Just got blood results back!

[joshsmom]

We just got my ds blood results back. Thankfully some tree nuts were negative. Here are the results:

Positive for-cashews, pistachios, hazelnut, pine nut, soy (5.56) neg. SPT, sesame (2.64) neg SPT, sunflower (2.96) and peanut(48.20)

Negative for- Brazil nuts, almond, coconut, pecan, walnut

They want to start with a food challenge for almonds. Do they need to skin prick test before they do a food challenge? This Dr is new to us and I am not comfortable at all with him.

So worried and scared for this!

Also, his sesame is so low and he has a negative skin prick.
Any insight would be great!

[StridAst]

From what I understand, IgE numbers are more of a probability thing.  Someone with an IgE value of < 2 has something like a 50% chance to pass a food challenge.

That being said, you can have false positives and false negatives with both skin prick tests and IgE blood tests.  Nothing with allergy tests seems to be 100% accurate.  There are people with an IgE result of 20 and no clinical evidence of an allergy, as well as people who react below 1.  That being said, these are the outliers.  Most people with a result below 1 don't react.  And most people react well before a 20. The point of a food challenge is to determine an allergy's existence in the safest possible way: in the doctor's office, surrounded by experts well versed in recognizing and treating the symptoms if they occur.  Yes, it's scary going through a food challenge, but it's by far the most accurate way to determine an allergy for certain.  Short of a food challenge, there's just uncertainty, which tends to be as bad as the fear in my own experience.

[hezzier]

I think DS had a skin prick at his sesame challenge.  I know they put some tahini directly on his skin also. 

[joshsmom]

I decided to go with my gut.  Decided to leave this practice. The allergist didn't want to discuss anything with us. He was right and we were wrong. We have to wait until January, but hope we have found a good one.

[GoingNuts]

I hope so too joshsmom.  And I hope he can do a challenge and pass, as well!  Being able to add almonds has been really terrific.