. It's not so bad.

 

 

[nertsmommy]

We have a nut anaphylaxis here. Was her pistachio negative? Did you get epi pens?

 

I've been told the RAST numbers don't necessarily correspond to severity of allergy. An allergy to one tree nut is an allergy to all though for most allergists. Most nut allergic people won't have an issue with coconut. Hopefully that one will be clear for you.

 

If you have questions I'm happy to try to help. Here is a link to nut safe treats. Here it seems like everywhere we go treats are being given. If you were going to do something for Valentines there are safe, widely available candies. http://www.allergysf...ety/candy/nuts/

 

 

Thank you so much. I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions once we know everything we're dealing with.

 

The only nuts they've said so far are walnuts, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, and almonds. The only reason they are doing the skin test for hazel nuts and coconut is because I routinely use coconut oil and she loves Nutella sandwiches and she has had no reaction to them. She's really missing her sandwiches. We were told to stay away from all nuts in any form until the testing is complete. She's a very picky eater so she's been losing weight since she can't have her Nutella or peanut butter sandwiches.

 

We didn't get an Epi Pen yet. They want to finish up all the testing before getting into discussing how we're treating things yet. He didn't feel we were in dire need since the kids are home with me all the time and I can monitor what she has. The only issues he addressed were her environmental ones since we are done testing those.

 

He did say her pickiness could be because of allergies so I'm not trying her to eat anything she says is yucky. I feel bad because I kept trying to feed her eggs cooked different ways. :crying: She kept spitting them out and saying they were yucky, now I know why.

 

She has had cashews and walnuts before and threw up within minutes of having them. I had thought she just didn't chew them up well enough. Then the day after Christmas, during a snowstorm, she bit into a piece of candy that had either walnuts or pecans in it (she didn't eat it) spit it out and said it was yucky. Within a minute she was throwing up. I just thought she was getting sick and put her in the tub to wash her. Her upper lip swelled up so much it was touching her nose. It finally dawned on me she might be allergic. I gave her Benadryl and took her to the ER. The normally 20 min. drive to the ER took us an hour because of the snow. Luckily by then the swelling was going down. She never had problems with breathing or anything, but she also didn't actually really ingest it either.

[sbgrace]

Yikes. It sounds like she's likely anaphylactic. Did the allergist know of that reaction? My son is home with me all day and old enough to tell me exactly what he's feeling. We got an epi pen set before they even did the allergy testing. Can you call back and tell them you'd be more comfortable with a 2 pack of epi pens after thinking some more about her reactions? Perhaps your pediatrician would call in a prescription? I'd really want an epi pen pack. You just never know and they save lives. I'll be honest that I'm really shocked an allergist sent her out of the office with positive tests to nuts and a history of serious reactions with no epi pen prescription. I don't think that is at all typical of allergists and wouldn't be even close to standard of care.

 

She'll likely, hopefully, be ok with coconut oil. The trick will be that many are cross contaminated with tree nuts. Well, I should say I think all of them are except Tropical Traditions. I think I called all the other companies and/or they have allergy warnings directly on their sites saying there is cross contamination with tree nuts. Tropical Traditions makes only coconut oil on their lines. We use it.

 

We lost a lot of favorite foods too. It was an adjustment but, once you're through that, it should feel easier for both of you. My son eats Sunbutter. It's not peanut butter or Nutella obviously but he likes it.

[wapiti]

I second the recommendation for Sunbutter. You can find it at most grocery stores and SuperTarget. My kids like it. I even like it - it's fitting into my low-carb/high fat thing, lol. (naturally, it turns out that my peanut- and tree-nut-allergic ds10 is also allergic to sunflower seeds, so even if he wanted to eat it, he couldn't, but he doesn't care).

 

Personally, I'd be too afraid to let her have the Nutella in spite of the lack of reaction.

[Eagle]

Please get an epi-pen before your next appointment. Accidental exposure can happen and you need to have an epi-pen just in case. It is life-saving.

 

**hugs** to you as you sort out all the results. We've BTDT and I can reassure you that you are not alone in this. There are lots of resources online these days about nut allergies and anaphylaxis. Ask your allergist about a support group in your area. It is nice to have people that you can meet with to discuss things over a cup of coffee.

[nertsmommy]

Ok, now I'm worried. I'll give the allergist a call tomorrow and ask about the epi-pen. The office is closed now. I don't think her pediatrician would call in a prescription. When he referred us to the allergist he told me he thought it might be a contact reaction since she had no problem with swelling airways and only reacted where it actually touched her skin. When we were at the allergist yesterday all he said was to continue to keep nuts away from her and went over her blood work. I know the office is busy on Thursdays because it is the only day he is in that town. His office is actually in another town, but he comes to the town closer to us one day a week. I was going to call tomorrow anyway to see if he'd write a prescription for an air purifier so our insurance would cover part of the cost of that.

 

Thank you for your concern and advice. This kind of allergy is new to me.

 

ETA: I'm not sure he does know about the previous reaction (the throwing up). We were sent to him because of the swelling of her lip the one time. I know at our first appointment we went over a bunch of questions. I was there 1 1/2 hours that time. I was so overwhelmed with it all that I can't remember if I did say anything about it. I think I did, but I can't be sure.

 

ETA: She will have the skin test for the hazel nuts. I really don't want to lose Nutella for her. She is so picky with eating. She was eating only pb sandwiches and Nutella sandwiches. Now she's basically only eating crackers, corn, and fruits. She's dropped down to just 28 pounds again. But I will do what I have to for her. I have already decided there are some things my other children participate in that she won't because of a lack of monitoring of food allergy kids. For instance, DS was given food with food dye in it even though I filled out a paper stating he couldn't have it. Luckily, his reaction is only behavioral.

