Help!

[HappyMommy]

I have a son (Jack) who is allergic to peanuts, hospital trip bad allergic but we've recently discovered he allergic to a few more things and were suggested a month free of them. Jack is 16 months old and we're waiting on results from a blood test about his nut allergies currently, however, we're told that according to his allergy test we should also take wheat, corn and egg whites out of his diet as well. This leaves limits food options A LOT. Jack still breastfeeds at bedtime but now his breakfast cereal and the majority of his "side items" or snacks are now ruled out. I've found a few options aside from a strictly "raw" diet but vegetables and fruits are still a learning experiences and are very hit or miss. So I was wondering if anyone is peanut, wheat, corn and egg free, and if so, what in the world do you eat!?!

[Macabre]

So I would follow  the advice of your allergist, but if this based on skin prick tests (SPT) alone and not reaction history, I would question your allergist.

SPT has a high rate of false positives.

If you are noticing a correlation between rection history and SPT or blood tests, then I would assume the the tests might mean something.

[hezzier]

How did you discover these other foods?  Only based on testing?  Is he having reactions to these foods?  Are you going to a board certified allergist?  Did they do a blood test for wheat, corn and egg whites too?

When my DS was tested originally due to an allergic reaction to a tree nut, the allergist also tested him for sesame.  The test came up positive and we were told to take it out of his diet.  We did.  We later found out from a different allergist that we should not have taken it out unless he was having a reaction to it.  There are many false positives in SPTs. 

[PurpleCat]

While you are waiting to get more information from your child's doctor, start simple.  It takes a long time to learn what many of us have learned....don't rush or stress yourself, it just makes changing harder.  One day at a time.

Focus on what he "can" eat and feed him foods he likes.  Keep it simple.  And yes, that will be much less convenient.  Potatoes, gluten and corn free mac and cheese, etc...

You must become a label reader and read every label, every time!  Ingredients change as do manufacturing practices.  The "health food section of your grocery store may carry some convenience items that do not contain your son's allergens.

And while doing this, keep a food journal.  Note each thing you feed him and if there are any symptoms including skin rashes during or after eating.

Introduce no more than one new item per meal.  If you make the whole meal different foods or you won't know what the culprit is if there is a reaction.

Get more information from the doctor as soon as possible because as others have said, you might not need to actually avoid all of these foods.


An example?  My DD tests positive for apples.  She has been eating apples her whole life and she is 16.  It is most likely a false positive due to her birch tree allergy.

[lakeswimr]

Testing can't diagnose a food allergy.  Testing has a very high false positive rate and is not supposed to be used to diagnose a food allergy.  Many people walking around would test positive to many things and are not allergic.  It is not recommended a person pull a food based only on test results.  If you have not yet seen a board certified allergist who specializes in food allergies I would see one asap.  If you are seeing an allergist who is diagnosing based only on test results I would get a second opinion doctor who is more up to date. 

[lakeswimr]

Here is a link to a very good video about testing and what it means and it explains what I said in more detail.

I personally would not pull any food my child has been eating with no reaction based only on a test result.

[lakeswimr]

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/diagnosis-food-allergy-skin-prick-blood-test.aspx

[CMdeux]

What they all said-- and yes, you're posting JUST FINE. 

My DD was allergic to peanuts (we learned the same way you did, apparently), wheat, soy, and eggs at that age. 

Soy-- we never saw SUPER clear reactions with, but we didn't keep much of it in the house anyway since my DH is allergic to it.  Wheat, she CLEARLY did react to-- although it was never the same dramatic kind of reactivity that she had to peanuts or eggs.    She had horrific eczema that only really cleared once soy and wheat were gone; and while that might have been coincidence, I think it was related.  She also had major GI issues resolve after their removal at 12mo. 

She also outgrew milk even before then, and she had been truly allergic at 7-8mo, looking back on it (we just removed it, no allergist involved)... and she also outgrew soy by 3yo--wheat by 4yo-- and finally tolerates eggs at 17y;
so do know that what you live with NOW might not be what you live with FOREVER...

and know that the best way to do this is to do it one day at a time-- yes, the way that 12-step programs view the world.  It really does help.  DO NOT be thinking about how you're going to do this for years.. how he'll ever go to college, etc.   DO NOT.

Think about what is for dinner tonight.  What is for breakfast tomorrow.

I'd step firmly away from most processed foods, though, in the event that there is anything to the wheat and corn allergies-- try just whole unprocessed foods for a week and see if things look radically different.  If they don't... ehhhhh... I'd seriously question the corn as a real allergen, truthfully.  There is so much of it in EVERY food that comes from a bag, box, or can that unless you really work hard, he's been getting it regularly.  Does he have anything chronic that might reflect that, like asthma or eczema?  If so, then that definitely could be related. 

By all means, follow your physician's advice, and definitely discuss options for challenges to things that you doubt ARE food allergens.  How long since your son anaphylaxed?  Because in the weeks after that, his immune system may be highly reactive-- could be that he might react to things that he ordinarily tolerates fine, even. 

Fruits/veggies tend to be extremely low in allergenicity for most children, so don't be afraid of those-- just stay away from processed versions like baby foods. 

Also-- you might need to take nuts and eggs, at least, out of YOUR diet if he is still breastfeeding at night. 

[lakeswimr]

I hope you see a new allergist soon so you don't end up pulling foods that you don't need to pull.  It is hard to pull any food as you know.  It is a shame to pull a bunch if there isn't any actual allergy.  People can't tell you to ignore doctor advice because we are not doctors but I can say that if you are being diagnosed just based on test results to foods a person has been eating without any reaction, that doctor sounds very, very out of date with current practices in diagnosing and treating food allergies.

[spacecanada]

I echo all of the above... History trumps testing and a good allergist will know that. 

Also, if there is no history of reactions to corn, I wonder why they would test for it. Corn isn't on the standard food testing SPT or IgE blood panel at any of the allergists I have been to. Did they do an IgG test by any chance? (Corn often pops up on that test, which isn't an allergy test at all.)