Mindy

Poor little guy....

I wish I had some good advice, the only thing I can say is trust your instincts Xero, even when a doctor gives you advice. They do not always know what they are talking about. Almost every doctor I know told my friend she had to (slighly OT but...) retract her sons foreskin to clean it (he's not circumsized) and that is completely wrong. You never ever do that, and it can cause tearage and the need to be circumsized in the future. Anyway, I know it seems heartless the way they poke at the babes sometimes... It bothers me too, and I think you are the mama and you will know what is best for your babe! How long did you breastfeed for? Did he wean himself, or was it a mutual thing? Was he colicky during breastfeeding? Before, after, or throughout?

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"Someday, maybe, there will exist a well-informed, well considered and yet fervent public conviction that the most deadly of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child’s spirit.”

Dr. Erik Erikson

Xero

I only breastfed for the first month, and I wish I had done it longer all the time, but you know. Uhh and I just slowly switched him over to bottles at like 6 weeks. He was colicky from birth. The first few months of his life were a nightmare. @__@

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Trina

Personally, I'd avoid the packaged mac & cheese until you have more definitive answers. I would not give it to him again, especially since he broke out in hives. His next reaction could be more severe and possibly life threatening. Both my kids have severe food allergies. Anaphylaxis (allergic reactions) can be fast, furious and life threatening. I don't mean to scare you but the possibility is there. Better safe than sorry. More info:
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network


I would recommend taking him to see an allergist. Our allergist doesn't do the skin prick testing until a child is at least 3, but I believe they may do a RAST test, which is done with blood work. Supposedly they are not quite as accurate, but can give you basic anwers. My kids have been through the prick testing several times and although it's not a picnic, it's not a big deal either. Quite helpful in getting answers and knowing exactly what foods to avoid.

As far as taking kids to the hospital... You do what you have to do as a parent. We've had a few ER visits with the kids due to anaphylaxis, severe asthma flares and/or injuries that required medical attention. None of them were fun for the kids but necessary. Heck, I just took them to the ped. today and my DD (10) needed her finger pricked to test for anemia and a chicken pox booster vaccine. You'd think it was the end of the word with all the drama she exhibited. I was empathetic, but made it clear she had to do it.

AmyBelle

Its called an IGG food panel, its a relatively new test, its only been around for a few years.

Theres another one called an ALCAT, it requires 3 viles of blood, in a child they usually need two veins to get the amount, its a much more thorough test, despite the fact that it inly tests for the 50 most common allergens, it gives the exact severity of the allergy and whether the allergy is likely to get worse or better with age.

That said, personally, I think the IGG is better than the ALCAT, just because it tests for more.



The skin surface allergy tests are rarely done nowadays.

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Trina

Not true, at least by my experiences with my kids. I've never heard of the ALCAT or IGG tests. We just saw our allergist last week. I wish this was posted sooner because I would have asked about them.

That said I must say that the skin prick test is not nearly as horrifying as it used to be years ago. They use a rectangular shaped piece of plastic with multiple tiny needles on it. They gently place it on the inner side of the arm and wait for results. My kids have been through this several times and it's not really a big deal, although they were glad last week when the doctor said they didn't need to do it this year. LOL!

AmyBelle

Hmm... there is always the possibility that the tests are only available in Australia now that I think of it, although im not too sure, ive been away from nursing for too long, hah.

I'll rustle up a little info from the pathology the hospital I used to work at sends the tests to.
The IGG food panel (fingerprick)
PathLabIM.com.au - PathLab Integrative Medicine
The ALCATS are more advanced now than I remember, you can get up to a 150 food panel with them
PathLabIM.com.au - PathLab Integrative Medicine

Im sure there has to be an equivalent to these two tests overseas, a skin prick is just excessive when you have this kind of technology around.

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momexpert111

Probably an allergy. I'm sure you can find information on this at ***** free webcast on children's nutrition.

Xero

Thanks, but the last post in this thread is three months old. It states in the rules (if people would read them before posting) not to post in threads with a last post over a month old.

BTW He was just sensitive to certain stuff. He eats a lot of stuff now including mac and cheese. No food allergies known.

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fallon

thanks Xero

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