Yesterday, we had another scare about our son, since he suddenly began to develop the same allergic reaction I told you about, for the second time, just as I logged off this site. Not wishing to continue to hijack other threads, I only thought it fair to update you since I involved you, in the first place, and since you were so kind to send in some very valuable advice, and to show a lot of care. Believe it or not, I was somewhat relieved, as was our paediatrician, since now we can drastically narrow the list of unknown allergens! Having previously written down that list of timings and of things he ate, we managed to compare events and items, similar to those he did, or had, yesterday. The two things, which came out from the comparison, were the attendance of his to the regular soccer session in the morning, and his eating a piece of bread pudding, which I usually do and which he so likes! Amazingly enough, the time between his eating the pudding and the reaction resulted the same in both cases! So, apparently, the culprit is an ingredient in the pudding ... an ingredient which he ate in the past, but which is now manifesting itself as something which he doesn't tolerate. And thinking that the paediatrician herself, and even us have discarded the idea of the pudding being the source in the first place, since the most eyecatching triggers were seafood and playing with the bird! Of course, it was shocking to see such a manifestation for the second time, and after such a short period of time! On the other hand, I'm also thankful for that piece of leftover pudding as now the fear of the unknown has diminished! The paediatrician is blaming four ingredients, as the top of the list ... cinnamon, walnuts, coconuts, or citrus and candied peel. Those future tests could maybe tell us more ...

Oh no...nothing more terrifying than having a child become suddenly ill...hope all is well in the narrowing of the allergy triggers.

Awww, how awful for you all to have to have another reaction so soon after the first, but now hopefully you'll discover what the trigger is much quicker now.

sending you and hoping that the doctors narrow it down and the test reveal the things you have to avoid. and I'm glad that you are all okay.

Marie, as scary as it was, it certainly sounds like a blessing in disguise! I have all my fingers crossed that you will narrow down the allergen further (preferably through lab tests and not taste tests!) so you and your family can take a nice deep breath and relax. My younger sister suddenly developed a lactose intolerance when she was about 8... she would get violently ill if she even had a single mouthful of anything with dairy in it... Then one day... about six years later... it stopped. Just as suddenly as it started (a trusted product had changed their recipe and Mum didn't see it until it was too late). So there is hope that this is just a part of growing up for your son and not a life long condition!

Marie, that piece of bread pudding certainly is a blessing in disguise!! Hopefully they will be able to do tests and narrow it down further - and in the meantime you know some things that could trigger it and you can avoid. Huggles to you and your family, babe. I hope it all gets sorted out soon!

Marie, so sorry to hear your son had the reaction again. But I am very hopeful that the left over piece of pudding will help narrow down the source so you, and your son will know what to avoid in the future. Hopefully it is only the walnuts, which would not alter the taste of the bread pudding a great deal when left out, and then your son can continue to enjoy his favourite treat.

Marie, I'm so glad you wer there this second time and knew what to do! At least now they can have your son's blood tested and they can determine what it was that caused him problems without endangering him further. Thank goodness he is alright!

Marie, I'm sorry to hear that your son (and you!) had to go through something that scary twice, but, as the others said, at least it gives you a direction to start your search and helps to narrow the possibilities. I hope all goes well for you and your son and that he hopefully will not have another reaction as bad as those again!

Instead of repeating the sentiments that have been expressed already, I'll just say I'm keeping my fingers crossed as you continue to narrow down the culprit!

I know other people who've cheered the 2nd time they got a reaction, so you're not alone Marie! A friend once had one to a bag of mixed nuts and went for years afraid of eating nuts. Her boyfriend bought a bag of Brazil nuts and she dared have a tiny bite. Then she cheered and told him to take her to the ER immediately. Was glad to know which one the culprit was!

