Hives in 6mnth old

[Iburntthecakes]

We've just started weaning DD who is 6mnths. She had her first taste of some muesli and cows milk this week and within 10 minutes had hives on her face and neck. It went away again in another 15 minutes or so and was otherwise well. I panicked and called the GP immediately who advised piriton and 'to leave out muesli for a bit'.

She hasn't had anything like that before and I'm a bit anxious about how to proceed next. How long is 'a bit' . Presumably it could have been a reaction to any of the ingredients? She didn't really swallow any of it - most of her food still goes on her face so is there any likelihood it might be a skin contact reaction as I have a lot of skin allergies including urticaria but no food allergies.

Sorry if these sound like over panicky rambly questions but the Gp isn't one I always find very helpful so i didnt feel too reassured and I'm not sure if I'm just over reacting.

Thanks :)

[abigboydidit]

Hi - I had exactly the same with my DS. Hold on and I will see if I can find the link to the thread..

[abigboydidit]

Found it here. Starts off a bit irrelevant for you but goes on to highlight the potential risks of further exposure to CMP.

It may be worth dipping your finger in milk and dabbing it on the back of her neck to see if hives appear? As you'll read in the thread, I refused to feed DS milk again on the advice of wise MN-ers and Allergy UK but used photos from this dab test to fuel our argument for referral to an allergy clinic.

Good luck!

[Maz007]

It sounds like an allergic reaction to something she ate.

Milk protein is the most common food allergy in children I think, so this is a possibility (has she had cow's milk / cheese / butter / yogurt etc before?), but you're right, it could be other ingredients in the muesli. Do you have an ingredient list handy? Nuts are the one that spring to mind but it could be others.

I'd make sure you have some piriton syrup to hand in case it happens again while you are trying to get to the bottom of it and ask (you may have to be quite assertive) GP to refer to an allergist for more guidance.

If she does have an allergy confirmed, the advice is to avoid completely, not just for a bit, but you need to know what you're avoiding obviously - is it dairy or something else...

Always worth giving the anaphylaxis campaign a ring for advice about where to go from here - they are amazingly knowledgeable and helpful.

[SizzleSazz]

DD1 came up in hives with some milk, and milk proteins in biscuits, but not all. As she had fairly minor and sporadic reactions we continued to give her milk and at 6 she has been fine f0r a couple of years.

If i were you i think i would try and narrow down what specific ingredient has triggered it.

[Iburntthecakes]

Thanks all.

Just read through your thread abigboydidit and was horrified to hear of your experience with HV/GP etc! What happened in the end with your allergy specialist consultation?

Maz007 She's only just started weaning and to be honest I'm not sure she's quite ready anyway as very very little goes in. She's been EBF until then and hasn't had the slightest sign of anything though I've been keeping a careful eye due to my own skin issues. She's only had a few bits of veg, some rice and a bit of ham and chicken in addition to her one mouthful of muesli and milk. As you say, there's a whole lot of things in muesli though I guess nuts and milk are the most likely.

I think I'll give those numbers a call and go from there. Hopefully our experience will be like yours sizzleSazz and it will be a temporary thing if it is an allergy.

[Maz007]

Most children (but not all) do grow out of their allergies - fingers crossed for you. My eldest was allergic to cows milk protein - and he'd grown out of it by the time he was 3 1/2. My dd is still in the middle of weaning and looks like she might be more complicated - lots of support on here too.

Good luck with it.

[Iburntthecakes]

Thanks,

Just tried a drop of milk on the back of her neck and exactly the same reaction again. :(

Getting piriton down her is proving to be tricky too

[Maz007]

Aw... Sorry to hear that... At least you know :-(

this factsheet from the anaphylaxis campaign will be useful.

You'll have to avoid all mammal milk and it's products unfortunately - it's a pain but will become second nature soon.

Definitely push for a referral - you'll want some advice about replacing cow's milk in cooking etc... there are hypoallergenic formulas but our consultants (two different ones) recommended soya formula... I expressed early on in weaning to add to cereal etc...

