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| Parenting Club Forums > Food & Medical Allergies > IgG antibody testing |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 06:27 AM |
| I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but I knew there were several people here dealing with allergies and wasn't sure where else to go. Megan is almost 4 years old and hovers around 28 pounds. She's never been higher than 29 pounds and goes from 26 to 28 pounds usually. She also has sensory processing disorder. Her occupational therapist has become very concerned over the last few months because her behavior is reverting in many ways. She throws less tantrums and seems to be doing very well in school and for the most part at home, but motor skills and fear of falling etc has gotten worse lately. Megan also struggles to eat anything. Unfortunately about the only things she wants to eat is sweet things. Otherwise she'll barely eat. The sitter does seem to get her to eat lunch every once in awhile, but if she eats it's usually a lunchable, nothing of great nutrition. The only thing she is consistent in drinking is milk. She likes milk. Back to the OT, she says that almost every kid she's ever treated for SPD has food allergies. We've always wondered this from the day she was born due to her severe reflux and when I was nursing I went on a dairy protein-free diet, but I don't think I took out wheat. She has put us in contact with a laboratory that specializes in "blood prints" which is extensive testing of the IgG antibody and how it reacts to different foods. The testing is V E R Y expensive, and we hope if we go this route that insurance covers some of it. Another reason the OT and we are worried is Megan continues to have loose stools almost all the time. So I know her body isn't getting what it needs. She keeps getting taller, not much, but her weight doesn't move and she's looking more puked skinny every day. Her gymnastics teacher commented last night that Megan has absolutely N O muscle mass in her arms and she showed me and I about cried. Megan also couldn't complete class last night because her stomach has been hurting for over a week now. She just sat there and cried. She did battle a stomach bug last week and doesn't seem to be recovering. She just has horrible smelly gas as well and pretty much always has. I guess all my rambling is just wondering if anyone has had a child with constant loose stools and if you have had this extensive testing done on your child. Megan had the RAST test done when she was under for her adenoid surgery and it came back fine. All my research shows that the RAST test is really not as effective at telling exactly what one is allergic to. After talking with the company that produces the test I've only found two doctors in our area that deal with it and one is a chiropractor, which I'm not too thrilled about doing but we are seriously considering it. I'm also going to call her pediatric gastro doc this morning to get her into him in the meantime. I've always thought my baby had problems from the day she was born with reflux, puking, stomach problems, loose stools etc. We just can't seem to find an answer and it really seems to be taking a toll on her body. I just feel helpless and frustrated. She also has occasions of puking for no reason. She'll just all of a sudden puke several times in one day and then it's over. Each time I think her sister is going to get sick or us and no one else ever does so I assume it's not a bug going through her but something else. Now this last time her sister did throw up hours later after Megan had a 3 puke fest, so I am assuming that time was a bug. Ok, I'll stop rambling and appreciate any experience anyone may have with this. Thanks for reading. I know it's been a long time being here. |
| Posted by: Kaitlin'smom Jan 13 2009, 06:34 AM |
 its nice to see you again. I am sorry I have no advice but wanted to offer some hugs. Oh I did have a question have you tried the pedi sure drinks for her to help get some nutrition into her? I hope you can find some answers for her. I know you have struggle with her health all of her life. |
| Posted by: moped Jan 13 2009, 07:01 AM |
| Karen, I was just thinking about you the other day - hope you are doing well I don't have anything to offer, but would be interested to hear what others say. I know you have always worried about her and really hope that you can get some answers from a doctor or something. |
| Posted by: Jamison'smama Jan 13 2009, 07:02 AM |
| Hey Karen! I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I have no experience with this but I did send an email to a women with extensive knowledge of childhood food allergies. I hope to hear from her soon. I am happy to see you here but I am sorry it is under such frustrating circumstances. I think about you often! |
| Posted by: A&A'smommy Jan 13 2009, 07:12 AM |
 Hey Karen I have missed seeing you around I was thinking about you guys yesterday!!! I'm SOOO sorry you guys are going through this how scary and crappy!!! |
| Posted by: Sarah&Mackenzie Jan 13 2009, 07:33 AM |
| Hi Karen! Long time no see. Sorry Megan is going through all this, I sure hope you can get some answers soon. Good to see you though |
| Posted by: PrairieMom Jan 13 2009, 07:34 AM |