Never have enough words to thank you all, guys! Again, all of your comments and past experiences are very helpful and comforting, and your wishes are more than welcome! Even though I'm so thankful that nothing more serious has happened to him, since we hear about so many terrible things happening around us, I can't hide that anxiety is still eating at me, especially when still partially in the dark, and when he's not with me. As you're also saying, the second time was kind of a blessing! Apart from being ready, and give him the immediate treatment needed for the regression of the attack, I was also already able to cut out a few ingredients from the total used in the pudding, such as flour, eggs, butter, etc, since I know that between the first episode and the last he has eaten such and these weren't harmful. Now, we must only wait for the specialist to confirm our appointment, and then wait again for the results to come. Albeit we were told that the results might not be that specific, at least we could know where we stand and avoid certain things, like we're already doing before knowing about any further concrete trigger. Will hopefully be able to tell you the outcome in the near future ... Green ... I'm so very glad that your sister's experience is only a past memory, now! Thanks for your intervention, since it's very reassuring! As well as that of yours, CW! Hugs to all!

Here's hoping for speedy results Marie.

Marie, sorry to hear that it happened again, but glad that are able to start pinning it down. Tree nut allergies are almost as common as peanut allergies, and both are allergies that can come on suddenly or appear to, as the first initial reactions are often so mild they are either not noticed or brushed off as something else. At least tree nuts are not usually hidden ingredients like peanuts can be, but it is still a good idea to read labels. Hopefully it turns out to be something on your short list. I don't know if your school has many potlucks or anything, but after you figure out the culprit, try working with the school to educate others about how dangerous and scary food allergies can be. I see so many adults carelessly cross-contaminating food at events like that it drives me crazy. They don 't realize how easily they can be endangering someone.

Thanks, KT and Amethyst! Amethyst ... I hear you about careless cross-contamination, especially when perhaps already being aware of people who suffer from such cases! It's easier to have a reaction from such than from the direct, single source! Today I had a meeting with the school headmaster and I'm very grateful towards the school since we've been given total backup! He assured me that both the teachers and my son himself can administer whatever immediate treatment would be needed before informing me ... always hoping that there wouldn't be the need in the future! The teacher has also told me that a lecture to all the other kids, regarding food allergies, is a regular item in her schedule for every beginning of a school year, so that's another thumbs up! Many thanks again for everyone's support!

I'm glad you're getting support from the school, Marie - they are truly very important in all of this and if they weren't onboard with it all, the results could be absolutely tragic!

I'm glad the school is prepared and ready to deal with this!

Gatchamarie: My oldest son has a severe, life-threatening peanut allergy, so I understand how scary it can be. We found out when he was four - he touched a raisin that was in a bridge mix (mixed nuts & fruit) and then touched his eye and his eye swelled shut. It was terrifying because we were traveling at the time and we didn't know what was happening or where to go. I thought maybe he had been stung by a bee. One side of his face was so swollen it looked like it was melting. We got him to the emergency room and they were so nice and gave him some shots. Hours later, he broke out in a secondary rash all over his arms and legs, scared me half to death. My husband was out of town and we were new to our house, so I packed up my son and his eight week old brother and took him back to the ER - this time our local emergency room - and they told me that the secondary rash happens sometimes, it was okay, and not to worry about it. I took the lid from the bridge mix into the doctor's office later and had them test for every likely allergen in the ingredient list. Fortunately, peanuts were the only major allergen. My son has lived with his allergy for seven years now - he's really good at reading food labels, cautious at parties & potlucks. I remember at the beginning, right after he was diagnosed, I was absolutely terrified to let him out of my sight! But it's gotten easier as he's gotten older. Sometimes, he even carries his own epi-pens now. If you ever have any questions about living with someone with a severe food allergy, feel free to email me off-list.

Jublike ... I can understand how terrifying your experience must have been! Not only the episode in itself, but also the circumstances in which you were in at the time! I also so thank you for sharing your experience, since it's another means of learning for someone who's new at facing such a situation like us, and since it's most comforting knowing that there's hope for coping well with the problem. I must admit that as time passes by I'm getting more used to the idea, after literally freaking out at the beginning! Seeing both of his eyes swollen shut, as you're saying, and him out of breath took the whole life out of me! I'm also glad to hear that your son is coping better each day that passes, and so hope that maybe he'll grow out of it, as I pray the same for mine! I always say that things could have been worse! Many sincere thanks for your kind offer in helping me with any questions .. I appreciate the gesture, a lot! Please feel free to do the same! Green and TJ ...

