Author Topic: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?  (Read 1536 times)

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Offline KathrynK

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Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« on: May 25, 2009, 18:19:55 pm »
Alex is poorly most of the time lately but today I was reading another post from Mimi and wondered if it's a food allergy.

He shows the following common symptoms:
Gassiness
Skin rash (more on that in a mo)
Runny nose, stuffiness, constant cold- like symptoms
Red rash around the anus
Fussiness, irritability, poor sleeping (although he's never been a great sleeper in fairness  ::))
Vomiting and increased spitting up (3 changes of clothes a day, typically)
Asthma (he always has a wheezy chest)
Ear infection (3 in 9 weeks now)

Anyway, the last 2 weeks he has gotten a rash on his face and I thought at first it was due to the wipes, although they are sensitive ones and he's never had a problem before. Then I started to think it might be food related when it appeared much much worse after eating, but not every time. For example at breakfast and lunch today, it wasn't that bad at all, and then at dinner time it flared up angrily after the first spoonful got wiped around his mouth. Check out the picture at the bottom. Does that look like an allergy?

Also, dh & Sophie have asthma, me & both kids have mild eczema, and me & Sophie both have hayfever. What a family eh? No food allergies in the family that I am aware, but clearly we are atopic!

thanks for your thoughts
Kathryn x
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Offline Spectra

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2009, 19:02:21 pm »
Wow, poor little guy!  It is possible.  I'd suggest a food diary, write down when and what you feed him and any symptoms he has and when they occur.  After a week go through it and see if you can spot a link, like a certain food at supper that causes a rash?  Especially a rash that sudden, I would be suspicious of the food.  How long has this all been going on for?  What did you feed him at supper that time when the rash flared up?
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Offline hemz80

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2009, 19:07:14 pm »
I too was going to ask what he had for dinner... it may just have aggrevated the rash.  Especially if it was acidic etc.

Offline KathrynK

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2009, 19:22:59 pm »
Bolognaise. I think it's a problem with tomatoes when I go over everything he's eaten in the past couple weeks.
Am going to eliminate them and see what happens. Are tomatoes a known allergen?
thanks guys
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Offline hemz80

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2009, 19:26:54 pm »
Ds used to get this... the tomatoes would aggrevate his rashes under chin.  If it's nothing new then it sounds unlikely.  It all sounds like it could be teething??

Offline shivi

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2009, 19:34:23 pm »
Kathyrn

what a cutie!

Don't have much exp with allergies at all....(O is allergice mainly to cosmetics....definately wipes with lots of alcohol could cause this kind of outbreak on his face).

just wanted to add hugs }}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{

S x


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Offline Mashi

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2009, 20:02:44 pm »
I think it looks like allergy to me - either contact or food, but with all of the above symptoms you have said they could all be connected.  Kathryn I thought you were milk/soy intolerant, why do I have that in my head for some reason?

I also suggest a food diary.  Does he eat tomatoes often? My DS breaks out like that with raw tomatoes but not cooked ones, and it's from contact, not eating them. If I get them into him without his hands or face touching the tomato he is fine, it's just when he has contact with the raw tomato.  (Someone suggested to me that this was very odd, but as I had a friend in uni who was the same, I never thought of it as strange because I'd come across it before...)

With DS's milk allergy/intolerance, one of the things DH and I found hard to understand was why every now and again he DIDN'T scream the house down with his bottle, or DIDN'T throw up most of what he drank. Most of the time both happened but strangely every once in a while he was fine.  Asked the paed and he just sort of shrugged.

Offline KathrynK

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2009, 20:50:51 pm »
Quote (selected)
Kathryn I thought you were milk/soy intolerant, why do I have that in my head for some reason?

LOL Mashi, you are right, I am cow's milk and eggs intolerant- it didn't occur to me, I suppose because it's not a "true" "allergy", kwim? Also because it's still a relatively new diagnosis I still forget to mention it  ::)

The rash started about 2 weeks ago and coincided with our trip to Center Parcs. That week he ate Hipp Organic jarred food for every lunch and dinner (free in all restaurants @ Center Parcs!). He also threw up a lot more than normal during the week (with mild reflux he's always been a spitter). Prior to our holiday virtually all his meals were homecooked with the very odd exception, when he had an Organix or Plum pot. We wondered if it was a problem with store- bought jarred foods in general, although I couldn't see why that should be.
He also cut his first tooth whilst we were there, and I did think it was just teething- related. But it's been 2 weeks since the tooth appeared and the rash seems to subside and then flare again.
The reason I thought of tomatoes this evening is because his face went nuts immediately when I fed him bolognaise for dinner, and he moaned all the way through sinner, even though he ate most of it willingly. It wasn't a problem at all at lunchtime or yesterday, when he had cheese sauce- based meals.
I then Googled the ingredients for all the store- bought food he has had, and all the Hipp jars he had at Center Parcs contain tomatoes, apart from one. The Organix and Plum products he had eaten prior to that don't contain them.

Do you think it's just a coincidence? He has a dr appt in the morning to see if his latest ear infection has gone so I will bring it up with her- will take along the photo to show her.
thanks again
x
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Offline Spectra

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2009, 00:24:46 am »
The tomatoes definitely sound suspicious.  I would definitely bring a picture with you to the doctors' office and see what they say.  I know my dad will get eczema on his hands if he handles oranges a lot, so that really wouldn't surprise me about the tomatoes, they are a acidic and could also explain the spitting up if he does have mild acid reflux.  Unless acidic foods don't make a difference with acid reflux, I really don't know much about it!  I'm just throwing that out there.  :)
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Offline mini me

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2009, 11:38:08 am »
He's so cute Kathryn!!

I have heard mixed things about intolerance to Tomatoes, but I do know quite a lot of adults who say that eating a large amount of tomato tends to "go straight through" them!!  :-X  Also my Mum gets stiff joints form eating to much acidic things and Tomatoes listed highly in this - the same severity as lemons, but not so much to oranges, so makes me think they are high up on the acidic scale. Just what I've heard - not medically based tho. Hugs.
Andi




Offline MLK

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #10 on: May 26, 2009, 13:30:58 pm »
Looks like an allergy to me. A friend of mine's mother could eat cooked tomatoes, but if she touched a raw tomato or even a tomato leaf, she would puff up. Tomatoes are a fairly common allergen.

If you wanted to know, you could rub a TINY bit of tomato of the inside of his arm and see if it reacts at all, as well as eliminate them from his diet.

Offline KathrynK

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Re: Does this look/ sound like allergy to you?
« Reply #11 on: May 26, 2009, 16:43:50 pm »
thanks everyone
I asked the dr today and she thinks it's highly plausible. She said to eliminate it for about 3 weeks, keep a food diary during that time and note whether he has any further reactions of any kind. Then after that time try a small bit again and see what happens.
Nursery are great, all their food is homemade on the premises and they are going to give me a list of ingredients for everything he eats while he is there (3 days a week)
He had apple dessert for tea today and it flared up a bit- not as much- which isn't the first time, so I think I need to be careful of acidic fruits as well. Sophie tested intolerant for citrus fruits not so long ago so it's possibly all related.
Will keep you posted!
thanks again
Kathryn
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