| Hi Karen! I have missed you! sorry to hear you are still struggling with all this. When I was reading your post it made me think about when i went to see that Chiropractor about my thrush issues. He was a specialist called a kenesiologist. That may be what you would want to look into. They specialize in the body systems, and the really subtle allergies that are overlooked a lot of time. It was pretty expensive tho, I had to quit going after a few months, and I have to admit that this guy didn't help me, but it may help you guys. |
| Posted by: lisar Jan 13 2009, 08:08 AM |
| Hi Karen. Sorry I have no advice on this I just wanted to offer |
| Posted by: DVFlyer Jan 13 2009, 08:25 AM |
| Humans are the only mammals on earth to continue to drink milk after being weaned off mother's milk. There is talk among the naturalist world that we don't need milk and that EVERYONE is allergic to milk. Given that, the first thing I'd do is take her off Cow's Milk. Substitute Rice milk, Goat's milk or Potato milk if she MUST have milk. We had Keian's blood taken for a blood test to gauge his allergies and toxin levels. The test was $250. Not sure if that is the test you mentioned, but I can get the information if you need. We found he had severe reactions to all the "typical" things: Wheat, wheat gluten etc. But also some odd things: Honey and Coconut oil. Any type of meat is good, but getting him to eat them is very hard. He likes beef jerky and will occasionally have bologna. Best of luck. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 08:34 AM | ||
Thanks Di. I have not tried pediasure but have threatened to, lol. We do give her yogurt drinks when she'll take them and she's taking pro-biotics as well trying to help with the loose stool issue.I tried to get an appointment with her pedi gastro doc but they will only take appts. through the pedi doc so now I have to contact them and go see them first. Frustrating! |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 08:35 AM | ||
Thanks Jen. Things have been going fairly well for us. Sickness and a few close family losses, but we are enjoying each day and thankful for that. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 08:37 AM | ||
Hi Brenda! Thanks for contacting your friend. There is so many good things I've read and so many bad things I've read on IgG antibody testing that I just don't know what to do. I do think seeing the pedi gastro is our best choice at this point. I'm not sure why I didn't think about it before. We've been seeing her regular doc but he wants stool samples which is entirely IMPOSSIBLE to get with her. It's what has been holding us up for months.  |
| Posted by: DVFlyer Jan 13 2009, 08:38 AM | ||
You don't need Pro-Biotics if she's taking yogurt... not that it'll hurt (I don't think) but yogurt has the needed "good" bacteria in it already. But... if she is lactose intolerant, milk and any other dairy - including yogurt- will cause her symptoms. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 08:41 AM |
| Ok, I was quoting everyone, but I'm getting exhausted, lol. Thank you to everyone that posted. to all. DVFlyer - we are keeping a log of what she eats, which has been difficult coordinating the school, sitter, etc, but we are getting there. What's hard is remembering to write it down, lol. My oldest had to be on Lactaid milk for several years after nursing before she could handle milk, although she never had the issues Megan does. She doesn't drink milk very often either. We said our next step would be to put her on another milk. Originally Megan was on goats milk and LOVED it, but it spoils fairly fast than she drinks it and honestly was hard to get when she was the only one drinking it out of all of us. Then we went to pure cows milk, which we all liked, but it was spoiling faster than we drank it. It only has a good taste for a few days and then it doesn't taste as good (still not spoiled, but taste changes). I think we are going to try Lactaid milk and see what that does. Milk is about all she will drink so it would be very hard to get her to give that up. ETA that being on the different milks did not change her issues, though. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 08:42 AM | ||||
She only drinks yogurt every so often. I do know there is pro-biotics in it, but she is given a pro-biotic daily, the yogurt is just every so often. |
| Posted by: jcc64 Jan 13 2009, 09:01 AM |
| Hey Karen, I am thrilled to see you hear, though I'm sorry it's under such unfortunate circumstances. I know how scary it is to instinctively know something is just not right with your baby, but not be able to get any definitive answers. Very often with drs and traditional medical tests, you find out what it's NOT, but may never discover what it is, making a solution next to impossible. I think it's smart to investigate alternatives when you hit a dead end with regular drs, but always proceed with caution--as you know a chiropractor isn't a medical dr. Having said that, it was a chiropractor / holistic practitioner who suggesting taking Noah completely off of dairy to treat his chronic ear infections. She also put him on a pro-biotic supplement. Maybe it was coincidental, maybe not, but he got better under her care, and never had another ear infection again. So I guess what I'm saying is, keep an open mind, you never know. I'm sorry I know next to nothing about Megan's specific problems, but I would consider taking the dairy out for a few weeks and see what happens. Dairy is a tough thing to digest, and it sounds like she's got a very reactive digestive system. Best of luck with everything, Karen! I've really missed seeing you around here. |
