Talking Allergies

My 2 1/2 year old son has an allergy to dairy that I have not heard of before and am hoping to find someone else with the same issues... If I eat a dairy product and kiss him he will get hives where he has been kissed. Also, if his friends have had milk for lunch and they play together he almost always ends up with hives. Any way he comes into contact with dairy there are immediate hives. I am wondering if anyone else has a child with this symptom and how severe the allergy is if dairy is consumed. He has never eaten anything dairy.

Dairy is just as bad as any other alergen and can cause an anaphylaxic reaction if that is the thing you are allergic to and you ingest it.
Our daughter would get huge welts if she came in contact with milk. As an infant she got reactions from the restaurant boster seat if she was wearing shorts. Her allergist has advised that she not go to school on Pizza Days as she is in SK. The principal has ordered the custodial staff to be extra thorough in cleaning the dor knobs, flusher handles, sink taps and so on.
If you must eat/drink dairy, please consider washing your hands and face imediately afterward.
CoffeeRich or Silk for Coffee are good alternatives in coffee or tea.

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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

My daughter also has skin reactions to contact with dairy. Not many lately but many as a toddler. Has your child been tested for a milk allergy? These reactions are a definite sign. My doctor thought I was crazy when I described her skin reactions at 9 months. He thought I was an over protective first time mother. He also told me no one is anaphylactic to milk. Luckily I knew some info about anaphylaxis - limited but some - and got a referral to an allergist to discuss her reactions and to get a proper diagnosis and information. Actually when we were there the allergist also tested for milk and egg and both tests were positive.

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11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

Yes, my daughter is like that too. We gave up milk in our house, relatives have been banned from kissing her. We have been pretty successful with playdates lately. We just get everyone to wash when they come over. It seems obsesive, but it works.

The one time she consumed dairy (she was one) her entire head swelled up and she was swatting at the head (inner ear swelling). It was our first experience, so we had no epi-pen. She was treated at the hospital. But, that was prior to her becoming so sensitive to contact. I have every reason to believe further dairy consumption would be anaphylactic.

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DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

Just weighing in to say that my daughter also gets hives from skin contact with the smallest amount of dairy. We have not banned kissing but we regularly remind relatives (and friends if needed) to brush their teeth and wash hands before coming into contact with her. DD once touched an open bottle of chocolate milk and developed hives all over her face and neck. In addition, she gets asthma symptoms and sneezing/weeping/anxiety when she inhales milk protein particles, i.e. at restaurants or parties involving pizza. We no longer go to restaurants at all, and we have to be really careful at parties. We held her fourth birthday party at a play place where they routinely serve ice cream cakes and pizza, and we tried to take every precaution (even coming in early to wipe down all surfaces and use our own HEPA filter vacume cleaner on the floor -- and of course supplying all our own non-dairy food) but she still ended the party wheezing and sneezing. So I guess I'm saying that you're not alone. Milk is a tough one. If your child is anaphylactic to the stuff, I would definitely consider eliminating it from your home entirely. We haven't allowed so much as a 'may contain milk' product into the house since dd was diagnosed at 8 mo's, and it makes life soooo much more relaxing!

cheers,
lee

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Lee Parpart
Toronto

Hi julie113,

I'm not suggesting that your son will have a similar reaction, but my son went into anaphylactic shock at 5 months after having 1.5 oz of milk based formula. Subsequent allergy tests confirmed his allergy to milk (and heaps of other stuff).

The good news is that he's taught us not to give him 'milky-kisses' (his hive break-outs are pretty bad) and he's taught us everything else we need to do to keep him safe. For him, this includes living in an allergen-free space, and keeping a safe distance from anyone/anything that has come into contact with any allergens.

He's 3 now, and despite all his allergies, he's still smiling.

It sounds scary, but it's not at all impossible to do. It can be a challenging learning curve, but I'm certain you and your little guy will figure it out together. There are a lot of very supportive, nurturing and helpful people on this forum ... you're not alone!

My daughter is 41/2 and she has had dairy allergies since infancy. She has had two severe reactions by mistakenly eating another child's food.

We have encountered the same thing with the kissing and hives...At first we thought we could handle having dairy in our home. About a year ago (after her second hospital visit) we removed all dairy from our home and none of us eat it. It was an adjustment for the two adults who LOVED dairy foods, but it was the best decision we could have made. I no longer have to worry about keeping dairy products separate, cleaning so carefully after cooking and cooking separate meals. I have also found there are some great products out there that are non-dairy for cooking and baking. I have adjusted to the taste of soy milk.

