does my child have allergy

[moonlight mom]

I am so confused and was hoping you intelligent moms can help me.
My son had loose stools and mild eczema for a few months. The pediatrician decided to give him a blood test to check for allergies. The results showed a significant reaction to wheat and eggs. I was then referred to an allergist.
So we went...
The allergist basically thought I was the biggest idiot in the world. The first thing she said was "I don't know why you are here". She said the blood tests mean nothing and her job is to only detect a life threatening allergy, which he obviously doesn't have. She did a skin test (only because I requested one) which came out negative. She told me he can eat wheat and eggs.
By the way, in this last week I avoided wheat and eggs, his eczema looked better and he had no loose stools. The allergist calls this a coincidence.
What do you guys think of all this? Do you think he has these allergies? Why did my ped give him a blood test if it means nothing? I haven't given him these foods yet because I am so confused.
Thanks!!

[elmh23]

you need a new allergist! dd reacts to soy with eczema so we avoid it.

[sbgrace]

That allergist sounds horrible. If it is the blood test I'm thinking of it is just as accurate as skin testing. (you can get false positives with either; I think false negatives are less likely though can happen). If he is better without you go with symptoms no matter what the test says.
He could also have celiac causing the loose stools which skin testing (and probably the test the dr. did too) wouldn't detect.
Avoid wheat and eggs.

[MidnightCafe]

What an awful experience! You'd think that doctors would stop getting patients when they treat people like that!!

I have heard from a number of sources that eczema is certainly associated with allergies. And blood tests are at least somewhat reliable in detecting allergies. Above all, your observation of reactions in your child trump all other testing. If the eczema clears up when you take the foods out of your child's diet & flares up when he starts eating them again, you're looking at an allergy or a food sensitivity. It can take several weeks for foods to clear out of your child's system. I'd try removing the potential allergens for a while and see how he does.

[caholcomb]

Great Dr! :

I had blood tests done for my children and only my ds came back with a positive for dairy. However, we have long known that they are sensitive to several other foods (meaning they get rashes, diarrhea, occasional vomitting, irritability and mood swings). I say that forget which test is more accurate and judge by your child's reaction.

[motocita]

i don't trust those tests. i rely completely on my experience. i write down everything my daughter and i eat every single day. i write down how her bowel movements are, her mood, and the appearance of her eczema. i also introduce only one new food at a time, and let 3-4 days pass in order to see how her body handles it. doing all this has enabled me to know exactly what she is allergic to.

allergies are very complicated and reactions to an allergen can be varied. some foods give my daughter eczema. some make her aggressive. some make her have meltdown after meltdown. some give her yeast infections. some give her shiners...and on and on.

i am absolutley 100% sure that my daughter's eczema was caused by certain foods (in our case, all GRAINS and starches).

in exploring your child's allergies, you need to trust what YOU are seeing. otherwise you will just become more and more confused.