DS reacting to things he has had loads of times before

[trixymalixy]

DS has a confirmed allergy to dairy eggs and cats.

He has recently started having a reaction to houmous and tomatoes, both of which he has eaten on a regular basis before.

I have an appointment with the allergy specialist, but the soonest he could be fitted in is June.

I'm worried that he will start reacting to more things he hadn't had a problem with before.

Is there anything I can do to avoid this apart from avoiding the main allergens?

What sort of reaction is it? You can develop an allergy to anything at anytime but unless it is dangerous I wouldn't avoid every common allergen, just perhaps be a bit cautious. If it is anaphalactic (sorry for the spelling) then I would talk to GP before coming to any decisions.

What worries me is that the reactions are increasing in severity.

The first time he reacted to the houmous his face just went a bit red, then the next time he had a few hives. At thie point we weren't definitely sure it was the houmous or the bread he had with it containing milk. So on the advice of the dietician we tried it again and his lips and face swelled up.

Same with the tomatoes, his skin went a bit red, but my Mum thought it was maybe a reaction to wiping his face with a pampers wipe. The next time he had tomatoes he came out in hives, so I'm worried next time it might be worse again.

How old is your ds? Unfortunately, in some children, food allergies can escalate - which sounds like what you are experiencing.

I'm not sure there is much you can do about this as it's really difficult/impossible to predict what he might react to Obviously, if you haven't introduced peanuts or kiwi yet, this is not be the time to do it but really there is no way of knowing.

In future, I'd withdraw foods at the first sign of a reaction for at least a few months as it does sound like his reactions are worstening with each exposure.

On a more positive note, food allergies can get better as well as worse. When I was 2 I was allergic to fish, by 8 the list read: dairy, all citrus fruits, fish, some shellfish, plus loads of environmental allergies. These days I can eat everything except kiwis and crab - and my reaction to both of these is very mild. So hard as it is as his diet gets more restricted remember its unlikely to be forever.

The humous could be seseme seed allergy, which is one of the things my ds is allergic to.

Agree with Christywhisty, my ds had exactly the same problem with houmous and has since had positive RAST test for sesame seeds. He's also dairy, egg & nut allergic. He does get red with tomatoes as well but not with the same severity as the sesame seeds so I think it's just an acidic reaction on his skin but I do keep an eye on it.

He's been exposed accidentally to sesame a couple of times since and it's worse every time. Hives covering his face last time but it went pretty quicky after Piriton.

It's not very nice but you get used to dealing with it. I think you've just got to go with it and keep trying new things it would be pointless avoiding foodstuffs 'just in case'. Although my ds is allergic to a fair bit he's fine with fish, wheat and citrus which are common allergens in others. The majority do seem to grow out of most of it eventually apart from the nut problem.

I agree it's likely to be the sesame seeds rather than the chick peas that he's reacting too, so it's probably best to avoid sesame seeds until you've had the tests in June. (As well as houmous and burger buns, always check the ingredients on anything labelled "multigrain", or choose white bread if in doubt.) Unfortunately with allergies, each exposure to the thing they're allergic too sensitises them more which means the reaction does tend to get worse each time (I'm speaking from personal experience as I have a food allergy myself).

Once you've had your consultation in June you will have a much clearer idea what he is allergic to and be able to manage his diet better. And the good news is, if you avoid those things totally for a few years it's possible he may grow out of the allergies, or at least that the reaction will be much less severe if he eats something by mistake. Good luck!

The vast majority of state registered NHS dietians know little about food allergy.

There are some out there that do,( see tanya wright re her allergy books) they are linked to the allergy clinics or consultant.
Are you being reffered to an Immunoliogist?
Or just a pead consultant , who may have picked up some allergy experience on the way?

I would give new foods one at at time , and obviously avoid humous.
Ring the consultant, to ask for a earlier appointment?
nothing wrong in badgering the NHS to get what you want.

you have no real idea what in the homous your child is allergic to, sometimes its the red dye, sometimes its a chick pea/ bean /legume allergy.

This is why you need to get that appointment.

good luck, been in your shoes, its not easy.

My GP phoned the allergy consultant to try and bring our apointment forward, but didn't have any luck.

What's an immunologist?

i am just checking thatyou are being reffered on to the right medical support.
not just your local peadiatric consultant, or skin expert /asthma chap etc who has dabbled in allergy testing.
some of them are okay, but once they dx the allergies, there advice and support may be poor.
seeing the right doc in a pead allergy clinic is the best imo
but am aware that this is very diffcult to get.

if you can turn up at short notice phone the clinic and tell them that, they may be able to fit you in early to replace a cancellation.

I would wait/travel miles to see a proper consultant and not one of the people who are supposed to have an interest - but sometimes seem to know very little.

I'm afraid children can go on to develop new allergies. I give my child probiotics and make sure they are well hydrated. There is no real proof this helps but at least I feel I am trying everything that might possibly help.

We are going to see a specialist alergy consultant at Yorkhill in Glagow.

tatt, tell me about probiotics?

probiotics are supposed to help the immune system www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/allergies/aboutallergies_lifestyle.shtml

If taken during pregnancy they seem to give some protection against the baby developing allergies.

They certainly do not prevent severe allergic reactions but I hope they might help lessen the severity/ boost my child's health generally. If your child likes yoghurt they may as well have a live variety.

DS is allergic to dairy. Are there any dairy free probiotics?

sorry I had forgotten you said that. There are lots of places to get them online - google dairy free probiotic and you get e.g
www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/sect/SAHAC-Probiotics.html
(second listing but I think I've bought from that site)

You may get some in larger health food stores, people have found them in Holland & Barrett sometimes.