That's too bad Maggie. Hadn't Grace eaten any eggs so far? Any peanut butter? Can you get a second opinion? I am not sure how these allergy tests work - I'll do research on it later today...

In the meantime, of course you will deal with it best you can. I have a brother who cannot eat shrimp, and another brother who is just now (at 45) developing a reaction to it if he eats much of it. Allergies sure are strange.

Maggie,

I am so sorry. Do have a second battery of tests/opinion if you don't agree. The best advice I can give is, don't "test" her allergies, or think, "just a little won't hurt" by having those things again. It could be the last time she has that item or any other. Allergies only get worse (as well as the reactions!) as the allergen keeps getting put into her system. I know you're already scared, and I promise I'm not trying to make it worse, but don't mess with allergies at all; like a loaded gun. I just can't stress it enough.

Dang it to heck, she doesn't deserve this!

allergies are strange, and I agree with Gina, I'd get another opinion. Even so, living without peanut butter isn't all that bad, can she have almonds or hazelnuts or is it all tree nuts? Almond butter is pretty good, your son might eat that with his jelly.

Eggs aren't all that hard either, I don't think. I leave eggs out of a lot of things, I just sub homemade yogurt or applesauce, depending on the recipe. I use lots of eggs in the summertime when the hens are laying and I'll use whatever else I have on hand if I'm out of eggs from tofu to some extra oil. It mostly works, you'll have to experiment!

Allergies can be tough, especially with little kids who don't understand why items need to be avoided. Amanda is allergic to pine, to pollen, to cats, she's lactose intolerant. She also has asthma, and no one in my family has allergies to anything except my other who is allergic to lemons! It's a learning experience, but it'll get easier, really it will.

Hugs to you and kisses to those sweet baby Gracie cheeks.

Annie

Don't blame yourself! We all know that you will do everything you can to help your children.

I found very conflicting info on breast milk contributing to allergies.

"The report's points:

--There is no convincing evidence that women who avoid peanuts or other foods during pregnancy or breast-feeding lower their child's risk of allergies."

Here is a link that might be useful: Update from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Hi Maggie I'm sorry for you and little Grace. You've got a challenge ahead, there's no doubt, but it's not that dismal.

First of all check out the Food Allergy Network website. They're great for common food allergies like peanuts (which are a legume and not a nut so watch out for lentils, peas and beans too)soy and egg.
DGS is allergic to nuts (usually almonds are okay--they're from the plum family)corn, casein (the protein in milk) peanuts,chocolate, dogs, and loads more. Have you seen an allergist yet?

The good news is that around 3 years things begin to get better for food allergies(the intestines begin to mature), although egg will be the most challenging. One of the tests for egg (at the doctor's office)is to swab a bit of the white on the child's lip. My boss's DGS had that happen. She says that they're able to cook w/o eggs at home for him. I'll try and get more info for you on that.

There are cookbooks out there on Amazon with some great recipes and we used to have someone else here whose child had many allergies too. Does anyone recall her name? She could help you through this. Also Deb-Momto4kids has one who's allergic to peanuts.

Thank goodness we have great labeling on our food products now and places like Whole Foods to buy products that she'll be able eat.

I'm off to work now, but don't despair--we'll all help you!
Hugs,
E

Here is a link that might be useful: FAAN

Maggie, just from a rudimentary search on the web I found these snippets. Before coming to a conclusion on Grace's allergies, I would get an appointment with a certified allergist. Let us know how it goes.

From the NIH web site: "The accuracy of allergy testing varies quite a bit. Even the same test performed at different times on a person may give different results. A person may react to a substance during testing, but never react during normal exposure. A person may also have a negative allergy test and yet still be allergic to the substance."

From a WebMD article: ""I see patients all the time who go to a doctor, skin-test positive for lots of different foods, and are advised to avoid all of these foods," Portnoy tells WebMD. "It makes their life miserable. And it turns out they are not truly allergic to all these foods after all.""

From labtestsonline.org: "What does the test result mean?
Normal negative results indicate that you probably do not have a "true allergy," an IgE-mediated response to that specific allergen, but the results of allergen-specific IgE antibody tests must always be interpreted and used with caution and the advice of your doctor. Even if your IgE test is negative, there is still a small chance that you do have an allergy.

Elevated results usually indicate an allergy, but even if your specific IgE test was positive, you may or may not ever have an actual physical allergic reaction when exposed to that substance. And the amount of specific IgE present does not necessarily predict the potential severity of a reaction. Your clinical history and other allergy tests, done under close medical supervision, may be necessary to confirm an allergy diagnosis."

I have allergies to many things -please see a Pediatric Allergist asap. I agree with rob - DO NOT do your own testing! Like most things in life, education is key to managing this, and unfortunately, you will have to be vigilant to the point of obsession because other people just don't get it - or they think you are over protective. A good pediatric allergist and the office staff will become your new best friends.
You are allowed this pity party. I doubt if your eating PBJ's "caused this allergy" so don't beat yourself up over this one!
You are lucky to find out about this allergy so early - and kudos to your Doc for being observant and proactive.
Good Luck to you and hugs to Gracie!

