testing for allergies

[mum2oneloudbaby]

when you suspected your baby was allergic to something how old were they before they were tested to confirm an allergy.

I ask because I suspect ds 16wks is allergic to something in formula. He is BF but have been struggling to express so have tried to give him some formula so that I can have a few hours out of the house. 3 times I have tried and everytime his skin around his mouth has ended up red and inflamed and despite only taking a small amount from the bottle (that's another thread) he has been quite upset (stomach wise) for sometime afterwards.

He also has very itchy ezcema which we are still trying to get under control.

I spoke to my GP today and he said they don't test for allergies until they are at least 2 but it's really not worth doing until they are 6 and I should speak to the HV about the formula (not sure why I have a GP).

Please tell me there is some way to get some help to identify if there is a problem so we can deal with it.

gp speaking rubbish, allergy testing without a doubt done before 2.

although got referral from gp for son at 7 months (he was didnt react to breastmilk and didnt give formula till that age) and wasnt till 15 months that he actually got to see allergist for testing. so i would get the ball rolling as soon as poss. we were referred to pedriactric person as hospital first who then reffered us on to allergist.

My 51/2 month DD is going to have allergy testing - or at least sort of be put in line for it. So just reitterating what cake is saying really- that your GP is talking rubbish

We got dd tested at 6 months - she has severe cmp allergy and to be honest, her symptoms were v similar to your ds.

I'd second BIOTB, ds was tested at 6 months and had very similar symptoms to yours. It's also possible for your ds to react to dairy through your breastmilk which is a possible cause of the eczema.

Insist on a referral and don't give any more formula. If the waiting list is long and you would like to use some form of formula there are a few options such as Neocate and Nutramigan. They are expensive however and your gp may be reluctant to prescribe them, I think you can buy them over the counter so you could buy one just to see if there is an improvement.

I rubbed a piece of cheese on ds's back and it came up in a huge red weal (sp??) so I was left in no doubt that it was CMP allergy as was subsequently proven by the tests.

Good luck and prepare to make yourself a little unpopular with your GP!

I suspected he was talking rubbish. bilbomum have no problem making myself unpopular with him have already done so when he failed to diagnose DH with pneumonia in january. only been with him for 5mths seriously unimpressed.

another question if I cut dairy out what can I replace with that won't affect bm and therefore ds. no more lattes

babybarrister i'm in east yorkshire do you know where the specialist unit would be if it comes to it

I would have thought they'd do it earlier too. I haven't been to allergy specialist with DS, just cons pead, but they are testing everything, bit by bit.

2yo is too late to wait for a child who may start weaning soon.

can I slightly hijack here and ask about allergies / eczema and your opinions of whether there really is something in the idea that my DD could be allergic to something I eat when she is EBF.

ALthough I am starting weaning and I have a feeling tomatoes brought her out in a rash I can;t really work out if there is a link between her eczema and what I eat.

I think I have to try cutting out dairy so will try the oat milk and start avidly reading product ingredients (oh the joy). Thanks for the advice and I pray that it isn't an allergy or that this is just a temporary thing for DS. We haven't a history of milk allergies in the family so fingers crossed.

mrsbumbledosem I haven't read any research on the subject but feel that as prescription drugs, alcohol, different food flavours can pass through to bm why not something that would cause an allergy.

To reiterate what the others have said, your GP is talking bollocks, both mine were allergy tested at 6 months ish old.

I have personal experience of Proteins passing through my breastmilk. DS used to scream when I was feeding him as he was reacting to the CMP and the only time I ever ate egg when feeding DD her face went bright red.

that's severe trixymalixy. fortunately nothing that severe here apart from some very nasty eczema.

as you have cut out dairy are there any good websites with advice on balancing your diet without dairy?

not sure of websites but the library usually does fabulous books. (well mine does) and the great thing is you can read the sections appropriate to you and refer back to it when you need, well until you have to return it.

My dd had eczema and had exactly the same reaction to formula milk. My health visitor arranged for me to have nutramigen prescribed. I wouldn't rule out seeing the HV. You have a right to change GP, I would, he sounds useless.

I thought she might be reacting to something in my breastmilk so swithched her entirely to nutramigen. This was on the advice of the HV. However the eczema did not improve, often there isn't one trigger but many. Personally I think they should have done tests before I gave up BF though. Again, I would change GP.

