Unknown Food Allergy

Has she been on any type of prescription medications in the past 3 weeks? When my son was 2 he woke up one morning covered in a rash and whelps all over his body. Took him to the doctor and they said it was a food allrgy. Put him on steroids , benadryl ,shot of decadron. It stayed around for a couple of days and went away. This happened 3 more times in the following year and it got so bad he was hospitalized in January 2008. Every time it happened he had been on Omincef 2-3 weeks prior to breking out. I would talk with the doctor about it and she said no it is a food allergy. Took him to a new allergist in July this year. He is very allergic to penicillin and Omnicef .

My son is allergic to wheat, milk and corn. But low allergy foods are rice, rice milk, some applesauces, maybe low acid veggies (squashes, potatoes, sweet potatoes), meats, beans. For my son, a typical meal would be rice or rice past, a veggie, and a meat. My son was "diagnosed" by blood test last year, when he started getting the big red bumps all over (so I hadn't noticed the allergy until then (which, in retrospect, he had had reactions all along that I didn't recognize because I've never had anything but seasonal allergies. Think back to when you introduced food to baby the first time. You usually start with rice cereal, wait a bit, and then add foods one week at a time because allergies can take several days to show up sometimes (and several days for the reaction to go away too). So although people do have allergies to rice, veggies, etc, it's not as common as wheat, milk, eggs, corn, and soy (which I think are the top 5). Good luck! hope it helps!

An aunt has developed an egg allergy, with those symptoms. She even stays away from foods processed in factories where eggs are processed.
A.

It could certainly be a food allergy. However, it seems that she breaks out most when she wakes up? I would try a few things...

1. Get some allergen-free detergent to wash her sheets and clothes in. I like All's version.
2. Assuming she takes a bath at night, get a soap and shampoo that is allergen free. Neutrogena soaps are pretty good for this. (The Neutrogena shampoo too.)
3. Reconsider if you've brought anything new into the environment,especially things that have fragrances in them that are chemical based. I've found that essential oils (as long as they are strictly that) are okay, generally speaking. Many other things, especially air freshers, can have chemicals in them that can trigger an allergic response.
4. Check out the most common allergies online. They usually are milk, nuts, wheat, corn, and eggs. Gluten allergy may be a factor in the oatmeal. (If gluten, that means she had exposure to it with the bread and also the oatmeal.) (I found that my daughter couldn't handle ham when she was younger. I will literally throw up regular store-bought eggs, so I buy the organic, which doesn't bother me.) The other common factor may be the apple juice. She may or may not be allergic to apples, but definitely check to see if your apple juice has corn syrup. IF she's sensitive to corn, this could set it off.

Besides allergy testing, allergists often recommend removing one or several things from the environment to see if it improves the response. You can do this somewhat yourself by trying some of these things. Read every label of things that you give her for these common allergens and really scrutize her enviroment for chemicals.

I've had the "jolly" time of dealing with food allergies and other like allergies for years. If you want to contact me about alternatives to some of these issues, please feel free to do so. It's quite a hassle at first, but you get used to it. It's worth the improved health conditions. You may even discover other health conditions in the house that are improved that are not as alarming.

L.

When my son was 18 months, he broke out in hives and welts. My ped kept telling me to give him benedryl and more benedryl. It wasn't doing anything. This lasted for a couple of weeks. Finally, I made an appt. with Dr. Sugarman, who is a pediatric allergist. (He has an office in Frisco and Dallas). He said that at this age, it's really hard to identify food allergies. When they're young, they're diets may not be the best. If you keep taking food away, they're diets are worse. It could be environmental as well. He put him on a prescription antihistimine which finally cleared it up. One thing I know about food allergies, they would have a reaction within a certain amount of time after eating that particular food. Not all of a sudden and continuous. First thing I would do is get an appt with a pedicatric allergist, like Dr. Sugarman, and let him decide. He has had more training in this sort of thing than a regular pediatrican. Dr. Sugarman's phone # is ###-###-####.

