sensitivity vs. allergy

[Chloe'sMama]

I have posted on this board quite a bit about my dd who is now 9 months. She had pretty bad gas when I started introducing foods (banana, avocado, sweet potato) and vomited from egg yolks so we stopped doing solids for a while. During that time she was EBF and was having abdominal cramping from foods I was eating. I gave up dairy, gassy veggies, and eventually wheat. It all went away when I eliminated wheat. Life has been pretty good and we held off on solids until this past week.
She is doing great with sweet potato and lentils and we are going to keep introducing foods very slowly....

Anyways, my question.... she had a blood panel done for allergies and it came back clear.... not a hint of allergies to anything (dairy, eggs, wheat, shellfish, nuts...) So, could she have a wheat sensitivity that would not show up on the panel? I don't know if I should re-introduce it into my diet and see how she does or if the panel just didn't show a sensitivity or intolerance.

Anyone have any advice?

[changingseasons]

No, the standard blood test (RAST) will not show an intolerance or sensitivity, only an IgE (anaphylactic) allergy. Plus, they are not always very accurate. Check out my blog for descriptions of the different kinds of tests.

As many mamas here say- reactions trump test results!

[Katwoman]

changingseasons has the technical end covered.

From a non-technical end, my DD1's dairy "problem" does not show up on either a blood test, patch test, or prick test. But she gets gassy/bloated/constipated/clingy when she eats dairy. My DD2's gluten "problem" same thing, doesn't show up on any test, but she has trouble sleeping/bloated/whiny/clingy when she has it.

So tests are wonderful, especially when helping back up your position with suspicious relative or friends. (When I say my DC are sensitive to certain foods, to my parents that means they can't eat a lot. But when I say allergy they don't let my kids have even a mouthful.) But tests are totally not necessary as far as you and your LO knowing what makes them uncomfortable/miserable.

[Chloe'sMama]

Thanks for the responses.... I was wondering if I should give the wheat another try in my diet, or just wait for a while.... and when do you know if it is ok to give them directly? Do I just have to keep testing and waiting to see if I get a reaction?

[changingseasons]

I would keep it out of your diet for at least 6-12 months before trialing to let both of your guts heal up.

There's no reason to give wheat to a baby that young. Some people recommend waiting until age 5 for gluten products, because they are so hard to digest.