head to toe hives in 5yo!

[rainbowmoon]

DS has been breaking out with hives on and off since the fall. ( though it had been at least 2 months since his last breakout) then this weekend he was at a playshop (nature class) and broke out severely. this has been going on and off since saturday. they have abated now but we are at a loss as to what is the culprit..

so far on the list of possible triggers are;

wheat
peanut butter (he's NEVER reacted to this previously?)
honey
corn
apples
milk
7th generation laundry detergent
cats
coconut oil/canola oil

he broke out shortly after lunch (he had a PB and honey on a wheat bagel and a few bites of an apple) and then after someone had given him a spearmint candy (like those red/white peppermint discs but green) he does not get HFCS on a regular basis. he did have candy at halloween and xmas and only had hives around halloween..

they were working with clay. not sure if that is a possible trigger? he has never used clay before but uses playdoh and modeling dough..

he has had none since (candy) or any corn syrup and broke out again last night at 3am. and again today after swiping a corner of his sisters wheat toast. (but he eats wheat alot and doesn't get hives constantly)

we are at a real loss..DP went out and bought a bunch of wheat alternatives today and wants to do wheat free for a bit..I am just clueless. what do you think? where does one even begin? or should we go straight to allergy testing? (we just moved to the area and don't have a pedi yet so that may take a couple of weeks to sort through and pick a Pedi, get an appt,etc.)

we have not given benadryl but if I had some on hand I would have given it last night. DP thinks we should let his body build natural immunities. (he is very against OTC meds of any type but he also is clueless about allergies too) is that feasible to take a wait and see approach? wwyd? I am definitely going to buy some benadryl just to keep on hand as last nights attack was SEVERE, I mean head to toe (no labored breathing but he did get a slight stuffy nose over the weekend) but he was just covered! I myself get hives on occasion and this was the worst I've ever seen!

his diet has not changed and is pretty consistantley the same.

I used lavender salve on him during the night and it worked pretty good. by morning they were faint. (they are still there but very faint) I will grind up some oatmeal if it happens again for an oatmeal bath to ease the discomfort. I have been urging him to drink alot of water but all he wants lately is milk. so maybe it's the milk? but he drinks milk all the time! I just don't get it?

we also have 3 cats but he does not sneeze or get hives from them typically and plays with them constantly! and the hives also were happening before we got the cats so I tend to think it's not them.

DP wonders if it might be the new cat litter we have been using possibly? maybe it is clay based? (I have not checked into it too much yet as I feel it's a food issue most likely)

but then I am thinking maybe it may possibly be the laundry detergent? but not positive. there seems to be no rhyme or reason..and it's not constant.

he is not under any stress. he is a very happy kid. so I don't think it's a stress reaction.

he has had hives after eating apples/cider at different times (though not every time) so I am unsure if it's that. we were thinking maybe there is some type of mold exposure on the apples from the way they have been stored or something like that? we generally only buy organic though?

any suggestions on laundry soaps to try though? we use less than 1/2 of the recommended amount as it is.

I am tearing my hair out trying to figure it out! he is pretty unphased, just itchy.

anyway we will try no wheat first and see how it goes but I am just not sure at all what is causing this! and how long would you go no wheat?

he has had a reaction to latex previously (but again not always) does anyone see a connection of any kind that I may be missing here?

I am sooo confused!

[Chinese Pistache]

You said you just moved. How long ago? Did he have any of the breakouts before you moved? Are you in a different region of the country? It really could be any food you mentioned because a person can develop allergies at any time. It could be environmental as well, something in your new house or something growing in your new town. And it could be a cumulative effect (or bucket effect) where he tolerates most things just fine until he gets an overload of the various substances/proteins (like cats + dairy + trees growing outside + peanuts, etc.). At age five, I might start with an elimination diet and make plans to get that allergist appt. With intermittent hives, it's going to be hard to figure out what the food triggers are, though, that's why I'd want some allergy testing done. By age 5, it should give you some idea (and hives are an IgE reactions, which is what MD allergists deal with). You might need an epipen, especially if this is an allergy that continues to escalate.

RE: building up natural immunity to allergens, there's really no such thing. I mean, some people see a change in their environmental allergies over the years (to animals, or to trees), but not so much to food. Continued consumption can make them worse and lead to scarier reactions. I personally would get some benadryl to have on hand until you can figure out what the triggers are.

[rainbowmoon]

yep we just moved to the northeast from the southwest exactly when it all began!!! (he has never really gotten hives before that that I can recall). I grew up in the northeast however and have HORRIBLE allergies myself (oh boy this spring is gonna be fun i can tell already!)

thanks for the info! I have already started looking for a Pedi!

ETA- we have some minor mold issues in our apt too!

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

(and hives are an IgE reactions, which is what MD allergists deal with). You might need an epipen, especially if this is an allergy that continues to escalate.

:

Heading to bed. But, each subsequent IgE reaction is worse, generally. I'd get some benedryl to have in the car and at home at all times. And I'd see someone about an EpiPen. These are just for emergency. But, there are many ways to eliminate allergens from the environment naturally too.


Pat