Allergy And Site Confused

[totallyconfused]

I was going to ask about these food allergies but now I am more confused about how to post here.  Just hit reply at the top of the page, but that doesn't tell me how to post a new thread.   after having to log back in twice I lost this reponse to INTRODUCE YOURSELF and landed here.  I don't understand all the abbreviations you use and assume other newly Dx'd researchers won't either..  How is anyone supposed to know what pe/nt is?   Maybe this site is for advanced allergy sufferers, and I just haven't been around long enough to know the vernacular!  I am but a lowly beginner since my son was only Dx'd this last fall and I should return after a few more years experience.  I was looking for the ingredients of Little Caesars Crazy Bread, since my son had a bad reaction after eating it last night and Google brought me here.  His testing is not complete so I have no idea what all he is allergic to and he has an allergist who acts like he really doesn't care.  So, I do not know where to go or what tests he should get, but everything they tested him for on the tree, grass, weed, and mold panel, lit up like a torch.  Allergic to all trees, grasses, weeds and molds on the panel.   Allergic to house dust, but not allergic to dog & cat hair.  Allergic foods so far, are peanuts & pecans, but not almonds, and allergic to soy, eggs (white & yolk), & spinach.  Under suspect is food dyes, some dried leaf spices, black berries, and Annatto.  When I think I have all that cleared from his diet, he has a reaction and I have to start over. It has helped knowing that there is soy in tuna packed in water, and 10 million other things it has no reason to be in, like toothpaste?     It has not helped to know that my son might be having food intolerance besides food allergies and that is a seperate test.  IGg IgE, good grief..   I thought that if I could find what ingredients are in LC Crazy Bread, I might be able to narrow another allergy down for him, but I cannot find any ingr. lists for them.  Also, has anyone here taken the ALCAT and is it a good test to take?  My son has so many allergies, it will take forever at the rate his allergist does testing.  I discovered the ALCAT online, and didn't hear about it, among other things, from his allergist.  This has gone on for a year and I do not know much more now than I did when it all began.  I thought people were supposed to grow out of their allergies, not into them, and am wondering what in the heck is going on with my adult disabled son.  Any guidance appreciated in Northern California.   

[GoingNuts]

Welcome totallyconfused!

I'm rushing off to work and am not sure how to answer your questions about the site - I just hit "post" at the bottom of a reply and it posts?  I don't think that's what you're asking but I'm not sure.

What is the ALCAT?  I've never heard of that!  What kind of testing has your allergist done - SPT (skin prick test) or RAST (blood draw)?  And what kind of reactions has your son had?

I have never been to Little Caesar's website, but many of the chains have ingredient lists on their sites.  And if they don't, you may be able to get answers from contacting them directly.  And of course, don't rule out cross-contamination if your son's allergens don't appear on the ingredient list.

Good luck.  I hope you get answers sooner rather than later.  We all remember what a terrifying time it is right after diagnosis. 

[SilverLining]

Just searched the Little Ceasar website.  (I assume you are in US and went to their site.)

Crazy bread lists soybeans as an ingredient.

http://littlecaesars.com/Portals/_default/images/corp/lce-nutrition.pdf

[SilverLining]

sorry the site seems confusing.  I'll try to help a bit.

To post within a thread already started, hit reply, or quote.  To start a new thread, click the topic (for example Main Discussion Board - then click New Topic.

As for short forms like pa, dil, pf.....we used to have a list of what they all meant.  I'll look around, and if I can't find one, we'll get one going.  Until then, please feel free to ask.  Just as you used Dx'd within your post to mean diagnosed, many of us use short forms for words we use a lot, but someone will answer if you ask what it means.

As for growing out of and growing into allergies.....Unfortunately, adult onset is not as uncommon as you might think.  I developed my food allergies in my late twenties.  Has your son reacted to the foods as well as testing positive?  Was it a scratch test?

Beyond asking that, I'm going to leave questions you have about tests to other members that know a lot more about that then me.

[LinksEtc]

"Validity of testing for food allergy using ALCAT or BAT(basophil activation test)"
http://www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/validity-of-testing-for-food-allergy-using-ALCAT-o.aspx

Answer:
I believe that the ALCAT is a test of unproven diagnostic efficacy. The best source of information for you in this regard is the following reference:
Wuthrich B. Unprudent techniques in allergy diagnosis. Journal of Investigative Allergology and Clinical Immunology 2005; 15:86-90.

-----------------------------

"Unproven Diagnostic Tests"
http://www.foodallergy.org/diagnosis-testing/unproven-testing?

[SilverLining]

Here is a link to the abbreviations used on this forum.

http://foodallergysupport.olicentral.com/index.php?action=page;sa=Acronyms

Feel free to ask the meaning of any not listed.

[hezzier]

Welcome.  I had to google abbreviations when I started here.  It was my first foray into a forum.  I had no idea what the basic  DH, DD, DS, etc meant.  I think there are still a few that I don't know and most of the time it's not important to the meaning of the conversation.

As for allergy abbreviations, most of the time they are easy to figure out.  PA= peanut allergy, PN=peanut, TNA=tree nut allergy. 
The abbreviations for medical terms and what they mean are certainly more complicated (IgG, IgE).

