Yesterday I took Luke in for his allergy testing. At first I was told they would be doing the needle test but at the last second they said it will be the oil test. I was glad he wouldn't experience any pain, of course, but I had not read anything about the oil test and it's accuracy.
The would be testing for milk allergy, eggs, wheat, soy, etc. 10 different foods. They couldn't test for a peanut allergy with this type of test.
Throughout the whole appointment I had the feeling like they didn't really know what they were doing. Granted they said that this is a new test so that might have been it. But I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt because I'm sure there are many many times I don't seem like I know what I'm doing but I do :o)
Waiting for instructions...
After debating if they would be testing his leg or his back they settled on his back and told me he would need to lay perfectly still for 15 minutes on his stomach so the oils don't run. Um. He's 1? Lay perfectly still for 15 minutes? I envisioned holding a screaming Luke down for a long 15 minutes but we got the idea for me to lay back in the chair and for him to lay on me.
(ignore my freakish looking neck, lol)
I put snacks on the top part of my chest along my neckline and he laid there happily eating the whole time. I was so proud of him! But then again whenever food is involved-- he's game.
"I'm not sure what that lady is putting on my back but oh hey! snacks!!" -Luke
Here's a picture of the results. The biggest spot is the histamine test to make sure the person doesn't have an antihistamine in their system so that one doesn't indicate an allergy.
In almost every spot an oil was places he got a red mark and a small hive. I'm not sure if those are allergic reactions or not. I did go ahead and request a blood test since that is the most accurate way to test for an allergy. Although we are pretty sure he has a peanut allergy I still would feel better seeing an actual test prove so instead of only my speculation.
Later the nurse called to tell me that the doctor okay'ed my request for a blood test and that they will test for all nuts and other foods. We'll have to take Luke in soon for that and then it will take 2-3 weeks for results in which the doctor will go over that blood test and the oil test with me. Hopefully soon we will know more!
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Asher has a peanut allergy and they did the needle test on him when he was 16 months old. It came back positive for allergies to peanuts and cashews. I'm interested to see how they handle all of your testing in the US. We've never done a blood test, is that supposed to be the most accurate test?
ReplyDeleteBoth skin prick tests (SPT) and blood tests (RAST or CAPRAST - I have no idea what those stand for) both have a false positive rate of around 50% and a false negative rate of less than 10%.
ReplyDeleteHowever, some kids tests more accurately on one over the other. It just depends on the kid though. Additionally, even with the low false negative rates, some kids will get false negatives on both, but still be allergic. Reactions always trump test results in diagnosing a food allergy.
Some allergists will not perform a SPT on a child who is classified as "highly allergic" because it does introduce a small amount of the allergen into their systems and can be dangerous.
After an allergy has been confirmed, blood tests are a good way to track the allergy over time since they give a quantitative number of IgE antibodies. If those numbers go down over time, it can be a sign that the allergy is being outgrown.
Amanda, I've been researching, and I can't find anything about an oil test for food allergies. I even asked on the pofak forum, and no one has heard of it.