Docs Don’t Know Shit about Allergies; Mom Does
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I recently read the article When Food Hurts from the Boston Globe, which details pretty much what I’ve been saying all along…doctors don’t know shit about allergies.
My little man started having chronic ear infections around age 1 when we switched him from soy formula to whole milk. We went through rounds and rounds of antibiotics, including a three day series of shots at the local hospital. Even after tubes were inserted, he continued to have infections on a monthly basis. When a friend told me about the link between dairy and ear infections, I was floored. It made perfect sense to me, and I wondered why the doctor had never suggested a dietary change before surgery and drugs. Dr. Sears points out that one carefully controlled study showed that 75 percent of infants under one year of age were allergic to cow’s milk. Luckily many of these kids will outgrow the allergy by the time they are two or three-years-old. Yet many doctors continue to take a skeptical view of the allergy. When I approached our pediatrician about my findings, he fell into the skeptical group. He downplayed the chance of an allergy by letting me know that food allergies don’t present that way and that my son’s ear infections were just a result of immature ear development. Ah, OK, doc. All I know is that the ear infections started when we switched to cow’s milk, and they ended when we stopped giving him cow’s milk. You can call it an allergy, a sensitivity or pure coincidence, but that’s what worked.
Around the same time, my son was also battling a chronic cough. It wasn’t a major illness, but every night he’d wake up hacking. Doc told us he had asthma and gave us a prescription for a breathing treatment. Yet, he insisted that the little man did not have allergies…because “babies don’t have allergies.” I knew he was wrong. However, there really wasn’t much else we could do, so we continued with the breathing treatment. (Of course, we also continue to limit his dairy, because we know it causes an increase in mucus production and often causes asthma to become worse.) Now that he’s pushing 3–and we have a new doc–I’m being told that he probably has allergies. Oh, really, I could have told you that two years ago. He now takes Singulair (along with the puffer) to better control his cough.
Then came the peanut problem. Shortly after his first birthday I thought it was time to give him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Upon eating it, he instantly broke out in hives. OK, maybe this was a fluke, because he does have tremendously sensitive skin. (Did I mention his eczema?) The next time, I was the one eating peanuts and when I picked him up, he had an instant reaction everywhere I touched him. That was enough evidence for me. At his next well-baby appointment, I told the doc what happened and he ordered a blood allergy test. When it came back negative, I was shocked. Doc said he was clear and we could give him peanuts again. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what happened the next time he encountered peanuts…yep, instant hives. So, although the $800 blood test said he wasn’t allergic, I knew that he was. I fought with the doc for more than a year to convince him the blood test was wrong and my son had an allergy. Finally he issued us a prescription for an epi pen and sent us to an allergist for a skin test. With that, we learned that his allergy is a 4 on a scale of 1-4 and that he also has a slight allergy to almonds. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn anything else about the allergy, how to manage it, or how to control it. Nor did I have the proper information to convey the severity of the condition to other family members or care takers. I did find a great article through Dr. Greene, which provided some great insight…but I still felt like I was battling an invisible monster. To add to the problem, I’m constantly reading about studies or theories that suggest different things. One recommendation says to wait till the child is three before introducing peanuts…yet another says waiting that long is the reason kids are allergic. I’ve read that the allergy can be a result of the mother eating the food while pregnant or nursing, yet another says there is a link to the way our food is processed now. I’ve also read conflicting opinions on the ability to outgrow the allergy or build up a tolerance. Like I said…they don’t know shit.
So, while I’ve read countless articles about allergies and the impact diet has on both behavior and overall health, I’m still no more knowledgeable than I was three years ago. I’m also continually amazed at how eager doctors are to prescribe medicine without first exploring dietary changes. The only thing I do know is that when it comes to a child’s health, mom often knows best…even when the doctor says nothing’s wrong.
Additional Resources:
Asthma explained by common allergy to milk and dairy products
Link Between Milk Allergy and Chronic Ear Infections
Kids with Food Allergies (facebook page)
So, so true! My daughter has been sensitive to dairy since she was born. When I would eat it (I breastfed her exclusively) she would have horrible constipation and gas. She’s 4 now and is still sensitive to it. I don’t give her milk but was still giving her ice cream every once in a while until I figured out that every time she ate ice cream she would wet the bed that night. Moms know their kids. My doctor couldn’t figure that one out!
I TOTALLY agree with you! I have 4 children. 3 of the 4 are allergic to gluten. (We also deal with eggs, soy, allergies, peanuts, etc. with some of them) This is a SEVERE allergy that seems to get worse the older they get. Other than avoiding it and giving me a prescription for an epi-pen though, there’s really no help given. I’ve had to do all the research about what wheat/gluten is in and where to find products, what ones are good, etc. It seems like an allergists’ office should offer some kind of assistance to parents other than, “yep, your kid has food allergies. Stinks! Avoid the food and maybe they’ll outgrow it. See you in a year.” It’s very frustrating. My baby has yet to be tested, but already he is showing signs of probably a dairy allergy. No one knows what to tell me in terms of avoiding foods, introducing foods when, etc. It’s a frustrating!! I feel your pain!