Please ask away, lots of very knowledgeable people here who have been dealing with this for a long time.  Also, you mentioned that you have concerns about your allergist.  Do you live in an area where you can go to another one?  Seek out an allergist that deals with food allergies, not all allergist are created equal.

[YouKnowWho]

Little Caesar's pizza has had several mystery reactions from members over the years (I have been on allergy boards for just over eight years) with no known determination as to what caused it. 

If you feel comfortable posting your location (broad is okay) - we might be able to find you an allergist in your area that one of our members have used.  We have been through the gamut of allergists personally who find it okay to test out the ying yang, numerous false positives and no advice but that we need to avoid.  Finally found an allergist who is up to date in research regarding food allergies vs the environmental allergist who dabbles in food allergies.

[twinturbo]

IgE-mediated is what we deal with. While it is the only valid blood test (in outdated vernacular "RAST") you need to know a few key points to properly frame the results.

IgE is the blood test. It has a high rate of false positives. The rate of false negatives is low. It is *one* data point in triangulating allergy.

SPT is a scratch-prick test. It is a skin test where a small amount of the protein penetrates the skin to provoke a response locally. It has a much lower rate of false positives, and only rarely false negatives. It also is *one* data point.

History of reaction trumps all testing.

Now here's where we reach the point of needing you to explain more about what you mean when you say "allergic reaction". When we react it is with a constellation of acute, objective symptoms including hives, swelling, vomiting, respiratory distress, blood pressure drop, etc. Which of those is he experiencing and does it resolve with Benadryl or another anti-histamine? Have you an emergency action plan on when and how to administer epinephrine until EMS can arrive?

[momma2boys]

Sorry to hear your son is having issues. If you feel that way about your allergist, I would absolutely find a different one you feel takes this seriously and you feel comfortable with!

[CMdeux]

What they said!!





This is hard enough with the assistance of a good physician to help you figure out what you're dealing with.  The unknowns are one of the hardest things about starting out on this journey. 

Please--please, PLEASE ask questions here; I can almost guarantee you that anything that you're confused about is either something that has confused someone else, too, or WILL confuse someone else in the future. 

We're the surrogate family and community that-- unfortunately-- food allergy often robs from us.  That's the very hardest thing to adjust to, IMO (in my opinion); the fact is that some people will not, cannot, or do not support what you must do to stay alive (or keep your children that way).

Is this a place for "advanced" allergy parents and adults?  No way!!

It is a great place to explore pretty much everything-- even the stuff you feel too sheepish to ask your doctor.  It's a great place to get practical suggestions/tips and advice on day-to-day management.  Things like how to handle that obnoxious SIL who equates your toddler's anaphylactic milk allergy with, say, her choice to be vegan.... how to handle a birthday party or potluck... what to do about that Friday lunch meeting... how to read labels and ask questions in restaurants... how to make decisions about doctors to keep/run from, how to recognize red flags in social situations, etc. etc. etc.

It's all here for the asking.  Please NEVER be afraid to ask questions here.  We've all been new to diagnosis, and bewildered/terrified/angry. 

One member's spouse has dubbed us the "SOAK"  (Source Of All Knowledge.)  Food allergies may be the most obvious thing that we share-- but we also manage to get to know one another and ask about OTHER things, too. 

A very very warm welcome to you.   

[CMdeux]

I was looking for the ingredients of Little Caesars Crazy Bread, since my son had a bad reaction after eating it last night and Google brought me here.  His testing is not complete so I have no idea what all he is allergic to and he has an allergist who acts like he really doesn't care.

Okay-- to offer immediate assistance to you as well as I can, having been (roughly) in your shoes:

1.  What KIND of "bad reaction"?  What did this involve?  Was there a trip to the emergency room involved?  How did they treat it?

2.  What kind of testing has your allergist been doing? 


The answers to those two questions will probably lead to the most useful assistance from members here.  One more-- how old is your son?  It might be helpful to note what you've observed after actual ingestion of each food allergen or known large exposures to the environmental ones.

Do you know the most common food allergens?  They are:
milk, eggs, fish, shellfish(crustaceans), soy, treenuts, peanuts, and wheat-- but milk, egg, and wheat are MUCH more common in young children, and fish/shellfish/treenuts seem much more common in adults.

Two other allergens to have on your radar: sesame and other seeds like sunflower or mustard.  They are super-potent (like nuts, very tiny amounts of them can elicit reactions) and tend to elicit very severe reactions in those who are allergic to them. 

Be aware that if your son's reactivity is very high (as it often is in the wake of a major reaction or two) testing may be unreliable because, as you observed-- EVERYTHING lights up.  Even things that you  know your child consumes regularly without ill effect may show up as positives, even HIGHLY positive.    I'm not saying that to discourage you-- but do know that getting a grip on things is not a weekend project.     How I wish that it were.  Just know that at this point you may have little idea which things on that list are really allergens and which are things that will be fine once you figure out which ARE the allergens and get them out of his life.   That can, unfortunately, take a lot of sleuthing.
Luckily, you've come to the right place.  We can't take the place of your allergist (and the others are right-- it sounds already as though your son's case is complex enough that you need better care than you've had from the current allergist!!) but we can sure help YOU to know what to ask of him/her to make the best use of that relationship.

Does that help?