Baked milk challenge at home or hospital food challenge?

[rosehb]

I'm still that we're in this position of being offered a milk challenge. I know stats say there's a good chance of growing out of milk allergy but fully aware it doesn't happen to everyone and didn't think we'd ever even get close...

dd(4.4) has had epipens for milk allergy since severe reaction at 7mths. At the time RAST was over 100. She was reacting on contact and ended up back in a&e after a nasty reaction to nutramigen at 10mths. Skin prick 18mths ago positive for milk, egg, almonds. Consultant then said he didn't expect anything to change quickly due to multiple allergies and severity of reactions.

So this week skin prick showed nothing for milk (egg &almond huge weals). The allergy nurse started saying looks like you'd be fine to try baked milk or a biscuit etc at home (imagine my face). Is this normal advice? I asked would they not offer a proper food challenge and she agreed to it but that will be uncooked milk. Obviously great if we pass but what happens if you fail? Do you think we should still try the biscuit? I really don't feel I could do that at home.

dd has had several reactions over last year to unknown contaminations resulting in swollen lips, sore throat, vomiting, wheezing etc

Would you try the biscuit at home? Is it better to do this first? I find it all too scary:(

We were in almost exactly the same position. DS used to react in coffee shops if milk was being steamed. He then went on to have a negative skin prick aged 4.

We did the milk challenge in hospital. He got to the last syringe of milk and the nurse was convinced he was going to pass. Then she spotted a hive and a few minutes later ho was covered from head to toe in hives and vomiting and floppy. It was a bit scary, so I was very glad we were in the hospital as they were so calm. I would have administered the epipen had we been at home.

So I would not recommend a home challenge.

Thanks for your reply trixymalixy. That sounds so scary. How is your ds with milk now? Have you had any follow up since the challenge?

Yes I'm glad Ive asked for dd to do the challenge in hospital now especially having heard your story. I guess I just wonder if there's more chance of being okay with the baked milk and if we should just start there? But I guess we really need to know for uncooked milk too. dd will start school in august so it will be good to at least know more before then.

I don't understand why they won't do a baked milk challenge in hospital. I certainly wouldn't recommend doing it at home. DS's wheat challenge in hospital went pretty much the same as trixymalixy's milk challenge so not something you want to experience at home. You're right in thinking that there's more chance of being ok with baked milk then 'raw' milk so it seems daft to me that the hospital will only offer the extreme version.

I wouldn't do it either TBH. I was told to try DS on ketchup after a year and have never had the balls. Although we have worked out despite the neg RAST to tomato he can only eat them when cooked

BB sorry to hear about your DH.

When we did a milk challenge at the hospital they did it with milk that had been boiled for 10 minutes, which I guess is similar to baking. We are not in the UK though, so it may be different here.

BB so sorry to hear about your DH, you must have had a very tough few months! definitely wait till you are feeling up to the food challenge... btw I replied directly to you on my desensitisation thread rather than PMing you - hope that's ok.

My ds passed a milk challenge in hospital in feb. They gave him milk mixed with strawberry nesquik which he loved as I had no idea how they would get him to drink milk. His reaction to milk nowhere near as severe as your dc but my consultant wasn't happy with a home challenge thankfully. Definitely get it done in hospital.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try phoning the allergy nurse to ask what the thinking is. I'm definitely not going to just try at home. Thinking about it I guess I really want to do the 'raw' milk challenge before dd starts school.

babybarrister - sorry to hear about your dh, i hope things are getting easier for you and your family.