Update on DD's food allergies

[ilovetivo]

DD was re-tested (via skin tests) for peanuts, tree nuts & shellfish yesterday. If she passed we'd be able to orally challenge them. They were negative last October, but introductions weren't "allowed" then. We were able to do this now b/c the AAP changed their guidelines on food introductions. It used to be age 5. Our allergist now allows negative skin tests to be food challenged at any age (i believe only for those that didn't have reactions before). If we pass everything (skin and oral challenge), she'd be epi-pen free!!! (We still do have the dairy FPIES allergy, but it's not treatable with epi pens, only IV fluids and steroids. We can't re-challenge dairy until she's close to 5.

So...everything was negative on the skin test!!!

Peanut
Almond
Black Walnut
Brazil Nut
Cashew
Filbert/Hazelnut
Pecan
Shellfish Mix
Shrimp

So now we challenge each one orally at home, 1 at a time (see below).

We had her eat peanut butter yesterday and all was good! We retried today and....

Peanut HAS OFFICIALLY PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On to the rest of the list :)

Shellfish (just one of them probably, or just shrimp and crab)
Tree nuts:
Almond
Beechnut
Brazil nut
Bush nut
Butternut
Cashew
Chestnut
Coconut
Filbert
Ginko nut
Hazelnut
Hickory nut
Lichee nut
Macadamia nut
Nangai nut
Pecan
Pine nut
Pistachio
Shea nut
Walnut

[caheinz]

Congrats!

DS just got a donut today -- his first bit of egg in a looooong time. We got the okay to try... but his reaction has always been in the lower digestive tract, so we don't know whether they're going to be fine or not yet...

[sarahsthreads]

How wonderful not to have to worry about peanuts/peanut butter! I'm sure you're very, very relieved. :)

I hope the rest of the challenges are equally as uneventful. Keep us updated!

Sarah

[bubbaray]

Wonderful news!

DD#2's RAST tests in February were, unfortunately, too high to challenge for fish (we expected that), peanuts and eggs. We are still avoiding all of those, plus tree nuts. We hope to challenge eggs when she is 30m. The rest will depend on future RAST tests. If we ever get to challenge with fish, we will likely start with canned tuna.

Sigh. So hard to deal with this. I'm going to an anaphylaxis conference in 2 weeks. Its put on by Anaphylaxis Canada. I hope I will learn lots there.

[Laurel]

That is absolutely wonderful news!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you again for pointing me towards the POFAK boards- it has been a huge source of support/sanity this past 5 months.

[ilovetivo]

Laurel - you're welcome!!!!!

Thanks all!

Good luck Caheinz!

Melissa - Hugs! I'm sure the conference will be great!

[DrSally]

ilovetivo, I didn't think coconut was a "nut"?

[ilovetivo]

FDA i think has it as that. FAAN does now too
http://www.foodallergy.org/downloads/HTRLsheet.pdf

I'm not sure how sensitive people really are to it though. We've done it in formula and stuff i believe

[ilovetivo]

http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/treenut.html

"Should coconut be avoided by someone with a tree nut allergy?
Discuss this with your doctor. Coconut, the seed of a drupaceous fruit, has typically not been restricted in the diets of people with tree nut allergy. However, in October of 2006, the FDA began identifying coconut as a tree nut. The available medical literature contains documentation of perhaps six cases of allergic reaction to coconut; none occur in people with allergy to other tree nuts. Ask your doctor if you need to avoid coconut."

[DrSally]

Now I feel ignorant. I have given things with coconut to DS b/c I thought it wasn't a treenut. He has tested borderline for Almond allergy. I guess I'll avoid it from now on though.

[ilovetivo]

if you've given coconut w/ no problems, i bet your allergist would think it's ok to keep giving it (or any allergen that hasn't caused issues)

don't feel ignorant. It's not even really a nut, it's more like a seed :)

[LarsMal]

Woo hoo! That is awesome. Gives me hope that someday DS will be able to pass his tests, too!

He got tested for environmental stuff a few weeks ago and I asked them to scratch for egg and dairy, just to see if there's been any change in the past six months. NOPE! Egg was so bad I could still see the hive mark the next day. Dairy was a big flare, too, but not as bad as the egg. Fingers crossed he outgrows at least one of them!

[Hippoharbor]

I hope that my prayers will be answered someday, too, and that my DS will have outgrown his peanut allergy. I can't remember how you found out about your DC's multiple food allergies; did she ever react to peanut other than skin test?

Michelle

[ilovetivo]

Julie - Thanks! Fingers crossed for you!!

Michelle - dd never reacted to peanuts or nuts. Always has negative or very low rast. We were avoiding as if she had them

Egg she outgrew officially. Hives with flu shot and testing egg yolks (same time)

Dairy - still has - was skin and blood test positive, but reacted in the FPIES way. In our latest challenge, reaction was so delayed the it's clear she only has FPIES

info on fpies here (i was co-author on the doc) http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=99&title=FPIES:_Food_Protein_Induced_Enterocolitis_Sy ndrome

Of course in trialing peanut we gave her one peanut M&M - forgot about the dairy!!!! She had tummy ache 3 hrs later - FPIES reaction - but no vomiting. Thank goodness! We were all packed and ready to go to the er. I slept in my clothes

[tylersmama]

WOOT!!! Great news, Julie! Hopefully the rest of your challenges go just as smoothly and you're on your way to being allergy-free! :yay:

[ilovetivo]

Here's more coconut info:

http://www.aaaai.org/aadmc/ate/category.asp?cat=1057 (scroll down to find the 1/17/2008 ask the expert Q&A)

quote:
Response from Dr. Hugh Sampson:

This is a tough one. I have checked around and as far as I can find out, no one is sure how the FDA came up with this list. I checked with FAAN and they said that several food industry sources are asking this question and asking them to revise the list. For example, coconut is not a nut but the seed of a drupaceous fruit. We have not restricted our nut allergic patients of coconut, and have not seen a problem. If there is any question about coconut reactivity, we test for it and occasionally have found a coconut allergic patient.

I am at the Western Allergy Society meeting right now, but I will try to remember to call a contact I know in this group at the FDA and find out how the list was generated.