Ever since we first found out that our kids had allergies, we have always worried about when the next allergy might pop up. We’ve encountered a few over the years and each one has been very scary.
We knew Pumpkin was allergic to peanuts and pistachios and we knew Dumpling was allergic to Amoxicillin, but we have always wondered what else might be out there that might cause our girls to have a reaction. Not only that, but Pumpkin has been pretty much constantly sniffly, sneezy and wheezy for as long as I can remember now. We’ve done breathing treatments and all sorts of other things to try to figure it out, but nothing seemed to cure the issue…just treat the symptom.
Allergy Testing
A few months ago, I finally decided to make an appointment with an allergy specialist. The wait to get in for an appointment that wouldn’t interfere with school was long, but yesterday we finally got to talk to a doctor that specializes in this stuff and can help us finally take care of our girls!
If you’ve never been through an allergy test, here’s how it goes…The doctor talked to use about our concerns in order to decide which allergens to test for. For Dumpling, our concerns were minimal, so he only ran one set of allergens on her (that means 8 allergens in one set). For Pumpkin, we had more concerns, so she had to have a total of five different sets of allergens (that’s 40 allergens, folks).
The girls had to lay on their tummies, the nurse cleaned the area and then applied the allergens using a bristle-like device (see the picture at left) that breaks the skin a bit and lets the liquid allergen get in. Then, the girls had to wait 15 minutes (that’s the hard part – can’t move, can’t scratch) to see the results.
It was not pleasant to watch them go through it, but even the girls were thankful to finally find out once and for all about their allergies. They both cried (Pumpkin much more because she was so itchy), but the 15 minutes went by fairly quickly and the nurse was quick to apply cream to help the itching just as soon as the doctor (who was very quick and attentive) got a chance to look at them.
The Results
It turns out, there were hidden allergies and I’m so glad we had the allergy testing done on both so we don’t run into unexpected reactions.
My little Dumpling came out of it not too bad off. We did find out (as you can see above) that she’s allergic to shellfish. We now carry an Epi-Pen Jr. for her just in case she encounters it at some point. We explained to her that she cannot eat crab, lobster or other “fish with shells” but I highly doubt it will be an issue since there’s no shellfish in macaroni and cheese (that I know of).
Pumpkin, on the other hand, took a bit of a beating.
Pumpkin is not nearly as lucky. She’s unfortunately highly allergic to cats, cashews and peanuts. That means we have to cut out all nuts, which pretty much broke her heart because she loves macadamia nuts (which she has not reacted to…YET), but the doctor said that a reaction could happen at any time and we should cut it out to be safe since it is a tree nut.
So, we know to keep Pumpkin away from cats and nuts, but what we really took away from this testing is that she also has several environmental allergens (including dust mites) and that explains her sneezing, wheezing, coughing and breathing problems. We can now combat those problems by making a few changes around the house and starting a few daily medications to help her breathe better and fight the allergens. She is so excited to finally be able to sleep without coughing her head off.
Lessons Learned
While the testing itself was no fun at all, it was very much worth finding out about those hidden allergies. I am not a big fan of surprises of the anaphylactic sort, so this was a good day for us. We know what to look out for, we know what to do around our home and we know how to take better care of our babies.
Have you ever been through this type of allergy testing with your kids?
We just went through this with my 4 and 7 year old grandsons. They are both sniffly, sneezy, asthmatics. The 4 year old is a severe asthmatic who was hospitalized for a week last February because of it. Thankfully after starting Advair his breathing has been much better.
But after a bad Spring and early Fall we took them for allergy testing. I went with my daughter-in-law to help. Their little backs looked terrible. Huge red welts all over. They both have environmental allergies, no food ones that have been discovered. But you name an environmental allergy and they have it. Cats and dogs, grasses, dust mites, and every tree known to man. They are both set to start allergy shots soon. We are just waiting to get them through cold and flu season first. Allergies are not for sissies!
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Allergy testing is no fun. My son had an extreme reaction to eggs at the beginning of the year and we had him tested in June. Our doctor said we didn’t have to, but I wanted it documented since he goes to daycare. He had an extreme reaction long before the 15 minutes were up and we left with an allergy plan and a prescription for Epi-Pens. He was barely 1 at the time too. I’m glad you know what your little ones are allergic to now.
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Lindsay Reply:
December 31st, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Oh wow! Poor little guy
How does allergy testing work for itty bitty ones? Was it hard to keep him from wriggling and spoiling the test? I have a friend with a very young son, and she was wondering how it would work for him.
Lindsay recently posted..Starting 2013 by Kicking the Sugar Habit
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Wow! I have always wondered what the reactions looked like when an allergy test was done. I’m glad you blogged this because I know it will be helpful to other parents. We haven’t had any issues with our son so far, but it kind of makes me want to go get him tested just in case.
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I had an allergy test and was allergic to practically everything environmental. I haven’t had a DoD allergy test yet cause I had to be monitored with an epipen, then I was sent home feeling sickish. My sin hacks all night too. He gets it from his grandma cause for the longest one always remembered my mom constantly plagued by her allergies coughing and hacking in public all the time.I recently bought a stranger for your clothes cause I hate ironing and they say you should use itto kill dust mites in drapes And bedding every now and then.I have a bad dust mite allergy. I’m getting this doesn’t that is adipose to neutralize allergens for three months. Good for. iff you have animals and many allergies. I have wall to wall rugs so I need to get it soon. I saw it on amazon. You already everything every three months and is natural and safe for pets and ppl. I hope this helps so you don’t have over medicate your girls.
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Rosa Morales Reply:
February 9th, 2013 at 3:53 pm
Clothing Steamer*
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Food allergy test*
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