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Allergies and intolerances

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Allergies and weaning

10 replies

bunpot · 26/04/2020 11:13

Anyone have experience of getting DC tested for allergies properly? Advice is just to give in small amounts and "seek medical attention" in case of reaction. Don't want to be calling ambulances unnecessarily. DD is quite likely to have allergies and both I and DP have allergies and asthma.

OP posts:
bunpot · 26/04/2020 15:49

Anyone? I should add that I've spoken to the GP and he said there's no medicine we can give.

OP posts:
MrsAvocet · 26/04/2020 18:26

I don't think you will be able to get testing done "just in case" especially not on the NHS. Not sure about private. Most allergy clinics seem to have long waiting times even for children who have had definite reactions. Plus as I understand it, they need to have some idea what they are looking for. My son has lots of allergies but has only been tested against allergens that he was suspected to have react to, or things that are related to his known allergies. Like he had an anaphylactic reaction to hazel nuts so they tested for all nuts. Skin prick tests and blood tests for immunolglobulins are the only proven tests for allergies so dont waste your money on the kits that test hair and stuff like that.
Your GP is kind of right and kind of wrong about there not being any medicine you can give. We were prescribed piriton for our son when he was 7or 8 months old, but if you read the packet it only gives a dose from 12 months of age. But doctors can prescribe it for younger if they think the benefits outweigh the risks. Maybe your GP doesn't want to prescribe something for a baby when there isn't a proven problem whereas ours was happy to give it as we knew that DS had definite serious allergies from a very young age.
There is a NICE guideline on children's food allergies. I can't remember the exact title as it is years since I have looked at it but I bet you will find it if you Google. Maybe if you read it it will help you know what the rules are then if you need to talk to your GP in the future you will know what is supposed to be done?
Good luck. I hope your baby ends up not having any allergies.

ChateauMargaux · 26/04/2020 19:05

Is your baby breastfed or bottle fed?

Does she have any conditions at the moment like eczema, excess mucus production, reflux, excessively loose bowels?

What allergies do you and your partner have? What is your asthma triggered by? Have you had allergy testing done?

Selfsettling3 · 26/04/2020 19:06

Are you and your partner’s allergies iGE or none iGE allergies?

LoisLittsLover · 26/04/2020 19:06

You could rub it on skin to see if there is any reaction. Health visitor advised me to offer potential trigger food early on in weaning, on a weekday when both dh and I were at home just in case. We did this with the things that dh is allergic to but dd had no reactions

bunpot · 27/04/2020 12:09

Thanks for your replies, you sound very informed so I really appreciate it.

I'm allergic to animal fur and have had minor reactions to peas and red pepper. DP has an EpiPen for his peanut allergy and is allergic to chickpeas and peas. Both ige allergies. I realise mine are v trivial but the fact I have them increases her chances right? We also both have eczema. Dust, cat hair and pollen triggers his asthma.

OP posts:
ChateauMargaux · 27/04/2020 16:31

Do you have animals?

Based on my experiences and discussions with a number of immunologists / functional medical doctors I would avoid all nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines) and legumes (peanuts, peas, beans, lentils). Start with other fruits, vegetables, rice. Take things slowly and watch carefully.

There really are different schools of thought on early introduction versus late introduction but bear in mind that much of this 'early introduction' refers to the window between 4 and 6 months.

Our first NHS consultant said that the change in advice about eating peanuts during pregnancy was due to the fact that the advice not to eat peanuts in pregnancy did not result in a decrease in peanut allergies but an increase.

There is much about allergies that is poorly understood and there is currently no way of testing if your child will become allergic to something in the future without exposing them to the allergen, though it can be done by blood test, there is a question over whether this is truly effective if there has been no prior exposure.

I also wonder if one can become tolerant to a potential allergen but that it can have another impact on the immune system, early reflux, dairy allergies which appear to be outgrown and later appearance of eczema / asthma etc.

And while I might know a huge amount about my own child's allergies and the studies I have read/ discussions I have had with professionals, the one thing I do know is that professionals rarely fully agree with each other about every case and no one person has all the answers for every patient.

bruffin · 27/04/2020 16:45

EAT allergy study

This study might help,

dh and i are similar to you and your dh, although DH is brazil nuts and animals and not got an epipen. DS weaned over 20 years ago. He showed no real signs of allergies until he was 4, then had allergic reactions to sesame and pecan in the same weekend. He then had mild allergy to peanuts which he grew out of but still cant eat sesame and tree nuts. He also has hayfever and animals
Allergies can start at any time of life, so no point in testing

ChateauMargaux · 27/04/2020 19:05

<a class="break-all" href="http://scholar.google.fr/scholar_url?url=www.racgp.org.au/download/documents/AFP/2012/April/201204symon.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm36zt3cCq7fLKViRFNpXMZCwAanqA&nossl=1&oi=scholarr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scholar.google.fr/scholar_url?url=www.racgp.org.au/download/documents/AFP/2012/April/201204symon.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm36zt3cCq7fLKViRFNpXMZCwAanqA&nossl=1&oi=scholarr

triballeader · 06/05/2020 08:56

From experience the NHS pulls out all the stops for a child with a serious IgE allergy. Son has severe IgE allergies - found out the hard way when he was six weeks old and I was sat next to a lady eating a but covered pastry. His diet was closely supervised by a peadiatric dietician from that point.

The hospital arranged blood tests. We went home with epipens. Any new major allergen being introduced involved him being admitted to the medical unit and cannulas fitted before beginning a medically supervised food trial. He still has to do the same for any vaccines he has not had before as he can be a tad reactive if his bodies immune system objects.

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