Return to the allergist

Care for allergies on the NHS can be a bit hit and miss.  We are among the lucky ones I think.  Although, it took a few months before we felt fortunate - when our boy was six months old our GP was not as helpful as he might have been ('is he eating carrots and potatoes? he'll be fine if he's eating those'), and the paediatric generalist at the hospital was also not so great ('give him goat's milk' ... which would have provoked the same reactions in our Allergic Boy as cow's milk).  We then found a consultant paediatrician specialising in paediatric allergies and paid to see him privately at first.  We now see him on the NHS, usually once a year.


We have just returned from our latest visit.  The visit before last was a hopeful one, we were offered a milk challenge, although with the caveat that it would likely be unsuccessful so were advised to wait six months and try then.  We arrived at this year's appointment, quietly optimistic that we would be nearing the end of our allergy journey.  I had heard so many stories about most children growing out of their allergies around their third birthdays - a milestone which our son had just reached.  As we are ultra careful (on the advice of the consultant) to avoid coming into situations where our Allergic One might touch, let alone eat, any dairy or eggs we had no indication as to how the level of his sensitivity was faring.


The skin prick test is always better than I think it will be.  The nurse attaches some numbered tape (see below), drops of the offending allergens are placed onto the arm.  A very very very sharp needle is then used to pierce the skin where the allergen is and then we wait 15 minutes ... 

The nurse then draws around the 'wheal' that the allergen has provoked to obtain a measurement of the reaction.  The wheal feels hard under the skin, it's a solid lump.  In the above photo the '++' is the histamine/control, '1' is dairy, '2' is egg white, '3' is egg yolk.  


Sadly, the reaction to dairy has increased since our last test.  The egg ones have remained constant but they are all at a level which gave our, hitherto optimistic, consultant reason to suggest that he may now not grow out of them.  He explained that the recent pattern of allergic diseases is that children are growing out of allergies much later than they used to.   


So, we accept that 'our normal' is dealing with allergies; that allergies were probably not just a passing phase to be endured, but a part of our life.  We left armed with an Emergency Management Plan document to pass to our son's new school ... containing the advice of when to call an ambulance ... it's all rather sobering.  


Allergies are so common in our world today and of all the medical problems that a little one could be landed with then of course, allergies are not so bad .. and we can deal with this.  It could be so much worse.