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Allergies and intolerances

Egg Allergy/Intolerance - urgent advice please

32 replies

BlueBumedFly · 20/02/2010 15:05

Hi

Now, I know about nuts but nothing about egg allergies.

SDD2 is the one with the nut allergy (currently desensitizing). She was intolerant to eggs as a young child but now fine.

DD3 used to vomit with eggs or so I thought so she was tested due to sibling link and they found her mildly intolerant but suggested food challenge of which she had and all fine. She has had cooked egg in cakes/biscuits etc and I have even used eggs in stir fry, all fine. The hospital said not to give mayo etc with raw eggs but this was almost 2 years ago so I guess I just thought she was fine.

Today we were baking and she wanted to help me break the eggs so got some on her hand. Then she subsequently got cake mix on the same hand. I am sure I have used eggs with her before in cake mix with no reaction but not this time. When I looked at her hand she had come up in about 6 white spots and the area was red. I will try to upload a photo but it is not very clear.

So, can you be allergic/intolerant to raw eggs but fine with cooked? Should I report this to her allergist? She is having no other reactions but it has scared me senseless with her half-sisters history.

Can I add that we had her tested for 6 nuts (skin prick) quite recently and they all came back negative.

Now I am really upset and in a flap. Please tell me its not happening all over again

OK, cannot upload photo, but its white spots a bit like stinging nettle stings from my memory as a child. They are fading now.

Thanks in advance. Would not put myself down to flap given what we have been through but I guess you know one allergen so well the others are scary again.

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bridewolf · 20/02/2010 15:22

okay, lets get this sorted, its allergy, ige reaction, rather than intolerance, imo.

its normal with egg allergy to be able at one point to eat cooked egg, as the heat changes the protein stucture, however the raw or partially cooked egg , can still be a problem.

my son was severely allergic to all forms of egg, and passed a food challenge to cooked egg at 7.

bit of a long story, but still is allergic to raw/partially cooked egg at 13. suspect it will be life long allergy.

not that big of a deal when we have others on the list.

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BlueBumedFly · 20/02/2010 15:48

Bridewolf, thanks so much. So, if I make sure she does not touch any raw egg for a set period of time do I then do a skin patch test again in say 6 months?

I must admit her skin is super rough at the moment, I never know what affects it most but I know pure wheat makes it flare or so i thought as pasta used to cause an outbreak, however, could it actually be the cooked egg? She had some scotch egg balls a week ago and it has seemed worse recently, could it be the egg that I have just missed all along?

She refuses pasta and eggs on sight now she can make her own choices.

Thanks again. Sdd is/was anaphylactic to nuts but no atopic so I have never seen a skin reaction like this.

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BlueBumedFly · 20/02/2010 16:21

Bump anyone? Am being a bit pathetic ...

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RoscoPColtrane · 20/02/2010 16:27

sounds to me like raw egg allergy too, my daughter had this with raw/partialy cooked egg as a baby but outgrew it completely by 3 (sorry don't know how old yours is) not much help to you really but didn't want you to go unanswered.

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BlueBumedFly · 20/02/2010 16:44

Thanks Rosco - she is 2.9. Any odd foods I should be aware of that have hidden raw egg? I have no idea how should we react if she ingested it. Was your daughter atopic or did she react to food?

We have spent 10 years avoiding nuts, am pretty upset . I know it's not a massive thing but it's another thing if you see what I mean.

How did you find out she was ok? Skin prick or patch test?

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RoscoPColtrane · 20/02/2010 17:37

I found out when she first ate something with egg in it, I think it was a jar of baby custard - hives where it touched, slightly swollen lip, no breathing probs, sorted with piriton (we had had a trip to A&E a month before with similar symptoms but hadn't known what had caused it at the time, probably dd1's boiled egg with hindsight!) so avoided everything with egg in for about 6 months then very gradually started on the patch testing (at home) cake initialy as egg very well cooked, no probs, a little while later while making cakes with dd1 she accidently got splashed while dd1 was mixing the egg and like with your dd was obviously still a problem! I think after that I tried mayo on her skin with no problem and eventualy by 3 raw egg showed no reaction. The day she had a boiled egg and soldiers was probably one of the best days of my life.

I can't think of anything that has hidden raw egg, but I'll post if I do, I hope you are ok, I know how you feel about it not being a massive thing, but sometimes it would be nice to be able grab anything in a cafe without any stress!

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nellymoo · 20/02/2010 17:40

My daughter,who previously scored highly allergic to egg (IgE RAST) recently re-tested negative to egg, and we were sent home and advised to do an "egg Ladder", first trying her with very well cooked egg (cake) and building up to soft boiled. I have to say, this was singularly the WORST advice we have been given so far!
She appeared to be fine with cake, but the slightest amount of well cooked scrambled egg brushed on her lips ended in an horrific reaction, (facial swelling) and a trip to A&E. We have since been re-advised to avoid ALL products containing eggs

The nettle rash you describe sounds like hives, classic allergic reaction response. In your situation I would request a food challenge ON A WARD with your allergy specialist to see what degree of cooked-ness (?!) she can tollerate.

