21 replies to this topic

[Belle]

To start, I plan on asking my pediatrician about the following. I am asking here as well in case anyone has dealt with this.

My 1-year old has A) sensitive skin, that is very nearly eczema-like. She is often dry and itchy and I use the Israeli Heimlich Clear Cream which works wonderfully. Just this weekend I noticed a small, whitish dry/scaly patch on her foot, so I'm assuming it's the eczema manifesting. I have gone to a dermatologist with her a few times, but since nothing ever actually appeared on her skin until just now, they just prescribe cortisone.

She also has B) sensitivity to foods and they appear on her skin. She gets reddened around her mouth and neck, and wrists. Sometimes white bumps will appear on her hands and she'll scratch feverishly for about 20 minutes until it subsides. Her abdomen also gets that rashy look.

This has happened after eating:

occasionally yogurt (although not organic yogurt)
whole organic milk
plums
a Reese's cereal puff (peanut butter?)
Graduate Puffs baby snack cherry flavor (worst reaction ever, and she only had it once)

She eats a WIDE variety of food (chicken, fish, eggs, dozens of fruits and veggies, whole grain cereals/oatmeals, and mostly organic dairy.)

Just wondering if this random list means anything. I have a nephew with a similar condition and the ped just said that before age 2 there's no point in testing for allergies for some reason.

Any insight?

[Snag]

plums and cherries are both allergenic fruits, as is dairy (although why she doesn't react to organic yogurt is interesting). i think they don't test for allergies before two because many sensitivities go away on their own by then. the only advice i can offer is to keep a complete list of things she's reacted to and make sure to keep her away from them. this is very important since while allergies tend to decrease in severity over time, exposure to an allergen actually can exacerbate the allergy, causing a more sever reaction to the next exposure. good luck!

[brianna]

I babysat for a child whose skin allergies greatly improved after she stopped eating dairy. I would try to isolate what foods were causing the allergy and avoid those.

[Belle]

plums and cherries are both allergenic fruits, as is dairy (although why she doesn't react to organic yogurt is interesting). i think they don't test for allergies before two because many sensitivities go away on their own by then. the only advice i can offer is to keep a complete list of things she's reacted to and make sure to keep her away from them. this is very important since while allergies tend to decrease in severity over time, exposure to an allergen actually can exacerbate the allergy, causing a more sever reaction to the next exposure. good luck!

thanks! I'm glad to know about plums, since it seemed so random to me.

and absolutely to your last point.

I babysat for a child whose skin allergies greatly improved after she stopped eating dairy. I would try to isolate what foods were causing the allergy and avoid those.

that's what i'm doing as of now.

[Red Hare]

You might read "Don't Kill the Birthday Girl" by Sandra Beasley. In it, she explains how some foods mimic others in the body.

[U Tarzan me Jane]

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[Snag]

thanks! I'm glad to know about plums, since it seemed so random to me.

there may be a difference between purple/red plums and yellow plums. also, i think you were the one who clued me in to the issue of allergy/sensitivity to the wax coating on fruits like apples and plums.

not so odd, a lot of kids with milder milk allergies can process yogurt and cheese with lesser reactions. You are 100% right about eating more of it making it worse . they can test at as young as 6 months with documented reactions. many sensitivities will clear up, but true allergies, are less predictable.

yeah, but why would she tolerate organic yogurt but non non-organic, and not tolerate organic milk?

[U Tarzan me Jane]

..

[greentiger]

i think i should mention this here. i just read that clear cream was recalled after it was found to contain cortizone. i was also a huge fan until now....

[Belle]

i think i should mention this here. i just read that clear cream was recalled after it was found to contain cortizone. i was also a huge fan until now....

I know. but there have been counterarguments to that, I'm just too lazy to look it up. I think amazon may have a review of what went on in the lab.

[greentiger]

ok. id be very curious myself actually because its the most effective cream i have ever tried.

[Belle]

ok. id be very curious myself actually because its the most effective cream i have ever tried.

it's the ONLY effective cream I've tried. It relieves redness and itchiness with one application.

[agent220]

A day after we moved, my 3 year old locked herself in the bedroom and used up the rest of our jar. She doesn't even have eczema -- my boys do! And to replace it would cost $75 since it was recalled...

[greentiger]

yes. ive tried some perscription ones (on my daughters excema) but this is for sure quicker.
agent that just happened to us too! 75$?? wow. i thought it was expensive before the recal!

[greentiger]

I know. but there have been counterarguments to that, I'm just too lazy to look it up. I think amazon may have a review of what went on in the lab.

thanks! so it looks like this is old news.. i just saw it in the paper this week and thought i was something new... interesting.. i wonder what will happen.

[NewMommy2Be]

my daughter is severely allergic (anaphylactic) to all dairy products, and also eggs. She has moderate eczema. These things seem to go hand-in-hand, as well as asthma later on in toddler-hood. If your baby has a mild cow's milk allergy she would be able to tolerate more processed dairy products such as cheese and yogurt because the proteins are more broken down. My daughter is almost 1 and she will be going for allergy testing. If your child's reactions become severe allergy testing can be done at any age. Most babies outgrow milk allergies or they become less severe on their own so that is why most doctors don't seem to bother with testing.

As for the eczema, I apply moisturizer on affected areas (usually around the joints) with each diaper change. A humidifier in the bedroom has made a difference too. It's a never-ending battle to keep her eczema under control!

[peeptoad]

I'd get her tested for celiac disease, if you haven't already. If nothing else it'll rule i out. Gluten reactions can take several days to occur in some people, which makes it more difficult to tell what the problematic food actually is.

[Belle]

update:

A. my daughter is highly allergic to cherries, and now owns an EpiPen. her reaction was not anaphylaxic thank god, but her pediatrician thought it prudent to be on the safe side.

B. I had her tested for allergens with a method that I did not understand, but was not invasive, so I decided to try it. separate food particles were tested, and an actual gauge with a needle marked how high or low it affected her system. it's odd, but I did notice that milk and cherries shot up into the 'intolerant' area, while flour, other fruits/veg hovered in the tolerant area.

So I'm trying to apply the results and see what happens.

[Shaina]

Welcome to the "kids with allergies" family, enjoy your stay! Hopefully she'll outgrow the allergies quickly, but seriously, cherries aren't that hard to stay away from, so count your blessings!

Are you keeping her off of all dairy?

[Belle]

Welcome to the "kids with allergies" family, enjoy your stay! Hopefully she'll outgrow the allergies quickly, but seriously, cherries aren't that hard to stay away from, so count your blessings!

Are you keeping her off of all dairy?

I know, cherries aren't a huge deal. The interesting part is that at about 9 months old, she had a strong reaction to the graduate Puffs snacks - cherry flavor. So anything with any flavoring in it has to be avoided.

So the testing revealed that milk is not good for her, but yogurt isn't too bad. However, I took her off milk and kept her on yogurt and her skin is not doing well at all. I might try eliminating the yogurt on my own and see how it is.

She didnt test her for individual dairy products because my daughter was very uncooperative, so I may go back with a DVD player and try to get more concise answers. (string cheese, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, etc)

I'm wishing that I tested her for coconut, because coconut yogurt is a good substitute and my local health food store has it.

And I didn't test her for brown rice, and she's now on rice milk, and eats brown rice pasta often.

So I basically have a list to go back with.