Please call me. I can probably help you. It sounds like she maybe be allergic to gluten and if she is this can have really bad side affects and cause a lot of health issues including autoimmune disorders. She also maybe be allergic to casein which is in dairy - you can goats' products , but not from cows. I see a certified nutritionist who is extremely knowledgeble with 20 years experience. She does all kinds of testing that regular medical doctors don't even know about. Also they will only teat the symptom and not the cause. You can take someone off of a food that they are allergic to, but you still need to find out why they are allergic to it because it's usually a symptom of something else. She can find the root of the problem. The problem with going to a regular doctor for this is that they don't know much and won't do the kinds of tests that you need to do in order to pin point the problem. She also may have some other issues going on in the body that are related to this and need to be addressed. It's usually not just one thing that is the problem. Sometimes it can seem that you have an allergy to something and while that may be true the real cause is the liver. I would highly recommend you see a certified nutritionist that does all kinds of testing. You'll get much better results and they won't put your daughter on any prescription drugs with all kinds of side affects. My nutritionist's name is Michelle Burris. Her phone no. is ###-###-####. I think she maybe going on vacation during the holidays, but I know she is there this next Mon. and Tues. I have experience in this because I found out that I was allergic to gluten and dairy. My T. O'Connor my no. is ###-###-####. Please call me anytime even on the weekend. Hopefully this will help. T.

My daughter has gotten hives from tomatoes and berries before. Some, not all, tomatoes just react like that with her. Did she have any spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, or maybe any berry flavored candy or gummies? She has also gotten hives from jumping on a trampoline covered with tree pollen. We did take her to an allergist and I remember her saying that some kids can break out with spontaneous hives. Just wanted to throw my two cents in there. Hope this helps!

The first thing I would do is check the material of her PJ's, I would let her sleep in nothing but cotton that has been washed in Cheer Free, and rinsed twice. I brake out in whelps, when I use any kind of fleecy stuff.Flannel,outing,acrylic,wool or Rayon.
Good luck . I hope you fine out soon what is causing this and can stop it.
your friend
MK

Remove the wheat, gluten, barley, rye and oats from her diet. You will need to give the change several weeks so that all is cleared from her system. My son had hives for three months and all the docs could tell me was to give him benedryl.

Good luck
R.

maybe pullups? we had one that broke out with ertain brands. cinnamon? pecans? I can eat frozen or cooked but fresh ones give me hives

I developed an allergy to apples late in life. Could it be the apple juice?

Keep doing what you are doing. Keep up the benedryl until she is clear, keep foods simple, and write EVERYTHING down. Times of breakouts, food eaten, everything! After awhile it'll start to form a pattern. Make note of all medications given and times given too.

My food allergy is a combination of something I eat at Christmas when I am taking an antibiotic- I DON'T react to the foods when I am not on the antibiotic, so it could be a combo thing for your child too.

Ask the pediatrician ASAP about carrying an epipen jr. I don't want to scare you, but YOU will feel better knowing that you are prepared for a worse case scenario.

Ask your daughter if her throat feels tight when she is breaking out, if it does, it's time to visit the ER again. Make sure you stay calm around her. Millions of people learn to live with severe allergy's, it's just scary when you don't know what the allergy is.

Take her to an allergist (but keep in mind that they probably can't test while she is on benedryl- the results will be messed up). I recommend Dr. Robert Rogers in Ft. Worth. He works well with kids and gives good individual attention, and explains things throughly.

Hey B.... a couple of things here.. first of all, I am sorry that you are going through this. I know that when it comes to my little guys it breaks my heart and I get nervous when they're sick. Especially when what the doctors are doing isn't working.

