When to retest?

[starsprouts]

My son had horrible eczema, constant cold symptoms, and spit up large amounts several times each feeding from the time he was a few weeks old.  His pediatricians insisted that it was normal, even when we had to take him in for biweekly "emergency" appointments for his face swelling up, his having problems breathing, and the like.  It wasn't until he was 7 or 8 months old and starting to eat solids that we finally found out that he was allergic to...well, everything.  He ate such a tiny piece of cooked egg that I didn't even think he'd gotten any down, then all hell broke loose.

Fast forward a bit, and we have an allergist ordering sheet after sheet of tests.  He's apparently allergic to dairy, egg, wheat, barley, rye, peanuts, oats, soy, corn, peach, salmon, and avocado, as well as cats and dogs.  We've cut all of the offending foods from both his diet and mine while he continues to breastfeed, and he's happy and healthy as long as we avoid pets.

I'm hoping he grows out of some, or preferably all, of these.  Family members are pushing us to give him some of the things he's least allergic to, and I'm refusing in hopes that strict avoidance will help his body have time to heal.  The allergist wouldn't/couldn't answer any of our questions and didn't even seem to remember us when we'd come in for our monthly visits, so we told him we weren't coming back.  At some pont, though, I assume we'll need to retest and see if we can add things back to his diet.  If you've been there/done that, when did you try again?  Alternatively, did you just try adding foods back in?  I'm afraid to do that until he's more verbal, since he'd been eating several of the foods seemingly fine before the tests and docs told us to stop (corn, oats, peach, avocado).

I've gotten pretty great at cooking for all three of us without these foods, but I'm clueless about the next step, and I'd love to hear stories of what you did since the doctors seem to be back to ignoring us.  He'll be 15 months tomorrow.  Thanks!

[kjbrown92]

If he had problems with breathing and his facing swelling up, I wouldn't test anything at home just because family members are urging it. Do you have an epi-pen? If it were me, I would have him retested, and then do in-office challenges to anything that had his facing swelling up or problems breathing, if they showed that he wasn't reacting to them anymore. And if that allergist wasn't that great, find a different one.

[changingseasons]

I agree that you shouldn't test anything at home with those kind of reactions, because they could be way more severe since he's been off the foods for a while. I would find a new allergist and make an appointment in a few months. DD's tests didn't start becoming accurate until she was about 18 months, and things really starting showing up after she was 2yo. Some allergists recommend waiting until 2 because the tests are so inaccurate. (We got a ton of false negatives, so the allergists kept telling us she wasn't allergic to anything when, like you, we had instances of hives and facial swelling.)

I would also find a new pediatrician if yours thinks that a baby's face swelling is "normal"!!!

You have an Epipen, right?

[starsprouts]

We have an Epi-pen that I carry on me at all times, though Benedryl's been enough so far, thank goodness.  We're looking at new pediatricians, or maybe a family practice, but we're already at the main pediatric practice in the area.

I'll ask our current ped about retesting at 18 months or 2 years and see if he can order the tests himself, I guess.  I won't give him any foods at home--I'd never intended to, though it does make my (nurse) parents mad!  We'll be paying for the tests out of pocket due to our current insurance situation, and while M does remarkably well having blood drawn, he ends up sick every time we have to go to the lab.  Otherwise, I'd be a lot more eager to retest him.

Thanks!

[changingseasons]

Your ped should be able to order the blood test, but you might want to do skin testing instead (which would have to be through an allergist.) It's been a lot more accurate for us at younger ages.