Toddler severely allergic to milk, egg and sesame. Feeling sad!

[ali912]

I'm feeling really down following my 16-month-old son's skin prick tests yesterday. Back in February his first test showed he had mild IgE reactions to egg and sesame, and the Dr suspected a non-IgE milk allergy so we were told to start the milk ladder .

We went along yesterday thinking it would be the same as before, but instead the tests showed he has now become severely allergic (IgE) to egg, milk and sesame. We've been prescribed epipens to take everywhere and have been told even going into a coffee shop could be a risk because of the milk steamers.

I'm so confused about how this has got so much worse so quickly, especially milk which apparently wasn't even an IgE reaction 5 months ago!

I'm wondering if there's a chance his immune system has gone into overdrive since starting nursery in February. He's basically been getting bug after bug and I think he's got a virus at the moment as well.

I'm also confused about how they measure the reaction - I've read the wheal size isn't indicative of the actual reaction he would have, so what does it mean exactly? It was my husband who was at the appointment yesterday so I didn't have a chance to ask.

I'd be grateful for any experiences you can share or advice! I'm just hoping he'll grow out of the egg and milk allergies eventually but the fact they've suddenly got so much worse doesn't bode well :(

Try not to worry. My daughter is 12 now and has a life threatening milk and egg allergy and is coeliac. She gets really wheezy if we go into a coffee shop so we just avoid them. She’s a happy, healthy 12 year old who isn’t bothered about missing out. Most children do grow out of them (she won’t now) so I hope your son does.

Hi @ali912, so sorry you're going through this, it's always a lot to take on board when the situations with kids allergies changes - I've been there! My kids both have multiple allergies, my 5 year old is non-IGE to dairy, egg and soy, plus reactions to tree pollen, dust mites, fresh apricots and cherries. Just to give you some hope, he also had an IGE allergy to wheat which he outgrew at age 3, and at that point I never thought he would.

I've been running something called Allergy Mums' Club, where each week I share different allergy mums stories about their journeys with their kids allergies, and they give lots of tips and advice about how they cope and manage it now. There is so much useful advice being shared, and all the mums are happy to answer questions. I just wanted to share it with you as I thought you might find to helpful -www.instagram.com/beyond_broccoli/

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm sorry about your daughter's allergies but great to hear she's getting on ok. I guess it's all about your attitude towards these things, isn't it.

[quote BeyondBroccoli]Hi @ali912, so sorry you're going through this, it's always a lot to take on board when the situations with kids allergies changes - I've been there! My kids both have multiple allergies, my 5 year old is non-IGE to dairy, egg and soy, plus reactions to tree pollen, dust mites, fresh apricots and cherries. Just to give you some hope, he also had an IGE allergy to wheat which he outgrew at age 3, and at that point I never thought he would.

I've been running something called Allergy Mums' Club, where each week I share different allergy mums stories about their journeys with their kids allergies, and they give lots of tips and advice about how they cope and manage it now. There is so much useful advice being shared, and all the mums are happy to answer questions. I just wanted to share it with you as I thought you might find to helpful -www.instagram.com/beyond_broccoli/[/quote]
I've been looking through your account and it's so helpful, thank you very much!

Hold onto the stat that 50% of toddlers outgrow a milk allergy by two and 90% by five, though it can often later if they have other allergies. DS1 was allergic to milk, eggs and nuts - now at age 12 he’s just allergic to cashews and pistachios. He finally outgrew his milk allergy aged 7 and egg aged 9. It will get better!

I am surprised they prescribed an epi pen based on skin prick tests. We were told that they were only prescribed where a child was also asthmatic or had previously had symptoms of anaphylaxis.

Oh good! So glad you found it helpful x x