We took N to the allergist yesterday because of some suspected food allergies. For some reason, I've thought for a while that he had a milk allergy, but couldn't really explain to anyone, just a feeling. He has really bad eczema all over his body (mostly noticeable on his face and calfs), really bad gas, and just seems fussy after eating sometimes. I looked around on the web, and didn't really see any information that fit what I was seeing in N to justify a trip to the allergist. But, recently, our pediatrician
finally mentioned he might be allergic to milk and to try cutting dairy out of my diet, just to see. Well, I don't really like to do things "just to see", so I had trouble cutting a whole food group out of mine and N's diet. So, we made the appointment.
We got to the doctors, and after filling in the paperwork (which I then found out I could have found on their website and had it finished beforehand, oops), we were taken into the doctors office for a little information gathering session. She asked about family history, what we thought his symptoms were, what we feed him, what I eat, his bath routine, and a bunch of other things.
Next, we were taken into the exam room where N was examined under those fluorescent lights that show EVERYTHING! If we had any illusions that N's skin was looking better these days, it was squashed by those lights. She said she would be surprised if the tests showed no allergies, so she picked 14 items for to be tested for. Let's see if I can remember...dog, mites (x2), egg white, egg yolks, pecans, cashews, peanut, milk, rice, soy, corn, wheat, and I cannot remember the last...I think thats the list. He also got pricked with a histamine and saline (to have controls).
Here was what his poor arms looked like:
He did a great job though! Barely cried, and no scratching. We did a bit of nursing afterwards to help comfort him, but he was in great spirits, if not a little tired.
The doctor came in after about 15 min to look at his arms. He was showing reaction to egg white and yolk, dog and milk. Gah! She went over her suggestions for changes in my diet. No diary or egg at all as long as I am nursing. And since we are supplementing with formula, to switch to a hypoallergenic forumla (read: expensive!).
Since he's only 5 months, there's a strong chance that he's allergic to some of the things they tested him for, but they are not showing up yet since he hasn't been exposed. She wants us to stay away from the top 8 allergens for now (egg, dairy, fish, shellfish, wheat, peanut, tree nut and soy). This means no soy formula, which would be much easier on the wallet. I guess repeated exposure to soy could actually cause him to develop an allergy, especially at this age. This also means, I need to be careful about the amount of soy I eat.
We will take him back in 2 months to evaluate how he's doing, and if the change in diet has helped. We are free to start introducing foods when we are ready, just need to be careful for the top 8 allergens. N will probably get more skin tests, along with a blood draw to determine any more allergies, as well as the severity of them.
The good news is that milk and egg are both typically outgrown around the ages of 2 and 3. So, fingers crossed! We are very lucky to have supportive family and friends, I don't know how we could it without them!