Finally, my son's blood results have arrived! The culprit is our poor budgie! My son resulted allergic to bird feather dander and fecal matter! At least, now he can eat his beloved bread pudding without any worries! The results have also shown that he's okay with nuts, cinnamon, and all the other ingredients that were tested! Phew ... I'm so relieved! Now, he just have to stay away from birds (but not our Gatchaman birdies! ). I just really cannot explain to you the face he made when the doctor told us to do something about our bird, since he loves it so much! We assured him that we wouldn't get rid of Chip, but would keep it somewhere remote in the house, or in the garden, weather permitting! No more birds after this one! The specialist has also only advised us to keep a good eye on our son, though, since he's prone to allergies. I thank you again for all the support you've given me!

Marie, at last you have the answer, you must be so grateful for that. No matter what the trigger for the allergy, it would mean some adaption to your family routine or habbits, and I suppose it's better to be animal (easier to avoid) as opposed to food items, which he could come into contact with without knowing.

Marie, that's wonderful that he can still eat his favorite treat!! He must be sad about not being able to play with the bird, but he'll still be able to see him. Congratulations on getting answers!!

Marie, I am so glad you were finally able to discover the cause of the allergies. Although I am surprised at how long it took to narrow it down. Then again maybe the doctors were not considering pet/feather problems to start with. When I went in for my allergy testing in the spring I was giving a skin test with 9 or 10 different "reactants" one of them being feathers - the interesting thing was none of my reactants were food related. I guess they test differently for food related allergies. Which, now that I think about it that way,would explain why it took so long to narrow down the search. Glad your son will continue be able to enjoy his favourite treat.

So glad you found the culprit! And yeah, it's so annoying, I had no real allergies when I was a kid and grew into them as an adult. That shouldn't be allowed!

I'm so glad that you finally know what is wrong, and that it is something that can be (somewhat) controlled. I'm even more glad that it wasn't the food! What a relief this is for you!

Whew! I'm glad this bit of drama is over for you. I'm also happy that your son won't have to feel miserable while keeping his allergy under control.

I'll echo everyone else, Marie, so glad you've found the cause. Animal allergies are tough, but manageable.

And I'll second Amethyst -- glad the solution has been found, and it wasn't the food!

Hugs to you, Marie. Glad you have an answer. Given the severity of his reaction, though, I hope that they gave you an epi-pen anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Many sincere thanks to all, again! Really, I wish I could have been able to hug you all, one by one, and thank you separately! Yes ... the allergen not being any type of food is quite a relief! Due to the severity of the reaction, like jublke said, we still have to keep a good eye on him, though, and we still are educating him how to treat himself in case of another, sudden reaction, and how he must stay away from the trigger! For now, we have only been given steroid tablets, which should only be swallowed in such a case, together with another follow-up appointment with the specialist next March. CD ... the results of the blood tests have really taken so long to arrive ... we had our appointment with the specialist only last Saturday! This is due to the fact that the blood samples have been sent abroad, since the specialist deemed it more opportune to take a longer path involving a more accurate examination. Our country is a bit limited in such resources, and a simple patch test was not advisable due to the severity of the reaction! We decided better to wait and have more accurate results! In fact, they did a specific test for each and every item I listed, and this rested my mind! My DH is allergic to feathers and leaves, also, but he had never had such an allarming reaction, so things had to be tackled differently in our son's case. CW ... I'm so sorry to hear that you're developing allergies in your adulthood! You cannot get rid of these so easily, unfortunately, and our poluted environment doesn't help, either! My DH and I have the same problem!

Yeah, I really think pollution is doing a number on all of us. That's good that they were taking extra precautions on the tests!

It's amazing how hereditary allergies can be. I have allergies to dust and most animal dander, and my DH has seasonal and dust allergies. Well my kids have seasonal, dust and pet allergies, but fortunately at a level low enough that we can deal with it using over the counter medication!

Thank you for explaining Marie, now I understand why there was the lengthy time line. You are right it is better to take your time and get accurate and complete results.

No problem, CD! Sorry for the late reply, because it's only today that I had the chance to pop in since your message! TJ ... you're right! It definitely is hereditary, apart from the present, polluted air we're breathing as we're saying! Our son happened to be more sensitive!