Okay, so this is what I know and it might help. Fifth disease is going around right now. The school here is Sendera sent home notes from school on Thursday or Friday. I am not sure exactly what it is... but I know that a rash is associated with it. Also, my three year old recently got hives and when I took him in they said it was viral and going around.. this was 2 weeks ago and the doc mentioned that they had already seen 8 cases that week. Lastly, these symptoms also sound like rosiola.. which again, my son had but at 2 yrs old. And it is actually quiet common in toddlers. If it is rosiola the symptoms (rash) get worse in the heat.. so that could be why it is showing up more in the morning.. being as your little one is probably tucked in nice and warm at night.. it will look really bad in a hot/warm bath or shower too. Hope this helps!! Good luck!!

P.S. is it possible that your little got bit by something or is getting bit??

Is she getting any citrus at all? Read packages. My 3 year old looked like a racoon in the face and his entire body was covered with rash and red almost like a bruise coming up. His bottom started blistering. It was citrus. You never have an allergic reaction the first time you are exposed to something. It can be the 2nd or the 1000th. Only take one thing at a time away. As for the rash we used balmex creamy not the clear and keep the baths cool but not cold. Heat helps to spread the rash. Don't forget to check candy and snacks for citrus also even candy canes if you have them.

I am so sorry to hear that you are going through all this. However, it may be a hidden in the food preparation. By this I am sure everyone has told you to check the ingredients. Because it could be something like peanut oil or something like that.

I run across a young man who had an allergy to potatoes. Which is no big deal, however it he could not have any food that had been prepared in the same pot (even if had been cleaned).

I don't know that I have helped, but please know that you and your little one will be in my prayers.

I would start keeping a food journal. Include activities that occur prior to each episode.

It's difficult to simply guess what could be causing her reactions...there are so many allergens out there. One thing to keep in mind is that a food allergy reaction typically (but not always) starts at the top of the body and moves down. You would usually first see the reaction on her head or face. With my son I can usually tell by his eyes and ears first. He'll also tell me his tongue feels funny.

There is no way all those doctors could know that it's absolutely a food, however likely it might seem. My son's doc told us that he should stay on the Benadryl for 24-48 hours after the initial outbreak to help with the swelling and itching. It can also take time to get the allergen out of her system. Sweating will also make it worse.

Has she ever shown any signs of sensitivity to any foods before? Much of the food you listed can be full of preservatives and filler so if it is a food allergy it's possible that the culprit could be a preservative. Dairy can be found in the nuggets as well as in the ham and, obviously, the cheese. Soy can be found in all 3 as well.

Did you call an allergist, yet? Don't know where you live but we see Dr. John Van Wagoner in Plano (SW Allergy and Asthma) near Plano Presby. I highly recommend him.

Just thinking...it's been pretty cold this week. Is she sleeping in any new PJs? They can be loaded with chemicals. Couple that with sweating under the covers and it could easily cause a reaction. I would strip her bed and wash everything again in hot water. I would also make sure to wash all her PJs and anything she sleeps with in hot water as well.

Is she itchy?

Good luck.

If she's not getting better, take her to the ER at the Hospital. My daughter randomly broke out in hives all over her body except for her face. I think it actually scaired the dr. when she first saw it. They put her on an IV with benedryl in the IV. It went away.

I would definantly take her to the Hospital. Good Luck.

Too much apple juice can give diahera. Prefer fresh fruits instead. Any detergent you can put some white vinegar in the rinse water of washes to take out an residue. I would have said Benedyl first. I have a problem with toilet papers some are raw. All you can do is keep trying things. It could be a candle or lotion on her or wet wipes or anything. Bedding? Good Luck. Sorry this is happening right now so close to Christmas. God Bless G.

There is a kids supplement that will help with her issues and also give her all vitamin and neutriants including brain food to keep her healthy. Product is very safe, developed by a nutrition scientist who developed Children formula. Let me know for details.

A.

