So angry for with GP re. allergy testing

[Sandi102]

I feel so so guilty today. ds is 5 and has had eczema, since 3 months. He was on SMA until 12 months, and we changed onto normal cow's milk, but he had a reaction to it virtually straight away. So I went to see my GP (Dec 2000) and he gave SMA Wysoy. Why didn't he give me this before I don't know. ds was on that for another year. When ds turned 3 we took him off that and started giving him normal cow's milk. He didn't react straight away, but his eczema is still present. This summer was pretty bad, and so I went to the GP and asked whether ds could undergo allergy testing and requested a referral. My GP said there is no such thing as allergy testing. so I left the surgery feeling a little embarrased, until i went to my local health food shop. They saw ds ezcema, which is only on his creases and sometimes his back. But his itching is the worst. He is constantly scratching.They suggested testing for allergies and food intolerance and gave me a no. for someone who does it privately. She is now coming on the 22nd Nov to test.

I cannot believe I didn't have this testing done sooner. I feel like I've let DS down in such a big way. Is there anything or anyone that can help with his itching? I'm hoping it is related to certain foods, which i can then eliminate, but I've always just put it down to dry /bad skin.

Sandi your gp should be shot and I would definitely change to one who has at least a bit of experience in this field. You can have prick tests and patch tests, but you have to take the results with a pinch of salt and use them alongside your own observations. Think it might be worthwhile contacting the eczema society for some up to date information.
Things other than food you can look at are shampoos and washing powder. I find I can't use washing powders other than persil original non bio and use no fabric softeners - might be worth a try. Patch tests at Charing Cross hospital some years ago showed that I was badly allergic to polyquaternium found in lots of shampoos, creams etc - but I had to wait until ALL my hair fell out before I got the patch tests!!
Food wise common culprits other than milk are eggs and with me fish too. Try keeping a diary of what food he eats to get a rough idea if anything makes it worse. HTH best of luck.

Cab, sorry to read you have eczema. Out of interest, have you tried Ecover washing liquid? My DS has eczema and have tried Persil non-bio and wondering if I should try it again?

Sandi - we have had a similar experience with our gp.

My ds had quite a severe reaction to egg and had to have steriods. When I asked my gp about allergy testing he said that they dont do allergy testing. Then when I came onto mumsnet that night some people had had their children allergy tested on the NHS in an allergy clinic!!
Ds also had eczema, so I feel for you. It makes me so mad that the NHS dont take this sort of thing seriously.
Ds eczema cleared up one day, so there is hope. ood luck with the allergy testing x

Sandi, welcome to the world of gp's knowing nothing much about allergies. it took years for my dd1 to be referred for allergy tests, and as of yet she still hasnt been tested (she is 4.5yrs old). As she is atopic (ezcema, asthma, hayfever, has atopic shiners etc) the specialist feels she would react to everyone in a skin prick/patch test and would prove inconclusive. we are fortunate that dd1 reactions are not too serious (cats set off her asthma but we do our best to avoid cats, and have inhalors everywhere we go now), but they are uncomfortable. she is now on a daily dose of loratradine and has been since feb of this year. the loratradine has calmed down her nettle rash type reactions, tho her ezcema hasnt improved really.

CAn i ask if you have been referred to a dermotologist(sp??) about your ds' ezcema. ours has been brilliant at getting dd1 ezcema under control, and think that we now need to get dd2 under his care as well.

Chickpea I haven't tried Ecover but I'll look out for it - must admit I would love to find a powder that I can use with a decent scent. Eczema not too awful these days but when I was a kid it was disgusting - I just hate to see kids with it and get a bit peed that more isn't done to investigate prevention rather than treatment.

i am fully sympathetic to my kids and other kids with ezcema, as i have had an outbreak on my arms recently. its sore, itchy, irritated and sometimes feels like its burning.

Check this out: www.yorktest.com - you only need a finger prick of blood and they will test for allergies and intolerances - quite pricey though but worth it - it is best to seee a good naturopath to interpret the results. Hope this helps!

Sandi102 - lots of sympathy. Sounds like you need a better GP for starters. Definitely try to get referred to a dermatologist. I have eczema, asthma, hayfever etc. and saw a dermatologist regularly at our local hospital as a child. Amongst other things they did skin prick tests for food allergies / intolerances. Unfortunately these tests are not hugely reliable, I showed up as being allergic to things like potatoes and citrus fruit which I'm sure are not a cause of my eczema. BUT the tests can be useful in conjunction with observation and food exclusion, but ONLY do this with proper advice from a dietician, particularly where kids are concerned.

Also unfortunately the triggers and causes of eczema are many and various - there isn't usually a magic bullet. The eczema society are brilliant if you haven't already found them. I always hoped I would just find some food that I could stop eating which would make my eczema go away, but it's not that simple.

Non-biological washing powder is a must in my view - just rules out another possible cause of irritation without being any hassle. Also use 100% cotton clothing, particularly next to the skin. And good moisturisers and wet-wrapping can really help alleviate the skin irritation.

You'll be told by lots of people "Oh he'll grow out of it" - I know I was. Well, although I do still have eczema it is so MUCH better than when I was a child, and I have a good knowledge of what to do to manage the condition. So it does generally get much easier, even if it doesn't disappear.

it can be done on the NHS - my SIL has just had it done - but she had to wait about 18 months.

