advice for 1st visit to allergist/immunologist

[mumtodd]

My dd has suffered from moderate eczema since she was two months old. At 12 months old she had an allergic reaction to egg. We have arranged a visit to see an allergist on Tuesday. Just wondering if anyone can advise me on what to expect. I have tried to see a pattern for the flare ups of eczema by watching her diet etc put I can't find a common trigger. Also will the tests be able to show how severe her egg allergy is as I am living in dread of a bad reaction if she gets something with egg in it. tia

Hi mumtodd, My ds is 4.5yrs and has a nut allergy ,he used to have egg allergy but has outgrown now and can tolerate cooked egg.

At our first appt at the hospital (ds was 18mos) we saw the dr first to discuss possible things ds was allergic to such as nuts/eggs/sesame seeds/milk etc.Then he saw a nurse who did skin prick tests on his back.We then waited 15 minutes and had the results read.Then we waited to see the dr again to discuss the results.
The tests will be measured by the size of the weal that comes up.The bigger the weal the more your dd reacts to that substance.
Egg is a common allergy in babies and toddlers and is often outgrown.Perhaps it's a good idea in the meantime to have some antihistamine syrup available when out incase she reacts to something.
Sorry for the ramble ,hope that helps somewhat.

Thanks ggirl. I wonder if I am being in thinking that this will help us cure the eczema? Did you ds have any problems like this or was it just a reaction when he ate the food?
Was the skin prick test awful for him?

Ds has eczema aswell,and asthma.
I think that his excema may be related to an intolerance to milk but he is not allergic to it as he was tested for that.He doesn't drink milk but does eat cheese and has it in his porridge.I have tried changing to goats milk and there was no difference.However his eczema is manageable now,much better than when younger.So your dd may well outgrow that aswell.
The skin prick tests are done really quickly ,he doesn't enjoy them but they are over so fast you just need to hold them still as wriggling will spoil the test.
How old is your dd?

I'm afraid you must NOT give antihistamine until after the tests unless it is a life threatening emergency. Skin prick tests will not work if your child has had antihistaimine.

Take some to the tests with you as they can be given it after the tests to help with any itching. No child enjoys the tests but they aren't too terrible. If they decide to do a blood test ask if your child can have their anaesthetic cream.

Don't take food or drink (other than water) to the clinic because of the risk some other child there may react to it.

I gave dd Teedex on saturday night as she was in misery. There is supposed to be an anhistamine in that. Will it make a difference now that the test is tomorrow?

you'll need to tell them before the test,give them the exact name of the antihistamiine,not brand.When ds has an appt we get a list of what antihistamines to avoid when,some can't be given for 2 weeks before the test others 2 days so it all depends.

Hi, it is diphenhydramine in the teedex. Do you know anything about that one? I am so anooyed with myself for not checking this out sooner. We have to travel quite a distance to see the doc. and it will be a disaster if he can't even do the test. It is a pity they didn't tell me when we got the appointment.

mumtodd - my dd had an allergy appointment at the hospital earlier this year. I had given her Medised 36 hours beforehand, I hadn't read the letter properly. The doctor was concerned that it would make the test invalid but it was ok. They do a 'control' test as well and if that bump comes up, they know that no antihistamine is affecting the test. Hope this makes sense - I would tell the doctor about the Teedex but it should be ok.

that's the name for benadryl according to google and on my list the suggested stop time is 5 days before test.Perhaps you could call them and see,but tbh I expect they'll say come anyway.

just checked agin and there's another benadryl allergy relief that suggested stop time is one day .Diphenhydramine isn't mentioned on my list so I don't know which benadryl it pertains to.

Thanks for your help with this. I think we will go anyway and just mention to the doc. It was just one teaspoon on saturday night so it might be ok by tomorrow afternoon. wish us luck. thanks again

go anyway. It won't affect a blood test and the skin tests might still work as it's more than 48 hours.