Baked Milk Challenge

I thought I’d end Food Allergy Awareness Week by sharing the results of my son’s latest allergy appointment.

First a little back story: he was first diagnosed with milk, egg and peanut allergies two years ago via skin test. Since then, only he’s only been retested for peanuts, which came back higher.

Last month, we switched allergists and he was retested for milk, eggs and peanuts – this time via blood test – as well as fish, shellfish and treenuts. I am happy to report that the tests for the later all came back negative!

Pause for happy dance.

He still tested positive for milk, eggs and peanuts, however, his RAST numbers are very low (although, apparently he produces low IgEs to begin with). We’re still avoiding direct milk, eggs and peanuts but his allergist recommended that we introduce baked milk and then baked egg at home. And we’ve scheduled a peanut challenge for next year.

Pause for happy dance #2.

Yet, as promising as this news is, we still have a long road ahead of us. There are several stages to the baked milk at home challenge and each stage lasts two-three months. The same goes for the baked egg at home challenge, which cannot be started until the baked milk challenge is completed (or abandoned).

We introduced baked milk three weeks ago. I’ve been making muffins that contain 1/4 cup of milk in the recipe. He gets one muffin several times a week but not more than once a day.

His eczema – his allergic reactions usually impact his skin or GI system – has reappeared but its manageable, meaning we can treat it with lotion. Two years ago that wouldn’t have been an option. So, we’re continuing for now. We might not get very far down this road but at least we’re moving in the right direction and I’m hopeful that one day he’ll outgrow his food allergies.

Disclaimer: don’t attempt a food challenge at home without first consulting with your child’s allergist.

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