Hi Sandi
I'd be really pissed off too. Your gp sounds terrible.

Ds was referred to an NHS allergy clinic when he had a huge reaction to egg when he was about 18 months old. He's had skin prick testing which has confirmed his allergies to egg and dairy (I already knew he's allergic because he comes up in hives if any touches his skin). They said in the clinic that you get a lot of false positive results with allergy testing so as pidge says you need to use the results alongside observation and possibly food exclusion with assistance from a paediatric dietician.

The National Eczema Society are excellent and have a really good fact sheet about diet and eczema. I think they say that only about 30% of childhood eczema is related to diet so as someone else said it's worth pushing for a referral to a skin specialist if you haven't already had one. There's a good chance your ds's eczema is unrelated to food, and you would probably have noticed if there was an obvious trigger, so please don't beat yourself up about it. Hope you find some solutions soon.

we've not done allergy testing but we know that tomatoes affect ds2's eczema; he once dropped some on his bare leg and it flared up in 10 mins. It's interesting you say that the summer was bad because we are certain that ds's eczema is exacerbated by tree pollen. His is terrible in the spring/summer and virtually clear in the winter.

As others have said the eczema society is great and seeing a dermatologist really helps manage the eczema.

good luck

I'm amazed by the response, but the messages are all the same and very clear. Thankyou all so much.

Misdee, ds gets a nettle rash his back and white spots and redness in creases and neck. he is constantly rubbing his eyes and scratching his forehead. I may ask the GP for loratradine? I've also read about linatox? Its rich in fatt omega acids and should help in clearing up the excema.

Do i need to get a referral to see a dermatologist or can i see one privately?

And thanks for the advice re. national excema society. I've donwloaded much info.

glad to be of some help. the specialist recomended loratradine as she only needs one dose a day. the gp had been perscribing a different anti histimine but she needed 3 doses a day.

dd's nettle rashes appeared on her face, for no reason. it made her scratching worse.

btw (some popel will think i'm going on too much about this) have you applied for DLA for your son?

no but i remember reading about it on another thread and mentioning it to dh. I will apply.

have u elmiinated dairy from dd diet?

tried it when she was younger. she went onto goats milk etc at just over a year old in a bid to try and find out what was going on, but it didnt work.

dd2 ezcema flared up this year, b4 that she was clear so i had 15months of a child with lovely skin.

oh misdee, i really feel for you. ds's cleared up for about 12 months from the age of 3-4 but has come back with a vengeance. We didn't change anything, so I'm completely stumped. How did you make your're case in getting DLA? Sorry I can't find that thread. I've just downloaded a form from the DWP website.

just put everything we have to do, from how long baths take, the fact they need help with pj's as they wear all in one sleepsuits, the night wakings, changing bedding.pj's if caused bleeding, bathing dd1 in the middle of the night in an attempt to stop her being sore. all the meds.

dd2 has vomiting issues, and balence probs as well. also dd1 is under 2 different hospitals for ezcema and allergies. sees two specialists, and has a cupboard full of meds to herself. does your ds have asthma at all?

no he doesn't but dh has asthma, eczema and hayfever. I wish I'd pestered my GP a long time ago. But my HV should have also referred ds, because she always used to comment and ask me what i was using on skin. there was never any mention whatsoever about referral to specialists. Knowledge is definitley power! Oh and what are antihistimines?

i've used different oils for the bath. oilatum was crap. i used coconut oil from india, which was great until i had none left, so switched to aveeno oil.

anti-histimines are what people take to keep an allergic reaction down. comman one for kids is piriton. lorattradine is usually used by adults i think. works a treat on dd1. used to use piriton on her to help her sleep as well as it calms the itch.

piriton works quicker than other antihistamines but modern ones don't make you as drowsy. My son's (mild) eczema cleared up after using probiotics for a while. Mine is a lot better after taking regular doses of fish oil. Omega 3 fatty acids are very important for skin and fish oil (not cod liver oil, too much vitamin A in that) is the best way to get them.

Sometimes with allergies you find that if you eliminate one (like a food allergy) your body copes better with the other problems. The eczema may not be caused completely by allergies but it may be aggravated by them and be easier to deal with if you can avoid certain foods.

Other people with eczema have told me oats in the bath help. You put them in a muslin bag and run the tap through them.

Your GP should be shot. One of the problems is that there's a desperate shortage of allergy specialists in the NHS and most people end up being treated by a specialist in one symptom of allergy, eg a dermatologist. But that's no excuse for GP not referring you to a dermatologist. Get the National Eczema Society info and go back to your surgery, maybe see another GP there if possible, and insist on being referred.
Don't bother with quack tests such as York labs, they aren't reliable. Lots of people out there making cash by exploiting people who are worried about allergies. You need proper medical tests and you need your GP to refer.

thats what i say as well edam. i heard on a radio show once that dermotology is a short course at the end of docs training, which is why so many docs are useless with eczema.

Yup, anyone with serious eczema needs to see a proper dermatologist ie a hospital specialist NOT a GP (although there are some GPs who are particularly interested in dermatology and v. good).

and be prepared to fight for that referral. took months of asking before dd1 was referred. poor mite went thro terrible times when she was baby, so did i. i can bearly look at some photots of dd1 as it breaks my heart to see how bad she was.