What are your DCs allergic to?

[garliclover]

Just wondering whether it is rare to have an allergy to more than five foods, and whether there are any links between certain types of allergy (e.g. is an egg allergy usually accompanied by a nut allergy?).
My DS is allergic to milk, wheat, eggs, sesame and lentils and we have just discovered he is also allergic to peas.

babybarrister and barbarian - chances are you're allergic to guineapigs as well, that seems to go with rabbits and horses (a couple of friends are allergic to all 3) - unless you've tried touching them and have been ok? [interested]

I think once you have a couple of food allergies, it isn't uncommon to be allergic to a few more of the top allergenic foods. I have friends here in Australia with multiple allergy sons - one is allergic to eggs, dairy, soya, some nuts, and now wheat (they didn't think he was to start with but now everything else has been removed, the wheat has shown itself - he's being investigated for coeliac disease now). The other is allergic (manifesting as severe eczema) to eggs, dairy, some nuts but not apparently wheat. In the first case, the mum also has multiple food sensitivities; in the second, I don't think she has.

My DS doesn't have any obvious food allergies - but he does have contact allergy with plasters (latex-based glue ones), same as I do. I do however have quite a strong wheat intolerance and have kept DS away from wheat as much as possible while young (memories of a lifetime of gut problems since I was tiny) - he has it occasionally now but it's a bit hit and miss whether it's causing any gut disruption. However, on the whole he's probably better off it, and we have a plentiful supply of wheat-free alternatives here, so it's not a big issue, especially as I'm eating those anyway.

DS is allergic to dairy and cats, we were never offered a RAST test as his first reaction to milk at 4 months was so immediate and severe (and he was eating a rice pudding jar which had only milk and baby rice) there was no doubt what the allergen was.
He's less reactive now (at 10 yo) and can eat "may contain traces of milk" foods.
I think RAST testing reveals additional allergens that people would have previously been unaware of, hence the rise in multiply allergic children.

Oddly, while DS has allergies, DD has none at all.
DS got the atopic triple though: Allergies, Asthma and Eczema.
Pretty much everyone on both sides of our families has something atopic so DDs position is more surprising than DSs.

Jumping on inmysparetime's comment: "I think RAST testing reveals additional allergens that people would have previously been unaware of, hence the rise in multiply allergic children" ... so do people avoid foods that have shown as potential allergens, via RAST/skin pricks, but their DCs have not actually consumed and reacted to?

E.g. my DD1 had a positive skin prick to peanut but as she hadn't had peanut previously, tried her on it and she's fine (foolhardy maybe, but I didn't want to restrict her diet anymore if it wasn't necessary). She also had positive skin pricks to pine nuts which she eats with no problems. Oh, and positive skin prick to cats. We have two and she is fine (no asthma/eczema).

DD only offered RAST for cow's milk and banana at 7 months as that was what she'd had immediate severe reaction to. They didn't offer to test for anything else and I understood this to be because with no history there was no real way to interpret any results.

However they did skin prick at 3yrs after she had severe reaction to egg at 2yrs but had less contact reactions (dairy) so it was to check for signs of readiness for a challenge (results meant just come back in 18months).

I guess they then tested for a few nuts, peanuts and kiwi (dh allergic) to help reassure us/guide us as to what to try giving her?? Strong positive to almonds put us off giving her nuts (she's had scary reactions to traces in food and don't know if was maybe nuts but I've assumed egg or dairy...) Negative skin prick to peanuts means advised could try giving her monkey nuts but to avoid as an ingredient due to risk of contamination with tree nuts. I hate peanuts so she hasn't tried them yet...

I give DD foods with 'may contain nuts' but not 'may contain dairy/egg'. If I had more evidence that she def reacted to nuts maybe I'd change that.

DS is allergic to eggs and fish. Being retested on 24th Jan so hopefully may have grown out of the egg one at least. No probs w dairy at all.

I've not tried him with peanut butter for example, but he's not reacted to anything that has been produced in a factory that also handles peanuts.

