after effects

[Thistles24]

DS(2) has multiple allergies- egg,dairy,soy&wheat. He reacts on contact to them. If he touches\eats anything including them, he comes out in hives everywhere,eyes&lips swell,starts coughing,running nose and says his tongue feels funny. We use piriton and ventolin when he has a reaction, which brings it down enough for him not to need a Dr, but he stays swollen for days after and the hives last for around 3 weeks. During this time, he's on cetirizine in the morning and piriton at night, and using emollients at least 5 times daily and mometasone oimntment for the really bad patches.

Has anybody got any ideas if this could be handled better? Should it take so long for the symptoms to clear? HV and dietician have requested he get an epipen due to how quickly he swells up, but when I tried to chase it up at the start of this week Dr laughed and said we'll just see how he gets on. I had also asked how often he could have the piriton when he's also taking cetirizine (for example, if he has cetirizine at 8am then had a reaction at 3pm could I give him piriton then and again at 8pm?) But she hasn't got back to me about that. Sigh.

[Thistles24]

Gosh what a pity party I'm having!!! I'll pass round the dairy free,egg free,soy free ,wheat free,nut free cake.....

[freefrommum]

Does you DS see a consultant or just GP? I'm very shocked by the doctor laughing at the suggestion that he needs an epi-pen given that the symptoms you describe are clearly severe and could well lead to anaphylaxis. Is the doctor an allergy specialist? If not, I would definitely push for a referral (and if she is, I think I'd probably be asking for a second opinion!).

[Thistles24]

Not seen a consultant- other than the paediatrician if that counts? To be honest, I'm not sure if there is one within our local health board. It's a clinical diagnosis he has had rather than blood tests- GPs want blood tests done, paediatrician won't do them, he says it's so obvious it's an allergy they wouldn't tell us anything we don't already know.

[ClaireOB]

It might be helpful to contact the Anaphylaxis Campaign helpline link to ask their advice about seeking a referral for a proper allergy diagnosis and advice on dealing with reactions. Their helpline is open 9-5pm, Monday-Friday

[freefrommum]

It's true about the blood tests, they're probably not going to tell you anything you didn't already know however they are a useful tool in allergy management as they can help to determine whether or not an allergy is improving over time. If you don't have any test results to compare to, how will you know if your child is outgrowing their allergies? They would still need to undergo a food challenge to be sure but normally a food challenge would only be attempted once there's been a significant improvement in blood and/or skin prick test results. DS's consultant is a paediatrician who specialises in asthma mainly but also sees any children with allergies as there are no specific allergy specialists in our local health board. I think ClaireOB's suggestion of contacting the Anaphylaxis Campaign is a very good idea.

[Waltonswatcher1]

Consultant is the one to discuss the epipen with . How often are your apts?

[Waltonswatcher1]

Just reread your post .
You need better support .Shout ,cry , beg .This needs a far more supportive gp .