Allergy testing???

[GuruLuru]

Please tell me if you've had your baby allergy tested???

My baby has been referred by NHS dieticians to paeds allergy testing. But we've already been waiting 3months and she's allergic to SO MUCH I'm at my wits end.

Safe foods she's getting bored of and more and more seems to set her allergies off

So I thought I'd go privately but places say they won't do blood tests under 3 and no skin tests for under 16s?!

She's suspected allergic to so much just need a blood test...

Has anyone else had this privately??? I can't fathom how NHS would do it and not private?

My ds had skin prick testing at 6 months by nhs pleads allergy clinic this was 6 years ago though so could have changed but we where told this was the youngest it could be done. He was tested for lots of different ones environmental and food.

@Hm2020 thanks!
It's bizzare to me private hospitals won't so it when it can just be a blood test.

A friend's sister was told 13months waiting list which is why I looked into private, as she's going into nursery Feb and currently can't even give a guaranteed list of safe foods!

How does a blood test work? I mean, even if there is a response, how do you know what it is to? DD has had multiple skin prick tests over the years that clearly show what she reacts to and what she does not react to. This was NHS.

I have no idea but that's what is a thing! Some clever lab work. They test sooo much in one go now.

Copy and pasted...

How does the test work:

ImmunoCAP uses specific molecular components of allergens. Conventional testing is based on allergen prepared from biological raw materials, which contain mixtures of allergenic and non-allergenic molecules.

More Information around ISAC Component Test:

Immuno Solid-phase Allergy Chip (ISAC) technology uses specific molecular components of allergens immobilized in a microarray enabling a simultaneous measurement of IgE antibodies to a fixed panel of 112 components from 51 allergen sources in a single step.

I had my son allergy tested as he reacted to eggs and peanut. It was a skin prick test and I did it privately as the wait was too long on the NHS. I think most private hospitals do it. I went to Spire Southampton. Message me if you’d like more details

Where abouts do you live? There are definitely private clinics that will do it. Make sure you are not going to a random 'alternative' medicine myself but a proper clinic that does the same tests the NHS offer.

Try googling the childrens allergy consultants at your local large hospital and see if they work privately.

Skin prick tests can be slightly unreliable in very young babies I think, but a trained allergy doctor would know how to interpret the results.
Blood tests are also one way of looking too but remember it's usually a combo of skin prick, bloods and you describing the reactions in combination that will help understand the allergies.

My advice also is to keep a detailed food diary and write down the reactions etc so you can take this along to your Appointment.

Hope it goes well

My now 13mo DD had the skin prick test in the summer after a reaction to egg. She had a borderline peanut test (hadn't tried them before but the allergies are linked so was tested anyway).

A few weeks ago we spent the day in hospital on the paeds ward for a 'peanut challenge' where peanut butter was fed to her in increasing amounts to see if there was a reaction. Thankfully negative so we can introduce them into her diet.

I don't know if doing something similar would be helpful so you can try new foods in a safe place in case there's a reaction?

Weird. I’m not in uk, but my son had allergy test last year when he was 6 month old as reacted to peanut butter. It was a full blood test where they just took small sample of blood, then it was analysed against 200 most common allergens to see which ones he was allergic to.
It was very simple, and can definitely be done on under 3 years. He is due is second one next month to see if the severity of allergies has decreased in the last year

Also, we were told the skin prick tests only work if you have already been exposed. So when my son was tested at 6 months, I would have shown up peanut butter as he had tried it, but wouldn’t have shown up hazelnuts as he had never eaten anything with them in