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Hi, I was just wondering about getting a child tested for food allergies.
I have done so much reading about different things and many times issues of possible food and/or environmental allergies come up.
I recently took my 9 yo ds in for allergy testing. against drs advice. The allergist did not want to test him for anything except environmental. He said the other is very painful, long, and expensive. and he also said that all the new stuff pointing to allergies is usually just sensitivities and not a big deal. he highly recommended against it. said he would do it if I really wanted though. I have unfortunately stopped fully trusting drs and have tried to go more on my own instincts. my son has been through so much the last two years that I dont want to needlessly put him through more.
Has anyone gone through this with their kids and what has the outcomes been?
What symptoms is your son having that would make you wonder if he is allergic? If your Dr or allergist are both advising against testing you could try an elimination diet instead to see if symptoms improve. My dd has some food intolerances and this is how I was able to confirm them.
What was your reasoning behind taking him in for testing? Is he having issues with some foods or things in his environment? Are you just worried about a hidden allergy and want him tested so you can be prepared? If your answer is "yes" to the last question, then you may be wasting your time. The miriad of foods (and substances added to foods) is almost impossible to test for. He would likely get tested for the "normal" allergy causing ones (milk, peanuts, strawberries, eggs, etc...). If he were allergic to any of these things, odds are you would already know. Allergies are scary (I have several to food and medications), but the extreme reactions you see and hear about are actually rare.
I recently took my 9 yo ds in for allergy testing. against drs advice. The allergist did not want to test him for anything except environmental.
?? Has your son shown the symptoms of having allergies and your "regular" doctor didn't think he should be tested? Did the dr. give a reason why? Seems odd.
I don't think he has any extreme allergies. Maybe sensitivities which are causing irritations? I will try to give a simple background but its hard to some up quickly.
for years this is how it went. "reflux" sometimes occuring, only at night. usually fine if he doesnt eat a couple of hours before bed. huge dark circles under his eyes almost all the time. cheeks blotchy rosy red and "small pimple like" spots. about half the time. horrible breath. great teeth and gums. always great remarks from dentist. other things as well. took him to a neurodevelopmental psychologist got some answers. took him to another developmental diagnostician, more answers. then the allergist. definetly has ongoing sinus problem. but no allergies to the regular stuff they tested him for. started some nose spray and breath is a little better but not totally.
I have taken different things out of his diet but it has been hard to try and pinpoint. tried the food color thing (that was hard), milk (made a little difference)gluten and I can't remember what else.
I know it seems weird going against advise but I listened to the drs and schools for yrs and got nowhere. the last couple of years I have tried to be more proactive and go on instinct, others opinions, and research. It is slow but I seem to be getting somewhere.
I don't think he has any extreme allergies. Maybe sensitivities which are causing irritations? I will try to give a simple background but its hard to some up quickly.
for years this is how it went. "reflux" sometimes occuring, only at night. usually fine if he doesnt eat a couple of hours before bed. huge dark circles under his eyes almost all the time. cheeks blotchy rosy red and "small pimple like" spots. about half the time. horrible breath. great teeth and gums. always great remarks from dentist. other things as well. took him to a neurodevelopmental psychologist got some answers. took him to another developmental diagnostician, more answers. then the allergist. definetly has ongoing sinus problem. but no allergies to the regular stuff they tested him for. started some nose spray and breath is a little better but not totally.
I have taken different things out of his diet but it has been hard to try and pinpoint. tried the food color thing (that was hard), milk (made a little difference)gluten and I can't remember what else.
I know it seems weird going against advise but I listened to the drs and schools for yrs and got nowhere. the last couple of years I have tried to be more proactive and go on instinct, others opinions, and research. It is slow but I seem to be getting somewhere.
Sounds to me more like he's just eating too much meat and dairy, and not enough of anything else. If he eats a lot of red meat, cheese, butter, milk -
Start adding different proteins and drastically reducing the above. Don't cut them out entirely. You might add more dark green veggies, peanutbutter, bananas, fresh fruits and berries of all sorts, eggs, fish, poultry, legumes and beans. Cut back drastically processed foods such as potato chips, sausages/bologna type products, packaged cookies, "diet" anything, sodas. Add more fresh juice and water, dehydrated fruit chips (banana chips for example), and if he absolutely must have cake/sweets in his diet, make it home-made or bakery-made, not store-brought pre-packaged.
Edited to add: The bad breath and the sinus problems is what hints that it might be his food choices, rather than allergies to them. Red meat can contribute to hallitosis, as can sinus problems. And dairy promotes mucus over-manufacture, which contributes to sinus problems.
