How necessary is an alergist?

Dear Celline my son Alex who is almost four saw his first allergist when he was nine months. The allergist at that time told me to be very careful of the foods he reacted to,but to countinually have him rechecked for foods he grew out of or into.Alex is allergic to peanut, treenuts, seasme, coconut, fish, and dairy. In my case my allergist has been very helpful with the schools and all the precautions you must take for them to be safe. My allergist also gives comfort and helps me feel in control. You need to do what your gut tells you and what is best for your child and family. Good Luck!!!!

In my opinion, an allergist is NECESSARY. First, I have receive A LOT of misinformation from pediatricians; although they may have some experience with food allergies, it is not their specialty. You are better off with someone who spends every day working in this area. Second, an allergist will help you learn about other areas... their may be other food allergies, that you do not know about. or the allergist may watch your child for signs of asthma, or environmental allergies. In any case, the allergist will offer you a second opinion (which is always a good idea). IMPORTANT NOTE: You should speak with your allergist about the safety of the skin prick test. When my son had the prick test, he had an anaphylactic reaction. Since all allergies are different, this will not necessarily be the case for you. However, allergists offer many more benefits than just testing. Good luck!

An allergist can be a great allie in the battle we are all facing. They are expereinced and specialized. Once my five month old had his first reaction he was in to see an allergist and thank goodness. He tested positive for many more foods - foods that we would not have enven considered him being allergix to (potatoes). I now bring information back from the allergist to my local GP who doesn't have as much experience in this area. We live in a small rural community with only GP's. In hindsight if my daughter's GP would have been more on the ball we probably wouldn't have suffered with her so much. She has mild eczema and has never been tested. The allergist can also provide forms and such for you to take to school to make them more aware of the situation. After having my son tested by the allergist more people believed me. My mom was skeptical at first but for Christmas she kept all nuts out of her home. Bless her heart. It can never hurt to have more doctors with you to ensure all areas are covered.
Take care.

Donna Marie,

Why did your child have the ana reaction to his skin prick? Did your allergist give any explanation? Were they able to help him at the office or did you go to the hospital. Did this discourage you from other skin prick tests? I have an upcoming appt for skin prick with a ana food and am very nervous!
Robyn

You really don't know what you might be missing until you see an allergist. My suggestion is YES DEFINATELY. If you are wondering why my opinion is so strong on this issue read: Hunter's Story under DOCTORS NEED MORE INFORMATION board. Our Ped was very nice and gave me no *reason* to think she did not know what she was doing, since she had done a great job elsewhere. She could have cost us our son's life. She didn't know enough about allergies. Good Luck to you.

Robyn: Hi! Before I answer your question, I want to make sure I don't scare you! When we experienced the skin-prick test, I had no experience--and I didn't know that the test was too dangerous for people with a strong history of PA. But you and your doctor should discuss this--maybe your doctor will feel this is safe for you. But if you have a strong history of PA, (especially since you say it is an "ana food", I would really consider a blood test--where the blood is taken to a lab, and the peanuts never come in contact with you (also note that "mixed nuts" samples may have peanuts in them). Another note, when I discussed a food challenge with Johns Hopkins (which I decided not to do), they insisted on RAST test results before they would expose my son to any dangerous foods (good work, JHopkins!)To answer your question, yes!!! It very much discouraged me from getting skin prick tests! I always insist on RAST tests. When the test was given, I had no idea about the dangers of PA. And I never would have guessed that he could react to a skin prick test! Of course, my son is extremely allergic to many foods, and has "very reactive airways" for asthma, so he probably reacts more severely than other children. It's a good question to ask your allergist about--just in case! Zachary had a history of severe vomiting, swollen lips, difficulty breathing, and severe hives---but I had no idea about Peanut allergies... I only agreed to testing because my pediatrician was so adament (after all, food allergies seemed so innocent back then *grin*)---so I just went to the allergist, and let him give Zach the skin prick test. They pricked his back, told me to "hold him tight, so he doesn't move", and disappeared for what seemed like forever. I just sat there, frightened, while I watched his back get redder and redder, while this one "welt" just kept growing over most of his back (it was such a tiny back, he was only 1 1/2!)--his heart was racing, he had a hard time breathing, and he kept screaming and screaming this horrible, high-pitched howl--Finally, a young assistant came in, and yelled "Oh, my god--Doctor!" Then the doctor came in and had to administer the epi. We were there for hours on end, while the doctors and nurses kept him there for observation. To be honest, I knew nothing about epi (I didn't even know what it was)--and i don't know how many times they gave it to him--and it never occurred to me to take him to the hospital. After that, I interviewed three different allergists before I would let them see Zachary; and I never let them do a food skin prick test again! Hope this helps!

Hi Celline,
I think you should go to an allergist. They also can offer peace of mind and ways to cope with the allergy. My daughter, Megan, was diagnosed with PA/tree nuts at 13 mos. (she's 4 now) by a blood test, the level was high enough that the allergist did not feel it necessary to do any skin testing. I went to him and he spent over 2 hours with us showing us videos and lots of hand-outs how to deal with the allergy. Also, he told us to come back when she goes to preschool and then on to kindergarten. It might not be necessary for skin pricks, the final decision is yours, but the allergist can certainly help prepare you and your son for school. Good luck!

If you had a heart problem, would you go to the ear doctor? In all seriousness, p.a. can be so life threatening I can't imagine not going to a board certified allergy specialist. Check their creditials, too. How much experience do they really have? I was told by my p.a. child's doctor it is extremely easy to be classified as an allergy specialist. I found our doctor by asking friends and neighbors to recommend someone (nurses can be especially helpful in recommendations). You will be surprised to find how many people have seen an allergist and are more than happy to relay the good or bad experiences they have had. I had three people tell me to avoid the only specialist in our town. I drive 2 1/2 hours one way to what I consider the nearest qualified allergy specialist.