Oh and definitely not allergic to almonds after eating 3 helpings of Christmas pudding.

My DS avoids food's he's reacted to and had negative RAST's to.

He likes to be different

Luckily though (if you can call it that!) we have a very good Pead Cons who based on his physical reactions prescribed epi-pens and AH. Based on test results we'd be in trouble at least once a month!

DS also avoids nuts because of the RAST test, even though he has never eaten or touched them.

He is avoiding all pulses at the moment, despite having never been tested for pulses. We were advised over the phone to keep him away from pulses for now because of his recent reactions to peas and lentils, but he has an appointment soon so hopefully we get some more information about what he should/should not be allowed to try.

We have never given DS eggs because every time he's been tested it's been at the top end of the allergic scale. All the other allergies have been confirmed both by testing and by reactions.
greenbananas, what sort of reaction does your DS have to peas and lentils? My DS gets masses of hives after eating peas, but has asthma problems as well after eating lentils (no vomiting, though, unlike all other reactions)...

...actually, I ought to correct that: he has been tested for pulses, but the results not out yet! would be massively surprised and puzzled if he tested negative for them, after recent experiences...!

chickpeas have moved up the Top Allergens list, I noticed, possibly due to a change in demographics - I looked it up on Google and look what I found! Talk about self-referencing..

www.food.gov.uk/safereating/allergyintol/label/ this page might be interesting to some as well - the 14 food allergens that must be declared on food labels are listed in the middle of all the text - I was quite surprised to see lupin [flour] in there, I have to say! but I suppose it's a type of legume, isn't it? My dad always told us that they were poisonous but he might have been saying that just to keep us away from them - either that or he was getting confused with laburnum (whose peas are DEFINITELY poisonous)

Lupin flour is not common in this country but is widely used in other parts of Europe (eg France) and is therefore a common allergen in those countries (the food allergen labelling law covers the EU, not just UK).

Just to add that DS has never eaten egg in his life but because of his other allergies I was v wary about him trying it as a baby so only dabbed a bit on his face and he came out in hives so never gave it to him. His skin prick and RAST tests 2 yrs later confirmed my suspicions. He's also never eaten or come into contact with nuts but because DH is allergic to nuts and given DS's other allergies we were always advised to avoid. His RAST test result for peanuts was way below his other allergens but still fell into the moderate category so I'm really not sure if he is allergic to peanuts and/or other nuts but don't want to take the risk. Wondering if consultant might suggest a food challenge for nuts at some point? Not sure how I'll ever find out otherwise. Am I right in thinking that his RAST result is fairly low because he's never been exposed to nuts? I seem to remember reading that RAST tests are less reliable when conducted on allergens that you haven't been exposed to before - or did I dream that?

Sensitivity to allergens is triggered by the first exposure to them, and it's the second exposure that results in a reaction. That's why RAST is ineffective for allergens that children have not been exposed to.

Thumbwitch, that is quite funny!

garliclover, my DS has fairly similar reactions to yours, but with some vomit as well. I gave him a teaspoonful of lentil soup last October, and he was quite spectacularly sick then started wheezing. A few weeks later, I squashed a pea between my fingers and touched his face, and he got hives that kept on spreading but was fine after a dose of antihistamine. In the past, he has always refused baked beans and got a red rash from touching them (but I thought it was just the tomato )

After DS reacted to lentils and peas, I rang DS's allergy consultant and asked what I should do about other pulses. She said to avoid them all for now, and also made us an appointment (even though she had previously said that he didn't need to be seen for another 3 years).

Threads like this are so valuable to me. It's only because of the mumsnet allergy boards that I know pulses are a common allergen. If I didn't have that information, I might not have been so cautious...

Thanks inmysparetime, I didn't dream it then! Will definitely make sure DS avoids nuts then.

