Hives in 4 yo - searching for cause! Advice would be lovely :)

[tooticky]

Dd has been suffering from hives for the past month.

I will summarize her symptoms, some history/what I think may be possible causes, and then summarize what I have been trying so far. If anyone has suggestions I would be SO grateful! TIA

Symptoms:

For the past year or so (maybe less) dd has had frequent stomach aches and a red, sore bum after pooping. She would poop many times a day, although it was not diarrhea. The stomach aches seemed to be correlated with drinking milk.

For the past month she has been breaking out in hives. The hives happen both during the day and at night. They can be anywhere on her body.

She has reactive airway disease and dry skin.

History/Possible Causes:

We moved to a new house two months ago. The house had just been painted. There is no carpeting. We had the ducts and furnace cleaned but no antibacterials were used. Her bed and bedding are the same as before.

Right before the hives started I used up some laundry detergent that my MIL had left behind when she visited (Tide). Since then I have washed and rewashed several times dd's bedding, pillows, comforter and clothing in our regular (and much Earth friendlier! ) laundry detergent.

We have a cat.

I have allergies to cats and dust mites. There are other family members with allergies as well, although no food allegies that I know of.

Actions we have taken:

I cut out dairy completely on April 10th, although her preschool gave her some by accident on April 12th :( The stomach aches immediately disappeared, and the sore bum cleared up as well. There was no improvement in the hives.

I cut out gluten on April 17th. At this point the hives were slightly improved.

She was still getting small amounts of soy, egg, and corn, but in the past few days I have been making sure that the top ten allergens have not been present in her food.

The hives have improved but still happen almost daily. I have not noticed an immediate reaction to any foods.

I am preparing for a TED to start next week as a final push in trying to figure this out.

Questions:

Because she was having digestive symptoms as well as the hives, it seems possible to me that the hives are more likely to be caused by food, rather than environmental allergens but I am no expert! :)

I have continued to give her a calcium supplement that claims to be free from wheat, soy, gluten, egg, milk, and artificial colourings/flavourings. I have also continued to give her cod liver oil and a multi that is labeled free from those same allergens. Is it wise to continue the supplements during an elimination diet?

These hives are driving both of us crazy, as is the special dieting! I would love any words of wisdom from you mamas who have been through this before....

TIA

[mbravebird]

I went through a three-month period last year when I got hives and swelling after anything and everything I ate. For me, it turned out to be intestinal parasites. Actually, in a recent study 60% of people with severe or chronic hives tested positive for parasites, and when those 60% were treated for parasites, 100% of them stopped having hives. It's pretty compelling. My whole story is here.

Of course, your daughter could be one of the 40% who have hives for other reasons, but it's probably worth checking out. Parasites are everywhere -- you don't have to go to a foreign country to get them.

HTH! I know it's miserable. I hope she feels better soon.

P.S. I also had intestinal symptoms in the few years preceding the hives/allergic reactions, and I also began reacting to dairy. Since ridding myself of parasites, I can now eat dairy again.

Edited by mbravebird - 4/28/11 at 10:22am

[tooticky]

Thanks for the reply, mbravebird!

I had not considered parasites - you have some interesting info on your site very worth looking into. I'm glad that your hives have cleared up!

[tooticky]

I forgot to mention above that about 2 months ago dd had Chicken Pox. I gave her an antiviral due to the fact that she was on an inhaled corticosteroid at the time.

I have read that hives can be linked to viral infections. Maybe the Pox is a factor here?

[Kasey Harris]

My son had eczema from birth...never got hives but did have loose bowls and asthma from milk, corn, rice, , oat, soy, egg, and wheat allergies.  The asthma Dr I took him to asked if he had eczema and I told him yes when he was a baby... and the Dr said that if a child has eczema most likely they will have food allergies.  It would probly be best if you got you child an allergy test, the only thing most Dr wont do them untill the kid is 4 or older.  Hope yall figure it out and good luck...I feel your pain and worry for our kids!