You may want to be a bit cautious introducing common allergens during weaning - small amounts and one at a time to check for reactions (things like egg, soya, pulses etc) and avoid nuts altogether until you've had some advice.

[abigboydidit]

Sorry for the delay! Sounds like milk is (at least) one of the issues then? I would agree with the poster above and be cautious with other potential allergens. DS had never tasted egg as another dab test (very scientific!) brought him out in monumental hives. He can tolerate baked eggs though (eg in a cake) so we're hopeful he will grow out of it.

We're now on our 2nd attempt at reintroducing CMP with support from the allergy clinic. He's 20 months old now and faring much better than he did at the 1st attempt 6 months ago. So far we've managed skimmed milk/whey powder and butter/margarine. Next on the list (for later this week) is yogurt, which I am very anxious about but hey hoh.

Anyway - feel free to PM me if there's anything I can help with in terms of weaning/recipes/substitutes. It's honestly much easier to deal with than you might think. And good luck!

[Iburntthecakes]

Thanks very much for both your replies. Looks like I too have a battle on my hands to get referred. The practice nurse seemed to take it seriously but after discussing with the GP they are now suggesting SMA 'because it doesn't have lactose in' and to try again with milk 'later'. I've asked her to discuss it again as it has to be an allergy to the protein not an intolerance to the lactose and that I want a referral.

Really glad to hear it looks like your DS is starting to manage milk abigboydidit and thanks, I may well have more questions once I can fight my way through to a proper diagnosis.

I do have one question in the meantime- the lady from allergy uk suggested I should eliminate all diary from my diet if I'm still breast feeding. DD has been fine up til now with my milk however - her weight is fine and she's had no symptoms. I know I get a lot of my calories from diary and historically have struggled to maintain my weight so I don't want to have to stop unless I have to. Equally having read a fair bit over the weekend I realise milk protein can come through in breastmilk. Do you happen to remember what the allergy clinic recommended for your diet?

Thanks again!

[abigboydidit]

Hi - allergy UK said the same to me re BF-ing. I guess I consume a medium amount of milk via cups of tea, cereal, yogurt & chocolate. I have to be honest and say I didn't stop as, similar to you I felt DS had no symptoms. All I would say is that he had very mild eczema patches (controllable with the odd slick of emollient) which cleared up when I stopped feeding him but TBH they never gave him any bother anyways. The allergy clinic agreed it seemed extreme for me to stop which I was delighted to hear

[Maz007]

You are quite right to question GPs decision - lactose intolerance is quite a different thing and SMA is not a safe alternative for a child with a milk protein allergy... there are NICE guidelines for children with food allergies which state that you should be offered specialist referral if that helps you push or it... or anaphylaxis campaign have a directory of specialists clinics so you can go and ask explicitly to be referred a specific doctor. We did this for my son and it worked - I would like you to refer us to see dr X was harder to get into a debate about :) Hope you don't have to be too pushy to get what you need.

I think the experience regarding BF varies from person to person. DDs allergist said there was no need for me to stop eating egg unless I noticed that her eczema was getting worse and improved when I stopped it. I don't avoid dairy (but she has an intolerance type allergy to this rather than an immediate IgE type reaction like your DD)and don't think it makes any difference at all to her, whereas I know that other mums in the same situation say that it does affect them...

[Iburntthecakes]

Well, I have managed to get a referral. :) I think I'll continue with at least some diary in my diet for the time being given that she's had no symptoms. It would be worse for my milk to dry up due to inadequate calories on my part, especially given that I've really got to continue breast feeding now my options for formula are more limited. I'm going back to work soon so that's already a bit of a worry without something extra that might cause problems with my supply.

I'll probably try to cut back a bit on diary as I really would prefer us to be eating as much of the same things if possible when we're weaning her.
Obviously its important I test as much diary free chocolate and vegan cakes as possible to ensure she has something good for treats.

Thanks again for your help, its been really useful.