My Thoughts and Information on the Top 5 Food Allergies
This photo of my grandson just breaks my heart! My grandson was colicky as a baby and the pediatrician tested him before he was even a year old and found that he was allergic to dairy, corn, beef, chicken and pork. He had so many allergies, so young. My daughter in law with breast-feeding, but she eliminated all his allergens from her diet and continued to breast feed him and his colic got better.
But look at his face! He continued to have allergies that they didn’t find. In hind-sight my grandson should have been tested around 2-3 years of age but he seemed better except when he was exposed to dairy, even getting it on his skin he’d erupt with a horrid raised rash. So we felt he was still allergic to dairy but had outgrown all the other food allergies. My grandson was kept off of dairy products and as time passed we noticed a persistent facial rash that seemed to be getting worse over the past year along with just a pasty white complexion that worried us a bit and he was thin. He also had rash around his bottom and a rash that would come and go on his extremities and this rash would itch.
His facial rash became so severe it would crack and bleed and become flaky. His pediatrician just said he had dermatitis…YA…well to WHAT? The pediatric dermatologist he saw just gave him more steroid creams and my grandson continued to worsen.
The next step I am so thankful for. My grandson saw a naturopath for his allergies last month who did more blood testing and allergy testing, being quite convinced the root problem was an allergy to something yet unidentified.
A couple of weeks ago part of the blood work my grandson had done came back, his CBC ,which showed that definitely he was having some sort of allergic reaction. This confirmed it … but to what. This past week my grandson’s allergy blood work came back and it was a 2 edged sword. It brought the answers but confirmed he was allergic to so many food items that the naturopath said she’d never seen a test come back with so many definite allergies! We were just happy to know what to begin eliminating from his diet.
My grandson had an antibody assessment done on his blood testing types of foods. It determined if it was true allergy where anaphylaxis could occur or if it is a severe insensitivity. Either way a true allergy or insensitivity it was something that was hurting his little body. The dairy came back a true allergy, the others were severe insensitivities with range a of 1-6 with 6 being the highest…and most of his allergies were High, Very and Extremely High..4, 5 & 6. They are concentrating on eliminating Wheat, Gluten, Peanuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Soy, Legumes and Peas. Going Gluten-Free is a difficult thing but adding to that no soy or nuts….its a learning curve for us all. He also has so many sensitivities in class 4 which is considered HIGH and they are not even focusing on those yet.
So my advice to parents is, if your child has a rash that lasts over 4 months…go have them checked out. And if nothing seems to help by seeing a physician, I would highly recommend a naturopath.
These are the 5 most common Food Allergies:
Nuts: Nuts are one of the allergies children do not usually outgrow. Here is a great resource for someone who has nut allergies, it is a lunch box cards about nut allergies that you can print off.
Dairy: Most people think of only milk…but anything with whey or casein is dairy.
Eggs: This is a common childhood allergy that can be outgrown. And there are many products to use in place of eggs when baking.
Fish/Shellfish: My grandson thankfully is not allergic to fish, which is a staple in our diet here in Alaska, being wild…not farmed fish.
Wheat: This now is affecting up to 6% of children under 3 where they cannot digest wheat and other glutens. My grandson is 4 and 1/2 and probably will have to eat gluten-free his whole life. Although wheat insensitivity makes you sick and can interfere with how our nutrients are absorbed, it is not the same as celiac disease which is confirmed by a blood test.
We have started other seed butters instead of peanut butter which was a huge part of my grandson’s diet. So far he likes them. We are looking forward to his rash disappearing and him feeling better. Seeing my grandson so uncomfortable has been so hard on me and him! Check out my post on all about allergies and symptoms.
So many kids suffer from food allergys now, I think maybe its the chemicals that seem to be in every food we eat from sprays on veges to food additives.
My son and I deal with severe allergies not rash like but more respiratory but how do you find a reputable naturopath? Are they medical doctors?
No Rosanne they are not a medical doctor…they go to a different type of school. I would ask around if you know anyone that goes to one. I was lucky and found a clinic that included alternative medicine…and had some MD’s.
My daughter also suffers from skin rashes. So far we know she is allergic to pets and peanuts. Many folks question me because Megan doe snot choke when she ate peanuts but it caused severe stomach aches. Thank you for making me feel better
Krista, I can feel your pain. So many more children seem to have food allergies now than when mine were young. I attribute it to GMO and processed foods.
ok trying for third time to post.