It is certainly possible to de-nature the proteins in egg by cooking, and thus different people may react differently to varying degrees of raw to cooked egg. BUT, I have also been told that it is the amount of egg in a recipe that may also have an effect. This makes it especially difficult to guage shop bought products.

Incidently, a lot of people on here seem to only to have been given skin-prick testing. My daughter has multiple allergies but has only ever been given blood tests for IgE levels. Her specialist seems to think skin prick testing is even more unreliable than RAST, and they won't offer skin testing here. Anyone have a better reason why they might not?
Sorry to hi-jack!

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wb · 20/02/2010 17:51

It does sound like an egg allergy (DEF allergy, not intolerance), but luckily a partial one cause she can eat cooked egg. The reaction you saw sounds like hives.

I think go see her allergist, rather than experimenting at home. To be blunt (sorry, i know how you feel) if she is allergic enough that her skin is reacting now, I doubt re-testing in 6 months will make much difference.

The good news is that, unlike peanut allergy, most egg allergic children do outgrow it.

Be cautious of mayonnaise. The stuff you buy in jars is pretty processed so may well be OK but if you ever go anywhere nice to eat they may make their own. If fresh it should have raw egg in. Same with Bearnaise sauce, I think.

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nellymoo · 20/02/2010 17:53

and mousse...or other hand-finished fancy chocolate stuff...and merangues...

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notapizzaeater · 20/02/2010 17:59

my Ds has an egg white allergy, projectile vomits if he eats t. Confirmed at hospital when he was 9 months old. Found out by baby food, twas OK with spag bol 6 months, upon studying the ingredients realised the only diff was egg pasta vs wheat pasta. Now he can tolerate (7 yr) cooked egg in cakes (but has recently been diagonosed as coeliac so def a no no) and cornflour yorkshire puddings but if he has too many he gets exema on his elbows/knees.

Hospital are going to recheck his blood when he next has a biospy on his bowel.

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foxinsocks · 20/02/2010 18:06

egg allergy is not too bad to handle. I always found it the easiest one to manage but it was the one that hung around the longest.

Dd was always allergic to cooked and raw egg but it is v v v common for egg allergic children to be fine with biscuits and cakes and not fine with raw egg.

Basically, children's exposure to raw egg is very limited anyway. We found the biggest problems (raw egg) were raw cake mixture or cakes with icing (some icing recipes use egg white so watch out for that).

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BlueBumedFly · 20/02/2010 19:10

Thank you so much everyone, I knew i could rely on MN for great advice. So, back to the allergist.

Has anyone else noticed a pattern with behaviour or night terrors and allergies? Dd gets a run on night terrors and now I am wondering if it's when she has been 'egged' so to speak. She can also be hideously clingy to the point of me wanting to bash my head against the nearest wall and since she had her reaction at lunchtime her behavior has been akin to a small devil child.

Any views?

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foxytocin · 20/02/2010 19:14

Mayonnaise, custard and lemon curd also have egg as main ingredients. The first 2 are ubiquitous in commonly offered foods.

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foxytocin · 20/02/2010 19:17

oh, look out for egg as an ingredient in battered foods too. It was the reason why M&S fishfingers were the only ones allowed in this house. Since the credit crunch and price increases in lots of goods, I noticed that Bird's Eye fish fingers are now egg free in the batter. Just keep an eye out.

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BlueBumedFly · 20/02/2010 19:27

Thanks foxy. She does not eat any mayo type custardy thing anyway but will be vigialent just incase. She will eat the salmon fish fingers but makes me take the breadcrumbs off mostly but will check the packaging for sure.

I remember an episode of projectile vomiting after a baby pot of egg custard. Also from pasta, and an odd sauce a friend did once... It's all coming so clear now!

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foxytocin · 20/02/2010 19:30

We saw a dietitian who gave us an booklet with categories egg containing foods and ideas which could replace it. If I can find it, I can get it photocopied and sent to you if you think you'll find it useful.

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Turniphead1 · 20/02/2010 19:35

foxytocin are talking about regular (breaded) fishfingers? I have never come across any in the last 6 years that contain egg - except battered fish fingers. Other breaded products (eg goujons, breaded chicken etc) often contain egg - you just have to read the label.

As others have said, Consultants test for raw and cooked egg separately. As an allergy, it's not as bad as milk in terms of prevalence IMO.

OP it's interesting you say your DD's skin was raw at the time. Apprently our immune system (and ability to withstand allergens) can wax and wane depending on various factors (which can account for why sometimes reactios are more severe thanat other times).

Whoever mentioned that their consultant doesn't do skin prick testing anymore, I am ssurprised. We see Gideon Lack one of the top guys in the UK and he still does skin prick testing and Ige blood tests.

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nellymoo · 20/02/2010 19:50

Turniphead 1 twas me... I was wondering what other people's experience of skin prick testing vs RAST were in terms of reliability, as we haven't ever been given the option. I would have thought you could test for far more allergens than the IgE specific tests? I would love for my daughter to have the option, but they simply do not do it here (we're not in the UK) and I would have to pay for a trip to the UK, and a private consultant.
To be honest, she's had such patchy care for a child with so many severe allergies, it will probably come to this anyway...

OP As for sleeping, most definately! DD gets secondary reactions after an initial flare up that can last days, ranging from hives hours after, to stomach upsets and skin problems, which most certainly keep her awake. Oh, and at three and a half she has never slept through the night...

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notapizzaeater · 20/02/2010 19:51

I use cheese spread to bind things instead of egg.

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nellymoo · 20/02/2010 19:52

OP did my DD is a vile monster after being given Piriton, could it be that?

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ComeTwatTheKumquat · 20/02/2010 20:13

Sorry to hear that BlueBumedFly. It does sound like an allergy. As others have said it is fairly common to tolerate baked egg (in cakes etc) but not raw or lightly cooked egg. It is to do with the protein changing.

DD1 and dd2 are both allergic to eggs (I have name changed from whelk) and things that they might be hidden in are:
Royal icing
custard
ice cream - the posher/ countrysih ones
gravy (gravy granules contain egg)

DD1 had a baked egg challenge in hospital which is how we found out she could cope with cakes etc.

Good luck, I know it seems really hard to be confronted with another allergen. I felt the same on discovering dd2 was allergic to dairy as I felt that I 'knew' egg but I have been suprpised how quickly I have adapted. I guess once you have one allergic child you never look at food the same way again

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suiledonne · 20/02/2010 20:32

I'm glad I found this thread as I was going to post a warning re: my dd's experience with egg allergy.

Sorry to hear your dd is going through similar Bluebummedfly

My dd1 was diagnosed with an egg allergy at 14 month with IEG&RAST tests. We were told at the time to avoid all egg, cooked and raw and were very vigilant with her.

At 3 she reacted to egg white in some little cake decorations but that was her only exposure.

At the end of the summer the paed she sees for asthma/eczema had her allergy test re-done although this time only blood test.

He told us her allergy had great reduced and recommended a ladder of exposure like nellymoo decribes.

This was also a disaster for us. DD seemed to be tolerating egg in bought baked goods such as bisuits so I felt safe enough to have egg in the house.

On a rare night out DH contacted me to say DD was having a serious reaction to raw egg. She sneaked the box of eggs to look at them and dropped one. Just a tiny amount splashed her hand but she broke out in hives all over and her face and eyes swelled hugely. Luckily her breathing was not affected.

Following some advice here and elsewhere I thought it was safe to allow her to continue with cooked egg in small amounts but at toddler group yesterday I allowed her to eat a shop bought pancake and she broke out in hives again.

Sorry this was so long.

Just wanted to share my experience with people who have been through similar.

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BlueBumedFly · 21/02/2010 00:24

Sorry to disapear. Went out to a lovely and rare dinner party, will read first thing and respond. Can I say again how chuffed I am with the response, all so gratefully received xx

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BlueBumedFly · 21/02/2010 09:10

I must agree that different docs report different views on the accuracy of skin prick/rast but like Turnip we see a top allergist for SDD and he still does them.

Foxy - if you do find the booklet i would love to see it, that's very kind.

Nelly - you must be exhausted! I find mine sleep more with a reaction, it's like their energy is literally sucked out of them.

Nota/whelk/Suile - thanks for sharing your experiences I am going to be a lot more vigialent now.

As she did not taste the batter I have no idea whether she is simply atopic or would have had an oral reaction. However, as I type that remark I suspect I am being pretty naive and should be thanking my lucky stars she did not ingest any.

We have been discharged from he allergy clinic so will need to start again. I am going to write to the doctor we saw directly as my gp does not believe allergies exist >sigh

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foxytocin · 21/02/2010 09:35

now that dd is old enough to be articulate she says it 'hurts' her mouth which I can imagine must be a reaction like eating nettles? It is immediate. I remember before she was diagnosed that i offered her egg pasta seeing that she loved normal pasta and she spat those out immediately. She weaned very late onto solids and I thought at the time that maybe she was sensitive to textures and is v atopic.

Tbh, turniphead I thought I was talking about regular breaded fish fingers. Don't they have batter and bread crumbs? I remember reading the labels in Sainsbury's for Bird's Eye fishfingers and one of sainsbury's nicer own brand ones and they both had egg as ingredients. After that I found M&S's fishfingers and goujons and they didn't contain egg so I went for that. Before this I never bought fish fingers so I don't know that much about breaded ff and battered ones.

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