Fine one day, not the next?

[SDER]

Hi!

We started solids three weeks ago today.  At first, everything was going really well and then...well.. DS started reacting to what he was eating.  It started out with yogurt; His inner arms and lower face became bright red with little white bumps.  Not making the link to an allergy problem, I gave him some again a couple of days later.  Well, this time his whole chest and tummy became bright red and covered with little red bumps.  I decided to eliminate dairy for the time being and just stick to the food that he hadn't reacted to, but now he's starting to react to foods he was fine with too: tomato, cantaloupe, fish cakes...it always happens on the third time he eats the food.

I went to see his pediatrician who is stumped and referred me to an allergist.  I have an appointment...at the end of October.

Has anyone ever experienced something similar?  Any thoughts on what I should do.  I mean, since it only seems to have an effect on his skin I always have benadryl on hand but I don't want to end up having to give him some each time he eats something.  I'm also keeping a log of OK foods and not-OK foods so I can see what he reacted to and when.

I'm just really frustrated right now.

Thank you

[abbysmomma]

You need a couple of exposures to develop an immune response to something. So it makes sense that you see the hives after a couple of exposures. 90% of food allergies are from the top 8 (dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, shellfish, seafood) so I would suspicious of those first. I would recommend getting an epi-pen right away. Ask your pediatrician for a script,  or in Canada you can get epi-pens without a script, just a bit more expensive. Past reactions don't predict future, especially since you're seeing reactions to multiple foods.  Tomatoes are naturally high in histamines, which is what mediates the immune response. Often tomatoes wil cause redness/hives on contact but does not indicate allergies. The fish cakes I would suspect wheat or egg if you're sure that there is no x-contamination issues with dairy. If you call the allergist's office and tell them you lo is very young, and that you've had multiplexes reactions with widespread hives, maybe they can put you on a waiting list? We were able to see the allergist within a week bc my ds1 was around your lo's age when I discovered his allergies. We deal with 5 out of the above eight between my two sons. Anyways, I feel your pain. Dairy is tough to deal with, and you may have to consider cutting it out yourself if you're breastfeeding. It was a whirlwind of emotions when I realized what a lifestyle change we were dealing with. Definitely keep up with the food log. Good luck!

[SDER]

Thank you for the info.  I wasn't aware that it could take several exposures before a reaction happened.  I'll talk to his pediatrician about getting a script for an epi-pen.  I've actually been afraid that he might need one after seeing his hives progress the way they did after only a few exposures.  I think I'm going to keep running with it for a week or so and call the allergy department of the hospital again if more reactions happen to see if the appointment could be moved up.  Otherwise, I'll see if I can't find someone in a private practice.  In the meantime, I am going to read up on food allergies and try to find foods that I can safely give my son.  So far, potatoes seem to be one of the only safe foods we've tried so far...

As far as cutting out dairy, it's something that I haven't done through my 6 months (so far) of breastfeeding.  My son hasn't seemed bothered by it being in my diet, but then again, perhaps I just haven't seen the signs.  (ETA: now that I think of it, DS has had eczema for...well almost from birth.  Is it possible that his eczema is caused by the foods I eat?).

[abbysmomma]

Both my sons had eczema from birth that was helped only when I cut out the allergen. I say helped because it didn't go away entirelyeven when I cut things out. Having eczema is often part and parcel of having food allergies. They've both mostly outgrown the eczema, but my oldrr son now has asthma, which also comes in hand with food allergies.I had a peek at your blog (hope it isn't too stalkery) and saw the pic of your son's reaction. That's pretty serious and widespread. Watch for other more 'subtle' reactions like unusual lethargy, coughing, runny nose, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, wheezing, blue or swollen  lips. If one of mine had your hives with ANY other symptom, I would have given an epi. In fact, I know for many that full body hives is enough to warrent an epi.

In terms of othef foods, obviously avoid dairy and any other foods you've seen reactions to. Stay with whole foods, and avoid anything packaged. So plain meats, steamed veggies, plain fruit. At least until you've seen your allergist. Do you know if it's a pediatric allergist? Iwould highly recommend one. A website that has saved me many times is kidswithfoodallergies.org. Extremely useful, with helpful forums and lots of info. Hope that helps!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

A website that has saved me many times is kidswithfoodallergies.org. Extremely useful, with helpful forums and lots of info. Hope that helps!

I second this site, and also getting an epi pen...I'm not aware that you can get one without a script though (at least not in my province anyways!).  The thing is that a past reaction does not predict a future reaction so even though it is only hives now there is no way to know what will happen next time.  Also, it could just be his body is on high alert from the first reaction and is reacting to things that he may not be allergic too.  Our allergist will only test for things that have been ingested and reacted to, thereby avoiding false positives (which are quite common and lead to unnecessary diet restrictions). 

I wasn't aware that it could take several exposures before a reaction happened.

Yup, it is usually never the first time eating something...the body has to have seen it before to recognize it and launch an immune response (ie the allergic reaction).   You can also develop an allergy at any time, my sister, who ate seafood her whole life, developed an anaphylactic allergy at age 29!

[SDER]

I had a peek at your blog (hope it isn't too stalkery)

Haha, nope, not stalkery at all

Watch for other more 'subtle' reactions like unusual lethargy, coughing, runny nose, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, wheezing, blue or swollen  lips.

Will definitely keep my eye out for those.  He's definitely been more tired lately, but then again he's not sleeping well (either from discomfort or for developmental reasons) so...it's kind of a chicken and the egg scenario.

Do you know if it's a pediatric allergist?

Yup, definitely a pediatric allergist.  We were referred to a children's hospital.

A website that has saved me many times is kidswithfoodallergies.org

I am definitely going to be going over to that site, thanks!

I second this site, and also getting an epi pen...I'm not aware that you can get one without a script though (at least not in my province anyways!)

Yeah, I'm going to give his pediatrician's office a call again to see if I can get a prescription.  I'm kind of annoyed though that she didn't think of it when I went in earlier this week; she was so focused on the eczema and seemed convinced that it was just that and not a reaction to food.  But then again, my annoyance might be because of my worried mommy hormones .

Also, it could just be his body is on high alert from the first reaction and is reacting to things that he may not be allergic too.

I'm hoping this is the case and happy to hear that it might be a possibility!

Thanks again ladies!  I rather think it's time for me to become "that annoying mom" that keeps calling at the pediatrician's office and allergy department until I get answers.