Don't panic, it actually can be nothing. Take her to an allergist. We just had to do this with my oldest son we went to Dr. Wust in Denton and I absolutely love the man. After bringing him in we decided that we should bring in our 3 year old too. We ran allergy tests, which my 5 yr old couldn't have cared less about and my 3 year old tolerated. The verdict was chronic hives. In other words my oldest will just break out in hives sporadically for no reason. There is more to it then that but nothing that any of us have control over. So we just give him antihistamine and move on. We started documenting when he would get them. What had gone on and took pictures and I mean to tell you some days they were not pretty, but that is all I can do. Based on blood tests we decided that it was not Ciliacs (sp?) but we went glutten free for a while just to see and that did nothing. In our experiance zyrtec works better then bennodryl and now we have a perscription for Allegra that I love to bad is cost an arm and a leg to fill. Oh and when you can do the allergy testing they have to be med free for 5 days first, that part REALLY sucks.
Good luck!

B.,

All I can suggest is to start keeping a food journal and note when she breaks out.

It could be the apple juice, so eliminate that for a bit and see what happens. Lots of things have apple juice as a sweetener, so start reading labels.

As a friend of someone with nut and egg allergies, those are hidden in LOTS of things as well.

Good luck!

It could very well be the acid in the apple juice - especially if it has added citric or ascorbic acid, there is a rare but real allergy to ascorbic acid and it's in a lot of foods because it's used as a stabalizer. Citrus fruits may not bother her but the kind of citric acid that is in food is generally manufactured and people can have problems with that. Also many medications have ascorbic acid in them and I'm not sure if Benadryl has it or not but it could just be aggravating the problem. No matter what I'm sure it's scary for you! Good luck and I hope they figure out what's going on with her. I

Here's my "If I were you" advice...
Feed her only fruits & vegetables- a vegan diet- until the rash disappears. And even with fruits and vegetables, you may have to by organic because many people are allergic to the pesticides they use on produce. Being vegan is very very healthy anyways and she will get all her vitamins and minerals if you do a well-rounded vegan diet. And don't drink faucet water- only purified water like they sell out of the culligan machines at wal-mart- only 25cents a gallon.
Also, I would be mad as ever that I take my daughter in for a doctor visit and they put her on two toxic medicines. Those medicines- especially- prednisone- are probably much worse for her than the actual rash.
If you're looking for something to apply to her skin- I would only use organic coconut oil (sold in the cooking oils section). Coconut oil is very nourishing and is antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, AND antibacterial!!!!

You poor things!! My son just went through this. I put some new (flame resistant) jammies on him before washing AND fed him a dinner full of peanuts the day before he broke out in these horrible welts. We ended up in the ER, got the prednisone (it increased his diet by about 500% btw so keep the kitchen STOCKED) and dealt with the welts a few more days. Turns out, we were given the wrong dosage for Benedryl. His regular ped had me give him the benedryl around the clock. I had to wake him in the middle of the night a couple of times to give him the right dosage. You have to go by weight not age (I have a just turned 4 yr old that's the size of a 6 yr old). Call you ped asap to get the right dosage if she's not on it already. If you're not giving it to her around the clock, she's still going to break out like mys on did. Also, avoid overheating which includes things like warm baths, running around, etc. This will trigger the rash as well.

The Dr in the ER said it the welts could be a combination of many things that he may or may not ever come in contact with again. He'd had peanuts plenty of times before, but the jammies were the only new thing. His ped still had me stop all nuts for 3 weeks and he had a blood test for them yesterday. Let me tell you, that is not as easy as it sounds. So many things contain nuts or or nut oils and are processed in plants that have nuts in them. Until they test, you can't know. We may never know what casued it.

Good luck!!

Since it's the holidays, do you have a fresh tree or other fresh greenery around that you don't usually? Maybe a poinsettia plant? Maybe some new warm flannel sheets for the cold weather we've had lately? Maybe some new warm pajamas? I'd go room by room of your house and decide what has changed between the time she didn't have a rash and the time that she did. It could be the tiniest thing - maybe a new cleaner for the tub or a new brand of hand soap or wet wipes?

One other idea - when you do your laundry, do you immediately move the wet clothes to the drier or do they sometimes sit in the washer wet for a while. My coworker got a rash recently and she determined that it was from leaving her clothes in the washer for too long after the last cycle was done. You could try rewashing any clothes that might be suspect with a fragrance free detergent.

Feed her only single ingredient foods. Don't eat out--there are many hidden ingredients in restaurant food. Dairy, wheat, corn, artificial flavors, colors and preservatives are the first common offenders.

Generally, rice is safe, but can cause constipation if she eats it a lot. Rice is, however, the only grain I would give her right now. The other common grains in the U.S. have gluten in them---that's what causes wheat allergies.

Vegetables and fruits--start with just a few, see how she does and then add 1 at a time depending on her reaction.

Again, prepare all the food yourself. You'd be shocked to find out how many additives are in processed food.

Make sure she is getting adequate water---50% of her body weight in pounds, that's the number of ounces she needs each day. If she weighs 30 pounds, she needs 15 ounces each day.
Keep us posted!

First of all sorry you are going through this. I know hives look horrendous! I am wondering though, why the doctors insist it is a food allergy? It is clear she is having an inflammatory response, but it could be to all types of things. I think I would get a second opinion from another doctor. If you daughter is having a lot of itching with the hives, you might try giving her an oatmeal bath to help. Good luck and I hop you get it all taken care of soon!

Hi B.,

I'm sure you've had lot's of replies by now, but my son could eat apple sauce, but was allergic to apple juice. He would get hives and welp up. It took us a long time to figure it out. It could be a preservative in the juice. I hope you find out something soon. I know it's frustrating.

I hope your day gets better,
C.

Ask your doctor if it could be Henoch Schonlein Purpura(HSP). My daughter just had the same type of hives and she diagnosed with HSP.It does get worse it did on her.

Lori has some great ideas as this sounds more like a topical reaction than a food allergy in my experience, unless she's taking some sort of medication. These rashes can be rare reactions to some drugs. I am actually allergic to something that they put in the pediatric prednisone (Rxed so I could take a low dose), so honestly that could have made it worse for her. I also have bad reactions to zyrtec - i.e., I am also allergic to it. And, penicillin gives me spots all over. Since penicillin is a mold, I have to wonder if she hasn't been exposed to mold in the environment

My son got this sort of rash one time when I used a new towel that we hadn't washed - new clothing often is treated with formaldehyde which is toxic, as well as allergenic. But, as Lori suggests it may just be the detergent you use. I like seventh generation with no scents, etc. for sheets, towels, undies, etc.

I have lots of food allergies and the ones Lori listed at the most common (oatmeal most often has traces of wheat and apples can also be an allergen). The reason why food allergies can be a root and thus contribute to topical allergies to other things is that the immune system just gets overloaded with dealing with food allergens.

For the holidays, I would stick with unprocessed foods prepared at home - organic as much as possible.

My son has multiple food allergies due to a medical condition. If she does have a true food allergy, you will need to check EVERY product you give her EVERY time you buy it. Ingredients can change without any change in packaging or notice on the packaging.
If you are suspecting a milk allergy, you also need to check the label for the words "whey" and "casein". They are milk products.
Feel free to PM me if you want to chat. Food allergies are no fun, especially if she turns out to have multiple.
Good luck!
J. M

It may be celiacs. Try cutting all wheat and gluten.

Go to someone who is more into natural medicine. Dr Richard Peck in Plano can do muscle testing on her and help you to eliminate what ever is bothering her. It could be the apple juice. It could also be something different. There are also Homeopaths who do muscle testing and can help you figure out what needs to be cut from her diet.

