Author Topic: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??  (Read 3732 times)

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Offline *Becky*

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UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« on: February 02, 2012, 15:20:13 pm »
ok well I really think we need to get M tested for food allergies/intolerances. She seems to have a runny nose most of the time and her cheeks are always red and dry plus she has dry patches all over her. The most worrying is her stomach as this can come up in ver red patches  :'(

I have been fobbed off ever since she was born and I have always suspected something was up.

How did you get your doctor to take you seriously? Do you just keep on at them? To be fair i have not been to my doc about it since she was about 3 months but when I have spoken to my HV she has just brushed it off even through it has got worse and worse....




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Offline Mashi

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2012, 15:35:49 pm »
I would ignore the HV Becky....a lot of them are useless ::)  I would take photos, notes, symptom lists and your thoughts on what you want and go to the GP and see what the GP has to say....it isn't really a thing that the HV has any jurisdiction over and just because the HV does not take you seriously means nothing at all.

One thing to keep in mind is that at 8 months, it generally has to be pretty severe or they have to have a reason to worry about allergies (rather than intolerances iyswim) to test a baby of that age. ie/ worry about anaphalyctic shock, and so on.  If it is "just" eczema then really they will want to do things by elimination and trials first - elimination diet if you suspect foods and removing things like perfumes, dyes, soaps, etc from laundry and so on.   


Offline *Becky*

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2012, 15:40:16 pm »
thanks mashi. The one thing I am worried about is egg. She has had some egg white twice. The first time was about 2 weeks ago in an Ella's Kitchen bolognese and I noticed the redness but she had it again 2 days ago and it was really bad. I am worried if it is egg that it will be in lots of things and would like them to test really so I am sure. I will go and see the doc and hope he gives me an appt but in the meantime I guess i need to eliminate stuff. I feel like we have only just really got propery going with solids!!




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Offline Buntybear

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2012, 17:37:05 pm »
Our allergist refused to do a skin prick test for anything that didn't show as fast reacting allergy  :P. Start at the GP as you will need to be referred.

Offline Lolly

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2012, 18:16:47 pm »
DS had an egg intolerance/ allergy and we were seeing a paed for his reflux at the time. The advice was to avoid all egg and then he had a skin prick test when he was 2 and then an egg challenge.

I would see the GP with a list of symptoms etc like Mashi suggested and ask for a referal to a paediatrician, you should be able to insits they refer you.

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Offline jesie

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2012, 19:57:14 pm »
We have never actually been tested, our pediatrician said they are too unreliable so would never test DS, its all done through actually giving it to him! Which is not helpful really

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Offline rach321

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2012, 20:41:40 pm »
Definitely go back to the GP with a list of symptoms - ask for a referral to a pead who will then refer on to allergist/dietician if necessary.  Keep on at them - with that list of symptoms it certainly sounds like something is triggering. Hope you get them to take you seriously.

Offline Buntybear

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2012, 22:10:11 pm »
Hi, are you still just off the rice and cinammon? Have you tried taking anything else out yet?

Offline *Becky*

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2012, 11:00:41 am »
yes off rice and cinnamon.

No have not tried eliminating yet as not sure where to start tbh. I will def avoid egg as her tummy was awful after having it. It could have been something else of course but I can't risk it again.

Have a doc appt today and am going to really push for it. Please send vibes - they always make me feel like a neurotic mum and I hate it.




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Offline Buntybear

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2012, 16:50:33 pm »
Good luck - hope it goes/ has gone well!

Offline *Becky*

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2012, 16:58:41 pm »
well we have a referral :)

My doc was unwilling to give it as he feels it is fairly mild and he said the testing is not always 100% reliable anyway but I did push for it. Feel a bit bad now and maybe I am worrying over nothing but I just feel I had to.






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Offline Mashi

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2012, 17:00:59 pm »
Who have they referred you to Becky, a paed or an allergist?

Offline *Becky*

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #12 on: February 03, 2012, 17:07:23 pm »
an allergist.

My doc is so nice...I think he feels we should leave it and it will sort itself out.

I 'know' there is something wrong and I also 'know' the reactions I have seen but I get the feeling he thinks i am crazy woman :(




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Offline *Becky*

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #13 on: February 03, 2012, 17:11:32 pm »
I guess I got what I wanted though and now i can stop the NAET testing which tbh is way too expensive! We have only had one session but to really move on we would probably need loads!




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Offline rach321

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #14 on: February 03, 2012, 18:10:30 pm »
Glad you got the referral - hope you get some answers

Offline *Becky*

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #15 on: February 06, 2012, 13:07:21 pm »
I guess now I am wondering whether to do an elimination diet of my own while we are waiting for the appt as it could take a while. I am not going to give egg anyway but what do you think?





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Offline katyusha

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Re: UK mums - please help. How did you get a referral for testing??
« Reply #16 on: February 06, 2012, 15:26:10 pm »
I did not get any luck with a GP as tests are expensive, BUT i did get it via my Health Visitor, who is lovely. So I guess need to have someone on your side.  Go there, describe your symptoms and look at the weight gain. In my case DS had eczema, losing weight and definitely not taking dairy well. Originally I had asthma diagnisis for DS and they did allergy tets then and the test confirmed it at the asthma clinic. However they refused to do more tests. But with Eczema coming on strong after soy, they decided it was cheaper to give me Nutramigen than to test DS. However in Dec (3 months on) the HV said the wight was not going up and with eczema, etc. I needed a dietician. At the next esthma hospital clinic they referred us to more food tests. Apparently milk, soy and egg allergy are often together. So he has those plus peanuts and something else they have not told us the results properly yet. The saga did not stop there. Because even though the tests are out the hospital specialist has not called us to interpete the results or even to tell us the results. I got them via my stay in A&e asking a doctor to look it up. Still, I called my HV and she has got me a dietician appointment. Why am I telling this?
A. It can be frustrating
B. persevere because you know best
C. Either HV or GP can help
D. Egg can mean soy and dairy as well
E. elimination diet can work but you need the dietician to make sure you still get the main nutrients. Also if breastfeeding, need to eliminate from own diet as well. It takes 2 weeks for dairy.
F. I did elimiantion diet and now he is ok, with us both no dairy, soy, egg or peanut. But until I eliminated it 100% we still had eczema. Now week 2 and fingers crossed.
Best of luck, it can be frustrating, main thing is to persevere.
I agree with Mashi that if not for asthma and low weight ( DS is on the 9th cetile to begin with) they probably would not have bothered if it was just eczema, but there severity matters as well as the kind of GP you have, (or HV).
« Last Edit: February 06, 2012, 15:29:43 pm by katyusha »