| Posted by: Kaitlin'smom Jan 13 2009, 09:04 AM | ||||
I woudl try it with her she might really like it an it might help with some extra calories for her. they also make some snacks. I know you have tried but does she have one food she LOVES being junk or not? I am just thinking alowed maybe if there is one thing she really loves you can add vitamin to it, I am not sure what it was called but Kaitlins first vitiman was liquid and from what I could tell had no taste I woudl add it to her drink or food. I am sure your beyond frustrated but hang in there, your a great mom. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 09:14 AM | ||
Jeanne. Thanks. I have kept an open mind about chiropractic as I worked for a chiropractic association for over 3 years. For me it did more harm than good, but I know many it did good for. I'm just skeptical when it comes to my baby.  |
| Posted by: jcc64 Jan 13 2009, 09:14 AM |
| Cary used to have really good ideas about fattening yummy foods, but she doesn't come around here anymore, either. What about shakes with bananas and soy milk /yogurt and some supplements? Peanut butter? Avocado? I know we did a lot of avocado when Corey was little and not gaining well. A lot of kids like it. And is sweet such a bad thing? I'm not talking candy, but what about oatmeal, french toast, or homemade cookies, things that you can make easily at home with nutritious ingredients? |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 09:18 AM | ||||||
I will have to see if pediasure has dairy or whey in it. Foods? Ugh, this child just doesn't like much. Although sometimes she's very weird or starving beyond belief and she'll eat things she hates at other times. For breakfast she'll eat a bite of poptart or ONLY the marshmellows in Lucky Charms  . Sometimes she'll eat pancakes w/peanut butter and syrup. The only problem is she'll literally only eat a few bites.Same goes with just about anything she'll actually eat. It's like her body goes through these times when she just won't eat hardly anything at all and then others VERY RARE moments (maybe a day or two out of several months time) will eat like she's never eaten in her life. KWIM? So it's not like we can pin down foods she likes and doesn't. It's almost as if she's getting "toxic food" build up and doesn't eat for a very long time, then when that build up is gone she'll eat for a day or two. It's hard to explain but similar to things I've ready about toxic food syndrome and allergies. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 09:21 AM | ||
No, sweet isn't such a bad thing. I'm not thinking it's really what she eats. There is something wrong because she's having loose stools no matter what she eats. So I think there is some correlation between her not eating much because of the tummy aches, loose stools and gas. Her OT said that kids with allergies will more likely eat sweets because even though their body knows it might be an allergen their mind can't resist the sweet taste. Where as if they also have allergens to other more bland foods to them they can resist them much easier. |
| Posted by: cameragirl21 Jan 13 2009, 09:25 AM |
| Karen, so glad to see you back. |
| Posted by: Kaitlin'smom Jan 13 2009, 09:35 AM | ||
she does not make it easy. rare moments like when she eat really well when we all met up? I think the look on your face was utter shock. she was adaorable happly sitting on your lap munching away have you ever noticed if she eats better alone or in a group? sorry for all the questions, I just keep thinking. |
| Posted by: Kaitlin'smom Jan 13 2009, 09:36 AM | ||||
deffinalty sounds like something is giving her trouble. |
| Posted by: jcc64 Jan 13 2009, 09:58 AM |
| You are very proactive and well-educated about your kids, Karen, and I really admire that. Unfortunately, some doctors, especially older ones, are threatened by parents who ask too many questions or have ideas of their own about their kids' health. You're going to have to push past that and find a dr who will scrutinize Megan's entire history, not just treat the most prevalent symptom. Can you find another pediatric gastro for a second opinion? |
| Posted by: boyohboyohboy Jan 13 2009, 10:39 AM |
| Karen, you are describing Jakob to a tee! we need to connect soon, but just let me say, i havent read all that was written..but just from what we have done let me tell you this.. there is a pediatric drink, called bright beginnings soy drink..sold at the grocery store or on line..its the same as pediasure but it doesnt contain any milk..or milk products. this is the only thing jake can take. it has packed some major pounds on him..and I want to send you a recent pic of him. most of the "older" people on here know that this is what Jakob went thru when he almost died from the food allergies and also he has the SID. the allergiest will want to do a RAST and also skin prick testing..both are a better diagnosis then one alone..also there is a further more detailed test that puts a small container of super concentrated foods in a tiny metal bowl that