Talking Allergies

I am wondering if you have to have an anaphylactic to be deemed anaphylactic? I guess that is really my only question.

My 5 year old son has several food allergies (many 1's and 2's RAST) and several 3's and a 4. I am assuming that the 3's and 4's should strictly be avoided and we are just keeping the rest in the back of our minds but not doing any avoidance of them. (he's got positives to 25 foods that way!)

So anyway, he has an Epi-Pen Jr. but it was prescribed for him due to him having to receive immuno therapy for his environmental allergies. So we are prepared IF he does go into anaphylactic shock but I wonder how likely that would be with his numbers and what foods are MORE likely to cause a reaction that others or does that matter?

I am a lost mommy looking for support mainly I just found the parenting section and have posted a few times in some of the others so sorry if I sound like a broken record to those who have seen my other posts. I just am a bit scared and confused. Newbie

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Me-eggs, peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cats, grass, tree's, ragweed, metals (except 24K gold) & amoxacillan

Nobody can every know 100% if they will have an anaphylactic reaction. Some proteins more commonly cause anaphylaxis then others (peanut, sesame, insect stings commonly do). But, both my brother and sister just have minor irritation from peanuts. And although milk usually isn't anaphylactic, in some individuals it is.

Most people I've talked to, each reaction tends to be worse then the last one. There's really no way to tell how many reactions before it could become a serious reaction. It probably also depends on how much protein is ingested.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

Fwiw my doctor had a checklist. I tried to shrug off a reaction I had to an apple, and he went through the checklist and said no, it was anaphylaxis and I had to carry an epi-pen.

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Asthma and eczema
Drug allergy (succinylcholine)
Food (corn, raw apples, green beans, tree nuts, flax)
Misc (pollen, grass, mold, dogs, cats)

My doctor told me my son's allergies were 'mild' because he was not showing signs of asthma.
So, gleefully, I said he does not need an epipen? And he looked at me like I'd suggested feeding him poison.
They say every reaction gets worse and in the few I've seen with my son they happen faster everytime.
I assume every food allergy has a potential to be anaphylaxis. That's my philosophy. No epipen handy - no food.

Stef

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Self- allergies to penicillan, sulpha, environmental
DS- 10, allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and chick peas (who'd a thought?)
DSecondS - 8, none!

From what I understand anaphylaxic is a sudden and swift reaction that can affect the airway (swelling of face, tongue, throat or lung tissue) compromising breathing, blood pressure (sudden drop in blood pressure as fluid goes into tissue), collapsing of veins, organ failure, coma and death. That is the worse case scenario.

The Epi-Pen/Twinject will halt the body's response to the allergen, so, the sooner it is given the better. If you suspect contact with an allergen, give the medication. If you suspect a reaction involving the airway and aren't sure what they have been exposed to (ingested/inhaled/absorbed into skin) give the medication. The medication will not hurt a healthy person.

I would not give it for a skin contact reaction if I did not believe the allergen was taken into the body but I would watch for more reactions, if I knew the allergen was ingested/inhaled/absorbed I would give medication at first symptom regardless of how slight.

Also, if the hives covered a large portion of her body,, I would give the medication as this can draw the fluid from the blood and cause the sudden drop in blood pressure.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Thank you everybody! I appreciate advice like this. I am now wondering if I just got lucky the day my son got head-to-toe hives upon hives after a birthday party. I am not 100% sure of what it was that caused them as he had both cake and a new drink he's never had before. I am more pointing to that but then again, it could have been both accumulative, right?

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Me-eggs, peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cats, grass, tree's, ragweed, metals (except 24K gold) & amoxacillan

I feel like a lost mommy as well. Have you been able to find some real life support in the Virginia area. I am in NJ and I am have just started to look for a group.

BTW, my beautiful daughter is 7-yrs old and severely allergic to milk. Lisa

No I haven't. Too bad we don't live closer together for these things! I'm going to PM you.

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Me-eggs, peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cats, grass, tree's, ragweed, metals (except 24K gold) & amoxacillan

Having a true food allergy means one has the possibility of having anaphylaxis. Skin testing and CAP Rast blood testing are only 50% accurate for positive results. Testing alone is usually not recommended as a means of diagnosis and it is *generally* not recommened one avoid a food *just* based on a test result, especially if the food has been eaten with no reaction by the person. However, there are some exceptions such as people having mystery reactions occasionally or minor reactions often, etc.

