Allergy Test

[Worriedtodeath]

HI!

Does anyone know of a good allergy test for delayed allergies? I'm seriously beginnning to belive that all three of mine have a delayed reaction to milk. We've eliminated milk in addition to gluten and the middle one's runny 24 hour 365 days a year nose congestion has disappeared and the oldest's bumpy skin has finally just disappeared. The baby however is a complete mystery. She definitely has gluten problems and is probably a false negative Celiac.

However, this is the third time we have tried dairy with her. THe first was a dairy trail and she kept a runny nose(started day 3 and we had been camping so decided she was sick from that weekend) and finally developed acute tonsillitis(sp?) before we stopped the trial and moved to wheat since dairy produced no stomach upset. Second time she had ice cream and such and developed pharinigitis (sp?) - severe sore throat -(again day 3) and now this time we introduced gluten free cookies made with dairy. Croup started day 5 but the nasal stuff started around Day 3. She now has a bad case of "croup" which has taken us to after hours care all ready where she was given a steriod shot and we are going back in today to see if she needs some oral steriods to control the throat swelling. I believe she may have a IGG or IGA reaction to dairy. BUt it could also be one huge coincendence each time and she may have just been really sick. however all the kids have had the exact same problems at various times when they were younger and now I wonder if milk played a role and is there a medical test way to figure it out.

I thought perhaps someone here knew of a test that would show the IGG or IGA levels that could be linked to dairy. Given how the reactions seem to keep getting worse, I really don't want to continue to challenge dairy unless I just have to. And again how would I know for sure it was milk and not just another cold or sore throat?

Thanks

Stacie

[OBXMom]

Stacie, we have just done the enterolab tests for my daughter and myself, and they do have a test that might help you. Here is what they say about it:

"Stool test (fecal IgA antibody*) for immunologic sensitivity to the main proteins contained in cow's milk and other dairy products."

It is free right now with their complete panel, so we did it, but haven't gotten our results yet. I wish I could offer more helpful advice, but it feels like we are a long way from working things out for my son, so my expertise is definitely questionable. I hope you get some answers soon.

[Ursa Major]

Stacie, I knew from reactions my youngest daughter had as a young child, that she couldn't tolerate dairy (eczema, too much mucus, ear infections). So I (using common sense - or maybe not so common?) just simply stopped giving her dairy. As simple as that.

Why do you need to have an allergy/intolerance officially confirmed? From what you are saying, those illnesses are NOT coincidences! Especially since a lot of those reactions are common to dairy intolerance.

Why use your baby like a guinea pig, giving her something that makes her sick over and over again, each time making her sicker? Just accept the evidence, stop this experiment, stop giving her dairy and gluten and be glad you have a healthy, thriving child as a result.

[Worriedtodeath]

I wish I had people here who felt like ya'll!!! i'm not going to give her anymore dairy and gluten is out for good but a test that "proves" would be most helpful around here. It's just too coincendental to everyone around here as they could be explained by hayfever reactions and airborne allergies (though with as much of a stretch as dairy is since she would always be like this if it was seasonal or airborne) and without a "test" beyond my interpertation of the results, someone will give her dairy since a "little won't hurt" and no one feels that respiratory is a dairy problem despite all my findings otherwise. I've won the gluten war but the dairy one is a worse battle. The problems with baby are problems that most of the adults around us have and thus is veiwed as "normal".

an official test from the dr would just make it easier on me. Like at yesterday's sunday dinner with mom in law where it was supposed to be steak and baked potatoes and fries and burgers for the kids (i provided the bread and buns) By the time we washed off the steaks from the seasoning that contained milk and malt, rejected all the salad dressing for the salad we didn't know about it, rejected all the butter and cheese for the potato toppings and ALL the chips layed out for the kids instead of french fries, dinner was pretty sucky and mom in law and great gran had decided I was insane. Hubby can't lie about what the drs say or refuse to tell about it and mom in law makes up her own mind that I am being crazy. So to be able to say we did the XYZ test performed by DR so and so who said this and that would just take the pressure off of me when I refuse to feed the kids various foods laid out by all the grands who feel "you ate all this and you are just fine". I'm just looking for the easy route which apparently doesn't exist.

Stacie

[dbmamaz]

Most doctors dont believe in the delayed reaction tests. I used the A.L.C.A.T, but on my own. I hear naturapaths are more in to this kind of thing, but may be harder to find (or labled as a flaky doctor) Have you tried regular allergy testing? Also, if you could get an allergist to 'oversee' diet challenge, and then dx the kids with allergies that way, it woudl still be official from a doctor.

the problem is, doctors are best at giving drugs, not diagnosing food issues, and most people seem to think doctors know everything .. .

[Ursa Major]

Oh, Stacie I feel for you! None of my relatives would DARE do that to me! Now I totally understand where you are coming from.

See if you can find a naturopatic doctor who has a Vega machine for intolerance testing. Unfortunately, it won't find everything. When I was tested six years ago, they found I was intolerant to all nightshade foods, lactose, MSG, coffee, tea and the combination of fruit and grain.

