Growing Out Of A Milk Protein Allergy...

[blandino]

I have a 2.5 year old DCG who has a class IV (V is the highest) milk protein allergy. She was diagnosed at 8 months old. She is now 2.5, and can eat things at daycare like Nutrigrain bars and buttermilk biscuits with no reaction. Even when she does have a reaction, it is projectile vomiting (she has an epi-pen - but Benadryl is enough usually). Recently she took a bite off of someone else's plate, and ate ranch dressing (we watched her SUPER carefully and nothing happened).

Dealing with her allergy is an inconvenience, but we are used to handling it. It's not a huge deal, but I would rather not have to deal with it AND would love for DCG to not feel so left out - she is old enough now to notice that she is getting different foods.

From my research I see that a significant number of children outgrow the allergy by 3 and then most of the rest by 5. Does anyone have experience with a child who did outgrow the allergy ? I want to talk to her parents about having her re-tested, but they aren't very forward thinking with her. She is INSANELY babied, with no self help skills and they even refer to her as "the baby" at 2.5., so I don't feel like they are the type to go out and have her retested.

[TwinKristi]

It's absolutely possible. My DS#5 developed one at 6wks and it was awful. He had it until he was about 2-2.5yrs and then we started trying things with him and he was fine. His original reaction was a horribly red, oozy, inflamed rash all over his face (I have a pic if you're interested) but it gradually turned to eczema on his arms, legs, bottom, etc. and a prickly rash on his tummy. I would be able to tell if someone gave him even a bite of dairy at 1yr. He could eat cooked cheeses in things and that was about it. He had a reaction to citrus too for awhile that he's outgrown.
He's also allergic to bee stings, 2 different tests for dust mites came back level IV, he also has asthma... They tend to come all in one. We do have an Epi-pen for bees stings.

[SunnyDay]

My son just turned 4 and he has not yet outgrown his allergies to egg, milk, and peanut. We just saw an allergist and he said to come back in a year, since the egg and milk are often outgrown. It wouldn't hurt to ask when it is recommended that she be tested again, but I would be patient. I'm sure her parents are every bit as eager to be able to feed her whatever they eat.

[itlw8]

I out grew mine by 4 1/2 my ds 3 but I would not pay or subject a child to be retested. We reintroduced milk slowly my niece out grew hers but then as a teen they removed all milk again she feels so much better now.

vomiting is a horrible reaction for a child. I would not push them to try again. When she reaches school age maybe and when it is their decision

[blandino]

It wouldn't hurt to ask when it is recommended that she be tested again, but I would be patient. I'm sure her parents are every bit as eager to be able to feed her whatever they eat.

Normally, I would say yes. But these parents are very different. DCG2.5 still goes in a swing at home. Advancement, isn't really their thing. They tend to stick with what they know, and most of the time it is in the same mode as when she was a baby. That's why I don't think they are going to do it by themselves. With any other family, I would wait to bring it up - but I just don't see them doing it

vomiting is a horrible reaction for a child. I would not push them to try again. When she reaches school age maybe and when it is their decision

Yes, vomiting is awful - but what I meant was she doesn't go into anaphylactic shock or something similar. It isn't life threatening in most cases for her, straight cows milk might be - but milk baked into something just makes her vomit. I have no intention to push them, I just thought it was worth recommending or talking about because they haven't (and I don't believe they will) bring it up on their own. They aren't really big on change, and I think they would leave things status quo. But I can tell she has outgrown it some, just by some of the accidental bits that have gotten into her system (she would have had a full fledged rash/vomit attack at 1, and now they don't phase her). Last time they said the allergy test was just a blood test, and was very simple. Are there more difficult/painful kinds ?

[TwinKristi]

Last time they said the allergy test was just a blood test, and was very simple. Are there more difficult/painful kinds ?

Yes, there's a skin reaction test which is lengthily, expensive and requires an allergist. Blood tests can be done with just a regular Ped. But our Ped said not all things show up on the blood test but it would be helpful to see what it says. He was checking for gluten, dander, environmental stuff primarily as he'd outgrown his food allergies.

[blandino]

Yes, there's a skin reaction test which is lengthily, expensive and requires an allergist. Blood tests can be done with just a regular Ped. But our Ped said not all things show up on the blood test but it would be helpful to see what it says. He was checking for gluten, dander, environmental stuff primarily as he'd outgrown his food allergies.

Thanks ! I didn't know about those, and wouldn't have wanted a child retested with anything difficult. All I know is that she had a blood test last time - so if it was as simple as taking blood I would have her retested. If it was difficult, I wouldn't.

[SunnyDay]

My son had a blood test at age 1 when we realized there was a problem. It showed egg, milk, and peanut allergies. Our pediatrician said not to feed him those things. At his well child checks at 2 and 3, he said it was OK to try egg and milk every so often to see if he still had a reaction, but to stay away from peanut.

When he was getting close to 4, he drank some of his cousins milk and seemed fine, so we slowly added things with a little milk and egg in. He seemed fine for over a week, then suddenly developed a bad rash on his legs. I thought it was probably an allergic reaction, but wasn't really sure because it took so long to show up. His pediatrician finally recommended seeing an allergist.

The allergist did the skin test. They basically have to scratch the skin with the different allergens to see if there is a reaction. I was glad we only had to do 5 of the "scratches", if I had had other concerns about different allergens we would have had to do more. It is not a pleasant test at all. My little guy was trying to hard to hold it together, but he was crying by the end. The allergist did confirm that my son is still allergic to milk, egg, and peanut. So even though he didn't have an immediate reaction, the allergies are still there. We will go back in a year.

Allergies can be really hard to figure out! They can outgrow them, but on the other hand, reactions can also get worse the more times they are exposed to something.

[itlw8]

If there is vomiting when it is in baked goods they should not try fluid milk at all. If it is causing vomiting it is a serious allergy. and it can get worse.

I have memories of them trying to desensitize my sister 1 drop one day the 2 drops the next up to a dropper full then she would have a reaction and they would wait a month to do it again Milk caused severe asthma for her. for me it was intestinal and for some more serious is vomiting.

[blandino]

If there is vomiting when it is in baked goods they should not try fluid milk at all. If it is causing vomiting it is a serious allergy. and it can get worse.

I have memories of them trying to desensitize my sister 1 drop one day the 2 drops the next up to a dropper full then she would have a reaction and they would wait a month to do it again Milk caused severe asthma for her. for me it was intestinal and for some more serious is vomiting.

She WAS vomiting when she ate it in baked goods - that has since disappeared. That is why I think she may be growing out of it.

DCG does have asthma, but I know in general there is a correlation between allergies and asthma. Most DCK with severe allergies have also been asthmatic. I don't know the reason for the correlation, but this DCG's parents were told it was common.