Michelle, if I remember correctly, you have a DS that is allergic to beef. What were his reactions to beef? How did you confirm the allergy? DIL has been having allergy problems for several years. She has had different test but no real results. Recently , she had a bad reaction after eating beef. Has stopped eating it and feeling much healthier with no symptoms. Her symptoms had been swelling on face and in throat, itching on face and neck. Just curious what info you may have on this. Thanks for the help, Babs

I'm not Michelle, so I can't answer for her.

But I'll share my food allergies experience. Twice I've had reactions similar to what your DIL experienced. One time, after eating at a mom 'n pop Mexican restaurant, I got itchy hives all over my body, and my face, lips, nose, and ears swelled. I went straight to the doctor, and was given prednisone injections and pills to take for a week. The doctor said it was probably an allergy to a preservative, which is hard to test for.

Five years later, I ate an EL Fudge cookie and had the same reaction. I was told by my advice nurse to go straight to the ER. This time I ended up being admitted to the hospital overnight. When I was discharged, I was given a referral to an allergist and given a battery of skin-scratch tests. I tested postive for being allergic to shellfish, lamb, and rye. I never really ate any of those products anyway, so it wasn't very helpful. The allergist didn't test for preservatives, and I was told that they are really hard to diagnose anyway. I still stay away from EL Fudge cookies, shellfish, lamb, and rye anyway. Since then, I've never had a bad reaction to anything I ate, either. (Knock on Wood!)

Food allergies are to be taken seriously, and if anything similar happens to your DIL again, tell her to go straight away for medical treatment. If she thinks she's allergic to beef, try to avoid it at all costs. She might also ask her doctor if she could take Tagamet (the antacid) if she thinks she's having another reaction. My doctor ended up prescribing it to me just in case. It turns out that Tagamet has antihistamine properties, and won't generally cause drowsiness like most other antihistamines.

My doctor said that when reactions like your DIL's and mine happen, it's an outward manifestation of what's also going on inside the body. So all that swelling that you see in her face and neck is also taking place internally, and could seriously affect her breathing.

 I hope she gets a definite answer soon, but not because she has another reaction that requires medical attention. Good luck to her!

 Stacie, the first time DIL was tested, they told her that she was allergic to all corn products. She avoided them for a full year and still had problems. She knew that she had problems with peaches but didnt test allergic. Later she was told that it isnt a true allergy but something to do with the kind of protien in peaches. She was recently retested again but still didnt get in real answers. Very frustrating. She has spent lots of money, seen lots of Dr but still had no real answers. I would like to see her goto larger hospital but getting insurance to pay is another whole story. Thanks for sharing your experience. Babs

babs:

I would like to see her goto larger hospital but getting insurance to pay is another whole story.

Oh yeah, that's a nightmare by itself!

Has she always had these problems, or have they just started up in the last few years?

I think the allergy testing is more of an art than a science, IMHO. (Ever wonder why they call it "practicing" medicine...instead of "performing" medicine?)

 My allergy tests will vary by dr and method of testing.   I KNOW I am anaphylactic to shellfish and test according to dr A, but dr B I'm mildly allergic and dr C shows no allergy.  IMO reactions trump test results.  

You are describing something that could turn severe.  I would make sure she had benedyl on her at all times and try to get her a Rx for an epi pen.

Beef is something tricky.  It could be the beef.  It could be some of the additives.  Any mild reactions (sniffles, scratchy throat etc) at other times?  It is hard trying to track it down for yourself but well worth it.

 She is trying to get her Dr to give her an epi pen to carry.  I was thinking that about the beef too. Could it even be something the beef were fed?.....Babs

Babs,

Simply put, he threw it up immediately. Same with dairy. Confirmed by his pediatrician. Just prior to vomiting, his face would get red and bumply.

Immediately after throwing up the offending food, his face cleared and he felt better.

This is an intolerance, not just an allergy.

mmmm  I am the same way about ramen noodles.   they just come up before I have time to get any other reactions.

babs:

 She is trying to get her Dr to give her an epi pen to carry.  I was thinking that about the beef too. Could it even be something the beef were fed?.....Babs

Being allergic to something the beef is fed is not unheard of but that would be a mighty severe/sensitive allergy and would be showing itself in other reactions.   I would zero in on the beef itself or an additive of the beef.  I might start by trying a brand that does not have additives (health food grocery usually) to see if there was a reaction there (with plenty of benedryl handy).  I would also keep a diet diary -- writing down foods/brands/ingredients and any lessor reactions to try an pinpoint.  We had to work this way with some of the kids.  It was a pain but it was more accurate.