Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Could this be a food allergy?

14 replies

SydneyB · 17/01/2013 09:50

Yesterday eve about 30 mins after having her tea DD (6) began to complain that she couldn't breath, went very red in the face and a few minutes later was sick. She'd been running around so at first I thought perhaps she was just out of breath but now I'm beginning to wonder if it was to do with something she'd eaten. After she'd been sick she complained of feeling dizzy and having a headache so I gave her Calpol and she went to bed and slept all night and seems fine this morning. She was a little wheezy as she fell asleep. She's never shown signs of being allergic to anything before but I wonder if these things can develop spontaneously? And since she's totally fine this morning I don't think it can be a bug. Does anyone have any thoughts?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
DoItToJulia · 17/01/2013 11:58

What did she have for tea?

SydneyB · 17/01/2013 12:23

Nothing she's not had before. Pizza (cheese, tom, ham), grapes and yoghurt.

OP posts:
DoItToJulia · 17/01/2013 12:32

I was wondering if there was any tuna or oily fish?as these can sometimes cause those symptoms.

brainonastick · 17/01/2013 12:44

It could be. Or it could have been a food poisoning type thing (e.g. as DoItToJulia says, tuna can give you scombroid food poisoning which is an excess of histamine and can manifest just like anaphylaxis - I've had it from a tuna bagel, it is very scary!).

I would make sure you carry around some piriton for a week or two just in case, and give double dose if it happens again, plus take to A&E if breathing is threatened. (DD1 has severe food allergies, so I know a little of what I'm talking about, but I'm not a medical person...)

SydneyB · 17/01/2013 16:20

Thanks both. There was no fish in it. The only thing I can think was that the pizza was made from puff pastry and I brushed it with egg before baking. She loves eggs though and has never had a reaction before. I ate it all too as did younger DS and a couple of other kids who'd come for tea and none of them have been ill. Odd. I will carry around the Piriton though, that's good advice.

OP posts:
brainonastick · 17/01/2013 16:41

Did she say that her mouth felt tingly at all when she was eating it? That would be indicative of an allergic reaction. All the symptoms certainly sound like one, and yes, allergies can develop just like that, they are strange things.

It is strange that it was half an hour after eating though - usually an allergic reaction that bad would start much more immediately. Not always though. Is there anything else that she was playing with or touching more immediately before it happened that could have caused this? (eg playing with a balloon - latex allergy, that kind of thing)

I think, unfortunately, that you'll only be able to pin a reason on this if it happens again. I don't want to scare you, but the wheezing/being dizzy is a possible sign of anaphylaxis, so it if happens again I would take her straight down to A&E rather than let her go to sleep.

You should also tell her that if she eats anything that makes her mouth feel tingly, she should stop straight away and go and get you. I would also probably inform her school (which might mean going to the GP to get a prescribed bottle of piriton). Sorry, all a major hassle and very stressful for you, but allergies are so unpredictable I think it is better to be over-cautious.

SydneyB · 17/01/2013 20:36

Thanks a lot for the advice. She was dressing up and dancing around so maybe something in the material? Piriton in bag and have told her childminder and will talk to school too. Really appreciate the reply. It was quite scary and I'm having to stop myself watching her anxiously! She was totally fine today though. The other thing I've noticed over the last few weeks now I think about it are spots around her cheeks mouth, wonder if that's related. Not a rash, just a few spots. Being to feel that I might take her to GP anyway and mention it...

OP posts:
neolara · 17/01/2013 20:50

I think that sounds like it could be a food allergy. (My dd is allergic to peanuts and has reacted to other foods as well.) Did you use different brands of food ot usual? Sometimes recipes change so food that has once been OK can cause reactions.

You can buy piriton at the chemist. But I would go to your GP to log your concern in any case.

Unless you have an idea of what the allergen is, the hospital will not be able to test out whether your dd is allergic to it. Usually hospitals do skin prick tests, where they put a tiny drop of the possible allergic food onto the patient's skin and then make a tiny prick with a pin through the food so that it enters the blood. They then wait about 10 mins to see if there is a reaction. They won't just randomly test a whole bunch of stuff - they need to know what the possible allergen is in order to test it.

neolara · 17/01/2013 20:51

Oh, and spots around mouth could easily be a sign of a very minor reaction.

brainonastick · 17/01/2013 21:20

The spots could be a sign of her getting sensitised to something. Or they could just be spots! Do they tend to come and go quickly? A normal spot will hang around for a while won't it?

I think it's a good idea to get it logged with the gp. Do you have any family history of atopic illness? (asthma, eczema, hay fever, food allergies) If so it raises her chances of developing it.

You could also start a diary, because it's very easy to forget the details, but they are necessary when trying to establish a cause if it happens again. Eg write down the food (all ingredients if you can) and reaction, and if the spots come and go, try to write down when and if there is anything in particular she's had in the 24 hours beforehand.

You could try to get a referral for skin prick tests. It very much depends on your area and your gp as to whether you'll be successful. They are by no means 100% reliable though (false positives and false negatives are common - dd1 tested negative to cheese even though it was the very thing that had triggered the referral! She did test positive to general cows milk protein though), so might not give you an answer. You've got an idea of what it might be - wheat, dairy, egg, tomato, sulphite (ham), pork, grapes, whatever ingredients were in the yoghurt. If you can dig out a full list of ingredients for the food that might be helpful - eg you might find that traces of nuts are in there too, etc.

brainonastick · 17/01/2013 21:25

One more thing before I shut up Blush. I remember someone on the allergy board ages ago (babybarrister?) said something about how their dc's food allergies were exacerbated by exercise, so the combination of allergen + exercise resulted in a much worse attack. So that could be why your dd had a worse reaction this time. Although 6 year olds are dancing around like loons more often than not!

SydneyB · 17/01/2013 21:33

There is no family history at all on either side, no. I think what I'm going to do is keep a close eye with piriton to hand. Hopefully it's just a one off but I'm not going to take any risks and will get straight to GP if it happens again. I really support all the input, many thanks!

OP posts:
BlueBumedFly · 17/01/2013 23:32

Braininastick - you are absolutely right about allergies and exercise, it's all connected to metabolism of the allergen etc. When you have a child desensitised to an allergen, they must be chilled out for the 2 hours or so afterwards, no running or jumping about.

SydneyB - sorry to say that in my experience it does sound like an allergic reaction, kids can develop reactions at any age so you are right to carry piraton and even ask your DD if she has ever felt like that before, any wheezing, tingly mouth as the other posters commented already. I do recommend popping over to the allergies board, there are many lovely ladies over there who are really knowledgeable and supportive.

My DD has allergies so I'm familiar with the symptoms you described. Not to panic though, it still may have been a one-off but I'd encourage vigilance, especially around eggs and dairy and jumping children. Any cause for concern then contact your doctor but excellent advise from brainonastick about keeping a diary and also try getting a quick photo on your phone once piraton safely in or course as so many people turn up at a GP banding the word 'allergy' around that your have to fight for testing sometimes I'm afraid.

Good luck - hope it was a one off but do pop to allergies, lots of good info there too.

Tammyhiles · 25/01/2013 06:25

For some people, an allergic reaction to a particular food may be uncomfortable but not severe. For other people, an allergic food reaction can be frightening and even life-threatening. Food allergy symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to two hours after eating the offending food. Food allergies can occur even the first time you eat a food.

The most common food allergy symptoms include:

Tingling or itching in the mouth
Hives, itching or eczema
Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other parts of the body
Wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting

Use this Allergy forum to discuss more.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread