please clue me in on allergy testing

aussiegal

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 4:41 am

my 18 month old keeps breaking out from different foods, and getting messy diapers and diaper rash. the doctor says he cant test what is causing it. everybody suggests a different method
-cranio sacral therapy
- allergy doctor who tests with magnets
-reflexology
etc.

so......what is the best way for me to find out what he is allergic to? I know some things, like hard-boiled eggs, sesame seeds, some dairy products, whole wheat. but still I am missing some things as he keeps on breaking out. I need it tested, not just by eliiminating foods from his diet.
I live in israel (jerusalem), if u have specific dr to reccommend.
thanks

Marion

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 4:45 am

Whoa! Where are you and on what kupah? The pediatrician may not be able to allergy test, but a good allergist sure can!

I can tell you for Meuchedet you want Dr. Shlomo Bar-Sela on Uruguay Street in Kiryat Yovel. If he could test my 3 month old (we go back for repeat tests a few months after his first birthday) and my one year old (we go back for repeat tests just before his 3rd birthday), I'm sure he can get results for your 18 month old too.

And what the heck is a test with magnets?

(BTW, hard boiled eggs are not likely the allergen. The allergen is found in the egg white; I bet if you were to give him only the yolk he'd be fine.)

Marion

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 4:55 am

He does the skin prick test. On an infant/young child, it's done on the back. Basically, there's a set of 15 basic child allergens. They put a drop of each allergen on the child's back, then take a pin and prick the skin so that it's exposed to the allergen. 15 minute wait, then they check the pricks to see what the reaction was, if any. My 2 year old reacted to peanuts (as we expected; I'm also allergic).

Kiryat Yovel is not far from Malcha, and the bottom of Begin. The clinic is right on the #18 bus line.

aussiegal

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 4:56 am

ok, that sounds more like the kind of conventional testing I was hoping for! thanks.
one more thing...how on earth do u get a kid who is TERRIFIED of doctors (I'm not sure why), to lie still and allow them to prick him? do you think I can take him when he is asleep?

Marion

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 5:02 am

I'd expect the pricking to wake him up. They prick the skin while you're holding him. You can pat him, play a game with him while you wait, a story, songs...just be very careful to avoid his back! If the allergens get into the wrong prick they have to redo that part of the test to know what he reacted to!

Ima'la

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 5:16 am

I second everything Marion said! Bar Sela is great and also speaks fluent English. As for getting the baby to lie still, my advice is LOLLIPOPS. Although the nurses are likely to protest b/c it could be a choking hazard for him to eat while crying. Either he'll eat it and not cry, or have it in your hand to give him the second they stop pricking him, so he can stop crying. It's not as painful as a shot - it's just a prick. There are a bunch of pricks, but they do them quickly all in a row. (They put rows of drops of the allergens they're testing for, then quickly prick each one, just quickly wiping the needle/pin in between each prick.)

The doctor doesn't perform the actual tests - you have a consultation with him and he writes down what should be tested. Then you go to the nurses, they perform the tests, then you wait a while (20 min or so?) and return to the nurses for them to evaluate the reactions, then you return to the doctor, he reads the results and discusses with you.

Maybe don't tell him you're going to a doctor? Just to people who will check ...blah blah blah? Will he be able to figure it out? You could even say "allergist" - how would a 1.5 yo know that's a doctor?

Good luck!

P.S. I guess you probably know, but just in case - There are some vaccinations that contain egg. Depending on the severity of the allergy, some people can get them and some not. A good question for Dr. Bar Sela. Flu vaccine has egg, and another one - I think MMR?

aussiegal

Thu, Sep 18 2008, 6:47 am

Quote:

There are some vaccinations that contain egg. Depending on the severity of the allergy, some people can get them and some not. A good question for Dr. Bar Sela. Flu vaccine has egg, and another one - I think MMR?

yeh, I actually haven't given him the MMR yet because of that. I have to remember to ask about it.
thanks for all the info!

Ruchel

Mon, Sep 29 2008, 11:58 am

In my time it was done with drops on the arm and a small needle piercing the skin in the center of the drop. What became red/rash was meaning allergy. Nothing came up for me, and the doctor said maybe I was too young (I was 7 or so) and it would come out later. (my problem was always having colds).

Mimisinger

Wed, Oct 01 2008, 11:20 pm

Dh (and his whole family) has major allergies. He remembers getting the back tests (he go them a few times over the years). It's terrible to go through, but it will be so worth it. I agree bribery with lollipops is the way to go, as long as dyes are not the allergy. I babysat a kid who used to bang her head against the crib, they thought she had mental issues, a tumor, Ch'V. Turns out, she was allergic to the yellow dye in all the junk food they fed her - waffles, mac and cheese, etc.

Marion

Thu, Oct 02 2008, 1:37 am

Ruchel wrote:

In my time it was done with drops on the arm and a small needle piercing the skin in the center of the drop.

For older kids and adults it's still done on the arm. But a baby doesn't know not to scratch, so they do it on the back where the child can't reach. Scratching interferes with the results.