new to all this allergy stuff can someone advise me please?

[elesbells]

sorry if this is long
my DD is now 17 months. she had silent reflux from early and still has it now and then. she was bf (and still is at night) she has had mild eczema since around 8 months which i use e45 bath oil/bodywash and cream for.

anyway, yesterday her eyes suddenly began to swell (i have honestly never seen anything like it) she ended up looking like a cartoon character (i dont know how to describe it but it looked as if she had two water bags hanging from her eyes) it started to spread down her face and across her nose in no time.

i took her straight to A&E and they gave her an anti hist injection. they also gave me a bottle of piriton and said it was an allergy to something.

well thats how they left me tbh. im none the wiser about what it was or if its connected to her eczema...the eczema is definatly worse today (all over her legs and face)although the swelling on her eyes has gone down.

so what are the 'common' allergies that would cause this? and can you suddenly become allergic to something? do i leave it and see if it happens again or try to find the cause? advice greatly appreciated tia

it's worth going to your GP and asking for a referral to allergy clinic or paed...they'll be able to find out what she's allergic to.

Well, I would check out the things she ate that day. I have a dd who is allergic to lots of things mildly but only severe to peanuts. She carries the epipens. Did she eat anything with nuts in? What about sun lotions? Yes you can just become allergic to something. They usually say your body reacts on the second exposure. I would definately get your doctor to refer you for some allergy tests if possible. Sometimes difficult to get what you want but it sounds like she had a bad enough reaction. My dd is 5yrs and has had eczema from few weeks old.

as you've been told its the second exposure that is normally the problem (can be the first for peanut). Facial swelling needs to be taken seriously so you need to get a referral and you may have to fight a bit for that. Explain to the doctor that you don't want to have to keep taking her to a&e. He doesn't want that either

At 17 months it could be a new food. Had you given anything with a "may contain nuts" warning? If posible write down exactly what you'd fed her at the meal before the reaction, if you'd washed her anything you'd used and if she'd touched any animal.

There are quite a lot of common allergens, unfortunately - milk is one of them. Eczema can be allergy related but isn't always. Children often do better on goats milk. Nuts, eggs, wheat, soya, grass pollen, cats, biological soap powder are all alergens - an allergy clinic can do some tests but the more you can think of what you did the better.

I second Tatt's advice. Write down everything that she ate that day, and check the place where you were when the reaction happened if possible.

Unfortunately, doctors can not test for everything that may have cause that reaction (too many things under the sun!) But, if you get a few suspects it will give them a starting point and it will provide you with some clues about what to avoid while you wait for the appointment.

When you check, bear in mind that most allergens are present in a "modified" form. (To illustrate the issue, DS is allergic to nuts and everybody find it very easy to take care with peanuts but someway there is always someone or another one forgetting not to bring amaretto biscuits, nutella, peanut filled chocolates or even an almond cake to our house!)

thank you all for replying, lots of stuff i didnt know!

i seem to have narrowed it down to something in our home thats causing this. Yesterday we were out all day and she was fine and the swelling went down. within 15 mins of being home she started to rub her eyes and the swelling appeared again, her nose started to run and she just looked unwell.

i cant for the life of me think of anything new or different in the house. ive started using a damp cloth instead of polish, no sprays ect. its in the living room whatever it is, so we even emptied the room, cleaned everything and put it all back all to no avail as she is swollen again this morning.

we are now sitting in the kitchen where she is comfortable. i think an allergyn (sp?) test is the way forward.

Do you have a cat? or have had some one visiting with an animal? pet dander remains for days (or weeks), DS have had similar reactions when visiting a house with cats, having said that, he is only allergic to some cats.

doesn't have to be new or different, unfortunately, as new allergies can develop at any time.

Anything you can think of that is different in the living room? Is it the only room with carpet/ floorboards? Any wood in that there is not in the other rooms ( I think I react to pine). Could be the cleaning products. At this time of year could be pollen in the living room. Sorry but its very hard to test unless you can try and limit the options.

You may want to consider an air filter.

thanks tatt, its funny you should mention wood. last night it came to us that we had bought her a new toy from the elc (wooden blocks)on saturday.

we took them away and so far this morning she is fine. obviously we wont know for a few days if they are the problem. they look like they are made from bulsa wood (it doesnt say on the box) but i guess ill wait and see before i start ringing round to find out.

if they are painted blocks it could be something in the paint. Wood is not a common allergen so keep thinking about other possibilities.