DD has an allergy to egg whites

We had a scare with dd about a month ago, she had blueberries, and then had a reaction. Well, I also knew that morning that she a small amount of the pancake I was eating, so I knew she had eggs, but was really hoping it was the blueberries she reacted to instead! But, we went for some blood allergy tests and they came back positive for allergy to egg whites. So, now I am at a bit of a loss as to how to manage this?? Anyone else dealing with this type of allergy? Any tips for what to avoid? Obviously I am going to be reading labels very carefully, but in the country I live in there aren't the labeling laws like in North America. So, i guess if it doesn't have a label, I don't give it to her....

I am hoping that maybe if we test her again in a few months that the allergy will have disappeared....anyone have their child's allergies disappear?

 

My girls have also been diagnosed with food allergies and it's a pain! What test did your daughter have? Was it the blood test, and if so, what were her scores for egg white? My girls don't have any allergies that score more than a 3 out of 7, but for Piper, that means we have to carry an epi pen for her peanut allergy. Cricket has a level 3 wheat allergy, but our allergist said we don't have to do anything because she doesn't react at all to wheat. The allergy shows up on a blood test, but she's never had a reaction.

I have heard that frequently, allergies (except milk and peanut) go away as the child gets older, but that it usually takes years, not months. Did your DD test negative for blueberries?

Feel free to PM me and I can share all the advice the allergist had for us...

 

My son has a pretty severe egg allegy [egg whites and total egg] that was diagnosed a week after his first B-day. He had one bit of scrambled egg and reacted almost immediately. It is definitely a pain. Once you start reading labels, you realize just how many things contain egg. We have an egg-free house in order to avoid any accidental exposure. If a product has been manufactured in or on equipment that processes egg, we avoid it. We were told that chances of outgrowing an egg allergy are pretty good -- I want to say 80%. Allergist also stressed that exposure is cumulative and the more the child is exposed, the greater the chance of reaction when it occurs. We are really hoping he will grow out of this so are pretty neurotic about what he eats and where he eats. I always carry and Epipen and food with me. If it is not from our house, he can only eat things with labels so no baked goods, etc. Due to cross contamination, even if a homemade product is egg-free, he doesn't get it. He is 3.5 and luckily we have had no incidents since the initial exposure. He had a blood test [RAST] at age 1 and 2 and his numbers were the same. He was not re-tested at 3, but will be tested at 4 and depending on the numbers, may or may not have a food challenge. Allergist would have done a challenge at age 2 if we wanted, but did not recommend because he thought the exposure was not worth the information we would gain.

Please feel free to drop me a line.
Leslie

 

Both of my boys (and I) have lots of food allergies. It is very hard to figure out good things to feed them. Without info on labels, I would be in a tough position. I don't envy you there! Even so, if you feed lots of whole foods and try to stay away from processed stuff, other than foods you know are ok, you should be okay.

Good luck-- allergies are no fun!

 

Forgot to add that you can buy a powdered egg replacer that works well in lots of things like pancakes, waffles, cookies, bread, cupcakes, cakes [little dense, but OK]. It does not work in brownies. The only place I can find it is Whole Foods. It is manufactured by Energy [I think]. A box cost 3-4 dollar, but lasts a long time.

 

:hug: All 5 of my kids had egg, wheat, dairy, soy allergies. They have all outgrown them. Some took longer than others, but they are all good to go now! For the egg, yes, they do have powdered egg replacer (like FrickandFrack said, it's Energy brand...an orangish box). And in alot of stuff, you can use the whole baking soda/vinegar thing (does the egg trick and you don't taste the vinegar at all). It is a lot of work getting used to it, but once you figure out what does/doesn't have egg in it, it's pretty easy. A food allergy is never fun, but egg is probably one of the easier ones to figure out. There are no secret code words for egg...it's just egg on the label. You can do it! :hug:

 

That's a pain and I hope it's temporary!

Be careful to ask what your vaccines have been cultivated in. Many, like the flu shot, are cultivated in eggs. So they need to be avoided (or an alternative suggested by your doctor).

They sell egg substitute in the health food section at my grocery store - not sure if that's an option for you.

I often omitted egg whites from recipes (muffins, pancakes, etc.) when my boys were younger, just in case. I researched substitutions online and found many.

 

I went through this whole thing with both mine. Mine at 19 months are still a little sensitive but not quite as bad, they have the whole dairy intolerance going on too so we have to stay away from things with cream or too much cheese too. The one thing I found is that not EVERYTHING with egg in it bothered them, but I got too crazy trying to figure it out and just stuck to things I KNEW didn't have egg in them. They have gotten less sensitive but every once in a while they have a flare up. I usually knew within a few minutes if it was going to affect them because they would get red patches around their mouth. Then it would be followed later by a bad diaper rash and a rash on their chest or back. Good luck and I really hope things get better.

 

One of mine is allergic to eggs. he Dr had given me the go ahead at 9 months to give them some egg yolks so I did. Immedietly, Jack started getting hives all around his mouth and started itching and pulling at his skin and crying. He just had him tested and he measured a 4 with the blood test. We have to carry an Epi pen with us just in case. I still make pancakes for them I just replace the egg with smashed bananas and I had an eggless cake made for their b-day. So far it hasn't been too bad but they eat VERY basic stuff.....
Good Luck, I know this has been difficult for us to deal with and it makes him miserable as well. Hopefully they will outgrow it!