Hello

Dd is allergic to:

All nuts
eggs
wheat - anaphylactic reaction at 6 1/2 months to a baby rusk.
legumes - incl peanuts, chick peas, lentils,mung beans, soya, peas, etc.
Sesame
rapeseed oil
oats
Cats
Pollen - hayfever which causes usual symptoms plus a constant tickly cough which gives her an asthma wheeze.

I also suspect celery, leeks, onions and garlic.

She has 2 types of antihistamine and 2 epipens.

We never eat out as a family. I have separate pots, pans etc. for her food and wash everything by hand

Its so hard. and i live in fear of reactions all the time.

nuts..all
egg
soya (not so bad)
dogs
Not cats!!
too much cadburys choc!
all fruit (can have innocent smoothies....something to do with the fact its pasturised)
straw
hay
furry and hairy creatures ....no farm trips!! (sad face)

DS1 has no allergies whatsoever.

DS2 (4) is allergic to:-

Dairy
Eggs
Soya
Sesame
Peas & all pulses
Peanuts
Nuts

He used to be allergic to wheat & mustard but has outgrown those (haven't tested mustard at home yet though). He has never been exposed to peanuts or eggs, and the only nut he's had exposure to is cashew when I kissed him on the cheek after eating a couple. His whole head swelled up.

He can eat baked beans though,which is a recent discovery. It's amazing!!!

mumat39 -- oh my god. And I thought we had it bad with DS being allergic to 6 things (so far). How old is your DD? And what does she mostly eat? I guess she can eat dairy products, which must help a lot.
And hct123, all fruit? Blimey. What an exhausting and scary ride this allergy march is.

Hi Garliclover

It sounds like you've also got alot on your plate too. I'm sure any allergies to everyday foods is a real bugger no matter how many foods are on the list.

DD is 4 now. She doesn't have dairy and is still on 3 bottles of Nutramigen 2 as I really don;t think she gets enough vitamins and minerals etc. Her diet, down to me and my rubbishness, is very limited. She basically has, gluten free bread, pure dairy free spread, rice krispies, water, nutramigen2, beef,lamb,chicken, rice, gluten free pasta, carrots, brocolli, grapes, apples,pears,banana's, plain salted crisps, kinnerton chocs (only recently - it's my way of slowly introducing dairy)
kara coconut milk drink, cakes and biscuits I make at home with Doves GF Flours, and I think that is the extent of her diet. I have a 2 year old and I feed him the same things.

I find the whole 'what do I feed them?' SO stressful and all consuming and all I ever do is the same old stuff. I haven't had a break from cooking for them for the last nearly 4 years apart from when I was in hospital to have DS.

She'll be starting school in Spetember, but I'm already starting to get a bit crosseyed trying to think what I'm going to give her for packed lunch.

HCT123, hello. Just wondered if your allergies include all nuts, I don't think Cadbury's chocs are the best choice. They are my favourite brand, but after discovering DD's allergies, I noticed that their labelling is sometimes poor. For example Twirls bars state milk in the allergen box, but there is no mention of nuts. On the Cadbury's website, nuts are mentioned. I'm sure I also saw on the website that Cadbury's cannot guarantee nut free on their products. It was a kind of broad statement if I remember rightly so I wonder if it could be the nuts in that choc that cause the problem. Or the Soya Lecithin as you list pulses on your list. My DD's allergist says that there are very few Soya Lecithin allergy sufferers and even people allergic to Soya can tolerate this. However, I have read somewhere that you can have an allergy to soya lecithin. Have you tried Kinnerton Chocs, they're one of the few that have a NUT Safety promise?

Likaninjanow, WOW. Hello. You're almost the same list of foods as our DD. Do you have to provide packed lunches? If so, do you have any tips on what sorts of food you include? Also, what does your DS eat on a day to day basis? I'm so so rubbish at the whole food thing, mostly because I am paralysed by fear, that I really struggle so if you have any meal ideas you'd like to share they'd be much appreciated.

Hope your little ones stay safe.

GarlicLover, this is a really good thread, thank you.
xxx

Ds 1 - peanuts
Ds 2 - strawberry, pineapple and blackcurrnts ( that we know of )