I don't know a whole lot about allergies, but a lot of the foods you are listing that she has had have gluten in them. If she has developed Celiac Disease, then her body can not process gluten and you will need to have a gluten-free diet for her. This is just a possibility, as I said, I have absolutely no experience with allergies (except only my own alergy to Sulfa based medications). Neither of my daughters are allergic to anything that we know of.
I am praying for you!
Loni

Hi B.
Just wanted to add something (I haven't even read the responses yet) but a few years ago my daughter, then 6, developed a weird rash on every surface of her body except her face. It was on her bottom, tummy, even hands! I took her to the doctor and he told me it was a virus. Not the kind that causes a cough, but just a rash. He showed me an example in a medical book. It was not contact rash or an allergic reaction, but just the same as if she had caught a viral cold. He told me to just keep her away from other kids and to make her comfortable and it would go away in a few days. It did, just like he said, and none of my other kids got it.

So, if you're not having success with removing things from your daughter's diet, this may be the diagnosis. Just thought I'd mention it.

I would call Dr. Steve Homoky, ###-###-####. He's an acupuncturist at Coit & Spring Creek, and he could test your daughter using muscle testing techniques to find out what is causing these breakouts. If it makes you feel any better, I don't have any major allergies anymore after going through the NAET treatments that he provides, but after that last cold front blew in, I broke out on my neck with a mild rash. Some new crud for our systems to handle, along with the 50-degree temperature fluctuations!

If that location isn't convenient for you, go to www.naet.com to find a doctor closer to you. They won't use needles on such a young child, so don't let that scare you off! It really works!Good luck!

as you have probably noticed from the responses there are so many possibilities and variables. There are so many things that could have caused this and so many ways to treat the problem. Of course the most important thing is to figure out the cause but in the mean time for the relief of your baby you can add colloidal oatmeal or cornstarch to bath water (aveeno makes bath packets). Soak and then just pat dry. Baking soda in the bath water can help as well. Dress her in breathable clothing. You can also apply aloe vera gel.
You can also use herbs to help the symptoms. alfalfa, cat's claw, chamomile, echinacea, ginseng, licorice, *nettle, sasparilla, and yellow dock are all beneficial to the hives sufferer.

Is your pedi's office open M T W? If so call and see if they can put a lab order for a RAST. That is the blood test for Food allergies. I don't understand why they can't do the test until January. The ped can order this test.
Also, top 8 allergens are: wheat egg milk soy fish shellfish peanut treenut. Until you figure out what is triggering her allergies, try to keep her away from these.
I know it is hard, but you can do it.
fruit and meat and plain veggies too.
Also, some people react to all free and clear. Try using the tide or cheer fee and clear. They are better for sensitive skin.

have you shampooed the carpet or sprinkled any kind of perfumed powdered on it. My niece broke out in hives one day and the source was the shampoo that the carpet cleaners used. or if you have a pet, any flea products or pet soap might do it. or any cleaning produts you may have used.

Have you considered MSG? It is often in Ham, and is one of those things that are hidden in a lot of foods. Just a thought. Stay away from any processed meats, and read labels carefully, MSG gives me hives and a terrible headache. Good luck finding the cause, my heart goes out to you.

B.,
I agree with carrie G about the apple juice. Is that all she drinks? My first reaction was the apple juice. Take her off of it for a few weeks, then try agian. I believe it is the juice. She needs only water and a little milk. Juice is not good unless freshly squeezed. Good Luck.

It may be that there are things still in her blood that are making it worse. You might even think about wheat as an allergen. That is the biggest culpret. Until you can get to the doctor, stick to vegetables/fruits that you have prepared yourself - not canned because it could be a preservative that is causing the problem. Water will help clear her system so have her drink water instead of juice (don't over do the water though). Also stay to organic for the next week or so to help avoid allergens. FYI, you cannot have her tested for allergies until you are off benadryl for 2 weeks. They won't do it, I suggest you all your doctor/allergist just in case. It could also be the soap you are using that could be causing her problems.

Wheat would be my first guess, but I am NO doctor. Good luck! We have a dairy/soy intollerance and sometimes for us its just overdoing it.