what to expect at the allergist for a 4 yo (X post)

[nutmeggmama]

I bought Noah a soy steamer last week, he started drinking it, put it down and he started saying he was choking and kinda grabbing at his thoat. He got super pale, then I picked him up, and he vomited.
Then a while later he pinked up and seemed pretty normal. I asked the barista if any milk had accidentally gotten into the soy steamer, and she said "no....well, may there was a little on the wand, but it was just a little..." :onfire
so, today the ped gave us an epipen and a referral to the allergist. Noah wants to know whats going to happen... any experience?

[Punkie]

Well, I was just there today, so I should be able to give you a pretty good idea!

The appointment lasted almost 2 hours. First they did a family history check, then they asked about his symptoms and the kinds of things that we wanted to test for, then they did a routine physical, then they did the scratch test (which was not bad at all, although I had to give him a big hug and help him take deep breaths as they poked him. After the test, he read books and played for 20 minutes while they waited for the results. He wasn't allowed to touch his back, so I was glad that I had brought stuff to keep him busy! After that, they read the results (just looked at his back), we wiped him off and put on a lotion to stop the reactions, and then the doc gave us medicines and a plan for diet :)

I'm SO glad that we went though, because I know what to avoid and what's not a problem, where before I felt like I was stabbing in the dark...

[LoveToReadMommy]

I hate to tell you this, but if he reacted that bad over a little milk on the thing, he is probably seriously allergic, and you need to be prepared for some major changes. Be prepared for a long appointment, bring toys, etc for him. They probably won't do the prick or blood tests the first time, I always brought dd a gift for her to have after, a new toy to play with while we talked with doc.

I don't go anywhere without our epi pens, thankfully we've never had to use them. I'm really strict, and I NEVER leave her with anyone who doesnt' know how to use them, or aren't willing to use them. (couldn't attend an international bible study once because they weren't willing to take the chance) I have a friend who attends the study, and just doesn't tell them about her son's allergies. That's irresponsible to me. It's life or death if they eat the wrong food!

I'm not sure I understand, you know he's allergic to milk, but never have been to an allergist or have epi's?

The thing about reactions are they are not predictable.

[nutmeggmama]

Well, I have kept him off of milk since he was 2ish because his asthma didnt have to be medicated once he was off of it...then the more dairy I weeded out of his diet, the healthier he became. When I told any DR's he's allergic, they said well, maybe. He can have it when he's older probably. Sooo...they said just keep him off of dairy...simple. no one was concerned. this time i walked into the dr, she said well i guess we can say we know hes allergic. so now his reaction was strong enough to warrant the allergist. she said anaphylactic reations to dairy are rare.
a year ago, he had a similar reaction when we were out of state, my sister didnt know and gave him a glass of milk. quiet spirit here told me he might need an epipen and i remember that very clearly.im familiar with anaphylaxis cause my sister was allergic to bees.
now noah is afraid of dairy products... he asks everyone, even me "does it have bad milk? i cant have cow milk"

[LoveToReadMommy]

In my experience, many doctors aren't that familiar with how serious food allergies can be. :banghead I'm learning how to be more assertive and proactive with my kids health. It never hurts to see an allergist if you suspect an allergy. I didn't know that anaphalxis to dairy was "rare". It may not be as common as anaphalxis to nuts, but I'm a member of FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphalxis Network) and I get tons of info from them, and there are plenty of people anaphalyxis to dairy. A 17 year old died recently, he drank a protein shake with whey in it.

I highly recommend you check out FAAN www.foodallergy.org is their website I think. I found them to be very educational, more so than the doc's.

I'm so sorry your son is scared of dairy. :( I'll pray for you that his fear turns into a healthy fear, so that you don't have to worry about him "sneaking" dairy or something. :pray

I'm so glad you're seeing an allergist and getting an epi pen. You may need it someday and be so glad you have it.

[peacefulveganmom]

Just wanted to let you know that my dd (who is 19 months old) has a severe anaphylactic allergy to dairy. We have to carry an epi and Benadryl everywhere we go! The allergist said she is the most extreme case he has ever seen. She was tested on our first visit, and it wasn't that bad. The worst part is trying to keep them from touching & scratching their backs.
From what I've read during my online research, it seems as if serious dairy reactions aren't really that "rare" as the allergists like to tell you. I guess in comparison to peanut allergy, etc. the numbers are smaller, but it IS a problem that alot of people have. Hope this helps! I am so sorry that your son is allergic. :( Luckily, we are vegans, so we have a much easier time keeping it out of our lives. My dd's first and only exposure (and reaction) was due to eating at a cafe where they mislabeled something as "vegan" on the menu--but it had casein (a milk protein) in it! :eek :rolleyes So be VERY careful with eating out and buying processed foods. And always keep the epi with you!!! ;)