Why stop at 3 stealmagnolia? lololol
I’m sorry,I didn’t think that comment would show up, because I didn’t think the other two did! lol thanks
If lactose free milk still upsets me then that is not the problem, yet my doctor told me if I kept eating and drinking dairy I’d “get over it.”
That’s why I think naturopaths are so good!
Doctors are still uniformed. My GI doc told me if I kept eating dairy I’d get over the lactose intolerance. I told him lactaid was not the problem!
Yes…Terrible for a doc to say that! I would find a new one.
Thank goodness you guys have found someone to help him. My children never had a problem and like a dummy I never thought about them having allergies. I have a 3 month old grandson now and it is in the back of my mind. Hope your grandson does well. Thanks for the post.
Wow! Poor guy, I’m glad that he saw naturopath who was able to assess the situation and find out what the cause was for you. I honestly couldn’t imagine if that was happening to one of my children. Thank you so much for posting this!
Poor little guy! I had many allergies as a youngster and outgrew many of them. I hope your daughter in law has great success in dealing with these allergies and that he starts improving quickly!
I can so relate! My sons (15 months apart) were colic and wouldn’t nurse well. I finally figured it out at 6 months for my one son and 21 months for my other son. Such a relief when you do figure it all out! : )
Poor kiddo, I can’t imagine how hard it is for you all to transition.
These are good to watch out for! My son keeps getting a rash across his cheek but we can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from, the only thing he consumes daily is milk to I don’t know if he’s suddenly developing an allergy? Going to check it out with the doc..Thanks for sharing!
I hope they find out if your son has allergies Holly. Glad you are being proactive for your son.
Thanks for writing this it can help so many people going through it. I was told my son had colic as well at birth we stayed in the hospital for a week because he would not stop vomiting when he nursed. Kids with Diabetes are at a higher risk for Celiac’s. My son had a heart transplant at 19 ,2004 and has Celiac’s . In Italy studies of the heart are going on with people with Celiac’s and Dilated cardiomyopathy. Studies on twins with Celiac’s at Children’s Hospital in L A Ca. are also taking place. I hope they learn so much more about this to help those whom suffer with it. Thank you
I hope your son is well. Thank you for this information on Celiac related to diabetes!
poor little guy it sucks that he is allergic of so many things but it is great that there is food out there for him to eat. Its great that they found out early.
Yes Margaret, we just have to get the foods he likes from what he can eat. That is my goal anyways.
Awwww…that poor guy. Food allergies are the worst, and finding out that kids have them can be a hard road. Thank you for sharing this.
I will see him this week so hope he’s better.
So many food allergies go undiagnosed. Like someone mentioned above, food allergies can even cause behavioral and emotional problems in children. It’s very important to pay attention to what you eat and how it makes you feel. I hope you get everything figured out with your grandson! Thanks for making people more aware of food allergies!
Thank you for your comments Micaela.
Oh wow, how difficult for all of you. Thank goodness you found someone who could really tell you what it was. How frustrating!
Thanks Huguette..we are so glad we found help!
I have seen severe personality disrders in children attributed to tomato and tomato products. Removing these changed personalities dramatically. I have seen food allergies take so many different forms. If a child seems unbalanced– (not to sound all granola to everyone) have food allergies looked into.
poor kiddo. I hope that they can get a diet all worked out for him. I have a one year old
granddaughter and so far knock on wood no allergies. Happy New Years!
I am so happy to hear he is seeing a Dr that may help him out more. It has to be very rough on him and his Mom trying to figure out what he can eat.
So sorry to hear they have to go through this with him…and at such a young age. My sister is dairy free, gluten free and legume free as well…she has MS and has drastically changed her diet since finding out.
Prayers goes out to you and your family.
thoughts and prayers sent your way — my youngest daughter has just started some blood tests and such for allergies– shes been diagnosed with severe psyrosis–
I hope your daughter will get relief from the results you get.
i read this n it was like reading bout my 3 yr old grandson he has so many allergies it is hard to keep up but he is also def allergice to milk n wheat an so many more things but like u better to find out n not let them suffer
vickie thanks for your comments
Oh Colleen, poor little fella. Even with the terrible rash…he is smiling !! When our grandkids suffer, so do the extended family…like grandma and grandpa. I’m hoping that the rash will diminish quicky so that he can feel good soon. Love you sister.