Talking Allergies

Hi!
I just found this site while doing some research and I'm already so thankful I did! My older DD has struggled with persistent diaper rashes since she was 2mos old, and has had eczema almost non-stop since about a year old. DH's family has several food allergies/sensitivities, and DH gets eczema after eating foods like tomatoes, citrus, peaches, and most cleaners and detergents. So we didn't introduce peanuts til she was 2 (although I LOVE peanuts/nuts, so I did eat a lot while pg and BFing). Her eczema got worse after I gave her some PB, and she also seemed to react to a couple bites of my friends Harvest Crunch cereal, so we've kept her away from all nuts since then (except my dad accidently gave her PB on toast recently and she had a pretty bad breakout from that). She also seems to react to strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, acidic things like ketchup and pickles, and some randoms like cheez whiz and certain brands of Italian dressing (for both of those, she immediately gets a rash around her mouth) I've also kept her mostly from oranges/citrus. I kept asking to have her tested, but my dr said she was too young. She finally put in a referral in July 09, and we JUST got in to see him last Wednesday. He did a scratch test and we found out that she is very allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. He gave me an Epipen rx for those. She's also allergic to soy, egg whites, chicken, dust mites and cats. She didn't react much to strawberries - he said they release a lot of histamine so can mimic a true reaction? Didn't say whether to avoid And he said she may possibly be allergic to peas and legumes b/c they're related to peanuts and soy. He said we can do a food challenge for most of these to confirm the allergy, but wouldn't recommend it based on her level of reaction to peanuts and nuts (but didn't give me a number on a scale or anything). He said it would be easier to feed my younger daughter the same, and that she's likely to have the same allergies. Gave me a few info sheets on food challenges and dust mite control and that was it.

But I have soooo many questions!!! Do I avoid peas/legumes too? Just while we do the food challenges? Do I continue avoiding the food she seems to react to? I'm not exactly sure what all she was tested against either. I took all of the foods he mentioned out of my diet so my younger DD doesn't get it through my milk, and I already don't eat anything with sugar added so I'm having a tough time finding things to eat. And I'm confused by his saying her level of reaction is that high, when she's never had a REALLY bad ana type reaction to any nuts, just rashes and eczema. I do understand it can turn deadly at any moment and have removed all nuts from her/my diet (traces etc that I'd missed before this point). Shopping has been so scary because its so hard to know if there's hidden things, especially soy, or if the product has been manufactured in a facility with eggs or nuts or soy, when it isn't labelled on the product. Things like "natural flavour" or colour I've read can contain soy. I have to say I am VERY thankful that she isn't allergic to wheat or dairy, they really are lifesavers! And she's a really picky eater. I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all. Thanks for reading and any advice you have!

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Lisa
Me: penecillin
DH: Eczema, several suspected
DD1 (3yrs) Ana peanuts & tree nuts; soy, egg white, chicken, dust mites, cats, poss. legumes & latex; eczema
DD2 (1yr) Bad diaper rashes to several foods

And I have to say, you've all been so helpful already. I was about to feed them Catelli spaghetti last night when I read on here that its NOT safe for egg allergies, even though the box I have says nothing about it. I also found out that 2 of the creams we use for her eczema actually have allergens in them (Cetaphil had macadamia nut oil and Aveeno had soya). I feel so bad, she's always hated getting her creams on and I just thought they were stinging b/c of the eczema. Switched to Vaseline, although today she said even that hurt, but its Baby Powder scented so I'll go get some Glaxal Base and plain Vaseline to try.

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Lisa
Me: penecillin
DH: Eczema, several suspected
DD1 (3yrs) Ana peanuts & tree nuts; soy, egg white, chicken, dust mites, cats, poss. legumes & latex; eczema
DD2 (1yr) Bad diaper rashes to several foods

Hi there,

Welcome to the forum! It can be overwhelming at first, but this forum is great to get info as well as support.

Our situation is a bit from yours as my kids are allergic to fewer foods, but have a more severe reaction, so it's easy for us to decide what to avoid. The size of wheals from skin tests or numbers from blood tests can sometimes be confusing, as there will be people with a high number who have a mild reaction, and people with a low number having a severe reaction. There is no real way of predicting a serious reaction, but they do normally look at previous reactions as well as test results and not just one or the other. It can depend on how much of the allergen was ingested and how much was already in your system in terms of trace amounts, the person's general health at the time, etc.

It seems like there is a lot of contradictory information and advice that is given by doctors and allergists as they just simply don't know all the answers to all the questions, and doctors will just give their best guess - some are going to be more cautious than others.

Regarding avoiding legumes, etc, I have heard different answers to this question, as it's a common one. My DS ate a lot of green beans when he was younger and I asked whether we should avoid them since he is allergic to peanuts, and our allergist said no, don't avoid unless you test positive or have a reaction to a food, otherwise, you'd be avoiding a lot of food unnecessarily. He said that out of the people who are allergic to peanuts, only a small percentage are also allergic to other legumes. You could probably ask to get your DD skin tested for the other legumes at a future appointment?

Also, regarding the younger sibling, yes, allergies tend to run in families, but from what I've read, saying your younger child is 'likely' to have the same allergies seems a bit over-estimating the probability. It may be easier just to avoid the more severe allergens, like peanuts, but since you mentioned so many foods, it would be hard finding things to eat if you made your house free of all the foods that caused rashes.

I'm sure others will pipe in with some advice for you. Good luck!

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

Welcome! Post any questions and I'm sure you'll find that you are not the first to wonder...it can be very confusing and over whelming during the first year or so after a diagnosis.

Did your allergist give you a Doctors Note listing the foods your eldest daughter is to avoid? Just start with these (peanuts, all tree nuts, soy, chicken, egg whites). Regarding other legumes (beans, peas lentils etc), you don't have to avoid, but be aware and if she starts to fuss or react make note of which legume and avoid it until you can get it tested.

Go ahead and feed her the strawberries etc. You may find that after having removed the allergens, her body calms down and reacts less to these.

While the tendancy to develop allergies seems to run in families, siblings can develop allergies to the same or different allergens-it can be maddening! Look after yourself, rest, share your concerns with your partner (it's important that you both are on the same page and share the responsibility) remove all allergens and contaminated products and start fresh. Minimize the stress for now.

Read material appropriate to your situation. Don't worry about dating etc., your child might outgrow her allergies by then-you can cross that bridge when you come to it.

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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

Hi all,
I'm new here. I have viewed as a guest for awhile, but just now joined. I have less serious allergies than what I see here. I've been told I have rhinitis by two medical practitioners over the years and been prescribed antihistamines. Both of these are now over the counter products. The most recent is Zertec.
I suspected I had food allergies after talking with someone else who had them. My ears were affected as well as my digestive system.
I went through several years of not having health insurance, so I bought a book and learned what I could. After a year of struggling to feel normal, I started to get things right. Now I experience mold allergies as well as fragrance allergies.
This site has been the most useful of any I have seen.

One other note. Somewhere in another topic someone posted about potato allergies. I just wanted to point out a source of potato that may not be known to all. (I'm ok with potato) I worked in shipping and receiving at my last job. Some packing peanuts are made with potato starch, if I recall correctly. This makes for a biodegradable product to replace the styrofoam type that is better known. Since packing material is reused by some companies, this product can get mixed with other packing material.

Thanks for the info, Dave!

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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

I think the packing material I mentioned may be made from corn starch and not potato starch. That is what I am finding online.

Maybe both are used. If I find out more I will find a more suitable topic to post in.

Thanks for clarifying, Dave.
Pls. don't feel embarrassed - the oops guy gets a lot of use.

Nice to "meet" you.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin