Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Allergies and intolerances

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Allergy Clinic...what happens?

14 replies

dreamchocolate · 05/04/2006 19:17

dd (11 months) will be going to an allergy clinic next week following a fairly severe reaction to egg, plus on going problems with eczema. Can anyone tell me what I can expect to happen, I really have no idea, this whole allergy thing is new to me. Thanks! :)

OP posts:
poppiesinaline · 05/04/2006 19:58

dont know but am bumping for you.

DominiConnor · 05/04/2006 20:06

They get scratched with small amounts of things that cause problems. If the skin swells, you're allergic.

I admit I was expecting something more hi tech.

The Anaphylaxis campaign
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/

Are good people, also do bracelets etc.

foxinsocks · 05/04/2006 20:06

is it at a hospital?

We went to one with dd years ago so it may have changed - basically, they took her weight and height and they took some blood to test for the things we thought she was allergic to. We got the test results several weeks later - we then went back and had skin prick tests done. For the things where she had a reaction in the past but there was no sign in her blood or on the skin prick test, we then had a food challenge to see if the allergic reaction happened when she had the food (they start off with a drop rubbed on the skin, then the lip, then they eat progressively more throughout the day to see what happens).

Where she tested positive for allergens (in her blood or skin prick test), we were advised to cut out the food and were sent to a dietician.

That's about it really I think. It may well have changed.

drosophila · 05/04/2006 20:18

Same as foxinsocks but also booked in for a food challenge. This is where you spend a day in a ward and they feed to yu rchild what they suspect they are allergic to. They usually do this every 6-12mths to see if the child has grown out of allergy which os common for egg and milk allergies.

If they find that the blood or skin prick test suggest other serious allergies they may want to further test this with a Food Challenge.

drosophila · 05/04/2006 20:19

Sorry didn't read Foxinsocks post properly.

Chandra · 06/04/2006 02:33

IF you are in for a food challenge, should you avoid certain foods before the appointment? DS has his appointment at 3:00 (yes, f i n a l l y , after 15m waiting for it we have got a letter saing he is booked for june) so not sure of what to expect...

brimfull · 07/04/2006 00:13

ds has been a few times,it usually goes like this;

Weight /height check,wait
See dr.wait
See nurse,have skin pricks,when ds was young 18mos these were done on his back.He was fine.Wait
Play for 15-20 min
back in to see nurse to have skin tests checked,Wait
Finally see dr again.You're Free!!

It can take a good 2-3 hrs so be prepared.Be careful what food/snacks you take for your child as loads of allergic kids around,obviously.
We have to stop using any antihistamine a week before the appt.Piriton a few days.

HTH

Chandra · 07/04/2006 00:31

The letter said we are going to have skin prick tests, RAST and Food challenge (the three of them) was wondering if DS would have not starved to deat by the time they finish, he is quite a fussy eater and really doesn't like to experiment with new things, I'm sure that if he has anything to eat he won't try any food offered by the hospital staff Sad

Appologies for hijacking your thread Dreamchocolate

brimfull · 07/04/2006 01:05

ONly have experience of cooked egg food challenge,that was a chocolate fairy cake so ds loved it.RAST test was fine aswell ,they put plenty of local anaesthetic cream on and with diversion and brute strength ds didn't make a fuss at all.

What food is your ds having a challenge with?

Chandra · 07/04/2006 01:55

Not sure, last RAST test results showed he was allergic to most things he was tested for: Fish, egg, nuts, milk and soya. Don't know how would they manage to test for so many things in such a short time, Someway I believe it wouldn't be possible, am I right?

foxinsocks · 07/04/2006 16:14

I imagine they would do one food product at a time probably starting with the one that most limits his diet (so maybe milk?)

Our milk food challenge lasted all day virtually. Once she had passed the milk challenge (we had to do it twice before she passed!), we didn't do the soya as they thought she would be OK with it (and she was) but maybe it is all different now.

I doubt they can do them all (the food challenges) at once as they wouldn't know what he was reacting to.

How old is he?

Chandra · 07/04/2006 18:15

Thanks for answering Foxinsocks. He is 3 yrs old, I think that what most limits his diet is soya (as you know, is everywhere) but we blame milk for some delays in the development so I guess if we had to choose a single one it would be milk.

Original poster
dreamchocolate · 08/04/2006 18:58

Thanks all. I am actually looking forward to this appoinment if it helps us get to the bottom of DD's eczema. Will keep you posted! x

OP posts:
Chandra · 09/04/2006 11:01

Forgot to say that first time we were in the allergy clinic they didn't do a single test on DS, they just asked several questions to see if DS was worthy of being refered for one, we were added to the waiting list (they only have a allergy test clinic once a month Shock. So technically we were refered for the first allergy clinic on Feb 2005, got the appointment for June 2006 (no tests refered to testing), We have just got a letter with an appointment time for DS's tests for .... June this year! so, be prepared for a long wait, but if you don't hear from them try to keep bugging for an appointment. Sad

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread