Help me calm down food allergy

[Lotsnlotsoflove]

I am in a state of extreme distress and anxiety over my daughter’s food allergies. She is 2 years and 10 months, since March her eczema has flared to the point she was covered head to toe in itchy red skin. Our doctor made several referrals to dermatology but as of now we are still on a waiting list. We had one appointment with a private derm (cannot afford more) who prescribed strong steroids which do work to clear a flare up, but which we cannot continue to use indefinitely. She has never slept through the night due to itching, and I am at the end of my rope with broken sleep and the knock on effect on my health. DD has also had several allergic reactions to salmon and other unidentified foods, including swollen lips. Doctor has said she needs to be taken to a & e every time lips swell. It will be 18 months to 2 years on the waiting list for allergy clinic according to GP. I am in such a state. I am so frightened that she is going to have a fatal reaction, I am terrified to go to work and to leave her at nursery or with her dad and grandmother (my mum) both of who minimise symptoms. I feel that my perfect baby is now broken and I am struggling to manage my emotions, which I realise are very out of proportion. If it helps two people in my social sphere have died of allergic anaphylactic shock, so perhaps I have an inflated sense of the risks. I feel my dd will never live a normal life and it is just a matter of time before something terrible happens. Please help me
manage my emotions around this as I am not coping well at all. We have no spare cash to pay for private treatment without getting into debt on top
of existing debts. Help.

Hello
That does sound so stressful and as a fellow eczema sufferer I sympathise totally. I don't have any advice on the allergy front I'm afraid but for the eczema I can recommend Eurax cream to help stop itching and also Aveeno colloidal oat sachets to sprinkle in the bath. I always found them very soothing. I also use aloe vera cream when my skin is hot and inflamed as it has a lovely cooling effect.
Bless her, it's awful for one so young to have to go through this.

Can you afford a private blood test to screen for allergies? I think its about £400. My DD had terrible eczema and the GP just kept giving out different creams. Saw a private consultant who did allergy tests and turns out she has a severe dust mite allergy. We had no idea and shes a teenager! Have bought various dust mite products (special vacuum cleaner, bed sheet covers, plug in dust mite repeller, damp dusting with natural oils that kill dust mites etc) and she has barely any symptoms now. Dread to think how long she would have suffered without the blood test.

Your daughter sounds like me when I was young. Two things that have helped me are Chinese herbal medicine (it really calmed down a horrible flare up when I was in my early 20s) and seeing an allergy specialist.

I saw him once privately and he then facilitated an NHS referral so I was able to see him regularly. He carried out detailed allergy tests so I was able to find out exactly what to avoid, and most importantly of all, he told me about oral allergy syndrome, which is very common in people like us. Basically most raw fruit and veg causes a small allergic response which doesn't go beyond the mouth so it's less dangerous than a proper, severe allergy, and can be overlooked. But giving up eating raw fruit and veg, and especially tomatoes, has basically got rid of my eczema. I haven't had a flare up in several years. Turns out the oral allergy was almost certainly the cause of my eczema.

I think trying these two things is probably more helpful than seeing a dermatologist, who might not focus on the cause of your daughters problems and try to treat the symptoms.