It has totally reduced my stress level to know that there is NO risk that she will come in contact with dairy in our home. I also believe it has also reinforced the seriousness of her allergy with extended family, as guests don't get dairy here either (I used to buy dairy products for guests, but stopped that too).

Like Supi, I have found that dealing with her allergy has been a sometimes slow process and the learning curve huge, but I have figured out what works for my family and you will too...Anyway, I would definitely have your child tested by an allergist, because you need to know how severe the allergy is and if you need an epi-pen (not to scare you, but it is good to know what you are up against)

My daughter is 1 and also has hives from coming in contact with dairy and eggs. The allergist said she doesn't need an epi-pen and we do not need to worry about anaphylactic shock. So I am not sure if this means he believes her allergy isn't that severe or that she will just never eat enough to have such a reaction? (I am not taking a chance so I had my family dr. prescribe an epi-pen anyway).
She is starting at a home day care in January and I am very worried about her having reactions with the other kids having dairy and then playing with the same toys. I have already requested she have her own high chair, playpen and that no one have milk outside of the kitchen. I guess we will see how it will work out.
We do have diary products in our house, my older daughter still has milk at the the table. Recently we haven't had any problems at home.

patti, Did your daughter test allergic to dairy and eggs? In any case, I'd seriously find another allergist. Sounds to me like she is very allergic.

Hi Helen, she did test positive for dairy and eggs. I was actually really surprised, he said that she wouldn't have a severe reaction unless she somehow got into raw eggs. I wonder how he could know something like that? She seems very sensitive to both, just contacting a contaminated surface such as a high chair causes her to break out in hives. I received a hand-me-down jacket that hadn't been washed (I never thought to ask, it wasn't obvious) and she broke out from wearing it.

I too, would request another Allergist.

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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

My sons have reacted to cooked eggs, as well as raw. And not all doctors give good advice concerning allergies (even allergists!), as my family has discovered on more than one occasion. It does sound like a second opinion is in order.
And good for you for getting an epipen from your family doctor, despite what the allergist said!

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1 son allergic to eggs, peanuts, green peas, chick peas, lentils and tomatoes
(avoiding tree nuts and most other legumes too)
1 son allergic to eggs, and has outgrown peanuts
Both with many environmental allergies, asthma and eczema

We have a 21 year old son who is anaphylactic to dairy and egg. Was diagnosed at 6 months after we followed up on apparent contact reactions. He was so exquisitely sensitive to skin contact that for many years we would do a skin test with food that we were unsure about. If he developed hives it would happen within less than a minute. Our allergist advised that there was no way this could be reliable but in our minds it did work for a number of years but of course we would never have him consume a 'strange' or 'unknow' food without access to his Epi-pen(s). His skin did develop a tolerance in pre-teens but at 21 is still anaphylactic.

We had similar experiences to a number of you; giving up some of our favourite foods for many years as we became close to being a dairy-free household. And of course obsessed in trying to avoid contact through shared toys, school desks, etc.. In fact our son's siblings would never drink milk as they knew the risks to their older brother.

Our son has been living away from home on his own for the last 3 years. We can only hope that we have taught him well and that he considers the risks carefully. We however do try to stay in regular if not daily contact as there may not always be someone to assist if he miscalculates.

I would be highy suspect of anaphylaxis for anyone who develops hives from skin contact with a food and not sure I would believe advice otherwise even after testing.

In many cases food allergy is not only a learning experience for the individual and their family but also for the family doctor. I am sure our family doctor at the time learned a lot about food allergy and asthma through our son's experiences. And I can't imagine him ever recommending again that if you think your child is allergic try feeding him some of the specific food.....

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Lance Hill
Regional Food Liaison Officer
Health Canada

Wow!
To the mom with the 21 year old... THANK YOU for your input!

I always wonder what will happen to our little 6 year old and will he ever be able to go off to University or high school or am I being too over protective or not enough (we homeschool due to contact dairy allergy).

I try so hard to encourage autonamy in our son... he's learning the names of all the dairy ingredients and trying to read them when we go to the store...
Anyway, thank you.

Thankfully we have never had to use the epi-pen yet (knock on wood) and our son has a contact allergy as well... we now have a strict no-dairy policy in our home so he can be given the best chance of outgrowing it.

Hopefully it will all work out well.