allergy testing for 18 month old to convince skeptical DH?

[caedmyn]

Is it worth doing allergy testing on my 18 month old DD in hopes of convincing DH, who thinks that I am "making" her be allergic to everything and I shouldn't avoid any foods at all? She reacts to dairy, wheat, nuts, coconut, eggs, and I think chickpeas, as well as food chemicals (salicylates and amines)...her reactions are generally pretty mild and take several exposures to even appear.

I know allergy testing isn't very accurate for young kids, but would it be worth doing just to have something to show DH that I am not making things up (assuming the tests actually come out reasonably accurately)? Our health insurance ends at the end of July so I need to get it done right away if I'm going to do it. And what tests should I ask for?

[Caden's Mom]

I would do it. We did the back prick test with DS, he also got a RAST for dairy. I think the RAST is better b/c it gives you levels of how allegic the child is. Which, of course doesn't mean a ton. DS is 13 on dairy out of 100 and is anaphylactic to it.

[caedmyn]

I definitely won't do a skin prick test for her. Does RAST just do IgE allergies? I think all her allergies are probably IgG mediated so I'm not sure an IgE panel would show anything.

[candletime]

Originally Posted by Caden's Mom

I would do it. We did the back prick test with DS, he also got a RAST for dairy. I think the RAST is better b/c it gives you levels of how allegic the child is. Which, of course doesn't mean a ton. DS is 13 on dairy out of 100 and is anaphylactic to it.

our boy has anaphylaxtic reactions w/ IgE scores of 5 or 6. nice huh? tests are ok, but like other person said, not the most accurate. our girl has allergies but they do not show up IgE, dr said pay attention to symptoms and don't worry about the tests, they are just a tool.

good luck.

[memiles]

We just finished testing on myself and my dd2, and are waiting for results on DD1. For both of us, IgE shows nothing, but they show up on IgG. My dh was skeptical, but once the hard numbers are in front of him, he's 100% on board on getting us all healthy.

I had that mama bear instinct telling me to get DD tested when she was suffering from terrible reflux as an infant, but our MDs were so adamant that it couldn't be food that I started to believe them. We went dairy free because it made her reflux a bit better, but we just gave up and lived with a miserable, cranky, slow growing baby. Now, she's turning 4 this month, is only 27 lbs, and we finally have a ND that was not only willing but thrilled to help us. It turns out that she's been reacting to gluten grains and may have celiac disease, is allergic to casin as well as peanuts.:

I bet your dh would feel horrible if you found out that your dc had been getting foods that were making her sick. Get the testing done if your gut is telling you to do it.

[caholcomb]

We did a blood test on our two kids and my ds came back with a mild allergy to dairy. However, we know that they have sensitivities: dd (tomatoes, eggs, dairy, apples and chocolate), ds (dairy, eggs, apples, chocolate and wheat). I believe the evidence is in the reactions. If you are consistently avoiding the offending food(s) and your dd is improving, that should be enough to convince anyone.

Having said all that...Our allergist told us that avoiding allergens (our kids came back with positives for dust, cats and dogs) can decrease their sensitivities to other things.

My other recommendation would be to have your husband read the book "Is this your child?" by Dr. Doris Rapp. It talks about the physical and behavioral symptoms of food and environmental allergies and ways of detecting them. This book was sooo helpful!

[goomjiji]

Testing might be helpful in convincing your DH--it kind of depends on the type of person he is. My DH wasn't completely skeptical because he had seen a very obvious reaction to dairy, but he did think I was over-reacting as I tried to figure out if there was anything else DS was allergic to. It also helped me to relax about the things he didn't test positive for. Having a medical dx made almost all the difference in the world with my MIL. "You know," she would say, "if doesn't eat dairy, he won't produce the enzymes to digest it." Or. "There's only about a tablespoon of butter in that sauce." So then we met with the allergist and I was telling her what "they" found--listing his food allergies. Her response: "And those are confirmed?" Confirmed by what? The rash he gets when just a drop of milk touches his skin? Like my observations of an obvious allergic reaction aren't valid. Argh. But at least now she believes me. Now, if she would quit leaving peanuts and goldfish crackers within his reach and throwing packaging in the garbage so that I can check ingredient lists when we go to her house. . .