Food allergy finally diagnosed....

DD had a verifiable reaction to food coloring today. Her face and mouth (tongue and inside cheeks) swelled up, and she had hives on her cheeks. It was bad enough that we took her into the urgent care, where they (finally) admitted that it appeared she might be allergic to something. And then attempted to give her benedryl with red dye to counteract the reaction to... red dye. I said "no thanks" and took her to the pharmacy, where the pharmacist found us some dye-free benedryl. DD was fine 3 hours later.

As bad as it sounds, I'm glad it happened. People have been looking at me like I was crazy when I would say that she couldn't have food with artificial coloring in it. Now, instead of just saying she's sensitive to it, I can say she's allergic to it, and maybe people will be more willing to pay attention to things!

Scary, but so glad it was finally diagnosed. And so thankful that our favorite pharmacist (who actually remembers me and DD) was able to point us in the right direction of what she needed to stop the hives without reacting more!

That's great!:hug:

And scary that food coloring has an effect on so many people. And the reactions are so varied. It's no wonder it can be hard to pin down.

First of all, I'm glad she's ok.

Second of all, bad news: telling people she's allergic is not always going to mean diddly. Explaining the swelling will make more of an impression, but there are plenty of leople out there who 'don't believe' in allergies. Especially to something like food dye.

Third:The swelling scares me. :( I'm concerned about an even worse reaction down the road. Please talk to your pediatrician or PCP and ask for an epi pen. Benedryl does NOT always stop a reaction.

Last of all: :grouphug: and I'm sorry if I come off like some kind of allergy freak. Experience has made me a total cynic on the subject.

Not to scare you, but my sister used to have the same problem with red dye and she is now anaphylactic to it. Somehow, they've determined that she's allergic to a specific red dye, I believe it's #40. It's a very common one and is in almost everything that is red/pink plus a whole bunch of unexpected stuff. It's not always on the labels. The most surprising is that some canned white frosting has it. Another shocker is fresh strawberries at restaurants.

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Originally Posted by MamaMolly

First of all, I'm glad she's ok.

Second of all, bad news: telling people she's allergic is not always going to mean diddly. Explaining the swelling will make more of an impression, but there are plenty of leople out there who 'don't believe' in allergies. Especially to something like food dye.

Third:The swelling scares me. :( I'm concerned about an even worse reaction down the road. Please talk to your pediatrician or PCP and ask for an epi pen. Benedryl does NOT always stop a reaction.

Last of all: :grouphug: and I'm sorry if I come off like some kind of allergy freak. Experience has made me a total cynic on the subject.

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Molly--The swelling totally scares me too. She's got a MD appt in a week, and we will ask for (beg, demand) an Epi-pen just to ease my fears. One of my friends' husband was allergic to something (wheat, maybe?) and it caused swelling. One time it was just his cheeks, and the next time, they had to call 911 because he was turning blue. Scared that it could happen to DD like that. Oh, and no worries about being a allergy freak--I'm equally cynical about the whole thing. I just don't trust that it's as easy as keeping benedryl in my purse!

:grouphug: I am sorry to welcome you to the allergy club. I found this website very helpful, once I got over being completely overwhelmed at some of the allergies other families are dealing with over there: www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

But they are a great resource, tons of helpful advice and are warm and welcoming to 'new' allergy parents. IIWY I'd ask for advice on where other parents have found hidden red food coloring, like the PP mentioned. Since it isn't a top 8 allergen it won't always be listed on ingredient lists IIRC.