But it totally missed grains in general (including gluten grains) and that I simply can't tolerate fruit, either. I guess the combination was strong enough to show up (it would give me dreadful, itching hives, once both my arms swelled up and turned red, covered with little bumps).

They did diagnose my youngest daughter with intolerances to all dairy (except lactose, strangely), with cheese being the worst. And it is true, if she eats ice cream she'll be bouncing off the walls and will be uncontrollable. But if she eats cheese, she will vomit all night and be sick the next day.

Mind you, she is YOUR daughter. If they won't abide by your rules on what to feed her, you will have to give them the ultimatum of either complying, or not seeing the kids unless it is in your house, where you know exactly what they are being fed.

Most grandparents would hate not being able to see their grandchildren and would as a result abide by your rules (unless the grandmother is my mother-in-law who never cared if she ever saw my kids, because they are mine, and she doesn't like me...... but that is another story).

[fedora]

ugh. I would tell them they either respect my decisions concerning my kids or I would feel unsafe bringing them there. Lots of people think I am crazy and I do not care. However, my family and hubby's family has been supportive even though they haven't looked into it for themselves(where did I get it from then?) I didn't ever complain to hubby's family about my health, but they believe me. I got the enterolab stool tests for gluten and dairy. I am awaiting them for my DD now.

Ursa Major, what is a vega machine?

There are regular skin and blood allergy tests. My daughter was negative to the blood allergy tests. My doctors believe the elimination diet and have been very supportive of that. I know there are blood tests and salvia tests for delayed intolerances, but I have heard mixed reviews on them. I have no experience.

Everyone around my hippy town gets muscle tested. Not official at all, but helpful.

[jerseyangel]

Hi,

In my experience, it's next to impossible to find a doctor who will (or know how to) test for delayed allergies.

I'm currently working with a Chiropractor who has tested me using MSAS--Meridian Stress Assessment System. I believe this is similar to the Vega machine that Ursa spoke of.

I was tested for 80 foods and substances and reacted "stressed" to every one of them--in the past, I have had conventional allergy testing and only was positive to a few things, none of them foods.

[Ursa Major]

Ursa Major, what is a vega machine?

I did a Google search, and this site explains it. Open Original Shared Link Mind you, personally I think the best use of it is to find out about intolerances (you'll find that almost at the very end of the long explanation of what it can do). I wouldn't really trust it with anything else. But that is me.

My oldest daughter and her family (then three children, the two youngest haven't been tested) were tested, and when following the advice to eliminate all suspect foods, my son-in-law recovered from life long severe eczema due to a sugar intolerance. And the children (the oldest was two at the time, and the twins were 6 months old), who were all suffering from dreadful, severe, weeping eczema that was so bad it was disfiguring, all got better very quickly. They now have beautiful looking skin.

I was tested, as well as my second-oldest daughter and youngest daughter. When eliminating all the suspect foods, we all felt so much better! I believe the only false reading was for my youngest daughter, saying she had candida. But rigorous treatment with diet and gross natural meds made no difference.

It did miss gluten intolerance in at least 7 out of nine of us (two are definitely not gluten intolerant), so won't pick up on everything. But it will accurately identify dairy intolerance.

I know that it is considered quackery by mainstream medicine. But then, they consider everything quackery that doesn't make them any money. Mainstream medicine also claims that homeopathic medicines are quackery and that improvement is psychological and a placebo effect. Too bad that it works on animals to make them well! Let's send those to an animal psychiatrist.

[Caletara]

I was diagnosed with a delayed food allergy to wheat and gluten. There isn't a lot of doctors who will do it and it took me 2 years to get an accurate diagnosis. Up until they docs were convinced I had carpal tunnel/fibromyalgia/thoracic outlet syndrome or any other nerve problem they could pin on me. My primary care doc is an alternative medicine doctor, with a regular MD. He's also an allergy specialist. He had me to an ELISA blood test for IGG. Good luck! My suggestion would be to look in alternative medicine clinics, maybe you'll find an MD who will test for you all too.

[huevo-no-bueno]

I was diagnosed with a delayed food allergy to wheat and gluten. There isn't a lot of doctors who will do it and it took me 2 years to get an accurate diagnosis. Up until they docs were convinced I had carpal tunnel/fibromyalgia/thoracic outlet syndrome or any other nerve problem they could pin on me. My primary care doc is an alternative medicine doctor, with a regular MD. He's also an allergy specialist. He had me to an ELISA blood test for IGG. Good luck! My suggestion would be to look in alternative medicine clinics, maybe you'll find an MD who will test for you all too.

The ELISA and RAST tests done by Labcorp and the ELISA test done by Biotek are apparently mainstream enough for my snooty insurance company to cover them. And no, I didn't have one of those "omigod, you're allergic to everything" results. They were done three years apart, were largely consistent with each other, and definitely consistent with my experience. I had them done at a clinic with both mainstream and naturopathic practitioners. Good luck!