is taped to their back for 48 hours and then read..that gives a really idea of what they are allergic to..her symptoms sure sound just like jake.. and honestly it might not be a food as a seasoning or a dye or anything like that.. we found out more foods he was allergic to this way..and we also have seen three allergist and only the PEDIATRIC allergist knew what to do and what tests to run..the others were not as good. and just delayed getting us to where we are now.. once we got the offensive foods out of his system for one yr to 18 mnths he outgrew a lot of them. he has the same vomitting, the same weight gain issues, the same reflux, just whiney and behavior problems..stomach ache, muscle ache.. i can go on and on.. the skin testing is so worth it, but only to the extend of an idea of what to avoid..like for instance jake is allergic to corn but can eat corn chips but not concentrated corn syrups. the pediatric drink contains corn syrup.. he also takes attarax which coats his mast cells to trick his body into thinking he can drink it..hides the allergies. i highly recommend this drink for her.. and you can order it right on line to be delivered for free to your home at a less charge then the stores do.. if you are interested let me know. with the help of the GI dr and the allergist Jake is almost completely normal and also the SID is almost unnoticable once the allergies were dealt with.. I also needed to say that jake doesnt eat like a normal person. he mainly still lives on the pediatric drink and also that the foods he does eat are not what i would consider healthy. i dont know that he ever will. but he is happy and doesnt cry in pain from the foods anymore.. please contact me and let me see if we can connect. stacy |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 13 2009, 11:08 AM |
| Stacey, hi! I knew Jake had problems, but I had always gathered that you saw literally a food causing the problem. Was that the case? I know we've talked numerous times about these things, but I always thought his case was a bit different than Megan's because I thought you *SAW* what food was making him sick. We can't seem to tell with Megan, unless it's everything she eats. We did have a scary instance over the Thanksgiving holiday. Megan has always eaten chocolate in small quantities in the past, but over the holiday we were candy making with family and she did happen to eat a lot more chocolate than normal. She developed a major facial/torso rash from that. Well, maybe major is too strong of a word, but it was a very noticeable rash. So we kept her away from chocolate for about a week and then when she had just one bite of chocolate a week later she broke out in the rash. Very weird! Now she's had tiny bits of chocolate since, like at Christmas, but we haven't seen the rash. She also at that time had unexplained vomiting that lasted for one day and then was gone, like I mentioned before. I just made another appointment with her regular doc, and we'll go do that on Monday. At that time he'll hopefully give us the referral for the pediatric gastro doc again. Since it's been over a year since we seen him before (for reflux) we have to have a doc make the appointment. Now did you see the pedi gastro doc first or the allergist? I know of NO trustworthy, reputable pedi allergists around here  MY allergist deals with pedi cases all the time, but he concerns me. He's a pill pusher for everything and anything. He's great when it comes to my allergies, but anything else I wonder about him. Can't the pedi gastro doc do a lot of testing to see what's going on? She had the RAST test done, but it was negative. She has not had the skin test. I think that other special test you may be referring to is testing the IgG antibodies. It's tested against a ton of foods to see what reactions occur, I know that. I know a lot of her SPD issues have gotten worse since she's gotten sicker. She was doing so well. A couple of months ago we saw the OT (we see her every two weeks) and she looked at me and said "what happened to her". She said it was if she had just saw Megan for the first time ever, like all the work we've done with her disappeared. I will look for that drink for sure. You know I'm not so much as worried about the weight IF she was just supposed to be a small person anyways, kwim? But because of the diarrhea, gas, and stomach pains, I know in my heart that HAS to be why she's not gaining and to me that is NOT normal. I've heard so many times she's just going to be petite, but I can't accept that with all the other issues she's had/having. I know you understand that feeling as well. Ok, I need to get back to work, but will pm you as soon as I can. BTW, this "laboratory" that I found all the IgG info on that will do the testing also supposedly provides EXTENSIVE information on what foods they can and cannot eat down to providing you complete meal recipes, etc. Much different than what the nutritionist gave me when they thought the girls were allergic as babies. They were no help. I'll also see about the pedi allergist because unfortunately Kylie is being treated for allergies OTC because of a consistent cough, runny nose she still has from August. She has also broken out in bad hives twice. So I need to get them both in. |
| Posted by: DVFlyer Jan 13 2009, 01:04 PM | ||