My dds eczema reacts to all sorts, some allergic but also to temperature. She is clearly a highly allergic little thing and the skin reaction to formula was the first sign. I think you are justified in asking for testing.

Gosh that's shocking! Not only is it complete rubbish but also potentially very dangerous. My Ds was allergy tested for nuts and egg before he was 2. He has allergies to both and is reviewed annually. It doesn't bear thinking about not texting until he was 6.

mrsbumblesdosem - specific proteins from your diet do pass into your breastmilk, so yes it is possible that your DD might be reacting to what you eat. It might be worth keeping a careful food diary, recording any change in your baby's skin / general health (usually changes happen later on or the next day as the proteins take a few hours to get into your milk).

The new NICE guidelines say that mothers who are breastfeeding babies with allergies should be given advice about excluding allergens from their own diets.

OK that's interesting greenbananas - I have just posted about my DDs specific situation re this. I am at the end of my tether really so I will, as you suggested, really engage with what I am eating. There are no other allergies in our family history, at all, just one other person with eczema so it didn't seem like an obvious thing to me but I am at the point where i have to do something.

ambarth I am in the process of changing gp as of yesterday just can't trust the guy (not just due to this).

Spoke to a HV she just said don't give formula and reduce the amount of milk I drink and when I wean do one thing at a time. (I know I'm a mum but where is the care for me and my sanity in that advice).

And it's all very good but I would rather know what he is reacting to so that I don't have to put the poor mite through the pain of trial and error.

greenbananas that's interesting about excluding allergens can you link to guidelines?

Hi mum2one - I found them on the Anaphylaxis campaign website (after watching BBC Breakfast this morning) - not sure how to link effectively, sorry. It was the diagnostic spreadsheet that I looked at most closely.

Health Visitors tend not to recommend food exclusion diets for breastfeeding mums because of concerns about the mums' own nutrition - and because the current 'ordinary' advice about breastfeeding is that you should eat a normal diet.

(Incidentally, I was so incensed by the poor breastfeeding advice I received from health professionals that I trained as a breastfeeding counsellor and now volunteer at a HV clinic one day each week!)

Mum2one: I don't want to alarm you but I would NOT follow your HV advice. The first food I gave dd was porridge with milk and she had an anaphylactic reaction and we ended up in hospital. Each time you expose your child to an allergen, you do not know what their reaction will be. So, whilst this time round it might just have been redness etc, it doesn't mean that the next time won't be more serious. Go back to the GP and press for a referral. GPs are too often lacking in knowledge on this (dd's specialist showed us an incredible video some parents had made after their GP refused to believe in a milk allergy and recommended yoghurt. They fed their dc 6 spoonfuls and recorded the results which were awful). There is no history of allergies in our families either - unfortunately, this doesn't mean your dc won't have an allergy that needs to be taken seriously.

Well for what it's worth the specialists we have seen advised cutting allergens from the diet when breastfeeding. If anything it gets you used to reading labels and is really handy when weaning if your ds does turn out to be allergic (unfortunately it sounds like it might be the case). Means you can feed your dc from your plate without worrying. I also lost loads of weight which was a silver lining . It didn't make any difference to ds's eczema unfortunately though.

I agree with BIOTB - don't give any form of dairy again until you've had the tests. Have you ever tried putting a tiny amount of milk on his skin (away from face & eczema patches) and seeing if it comes up in a red rash. Take a picture if so and it should be enough to convince a GP of the problem. Maybe take in a newspaper with today's allergy news on it and gently suggest GP needs more training...

@OP Sorry to hear you have had no joy from HV, hope the new GP will be better. at the indifference and bad advice.

thank you all for your advice and support.

I have an appt this evening with GP as DS eczema looks like it needs a stronger treatment in patches.

I am going to push for a referral to an allergy specialist and dietician to help me cut allergens from bm.

There is no way I want to start weaning without knowing what is going on, thanks for sharing your experience BIOTB it has only strengthened my will to go and tackle the GP.

greenbananas found the guidelines thanks. Have printed out the relevant part to take with me.

I just hope he doesn't now dismiss me thinking I have jumped on the media bandwagon!