Reintroduction to dairies- anaphylaxis

[calina]

My child had a very severe reaction(anaphylaxis) to cow's milk protein at 6 months when we started weaning her. She has been breastfed up to 14 months. She is on soya diet from 8 months. She had a milk challenge at the hospital at 18 months but she could only tolerate 1ml of milk. At nearly 3 years old she had some muffins that contained approximate 20ml of milk with no allergic reaction. We have stopped giving her more as I was scared of a bad allergic reaction.
I have ask her pediatrician and he said we can continue to gradually increase her exposure to milk using "a Milk Ladder". The milk ladder starts with foods containing well cooked milk and builds up slowly to those containing unprocessed milk.

I have looked more into the "milk ladder" technique and as DD had an anaphylactic shock reaction in the past I am very nervous about managing this myself at home.

This is a resource that I used to find out more about the subject www.ruh.nhs.uk/patients/patie...troduction.pdf and I am somewhat in doubt to follow it due to the serious reaction my daughter had in the past.

I would like to ask, that given she has tolerated nearly 20ml of baked/boiled milk does this mean she is starting to outgrow her allergy and she is not at risk of a severe reaction any more? Is it safe to assume that she does not need a milk challenge any more? Is this safe to do it with just antihistamine as the solution against possible reactions?

Did anybody have a similar experience? It would help me a lot to know how it worked for others. Thanks.

Did anybody have a similar experience? It would help me a lot to know how it worked for others. Thanks.

Sorry no experience, but didn't want to read and run
I think you are right to be cautious due to the severity of her previous reaction
It's a shame you haven't been given more helpful medical advice, sounds like you need further input before you challenge

I'm successfully doing this with my milk allergic ds, but he has NEVER had an anaphalaxis reaction.

We used malted milk biscuits and gradually built up from the tiniest of crumb to now he can have a fromage frais yogurt with no reaction.

He still reacts the raw milk however.

I have no advice, except to say it must be much much harder with anaphalaxis in the history. Could you arrange to begin it at the doctors surgery or at an outpatients?

Good luck

I'm not a health care professional but mum of a child with similar history to yours. I'd keep going with the processed dairy in line with the ladder but ask if you can start the raw phase of the challenge in hospital under controlled conditions. They do skin tests with epipens at the ready, I'm surprised they've left you to do this on your own, especially since you're not 100% comfortable. Good luck!

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experience.

if your child had an ana reaction to milk I would not be doing any kind of milk challenge at home, esp if you only have anti histamines and no epi pens.

I would ask to be seen by allergy clinic and request further allergy tests and a food challenge in hospital.

My DD had a severe, but no ana, reaction to milk when 6 months. Confirmed CMA by blood and skin prick. Retested at 18 months and the results were inconclusive so told to do a home milk challenge which was definitely failed. The allergy clinic still discharged us and told us to do a challenge every 6 months. Recently, she is nearly 3, she can tolerate some dairy in biscuits, chocolate, butter in sandwiches, cheese on pizza. We haven't tried her with actual milk yet.

I don't think I'd want to do this with her risk of an anaphalylatic reaction (dd vomits dramatically but that's it) . Can you ask for a referral for a blood test and/or a challenge in hospital?