going to the allergist for my 3yo eczemic son

[makawee]

what testing should i ask for? (in addition to RASP - i think)
have you ever received a scrip from the allergist? what was it?

thank you in advance!

[Tanibani]

Have you heard of NAET?

Nampuripad's Allergy Elimination Treatment.

My children do not have eczema, and I'm not sure if NAET would work, but it's worth a try.

Do a search on this forum for threads on it.

It's helped us with a few issues.

[makawee]

thanks! i'm searching now!

[wendy1221]

The only script I got from an allergist was an epi-pen. THe steroid creams that peds and dermatologists give for eczema are bad news. The allergist, if it's a good one, will help you figure out what allergies are causing the eczema so that you can eliminate the cause, not cover up the symptoms.

btw, the test is RAST. Well, caprast, b/c rast is obsolete, but if you say RAST, it usually means CAP-RAST.

[onlyboys]

We did the blood panel for about 150 foods. Then, he also recommended we get the anti-gliadin-something, which eventually led to the Celiac diagnosis.

HTH!

[makawee]

Originally Posted by wendy1221

steroid creams that peds and dermatologists give for eczema are bad news.

i know! we had to use them to get ds's open wounds to cover up. i couldn't stand doing it, but he had also just gotten over a staph infection.

oh my - our appointment is today.

[wendy1221]

Originally Posted by makawee

i know! we had to use them to get ds's open wounds to cover up. i couldn't stand doing it, but he had also just gotten over a staph infection.

Oh, believe me, I understand that. My first ds had truly horrible eczema and I had and used super strong prescription steroid creams on it when it was bad. He was in teh hospital a few times for infection in the eczema on his butt. My point is just that it's far better to find out what he's allergic to and get rid of the ecema that way than to temporarily relieve it w/ steroid creams that can have bad side effects.

How did the appt go?

[makawee]

Originally Posted by wendy1221

My point is just that it's far better to find out what he's allergic to and get rid of the ecema that way than to temporarily relieve it w/ steroid creams that can have bad side effects.

How did the appt go?

my babe woke up this am and i couldn't finish my reply!

that steriod cream is awful . . . thankfully we saw a doctor that recommended an allergist a month ago. otherwise they all recommend a derm - i've always been hesitant as i think a derm would just try to bandaid it! the doc that recommended the allergist seemed to be 'with it'

we've tried elimination - it seemed to be soy and dairy. the appointment is in a half hour. i have high hopes. we'll see! be back to update later.

[Pauli]

OMG, we used Rx 2.5% steroid ointment on dd's eczema, so scary! But that stuff is cool too....it's just LIKE a cure! It made her quit itching and oozing so she could nurse and sleep, it was great. But TG we only needed it a short time....identifying the allergens and avoiding them is the BEST thing you can do.

We were also prescribed Zyrtec which I also only have good things to say about. And again we've only needed it briefly on occasion when things get out of control (like when the brand new grass allergy popped up).

Our "quack" allergist, the first one, also prescribed Augmentin (an antibiotic), Flonase (an inhaled steroid) and a stronger hydrocortizone cream. We didn't fill any of those prescriptions.

We also have an Epi-pen Jr.

As for testing, the capRAST is a blood test, but they can also do skin prick testing if you have strong suspicions of a particular food, or for the most common allergens.

And like the pp said, NAET is very successful for some people. (Your medical allergist won't agree with that, NAET is an "alternative" therapy) (www.naet.com)

[makawee]

the visit with the allergist was just fine! he seems like he could get a handle on my son's eczema!

we were prescribed

• elidel
• zyrtec
• culturelle (not a scrip, but the doc required us even though we were already doing this. he said the only probiotic known to have an effect on eczema was lactobacillius)
• vanicream (again not a scrip, but nice moisturizing cream without "free of dyes, perfume, fragances, parabens, lanolin and other irritants found in other products"

we did a blood test for corn, wheat, eggs, milk, peanut, soy and dust mites. and we have to get mattress and pillow covers.

i feel confident that the doc is a good one. he said no more steriods!

we go back in 2 weeks.

pauli - thanks for the link!

[wendy1221]

I would look into the elidel. http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/elidel

My sister had a script for my nephew and discontinued using it when she found out about the risks. I'd rather use hydrocortisone once in a while than elidel.

[makawee]

the doc was all - 'i have to tell you about elidel. the package will say it causes cancer. BUT IT WON'T. the molecule is too big to get into the skin and in all the millions of people using it only two have actually gotten cancer and it was cancer of the reproductive parts'

what he said was that it stops the immune reaction on the skin where it's placed. hydrocortizone seems to work for us - although ds hates to put it on.

i'm checking out the link now . . . thanks!

[wendy1221]

If it doesn't get into the skin, then how is it helping the eczema??? That makes no sense.

[makawee]

ummm oh ya. reading that link was scary! oh the doc was bsing me.

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/elidel_cp.htm