Allergies?

[MumOf2Here]

Hi all.
My son is 3 and a half and has eczema. He hasn’t got any known allergies, and his eczema is managed well under a dermatologist.

In the summer hols, at a family members house he was playing in the garden most of the day and the next morning he woke up with really swollen eyes. At first i thought conjunctivitis as they were abit sticky, but later i thought maybe hayfever as he was playing in the grass?
(he has never had this reaction before from playing in grass so thats why i was abit reluctant to say hayfever.)
He didn’t have any other reaction through the whole summer.
Then towards the end of the summer hols, he started complaining he has an itchy tongue / throat and would try and clear his throat. This was happening nearly everyday but no big reaction.

Wednesday was his first day at nursery. After he came back he had pasta and just one strawberry after, when all of a sudden he started to react - he has pasta and strawberries allll the time.

I gave him piriton and he fell asleep. An hour later he woke up and his eyes were puffy like balloons, but he was better in himself and the pufiness came down slowly and eventually.

He Has said his mouth and throat are itchy since that wednesday, he was almost reacting on Saturday but has reacted today.

His eyes are swollen, red and slightly sticky, stuffy nose sneezing.
I gave him piriton whch worked soon after but we are besides ourselves.
We cannot pin point what it could be.

We do have a cat but we have had him for over a year. Could it be the cat fur?

Anyone ever experienced anything like this?
isit worth getting him seen by Dr?
So sorry for he long post.
TIA xxx

If both eyes are swollen, then it's likely allergy related. Eczema, allergies and asthma are all atopic conditions. It's quite common for someone to start with eczema and then develop allergic rhinitis and/or allergic asthma. Allergic rhinitis is usually caused by pollens, moulds, dust or animal dander.

Allergies can start at anytime despite having been regularly exposed to something. My son is allergic to dogs, started reacting around a year old despite regularly visiting several family members with dogs since he was newborn. So yes, unfortunately, it could be the cat. I doubt it's the strawberry if it's kept going since Wednesday and he hasn't had them since. Grass pollen season is ending but fungi/mould season is starting. However, if it were the grass at the at the family members house, I think he'd have a reaction at the time and more reactions throughout the season. I have hayfever and in grass pollen season, I react daily and need daily antihistamine. Touch some plants and even with antihistamine, I'll be an itchy, snotty mess in a matter of minutes.

Could also be dust mites. A dust mite allergy can be hard to narrow down because they're everywhere! But if you notice it worse at night or in the mornings, (they like to live in mattresses) it could suggest dust mites. Fluffy throws and cushions also hold onto dust; the first sign DS was reacting to something other than dogs was watery, red, puffy eyes when sat on his bed with a fluffy cushion.

Keeping a diary might help to help spot patterns and work out what he's reacting to. Yes, worth seeing GP. At the very least it'll be on his record that he's having an allergic reaction to something but they can also prescribe antihistamine so you can get it free and something longer lasting and non-drowsy compared to piriton. You can also ask to have allergy testing, though we were told it's hard to get allergy tests on the NHS. If no luck working it out or getting testing from GP, you can get allergy testing privately. We had DS tested privately with IgE blood test, that confirmed the dog allergy which we'd already worked out but also revealed the dust mite allergy which we had no idea about.

Hi thank u so so much for ur reply and insight. Its so hard to pin down what it could be, especially cause they’re so young.

The day he returned from nursery on the wednesday the reaction ws during the afternoon. However every reaction since has been late in the evening/before bedtime in the living room. I try and keep it as clean as i can but the cat also is in that room often too.
Yesterday I noticed he had 1-2 bites of rice, and then he said his mouth is itchy (he has rice all the time too) - he was
fine after a minute or so however, and continued to eat. I know he hugged the cat about 30 min later, and did kiss the cat on its head too. Soon after he was itchy and the reaction presented. (he also played with the cat om the stairs just before his food)

Will keep a diary and note down all the things he is eating/doing before a reaction or when he complains his mouth is itchy and will also see the GP. You’re right regarding it being on his record too. I did mention an allergy test when his eczema was at its worst to GP, however Dr fobbed me off and said it could be anything so its hard to test for an allergy.

My husband and I agree should go private.
We will look into this. When going to see someone privately - do u have to be selective on what they should test for? Or do they decide based on what you tell them?

Thank you xx

I am allergic to cats and lived with cats all my childhood but we didn't join up the dots that my allergies were due to the cats until I went to university and when I went back home it was very obvious that I got itchy and my face puffed up when ever I was near the cats. I must have developed a small amount of tolerance which meant that I didn't continuously react to them and the sporadic reactions were hard to pinpoint.

Had the grass been cut, grass allergies can be a bit weird where you can be fine with grass but then react if the grass has been recently cut. I just need to walk past a house that has just cut their grass and my nose and face gets tingly. I can smell cut grass from a mile away!

Also, if you are having an allergic reaction to something else it can make you more sensitive to other allergens. Given the itchy mouth I think I would be seeking medical attention when he is having a reaction. Allergies can get worse with each exposure and symptoms in the throat can indicate there might be a risk of anaphylaxis and it is always best to have a very low bar for seeking medical advice with any symptoms that could become anaphylaxis

Yes, the itchy mouth is a worry and the swelling. Allergies are unpredictable, they can suddenly get worse and you can never be sure how bad or not the next reaction will be. Anaphylaxis is a worry as is the swelling (angioedema) affecting his throat and breathing.

My husband and I agree should go private.
We will look into this. When going to see someone privately - do u have to be selective on what they should test for? Or do they decide based on what you tell them?

We had DS2 tested with an IgE blood test. One sample and they tested for all the most common food and airborne allergens. So the test gave results for dust mites, dog dander, cat dander, the most common mould allergen, grass pollens, latex, milk, wheat, egg, nuts, soy and fish. We had the results in a couple of days. I know someone whose daughter had an ALEX allergy test, which again uses one blood sample but tests for 300 possible allergens. Skin prick testing is also available privately, though we couldn’t find anywhere local to us. They can also test for multiple allergens in one go.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Yes its strange as we have had cats growing, but my brother suddenness has an allergy to cats. I was shocked that an allergy to something can present or change at any given time.

I didn’t actually know allergies can get worse with each exposure. Thats actually quite scary, especially when a child is concerned. I will try and get him seen tomorrow by GP.

thank u so much x

Thank u so much for ur reply. As above, i actually had no idea allergy reactions could get worse each time. That’s worrying.

And thanks for explaining how testing works. I thinks its always a good idea to have some knowledge on the topic before going to see the GP so they aren’t fobbing u off.!
Hoping to get him seen tomorrow, will see what they come back with.
Thanks again xx