CMP challenge at home: help please?

[garliclover]

Again, I seek the advice of wise mums on mn:

My DS's latest skin prick and blood tests have shown that his allergy to CMP may be decreasing (), and we have been advised to do a challenge at home with a biscuit or cake containing milk. However, he is still very allergic to wheat and eggs, and I can't find any wheat- and egg-free cakes or biscuits out there which contain milk! I've also looked at allergy-friendly cookbooks but can't find anything very suitable to bake.

Any ideas?

[eragon]

cow milk protein allergy 'may be' decreasing........or def is? what are the reasons the docs gave for a home food challenge and its safety?
normally they suggest a food and the amount of heat treated milk to be added.

[garliclover]

The result of the test as it appears in the doc's letter is "Cow's milk: positive (weak)". The letter then goes on to say "Since DS is now one year old with a high chance of resolution, I will suggest you start a graded home challenge to dairy products. A leaflet is enclosed". The leaflet says "Start the first challenge with cake or a biscuit that contains cow's milk" and then advises starting with a crumb on the lower lip and progressing every 15 minutes from a crumb to a teaspoonful, then gradually adding "these foods" to his normal diet.

Did you do a milk challenge at home, eragon? What did you try first?

[eragon]

We have never done a home food challenge, we were advised against it, and have had all food challenges in hospital.

btw not milk allergic, but other multiple allergies.

[trixymalixy]

DS tested negative to milk allergy, they did a challenge in hospital, he got quite far before he reacted, but boy what a reaction, was very scary. I would be very wary of a home challenge.

[BaaBaaHerdwickSheep]

There's a cook book called Bakin' Without Eggs - you could try that. I'm pretty sure there are some wheat free recipes too (sorry don't know where my copy is so can't check). It's available online.

FWIW DS (now 20 months) had to do this too - he's v allergic to eggs. I was advised to do the test with yoghurt, at home. And it was fine.

[thereinmadnesslies]

We were told to do a home challenge for DS2 using cadburys chocolate buttons. Started with one, gave him one more each day until we saw a reaction (got to five, we will try again in six months). That said, his reactions are diarrehea, mucus and skin so far less dangerous than reactions requiring an epipen.

[garliclover]

Thanks for all your replies!
BB we go to the Radcliffe in Oxford, where there are massively long queues for the allergy clinic (as I am sure there are elsewhere). They suggested doing a peanut and soya test in hospital, but their letter took so long to arrive we had already done the soya test at home (desperate to vary our DS's diet!). We're still waiting for an appointment for the peanut test (we don't dare to do this one at home). I think you're right, they've probably suggested it because we have never yet had to take DS to A & E, and we have not been given epipens. His reactions so far, though immediate, violent and scary, have not been anaphylactic.
trixy, so sorry to hear about your scary experience. Was it to raw or baked milk?
BaaBaa, thanks for the book recommendation -- I'll definitely look it up!
therein, chocolate buttons brilliant idea, but we haven't introduced chocolate yet, having heard that it can be an allergen...

[garliclover]

Actually, just heard yesterday they're stepping up DS's treatment, and giving us epipens after all, and brown inhalers, following recent reactions and the beginnings of asthma. I think I might put off the milk challenge for now and assimilate the new situation...

[ChocaMum]

If your DS has been diagnosed with asthma then you definitely should not be doing challenges at home. How weird that they prescribe him epipens after telling you his allergies are decreasing, very confusing and makes me feel less confident in their advise. Good luck whatever happens. Great news about the soya allergy though.

[trixymalixy]

Yes it was a raw milk challenge and it seems to have made him more sensitive to milk than he was previously.

[nellymoo]

Trixy, were you given any explanation as to why your DS might be more sensitive now? I ask because at DD's recent milk challenge (after falling, not negative IgE results) she passed the challenge on the ward, yet 4 days later had a full blown anaphylactic reaction to a very small amount of ice-cream .
I appreciate that you can become sensitised to an allergen at any point, but I also thought that the food challenge was supposed to be the gold-standard of allergy tests Also, DD always always used to be head to toe in hives at he start of a reaction, and now does not do this but vomits and then seems to fall asleep instead, then breathing restricted...

Apologies OP for the hi-jack, but we are going mad here with NO help from HCPs.
For what it's worth, I would not ever, ever again embark on a home food challenge. We were advised to do this with an egg ladder at home with catastrophic results. They ended up doing an accelerated version of the ladder on the ward, also with pretty grim results. At least we had the comfort of a crash team standing by. (even though I had to administer our own supply of piriton )

[ChocaMum]

nelly my DD has gone through a similar change where she no longer comes out in a rash at all, but will cough/choke, vomit, voice goes funny and then goes drowsy with breathing difficulty. Not sure why though and we haven't been told why by anyone.

We have been told that when you have not eaten an allergen for some time you get an exaggerated reaction when you next respond to it, which is why it is not reassuring if it has been ahem since your last reaction because when the next one happens it is likely it will be very nasty, so obviously always need epipens on you even if it's been years since tour last anaphylactic reaction. So I think that's why sometimes in food challenges you can get quite nasty reactions, even if they are delayed.

[garliclover]

BB, when did your DS's reactions change? My 14 mo DS reacts by vomiting, cough and rashes, and I'm wondering if and when this might change. Our paediatrician has said she's going to give us epipens following a diagnosis of asthma and recent reactions at nursery. It's making me very nervous about the whole thing, as it seems she's expecting his reactions to become more severe.
If only I could meet you and other mums on this thread and quiz you properly about all these things!