This NY Times article, Have a Food Allergy? It's Time to Re-Check, caught my attention recently. Having lived through this with my child for the past 10 years, my concerns about the accuracy of skin and blood tests continues to rise. A year and a half ago, based on blood test results, we were told to add more "foods to avoid to the list. This was going in the wrong direction!
I've shared our experiences with adding baked milk and baked egg into the diet. This continues to be successful. We are now wondering about other foods we've been told to avoid and so, after consultation with our allergist, we are trying some of the "allergenic" foods in a safe environment.
Safe, as in at home, with epinephrine on-hand.
We tried sesame seeds- no reaction.
We tried almonds- no reaction.
We tried McDonalds® french fries (contain milk in the U.S.)- no reaction.
So, not allergic to sesame seeds, almonds or french fries from McDonald's. Now we know.
While I continue to feel greatful for the advances being made in food allergy, I still feel like the medical community is relying on "avoid the allergen" based on blood tests, and not giving us the information we need to make good decisions for ourselves and our children. It is not okay to live for a decade without dairy, eggs, nuts and many other foods. These food groups provide important nutrients and proteins and I want more from our doctors than "stay away from it".
So we continue. We've made a list of things to try. It's scary and exciting, but we need to figure this out. As always, your allergist is still the best source of information when it comes to food allergies.
I am not advocating this method for anyone else. We just needed to find something that works for us now. Already this method has reduced worry, fear, anxiety, and improved quality of life for our family.
I'll keep you posted.
I've shared our experiences with adding baked milk and baked egg into the diet. This continues to be successful. We are now wondering about other foods we've been told to avoid and so, after consultation with our allergist, we are trying some of the "allergenic" foods in a safe environment.
Safe, as in at home, with epinephrine on-hand.
We tried sesame seeds- no reaction.
We tried almonds- no reaction.
We tried McDonalds® french fries (contain milk in the U.S.)- no reaction.
So, not allergic to sesame seeds, almonds or french fries from McDonald's. Now we know.
While I continue to feel greatful for the advances being made in food allergy, I still feel like the medical community is relying on "avoid the allergen" based on blood tests, and not giving us the information we need to make good decisions for ourselves and our children. It is not okay to live for a decade without dairy, eggs, nuts and many other foods. These food groups provide important nutrients and proteins and I want more from our doctors than "stay away from it".
So we continue. We've made a list of things to try. It's scary and exciting, but we need to figure this out. As always, your allergist is still the best source of information when it comes to food allergies.
I am not advocating this method for anyone else. We just needed to find something that works for us now. Already this method has reduced worry, fear, anxiety, and improved quality of life for our family.
I'll keep you posted.
