Scared mum with lots of questions (Sorry - v long)

[strawberrycornetto]

Sorry for another post but I am so worried and stressed and I don't know who else to ask for advice. I will try to be concise but sorry in advance for repeating things I've posted about before...

DS is 7 months old and we think he is allergic to milk (he was fully breastfed until we weaned and then has only had cows milk twice. First time he ate a little and came out in hives on his face. Second time I tested on his arm and it came up in a big red weal.) I also suspect he may have had skin reactions to sunflower oil used in baby massage (blotchy rash all over the places it touched his skin) and almond oil (from my shampoo, from a towel I had used to dry my hair, his arm went all red and blotchy and he now has eczema in that place). He has eczema on his legs, arms and face and he just seems to have terribly sensitive skin so he seems to be coming up in rashes on his face all the time.

We are going for allergy testing next week. I am also going back to work next week and he is due to be starting nursery. I am worried about leaving him and the two things seem to have got tied up in my head and I keep crying and I feel sick with worry. I know I am afraid of the worst case scenario but I just don't know what to expect now and what I should do or ask at the appointment.

So, if you read this far, thanks and I wonder if anyone who has been there can answer some of my questions:

1. What will happen at the allergy testing?

1. Will he be tested for just milk or other allergies?

1. Could he have an allergy to something he hasn't been exposed to? (I am thinking of peanuts, I am allergic to brazil nuts so have avoided all nuts since I found out I was pregnant).

1. Will I get definitive answers from the testing? Can they tell how serious an allergy is or just that there is an allergy?

1. Will they be able to rule out anaphylaxis? If so, is it safe to? I guess my biggest fear is that we will be told its not serious and then he will have a really bad reaction at nursery

1. Are we likely to be given epipens? Should I push for one as a safety net? If he is given one, will he still be able to go to nursery?

1. If you have one dc with an allergy and others who are allergy free, how do you cope with feeding them different things? Do you allow the allergic foods in the house?

1. Did anyone send a DC with allergies to nursery? My nursery seems fairly good but the room superviser did say it was easy with a baby but harder once they started eating at tables. Is there any way to keep him safe when he could so easily take food from the plate of the child next to him?

Sorry again, I know I am jumping ahead of myself but I am literally making myself sick worrying about this. I know we are lucky to be getting the testing done and I want to make sure I ask the right questions and know what I should be trying to achieve.

Thanks so much for any advice you can give me. I think I've lived in fear of my untreated nut allergy for so long that I am desperately sad and scared and guilty that I feel I've passed allergies on to my son

Good luck this afternoon. DD has allergies to milk, egg and peanuts which were diagnosed at 7 months by skin prick testing. She's now 12 months and having felt completely devastated and panicky at the start, I feel pretty relaxed about it now so hopefully you will too! Apparently most babies grow out of milk and egg allergies before school age, although only a fifth grow out of peanut allergy.

She started nursery a couple of weeks ago and although I was a bit worried, they do seem very allergy aware and check the ingredients on absolutely everything. Also she sits at the head of the table so she is less likely to manage to take any food from the other babies.

Let us know how you get on later.... x

Forgot to mention... DD was prescribed piriton syrup (despite being only 7 months at the time) and epipens. When she started nursery I got an extra prescription of each so we the nursery can keep a set.

Many of the nursery staff have had epipen training before, but they've arranged for a nurse from the nearby children's hospital to come in and do another session too, so you could suggest this.

Thanks Cuppachar. Did you suspect your DD had allergies to all three things before the test or was it a shock? I am hoping its just milk but preparing myself for the fact it may be more than that. I'll post later with what happened.

I was sure about milk for the test, and suspected egg. But the peanut was unexpected as I had never given her any and had avoided peanuts throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. (Like you I exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months and in fact am still not giving formula now.)

Anyway I guess you have now had the results? Hope they're reassuring and don't make you even more worried! It's best to know what you're dealing with.

sorry, meant before the test