 

Thank you everyone so much. This is very helpful. I've been feeling overwhelmed with this since her reaction the day after Christmas and it makes me forget to question things.

[nertsmommy]

We had more testing done. Her skin reacted to peas, peanuts, and hazelnuts. The last two he said were borderline. He said since she has had these foods without any problems, he calls this a nonreactive allergy. She can still have them, but we are to be aware that she did test positive for them and to watch for reactions when she has them.

 

So right now we have only have to avoid walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazil nuts, and almonds. She can have trace amounts of eggs in baked goods.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Wow our allergist still has DS avoid sunflower even though those #s dropped to normal b/c of the other allergies. I personally wouldn't given DS anything he's tested positive to. DS gets a food challenge this summer for sunflower-- a year after first borderline test. We will food challenge every allergy as he outgrows them. Don't risk a severe reaction w/o epipen on hand if you aren't avoiding even the borderline foods.

[sbgrace]

I see your update. Did you get a pack of epi pens?

 

Nuts are relatively easy to avoid given they are required labels. Companies don't have to label may contain/produced with though. So call companies of foods she eats and ask if tree nuts are produced on the same equipment with the food. You'll get used to it. You must have a double pack of epi pens and benadryl with her all the time. Read up on anaphylaxis signs so you know what a reaction would look like. Any two body systems reacting is 911, epi pen, benadryl in that order. Never wait to see if things get worse. Epi pens need to happen early in a reaction to help and they can last as little as 15 minutes so you want help on the way.

 

It really will be ok. Lots of us have been there though and I know it's overwhelming and scary at first.

 

Oh, my son is positive to six tree nuts. The allergist said no tree nuts of any kind. The idea is, first, that tree nuts are often cross contaminated with other tree nuts. Also, a child with tree nut allergies can easily sensitize to additional nuts. Is she eating Hazlenuts regularly with no reaction, though? I guess if she were I'd keep doing them to try to keep her from reacting with withdrawn exposure after I knew I had epi pens. Coconut is labeled as a tree nut but really not related to tree nuts. Most tree nut allergic kids do fine with coconut, mine included. You do have to watch sources given there is cross with tree nuts in many coconut products so do call first.

 

Your allergist is correct that she should keep eating foods if she's never shown a reaction. Food allergy tests have a 50% false positive rate. She's probably not allergic.

[nertsmommy]

I see your update. Did you get a pack of epi pens?

 

Nuts are relatively easy to avoid given they are required labels. Companies don't have to label may contain/produced with though. So call companies of foods she eats and ask if tree nuts are produced on the same equipment with the food. You'll get used to it. You must have a double pack of epi pens and benadryl with her all the time. Read up on anaphylaxis signs so you know what a reaction would look like. Any two body systems reacting is 911, epi pen, benadryl in that order. Never wait to see if things get worse. Epi pens need to happen early in a reaction to help and they can last as little as 15 minutes so you want help on the way.

 

It really will be ok. Lots of us have been there though and I know it's overwhelming and scary at first.

 

Oh, my son is positive to six tree nuts. The allergist said no tree nuts of any kind. The idea is, first, that tree nuts are often cross contaminated with other tree nuts. Also, a child with tree nut allergies can easily sensitize to additional nuts. Is she eating Hazlenuts regularly with no reaction, though? I guess if she were I'd keep doing them to try to keep her from reacting with withdrawn exposure after I knew I had epi pens. Coconut is labeled as a tree nut but really not related to tree nuts. Most tree nut allergic kids do fine with coconut, mine included. You do have to watch sources given there is cross with tree nuts in many coconut products so do call first.

 

Your allergist is correct that she should keep eating foods if she's never shown a reaction. Food allergy tests have a 50% false positive rate. She's probably not allergic.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your posts. You have been so helpful.

 

Yes, we did get epi-pens and he did tell me about keeping them and the Benadryl with me at all times. When I asked him about them he apologized. He thought after her reaction at Christmas time that our pedi had prescribed us some.

 

She was tested for coconuts and showed no reaction. That's good because I cook with coconut oil. I will have to research the companies that make coconut oil to see which one is safest. Before she had the reaction to the nut (probably walnut) in the candy she was only eating either a peanut butter sandwich or a Nutella sandwich for lunch every day. She never had any reaction. I'll have to check about the cross contamination possibility of the Nutella. I will watch her closely when she has them now to look for any new reactions. I feel better now that I have the epi pen. She snacked on frozen peas all last summer with no reaction. I will probably cautiously try her on them again this summer. She really loved them. It seems like the things she's tested worst for are the ones she won't eat anyway. As for the nuts, I will be keeping all away from her except the peanutbutter and Nutella (unless she starts reacting to them). I figure it'll be easier if I tell anyone who keeps her that she can't have any nuts though. And of course, teach them how to use the epi pen.

 

It is the cross contamination that worries me the most especially at restaurants. Those are the main place where we can't control everything. Luckily, we don't go out very often.

[brookspr]

My son also has nut allergies, although he is not allergic to brazil nuts, almonds and pine nuts. Everything else is off limits. He eats soy nut butter instead of peanut butter. The soy nut is not really a nut, it is from the soybean. He loves the stuff. I think it's kind of yucky tasting, but he has never had peanut butter so he has nothing to compare it to. He does not like the Sunbutter.

 

I have made my own Nutella for him with only toasted almonds, no hazelnuts. I would guess you could make it with strictly peanuts as well, like a chocolate peanut butter, if hazelnuts come up on the no-no list.

 

My neighbor writes a food blog, and I used her recipe for the nutella. You can find it at worldplates.wordpress.com

 

I also made a batch of the recipe as is, combo hazelnuts and almonds, for the rest of the family and it is to die for. Much less sugar than in the commercial stuff.