She sees a Pulmonologist and after talking to them we decided to have her tested for food allergies. She has eczema and I know that allergies cause this. Well she has tested negative for every allergy food or environment. When they did her last blood test they said her IGA level was very elevated. So what is causing her issues if she is negative to everything? I don't know what to eliminate or what to change in her bedroom to make this kid healthier. If I don't find a "cure" they want to do a brochiolator(sp) test on her. I don't want that. It involves her being out and a tube down to see her lungs. I don't want that for her. So any suggestions I can figure out what is making her cough all the time and be phlegm? She is hacking as she is sleeping right now.
she has had skin tests done and all were negative and blood for food. She can't have a humidifier it helps with mold also her Pulmonary specialist told me not to get one bad for asthma. I don't know where to start everyday she talks about a belly ache. It is hard to narrow it down to what she eats. If I eliminate milk I don't know what to give her for breakfast that she will eat. I give her Loritdine generic Claritin for her allergies but it isn't working. The pharmacist told me that those meds either make a kid hyper or agitated. They have a hard time tolerating them. I don't want to load her with medicines she has had enough I feel like she is a Guinea pig. When she is on meds she gets a mean streak which we are dealing with now.
Does she have a humidifier in her room? That may or may not help a little. Maybe see a different doctor and get a second opinion??? Sorry hope that helps. Good luck
Ok well blood tests will not show all your allergies. I'm a perfect example, allergic to bananas but it doesn't show up in the blood work. Trial and error will be the best way to find out. Besides are you sure it is food and not mold, trees, pollen or dust.
They tested me for everything and I had sinus surgery and you know what made me better? Going off my birth control. I still have a sinus infection once and a while but no longer all the time. I even tore up the rugs in my bedroom and bought allergy covers for the bed and pillows.
IgA levels...are not only indicative of "allergies." It is not a sole indicator of it.
It is indicative of many other things/conditions/illnesses and autoimmune diseases as well.... such as Rheumatic arthritis, Lupus, liver diseases etc.
So... you best, get her tested , so that you will know what is going on with her. And then, medically so that she is helped, properly.
IgA is a type of antibody that protects against infections.
If it were me, I would get the test done.
You do not know if your Daughter is dealing with Allergies... or something else entirely or another illness.
Also, she has a 'hacking' cough.
Has she been cleared of Pneumonia, RSV, Bronchitis, Pertussis, Croup, Asthma, etc.?
They've done a chest xray? Did she aspirate something that didn't show up on an xray? Cut out wheat dairy and eggs-one by one-see if that helps.
I would start keeping a food diary if you haven't already started to do that. Write down everything that she eats, and every incidence of reaction: rash, tummy aches, hyperness, headaches, everything. See if you see a pattern. We never tested our daughter, but saw a strong link with her reactions and bread. So, we cut out wheat and gluten. Huge difference for her! A couple weeks later, she told me that her tummy used to hurt all the time, but it doesn't hurt anymore. She never knew that her tummy wasn't supposed to hurt, so she never knew to tell me that it did. It was all she ever knew. Poor thing! I noticed that she had a strong reaction when I knew she hadn't eaten wheat or gluten. Turns out she had MSG. So, we took that out also. As long as she doesn't have those things, she's fine. I don't need the doctor to tell me what is wrong with her. She's fine now. :)
It is impossible to test for all substances to which we can be allergic. Also there can be false negatives as well as false positive. Allergy tests are helpful but not the final word. Trial and error is really the only way you'll know if she has any allergies. The tests are a way to find a direction in which to look.
Trial and error takes a lot of time and could take you years only to discover her difficulty is not caused by an allergy. I would follow the doctor's recommendation for further testing to rule out other issues. Or so that she can begin treatment if she has a condition unrelated to allergies.
What does the doctor say could be causing her elevated IGA levels? This is a question best answered by a medical specialist such as the pulmonologist or one to whom he refers you. If you're feeling unsure about what he says, ask him to clarify and/or ask for a second opinion.
I have had a tube put into my lungs under twilight anesthetic. The procedure was painless and I suffered no after effects. In fact, I didn't remember the procedure.
ok my daughter who is 3 has eczema and its from allergies to chemicals that are used. so i use nothing scented on her, no dryer sheets, no funky smelling soaps. my daughter has enviromental alleries also. you also didnt state what you do for her allergies. my daughter takes 1 tspn of childrens benadryl as needed (usually 3 times a day morning noon and night)
Sigh. I'm right with you right now. This is our first week home after being in Children's Hospital for a week hooked up to 30% oxygen and on constant and near constant meds. SO scary. Pulmonology appts and cardiology appts and allergist appointments all this week.
As yet we have no diagnosis (just ruling things out as we go and treating it like severe asthma).
I've spent the past couple weeks cramming pulmonology into my brain just to be able to *converse* with the doctors and understand what's going on / try and figure it out. Here's the short of it:
I won't be able to.
There are 18 COMMON differentials for asthma, and several hundred common causes for respiratory distress.
The most common they rule out first: pneumonia, aspiration, bacterial infection, viral infection, allergy. Once those 5 have been ticked off... it then breaks down to "asthma like symtoms / possible asthma" and one either stops there with an asthma diagnosis or keeps going on to the 18 most common differentials for asthma. If all 18 of those get ticked off there are about 50 different uncommon things to tick off. If all 50ish of THOSE get ticked off, then it's on to about 200 rare causes. ((While it looks like the numbers are going up, they're actually going down. There are, for example, HUNDREDS of bacterial and viral infections)).
Tests take time. And it's frustrating not knowing/ waiting. But since there are literally hundreds of causes... it's a waiting game.