Oh Maggie thats the poops!

Like others have said I would get a second opinion just to confirm the diagnosis and the list. Also, just like you grow into allergies, you can also grow out of them , so one day at a time.

As for the breast milk....don't give it a thought. There is no way of knowing that that's what happened and besides better you breast fed than didn't. Think way to much guilt is placed on Mom's when children develop food allergies etc.

Not sure about the US but here in Ontario practically no school or camp will allow peanut butter or nuts into the school/camp so there must be lots of kids with allergies, therefore there must be a ton of info and help out there.

Keep us posted and give that doll face a big hug from me!

Skin tests can lie. Blood testing (RAST) is far more accurate for food allergies. Little DGS was positive after skin testing to so many things, we had to cut them out and add back in. There are days when we see a reaction but can't pinpoint the cause. One thing that he's quite allergic to is melons. I can assure you DD hates them and I can assure you that she never ate them when pregnant!

I'm sorry you are going through this....but for a Dr to decide to do an allergy screening because of a single hive on her chin, AND to tell you that she is allergic to all thses things seems way WAY too out there. Please get a second opinion...I suspect that a certified allergist will pooh pooh the whole thing when you tell him why and how the testing was conducted.
I am an "allergic person"...have...had all sorts of allergies. I have tested positive and negative to all sorts of things like corn, ragweed, certain foods etc....and periodically I will get a few idiopathic hives...mostly when there are other stressors like a sinus infection...or a lot of mosquito bites.I have a friend who is an allergy cripple....she looks normal, but spends a week at a time at an allergy clinic and avoids all sorts of things like beer, freshly made bread ( but day old bread is good as is wine!) etc etc etc...
Someone told her she was highly allergic to "something" and she has searched until she found someone who will corroborate those findings.
Get a second opinion....and perhaps a third opinion. Allergies are very scary, I am allergic to Penicillin to a dangerous degree and my Son in Law to fish....once! he ahd a reaction needing a trip to the ER...but has managed to eat small amounts since...(what a dummy to even try it!)...allergies come and go.
Get at least one more opinion....probably 2 more. No need to make Grace an "allergic kid" because one doctor found a bump on her chin!
Linda C

We live in an allergy friendly world as well. A number of close friends and relatives have severe peanut allergies. Nothing to fool around with, for sure, but all the kids are growing up happy and healthy if a bit cautious.

Now the kids I know who have had egg allergies have all outgrown the allergy by 5 or 6 years old. Not so with the nut allergy. In the meantime, there are egg substitutes available and, like Annie, I've had success baking with other substitutes like arrowroot starch or applesauce depending on what I'm looking for.

My middle son has a severe allergy to all fish, finned and shell. We have him retested by the pediatric allergist every year, but the allergy has stayed the same. I sometimes carry an epipen with me, but have never had to use it, the few times he's had a reaction it's been mild enough for benadryl to do the trick. The worst reaction came from a slice of pizza - turns out there was clam juice in the tomato sauce! Another time a kid at school gave him tuna salad - told him it was chicken. The kid apparently thought it would be funny. Nice kid.

So, yes, get more opinions for sure, but know that allergies are manageable and this is just a little bump in the road.

AM

Ack! I posted a long response last night - lost it and just now posted a reply to each one and I just lost it! Argh!

Thank you so much! I am deeply grateful for the great info and the support. Grace's results were from blood work and we did see an allergist on Tuesday.

We are headed out for the weekend but I will be back on Monday. Thank you so much!!!

I know it will be fine but when it is your kid - you worry, ya know? I am already a nervous nelly so I don't want to make my kids NUTS!

It just struck me funny reading this today that I included cat dander when talking about food allergies. Yes, we have 2 cats but no cat dander is not a food group in my house. Now, I do have an Aunt where it may be - we always say her furntiture is "breaded" in cat hair - LOL. Ugh. On that note, thanks again. The world just got a little more scary to me and your support is so helpful. (E - okay to email you about DGS?)

Have a great weekend. Talk to you Monday.

Please do!

[Maggie I type long posts in a Word document to ensure against loss!]

btw, if you could give your children allergies to peanuts when you are pregnant and nursing Sebastian would have a raging one. I could not have dairy for the first 6 months of his life so I was eating well over a jar of peanut butter a month. My understanding is by nursing you are making it less likely they will have allergies later.

-Robin

Maggie,
This must be very overwhelming for you. My nephew has a severe milk allergy and I've often thought how hard it is to avoid just milk, let alone a whole variety of foods. But they've made it just fine and you will too. Incidentally, I remember when I was pg. with munchkin #2 7 years ago reading on a message board how in England even then they recommended that pg women not ingest peanut butter to help avoid allergies. Since I could live on pb, I was horrified at that. And now, I have friends/relatives with babies who've told me the current recs state not to give peanut butter to ANY child under the age of 3 to avoid allergies.

Please keep us posted.

Tracey