How many of you are, or were, parents of food allergic kids?

[lablover]

DS - allergic to egg. Found out this Spring after an allergist appointment for suspected allergy to medicine (most likely amoxicillan). Think the egg was causing his constant sinus problems. Allergist thinks he is outgrowing, but we are avoiding for one year and then retesting.

DD - allergic to peanuts. Skin test came back as 1, still have to go do the RAST test. Never ingested, she reacted to airborne particles (from mixed nuts, so it could be tree nuts as well - didn't test as we will be avoiding anyway). Avoiding fish, shellfish and eggs, so don't know about those yet. She's also allergic to dogs and was affected by the trees last Spring so I'm not looking forward to this Spring because she will probably be much worse since it will be her second season.

DH and I do not have allergies so this is all new to us.

[anamika]

DD is mildly allergic to everything (did the RAST blood test) - nuts, eggs, rye, wheat, milk. The only thing negative was rice!
In her case it mostly exhibits as severe eczema. I haven't made any effort to avoid everything on the list except nuts. We're vegetarian and DD has weight gain issues, so food is enough of a concern for us.
We do carry an epipen because her numbers for peanuts were very high and she hasn't really eaten them yet.

[lkarp]

Mila is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame seeds.

[mudder17]

I developed this a little later, but I have an allergy (non-lifethreatening) to Mangos. They make me break out in hives. And although not a food allergy, I get a bad reaction from MSG and at least a small reaction to nutrasweet (not to mention that it doesn't taste good).

DD#1 doesn't have any food allergies that I know of, although she has broken out into hives on three separate occasions, each time eating something completely different from the other two occasions. I have not figured out what it is that's causing her reaction. First time was French onion soup in a French restaurant (made from scratch), second time was eating dumplings with soy sauce/sesame oil, and third time...I don't remember precisely at this point.

DD#2 tested allergic to eggs and mildly to sesame, so I'm avoiding those two of course, plus all other seeds, and I'm avoiding nuts, shellfish, and other highly allergic foods. They are hopeful that she will outgrow her egg and sesame allergy.


Eileen

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[mickminmom]

DD - allergic to eggs, seems to have outgrown at 24 months. Dr. didn't think another skin test was necessary.

Neither DH or I have any food allergies. I have learned so much from these postings! Thanks to everyone for sharing the knowledge!

ETA: Just posted another question about my uneasiness with the last dr. visit this morning...further down in the list...

Chris

[megs4413]

we haven't had any formal testing done.

DD suspect:
sweet potatoes, carrots, lemons, lactose sensitivity

*we avoid citrus and things "orange colored" almost completely cause of her early reactions with baby food...she does much better with milk now than she used to and handles cheese and yogurt just fine.

DS suspect:
milk protein sensitivity

my DH is lactose intolerant and has a nut allergy (i don't know what nut...pistachio? no idea...) and i'm allergic to a couple spices. we both have really terrible seasonal allergies.

[momofjandl]

Thanks for doing this!

DS is allergice to peanuts, tree nuts, egg, sasame, soy, dust mites, and anything with fur. (And seasonal allergies)

I haven't been tested but have had symptoms (burning tongue and wanting to vomit after one bite) from melons and strawberries. I also have horrible spring allergies.

I've read that some seasonal allergies can cause food allergies. For instance ragweed allergy is associated with melons.

[ilovetivo]

I believe your mouth symptoms are Oral Allergy Syndrome or a cross reactivity to your seasonal allergies (not sure if that's 2 different things). It's still the same allergy in terms of your seasonal and mouth. So it's not causing a food allergy. There's a bunch other cross reactive fruits (veggies maybe too?) with trees and such. You can look up OAS. Sorry, i don't have the time/energy :)

[momofjandl]

I appreciate your response, and it is most likely that but I still call it a food allergy b/c I can't eat those foods. I hate that the medical community makes it so hard for people that don't understand food allergies. I found the following info below for others in case they are interested.

"Oral Allergy Syndrome or OAS is an allergic reaction to certainusually fresh) fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The allergy is not actually an allergy to food but a syndrome that develops in hay fever sufferers. The immune system mistakes the food proteins for the pollen proteins and causes an allergic reaction.

OAS sufferers may have a number of reactions that usually occur very rapidly, within minutes of eating a trigger food. The most common reaction is an itching or burning sensation in the lips, mouth, and/or pharynx. Sometimes other reactions can be triggered in the eyes, nose, and skin. The most severe reactions can result in asthma problems or anaphylaxis.[1] If a sufferer is able to swallow the food, there is a good chance that there will be a reaction later in the gastrointestinal tract. Vomiting, diarrhea, severe indigestion, or cramps may occur."

So we have food allergy, food intolerance, oral allergy syndrome, seasonal allergies, etc. And the reactions can vary, but some can have an anaphylactic reaction to OAS or a food allergy. So while it's good to know the difference, I can see why this makes people who know nothing about food allergies confused.

In my opinion, if you have an allergic reaction to any type of food (regardless of whether it's OSA ie: the pollen proteins) than you have a food allergy b/c you can't eat that food-you'll have an allergic reaction. I think it would be hard to explain to someone, who doesn't want to listen about food allergies in the first place, that well..you aren't really allergic to strawberries but to the pollen protein in strawberries and so it's not a food allergy but oral allergy syndrome..but you could still die.

I just don't want people who don't understand food allergies to be even more confused.

On a side note, I have reactions to fresh strawberries picked off the farm in summer, but not to fresh grocery store strawberries. Now what does that say about our grocery store strawberries? :)

[ilovetivo]

32 of us?! I think that's a lot. How many of you are kfa members? Do you post on the POFAK boards there? (I'm ilovetivo there too)

If anyone want me to forward them the latest www.kidswithfoodallergies.org email newsletter, so you can find out more about them, PM me and i'll forward it to you. It's chock full of info. There's other good email newsletters out there too. www.allergymoms.com www.allergykids.com (i have recent ones of those too)