Has your child even shown any signs of food allergies? Why did your allergist test these foods in the first place? If you have seen signs of a food allergic reaction (a reaction generally occurs within 2 hours of eating a food and according to a speaker at a recent FAAN conference 90% of reactions include hives) and your child tested positive that is a good indication that this is a true IgE food allergy and that your child could have anaphylaxis to the food so I would avoid it *totally* down to trace amounts.

If you aren't sure if a given food is a true food allergy you might talk with your allergist and see if he/she thinks it is worth doing an food challenge in a medical setting. If you don't have an allergist yet I would get one. Other types of doctors typically aren't qualified, IMO, to deal with food allergies.

Also, past reactions do not predict future reactions. If it is a real food allergy reactions can change from mild to extreme and life-threatening from one exposure to the next so I feel it is very important to always have epi pens and an emergency plan available.

Best of luck!

As lakeswimr said:


Some people are saying that each reaction gets worse. Not necessarily. Leading allergists I've interviewed advise that they could get worse with a next time, or maybe the person would barely react and then a third or fourth time - kapow - full-blown anaphylaxis. The point is, you can't be sure what the reaction will be, and if the tests are positive, then the risk of anaphylaxis is there. In your shoes, I'd just conduct myself as though my child had already anaphylaxed. Exact same precautions; exact same swift use of auto-injector if more than one body system was reacting.

Don't know if anyone else runs into this, but I'm still stunned by the number of adults who tell me they are "mildly allergic" (particularly to shellfish or fish). I try to politely inform them of the reality of the risk, to speak to the allergist and carry that auto-injector. But I know one person who's in complete denial about the possible severity.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

For the woman looking for support groups in N.J., following are the ones I had on a list.

For Virginia, I'd contact FAAN (see www.foodallergy.org for an e-mail add.). Since they're based in Viriginia, they likely have some support chapters there.

N.J.

Allergy and Asthma Support Group of Central New Jersey
Support, education and advocacy
Allison Inserro
Meeting Location: Princeton, NJ
E-mail: ainserro@gmail.com
Website: www.allergyfriendsnj.org

The Food Allergy & Asthma Support Group of North Jersey
Support, education and advocacy
Susan B. DiAnthony~Group Leader
FAX: (973) 443-0053
Email: PalKidz@aol.com

Food Allergy Support Group of Monmouth County
Support, education and advocacy
Red Bank and Monmouth County
Kim Wester
zena68@yahoo.com
http://fasgmc.tripod.com/index.html

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

That would be my brother and peanuts. He's always just had minor *irritation* from peanuts. He not only won't carry medicine, but he never reads labels. He does occasionally eat things that have peanut in it. He gets a bit red and itchy, but just lets it run it's course -- he doesn't even keep benedryl in the house. He has been tested, and he has these minor reactions, so It is an allergy. But, he believes it will never get worse.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

Yes, he's had a reaction to peanuts and milk for sure. We are confused about a red, prickly looking rash he gets around his mouth when he eats. It seems to come with almost everything he eats so we can't seem to pinpoint the actually allergy down so we did a large amount of testing. I am thinking corn is the culprit as corn seems to be in everything but we don't really know.




I've come to understand this so he takes his epi-pens with him in a waist pouch whenever he's not with me. Just in case

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Me-eggs, peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cats, grass, tree's, ragweed, metals (except 24K gold) & amoxacillan

Do you have access to a dietician or nutritionist in Virginia?

When my son was first diagnosed as a baby he was referred to one. In his case, he is strictly allergic to peanuts so it was easy for her to help us learn how to manage his allergy (I didn't think so at the time, but now, with so many people having to deal with multiple food allergies, I know we had a walk-in-the-park compared to some).

A dietician or nutirtionist would help you with an elimination diet to pinpoint his allergies. You start out only feeding very few foods that are low on the allergy list to clear his system, then slowly introduce new foods one at a time over a few days and watch for reactions. This would be a way of finding out what he is reacting to all the time with the rash around his mouth. I would check with your allergist about not avoiding the things that he has had a 1 & 2 reaction in the skin test to. My understanding is that if you have a food allergy, no matter the level of severity, the best thing is avoidance (someone tell me if I am wrong about this).

They would also be able to teach you how to still make sure he was getting proper nutrition while having to avoid so many foods, and help you with alternatives, etc.

You may have to end up cooking lots of foods from scratch to keep his meals as simple and free of additives as possible. This seems like a huge adjustment at first, but it is a much healthier way to live and eat, so in the long run you will all benefit (you have to look for as many silver linings as possible ), think of all the money we save from not eating out all the time, and the close family bonds we develop from having homecooked meals, etc, etc.