If you suspect your child might have an allergy to a food, what do you do next?

[expatkat]

There is some evidence that dd, 2, might be allergic to eggs. She got a rash around her mouth one time; another time her entire face swelled up, but that coincided with her having face paint on, so we're not sure if she's allergic to eggs or face paint.

What do I do? Do I give her eggs while standing outside casualty? Or is there a way that the gp can refer her to a specialist who can test her? Will we be on a ridiculous 6-month waiting list?

By the way, she can eat eggs baked in cakes. Does that suggest she's not allergic?

GEt her tested privately. About £100 iirc. You can get refered via your gp to a specialist.

you should be able to get referred to an allergy clinic through your gp. you can of course go the private route. as your not entirely sure (especially with the 2nd reaction) the allergy clinic may be reluctant to test at the 1st appointment. u may be asked to keep a food diary and notes of any reactions however mild.

Ds was refered to allergy specialist via gp. he was tested there and then by taking bloods. We went a few weeks later for results.

Thanks so much, misdee & hercules. Will get on it on Monday.

Egg allergy is mainly caused by the proteins in the egg white. Cooking can destroy some of these allergens and it is quite common to be allergic to raw egg but not well cooked egg such as in cakes.

If your dd is 2 then I expect she will be eating a vast range of foods so it may be difficult to pin point it to the egg. For example, food additives, such as preservatives and colourants, can also cause skin rashes which might tie in with the face painting although without proper testing it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Does your dd show any other symptoms when she eats egg or shortly afterwards? If my dd comes in contact with it we will get cramping and diarrhea and her eczema will go through the roof!

When dd was allergic to egg (thankfully now outgrown the anaphylaxis but intolerance still remains), just the slightest contact with the raw egg white on her skin would produce immediate redness, itching and hives. It might be worth trying a controlled experiment with a little raw egg on the soft skin of your dd's inner arm to see if any reaction occurs. If a reaction does occur then you will have more concrete info for the doctor.

Piriton syrup is a useful thing to have on standby in the house for dealing with unexpected reactions. Rashes in isolation can be dealt with in this way. However, if your dd ever has problems in breathing and swallowing then you will need urgent help.

Good luck with your gp - go armed with as much info as possible! As for how long you will have to wait for a referral - it very much depends on where you live and the state of the waiting lists. Where I am then 6 months is very likely!!

Let us know how you get on!

Coral

Hi expatkat. Interesting thread. My DS has eczema and I now realise that fish makes his face red and he rubs his fist around his mouth and then his eyes and his eyes go red. Have been told by dermatologist to avoid fish and to try a bit when he is 18mths. He is now 11mths.
Yesterday, he grabbed a teeny bit of meringue from DD and five minutes later his face was red, he was crying very loudly and rubbing his whole face. Thought his cold had got the better of him but realised that as the crying didn't stop it must be the egg. His eyes were puffy and he had wheals on his arms. Gave Piriton straight away and 20 mins later he was back to normal.
Had appt with dermatologist last Wednesday who told me to keep Piriton in case of a reaction. We discussed eggs as DD was mottled all over after an egg when she was 10mths. He told me to place some cooked egg on DS's arm for 10 seconds and then wipe it off and see if there is a reaction, ie redness. He feels that there is no point in paying somebody to do this when I can do it myself. Haven't any experience of face paint so can't comment.

Thanks, Coral & Chicpea for the additional info.

Is it really necessary to have piriton on hand for a mere localized skin test? I shall try the skin test idea.. Chicpea says cooked egg; Coral says raw egg. Does it matter which I use?

You might find this interesting.allergy testing My son is allergic to nuts and has Rast tests every few years. As a baby and young child he was also very sensitive to egg white, both raw and cooked, but can now eat cooked eggs with no problems. We're still hoping he'll 'grow out' of the nut allergy, though that's looking less likely now as he's nearly 25!

expatkat, (another one here with a dd with an egg allergy!) - I would try the cooked one first. If dd reacts to the cooked egg then don't do the raw egg because the reaction will probably be worse. If dd doesn't react to the cooked one then try the raw egg (as coral says, it's the egg white that they normally react to).

Hi everyone. An update. I took the kids to the gp, who referred us privately to an allergy specialist. That appointment will happen in November.

Meanwhile. . .a couple of days ago I accidentally gave dd (the one I suspect could be allergic to eggs) fresh mayonnaise--the sort that is deffo made with raw eggs. I'd say it was about a half teasspoon full. You can imagine my panic (we were at a restaurant) and how I was braced myself. Well, nothing happened. Not even the tiniest rash around the mouth. Is she not allergic? I know I'll find out for sure in a few weeks' time, but hypotheses are welcome.

I haven't tried the skin test, yet. Totally forgot about that.

not sure about this as I'm no cook but doesn't some mayonnaise only use the yolk? Its normally the egg white that's the problem and uncooked more than cooked. So I'd agree with the try the cooked egg on the skin first then the raw egg if you get no reaction to cooked egg.

Its always worth having pirtion around, even for the skin test. It can make them uncomfortable if they are allergic.

You can test face paint on the skin of the arm too - never put anything you suspect they are allergic to on the face as anaphylactic reactions are pretty scary.

How did you get on with the testing expatkat? Any news?