How did we diagnose food allergy in an infant? part. 1 from 3
How exactly did we diagnose an allergy in a small child? What tests have we done?
The text is a guide and is based on our personal experience, it is not a medical advice and certainly will not replace it, but it can be a valuable hint and a signpost for parents of children who are struggling with the topic of allergies.
By way of introduction:
Let's remember that Cow's milk allergy and lactose intolerance are two different things - you need to distinguish them well.
Lactose intolerance is sugar intolerance - it is lactose, which is also found in breast milk.
Cow's milk protein allergy is an undesirable, non-toxic food reaction to proteinwhich can enter the child's body only with food - directly in the form of modified milk or indirectly with the mother's milk who consumes all dairy products.
When Santa was born 3,5 a year ago, the first two weeks of my life were the most beautiful two weeks of my life, but from about 10 the day of Santa's life, the crying of the child and our helplessness slowly began to dominate our home idyll.
We heard very soon about a suspected allergy to cow's milk protein. At the time, I was hoping for some superb tests or allergy tests that would give us a clear answer if the child has an allergy or not.
Unfortunately, but both our pediatrician and gastroenterologist and allergist spoke with one voice: Allergy tests are not a reliable diagnostic test.
Additionally, positive test result means that the allergy is highly likely, but your body doesn't need to show any allergy symptoms at all.
While negative test result very often it does not mean that there is no allergy, because in children younger than 3 years these tests usually give false negative results, despite the fact that the allergy symptoms are properly observed.
This is how it was with us, Mikołaj first allergy test so it was made at the age of 1,5, when he was going to kindergarten and the allergist wanted to reassure herself and us that anaphylactic shock as a symptom of cow's milk protein allergy is unlikely if a toddler ate something with milk by mistake, so she did a test in a specialist medical clinic cutaneous which the result was completely negative despite very strong signs of observation.
So how do you correctly diagnose a child's allergy?
In allergy diagnosis, the most reliable test is the elimination diet and reintroduction of the suspected allergen and re-observation.
How did it look like in practice with us?
1. Preliminary observation - on its basis, we select a product or group of products to be eliminated.
2. Elimination of an allergen or group of allergens - we were recommended a minimum period of 2 weeks, because supposedly allergens can remain in the mother's body for such a long time and be passed on to the baby in milk.
3. Reintroducing the allergen into the diet - we always re-enter allergens SINGLE and observe if the allergy symptoms return or intensify.
In the next post I'll tell you one of my saddest stories - the story of our fight against allergy for the first time, almost 4 years ago, at Mikołaj's.
And how did you diagnose your child's allergy?
I invite you to talk and share experiences in the comments.
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Ewa
Hello, I decided to share my story with an allergy. Young is 10 months old still breastfeeding I started with a standard dry face like after a pouring burn ... I was broken, but the pediatrician surprisingly did not allow us to wean the baby from the breast, only eliminate milk from the diet. It took a while, if my face got prettier, I fought the cradle cap for 5 months but I did it. The little one looks like a newborn, unfortunately I have to watch out for everything I eat, in a few hours red spots appear on my son's face as soon as I sin a cookie. Another problem appeared while introducing new foods because the young one almost suffocated after a noodle soup ... hospital and diagnosis to discontinue gluten. In the end, I avoid milk and gluten, I cook my little one by myself, no jars, and I still enjoy breastfeeding with Nicodemus 9.300 grams of a happy baby.
Piotrek
Hello Agnieszka 😉 So we were at the allergist's. My daughter is allergic to fungi, molds and mites 🙁 She has been given singulair overnight medications and 2 * contrahist syrup after 2,5 ml. Food tests will also be done the more that recently after the broccoli soup got rashes on the face, but only on one cheek. And what did it look like with your medicines?
Agnieszka
oh dear, why did the doctor decide to introduce drugs? Is it so serious with you? 🙁
Our doctor is against drugs, if nothing very serious happens, he believes that drugs cause leakage of the intestines, which is the cause of allergies, and we have a vicious cycle of drugs and allergies.
We do not give medicine, if there is no danger to life or if the child does not suffer, we watch over diets, avoid cats, we have a self-propelled vacuum cleaner for dusting.
We do not care about the rash, certainly not to give medicines.
However, these are my recommendations from a doctor whom I trust, if the doctor recommended you medication, I do not deny it, but I would consult further.
Piotrek
Here I can see that you mainly have food allergies. What about inhalation allergies? My daughter is allergic to dust mites. Coughing asthmatics. On November 6, we have an appointment for an allergist for tests ...
Agnieszka
Elder Son's first and second year had a strong inhalation allergy also to some pollen, cat or cross like birch + apple. He has grown out of everything except the cat yet. But we are very careful about a healthy diet so that it has healthy intestines, good bacteria, we eliminate food chemistry and sugar
Oskar
Even in the youngest, it is important to detect such intolerance or allergies quickly. Numerous food intolerances and the symptoms they cause can have consequences for the youngest. It is worth to repeat such tests every now and then
Agnieszka
Fortunately, diagnostics in the youngest ones can be performed independently - with the assistance of a wise doctor - without any tests that are usually unreliable in young children.
KATIE
Unfortunately, I could not breastfeed ... From the very beginning, Maly was on the mm and in the second week of his life he got small dots on his body, which everyone (together with our midwife) called privates. Ok potowki as it is that the march will disappear and it will be ok. But there was more and more "potowki", so I decided to bathe Dzidzioch in chamomile. Okay, it's better, but suddenly in the third week of life there were even more dots, and the kiss was red and swollen. I would like to add horribly smelly sideburns and heaps and cradle cap on the eyebrows. We went to the doctor, the doctor immediately noticed the diathesis and AS, but she ordered us to go to the allergist. The allergist confirmed the diagnosis by quickly changing milk and emollients, emollients, emollients. Well, it was better, but in the 2th week, a relapse, we immediately went to the allergist and another milk change to completely lactose-free. Now we have finished 3 weeks, so far it is great, his cradle cap (which is also a symptom of blemish and azs) is coming off his face is beautiful and smooth, and once in a while we even wash our Son's head with soap;))
Positively Tired
I am allergic, 33 years ago, after an elimination diet, I was allergic to cow protein, thank god I outgrown it. Maybe not 100%, but it is much better, unfortunately now, after the first and second pregnancy, the allergy has changed. The most important thing is to watch and not go crazy. And my kids, well, they inherited from their mum ... One atopic dermatitis, the other inhalation allergy, the funniest thing is that they both suffer from the same mold. Hygiene is the most important thing. I keep my fingers crossed, you can do it