I would be interested in knowing what lab this is. Great Plains Laboratory is where we got our tests done. The results were very thorough (controlling my skeptical side...) but they did not provide meals or recipes. That would be very helpful. |
| Posted by: amymom Jan 13 2009, 02:27 PM |
| Karen, Good to see you. AS you may remember Mary Beth's problems were never as bad as Megan's or Jake's, but I always feel I could identify with both of you. We were very fortunate with our Pediatric GI and were very lucky to get such good results. Our Mary Beth will always be small but at least she isn't in pain any longer. Good Luck with everything, I hope the GI gets you in ASAP. |
| Posted by: msoulz Jan 13 2009, 02:41 PM |
| Hi Karen! I am completely useless for advice but it was nice to see you post again. I know you and Stacy will have lots to talk about. I hope to "see" you around here again!!! |
| Posted by: ~Roo'sMama~ Jan 13 2009, 05:36 PM |
Hi Karen! It's good to see you on here again.  I don't have any experience with this stuff either ~ I'm sorry you're going through it, and I hope you can get some answers soon!! |
| Posted by: MommyToAshley Jan 13 2009, 09:07 PM |
| Karen, I am sorry you and Meagan are going through all this. I can imagine how worried and frustrated you must be to still not know what is going on. I think you are smart to keep pushing for answers. I don't have any suggestions or experience, but I will continue to keep you all in our prayers. Please do keep us updated, we think of you all often. |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 14 2009, 08:46 AM |
| Thanks again everyone for your support and prayers. Megan saw the regular doc this morning. He classified her as "potential failure to thrive" so at least we have that "potential" in front of that phrase. She had to have blood drawn to check her thyroid, a urine test, and an x-ray of her bowels. He then set us up with who I hope is a very good pedi allergist. We go see her Monday afternoon. Then if nothing happens with the pedi allergist we'll see the pedi GI. SO I hope we get some answers soon. She's getting taller so at least she's growing up. I will keep you all posted and I dearly appreciate your support, especially since I haven't been here in a long time. |
| Posted by: moped Jan 14 2009, 11:41 AM | ||
Ya know, I thought about this last night and wondered about thyroid, only because I have a hyperthyroid and when it was in "storm" I had loose stools, very thin, etc etc........ Does she have any of these symptoms for children? Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism emotional lability, with your child being more likely to cry easily, be irritable and excitable, etc. short attention span finger tremor increased appetite weight loss, failure to thrive enlarged thyroid gland (goiter) exophthalmos (protruding eyes) upper eyelid lag infrequent blinking flushed skin excessive sweating muscle weakness tachycardia and palpitation high blood pressure thyroid storm Please keep us posed Karen, and don't be a stranger |
| Posted by: CantWait Jan 14 2009, 01:41 PM |
| It's so nice to see you again Karen. I'm sorry you're having problems with Meagan, and hope the new doctors will be able to find some answers for you soon. Just wanted to let you know, if you go for regular Pediasure, this can also cause diahrrea as it did this for Anthony when he was younger. Don't be a stranger. |
| Posted by: DVFlyer Jan 20 2009, 02:26 PM |
| Wanted to bump this back up because I checked the tests we got for Keian. He had an IgG test and and OAT (Organic Acid Test). |
| Posted by: coasterqueen Jan 21 2009, 06:42 AM | ||
Well my allergist thinks the IgG testing is hocus pocus, as she called it. The more I found last night on yellow dye allergies (which isn't a lot  ) parents suggested the IgG testing to dig further into the allergy. The problem is our insurance won't cover it because our allergist won't approve it. We can do it on our own but the cheapest test is $910.00. This is through Immuno Laboratories. We may decide to do it after the 4 week elimination depending on the results we see or not. |
| Posted by: DVFlyer Jan 21 2009, 08:08 AM | ||||
I'm skeptical of it, but eliminating wheat and other things (in my son's case) isn't going to hurt him so we figure why not try. $900!!!!!??? If you are interested, I can give you the information for the lab we used- "Great Plains Lab"- in Kansas (I think). We paid $250. I don't think the Dr. charged us for taking the blood... ? Maybe. I'll have to ask my wife. I have no idea if the lab we used is trustworthy, but the results are very in-depth. I'll scan his results and post them so you can see, if you want... very interesting. |
| Posted by: gr33n3y3z Jan 21 2009, 08:37 AM |
| Hi Karen its so nice to see you here missed you I hope Megan feels better soon Keep us up to date |
| Posted by: DVFlyer Jan 21 2009, 11:22 AM | ||
I'm  . We just got an email response from our Naturopathic doctor (Dr. Nicola McFadzean) after sending her a note about our trip to our regular doctor.We took Chloe into her pediatrician because her cough wasn't going away. Michelle convinced them to do an allergy blood test, but they ordered the IgE test and this is what Dr. Nicola said "Yes we definitely need to do IgG testing for her. The IgE tends not to be too useful. I'm convinced no one knows anything.  |