The symptoms you described could be caused by many different things. Have you taken him to a dermatologist? I hate to see a young child dragged from one doctor to the next, but I would have gone to a dermatologist before the other specialists. I've had allergic reactions on my face like you described. Could be a contact allergy. (Could be ANYTHING.)
How does he sleep? The dark circles can be from something as simple as lack of sleep or good, old-fashioned stress from not feeling well. What kind of laundry detergent to you use? If you aren't using a "free and clear" (I use ALL and swear by it) I'd try that for a month or two on all his clothing/bedding. Also close his bedroom window at night. That made a big difference for me and it was suggested by a very good allergist I had for many years. Is he sensitive to odors? Eliminate them because they could be coming from something he's allergic to: strong soaps for example. (I can have an allergy attack just walking down the detergent aisle in a store. And if someone cooks many types of frozen dinners in the microwave - I'm outta there. The smells can set me off.)
BTW: I've gone against the advice of doctors MANY times. I've had doctors I would lay my life down for. I've also had doctors that make me SMH. They're human just like the rest of us.
Good luck. Hopefully someone else may be able to help you!
I was thinking about the dermatologist also but wanted to finish with the allergist first. he has missed a lot of school.
I forgot about the prepackaged stuff. did that too. for about 2 months. I still don't buy much of it. he eats a very well rounded diet. red meat somewhere between 1-3 times per week. not a lot. He also has recently been diagnosed with aspergers. typically a child with that would not eat as well as him but I have always made the kids eat a good diet from a young age.
the dark circles have been there for years. he has been on medication since the summer to help with sleep. that is what I had originally thought but he sleeps a good 10-12 hrs per night.
I forgot about legumes. been ages since we had them.
I don't think he has any extreme allergies. Maybe sensitivities which are causing irritations? I will try to give a simple background but its hard to some up quickly.
for years this is how it went. "reflux" sometimes occuring, only at night. usually fine if he doesnt eat a couple of hours before bed. huge dark circles under his eyes almost all the time. cheeks blotchy rosy red and "small pimple like" spots. about half the time. horrible breath. great teeth and gums. always great remarks from dentist. other things as well. took him to a neurodevelopmental psychologist got some answers. took him to another developmental diagnostician, more answers. then the allergist. definetly has ongoing sinus problem. but no allergies to the regular stuff they tested him for. started some nose spray and breath is a little better but not totally.
I have taken different things out of his diet but it has been hard to try and pinpoint. tried the food color thing (that was hard), milk (made a little difference)gluten and I can't remember what else.
I know it seems weird going against advise but I listened to the drs and schools for yrs and got nowhere. the last couple of years I have tried to be more proactive and go on instinct, others opinions, and research. It is slow but I seem to be getting somewhere.
When you say you took "milk" out if his diet did that include all forms of dairy even the hidden ones that are in everyday processed foods such as bread, crackers, etc.? How long did you remove it from his diet and what did you replace it with?
If you remove a potential allergen (or food that one is intolerant to) from the diet you should do so for at least three weeks. If you are testing for dairy it's wise to also avoid soy (even soy that is hidden in food and believe me it is hidden in A LOT of foods) as those two intolerances tend to go hand in hand.
It really does sound like he's reacting to something and I agree that it sounds more like an intolerance or sensitivity then a true allergy. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't be taken seriously since it is causing him problems.
I will say your son's naso-phayngeal and skin problems sound very much like environmental allergens. You don't mention GI symptoms, which would be more likely with food intolerances. Does he have diarrhea, lots of gas, nausea, you mention reflux, has he been tested for that?
My son has many environmental allergies. You really can't control the allergens, but here are a few things we have done. Replace you air filters regularly. Keep windows and doors into your childs room closed. Keep pets out of the room, if there are critters living in there (hamsters, etc), get them out. Vacuum room regularly. Change bedding regularly, including washing pillow. Get a good mattress cover. Use free detergents, softners, and dryer sheets. Reduce scents such as perfumes, room smellies, etc in the entire house. My son's teacher last year had a fondness for smellies in the classroom, caused havoc with my son's health. Biggest tip for kids with environmental allergies is to make sure they take a shower EVERY night before bed. If they have been playing outside or with a friends pet, make sure they wash their hair too.
These are common sense things to do for any reasonably allergic child.
When my son has peak allergic symptoms, he sleeps very poorly either due to the stimulant effect of the allergens, or because he can't breath due to naso-pharyngeal congestion. For a few months in the year he has permanent dark rings around his eyes, and ridiculous halitosis from the mouth breathing/sinus issues. I also make him sleep longer hours then too. Year-round singulair (or any similar) helps a great deal with that. Some people use humidifiers, or dehumidifiers depending on the season/climate.
Previous posts addressed dietary tips, some great advice there.
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