Food allergies work like this…

If you are wondering what a food allergy is, it's like asking this,
“Can my kid go out into the world and eat what they want… without risk to their life?”

A food allergy is when your child has an “immune response” to a food that most people would find harmless.

An immune response is similar to when your immune system attacks a foreign substance or bacteria. When a person with allergies comes in contact with an allergen, their immune system goes into overload and releases histamines.

These histamines cause allergic reactions.

What are egg allergy symptoms
What does an allergic reaction look like?

This is what egg allergies look like in babies, children, and adults.

• Hives
• Itching
• Blisters
• Swelling
• Breathing problems
• Vomiting
• and life threatening anaphylaxis

Previous reactions are not an indicator of future reactions

Allergic reactions are not predictable, nor are they determined by previous reactions.
You have to be ready for anything.

Allergic reactions can be different each time someone is exposed to an allergen.
Sometimes they can be mild, like a rash, another time they can stop breathing.

If an oatmeal cookie gave your child a rash, or worse, (yes, they usually contain one egg per 24 cookies) you might not want to serve them an omelette. And you might want to go see your pediatrician or an allergist.

* I’m not a doctor, but this has been my experience and also what I’ve found during 13 years of living with an egg allergy in my family.

It starts with confusion

The first time food allergies enter your life you may be scared, worried for your child, not know what's going on, or it may simply go unnoticed.

Ours started at our oldest sons first birthday party.
What are these welts?!?

How to tell if you are facing an allergy to eggs.

The only true determination if someone has a food allergy is through a Food Challenge or Oral Challenge in a doctors office under medical supervision.

Basically, it’s your doctor’s call whether or not your child can tolerate eggs. There are guidelines they follow and symptoms you may not see or know to look for.

* Please do not try to determine this yourself!
I’ve been through five food challenges with my kids and there are simply too many factors at play for the untrained person to tell what’s going on inside your kids body.

Before doing a oral challenge, your allergist may prescribe a skin test as well as blood work. I’ll cover these in more detail in a longer article, but for now, the results of these tests are tools that work together to give your allergist what they need to determine if your child is a possible candidate for an oral challenge.

Trying to interpret these tests yourself is extremely misleading.

With these combined results and a patient history, your allergist will determine if it’s reasonable to try an oral challenge. If it’s not reasonable to do a food challenge, you might be considered allergic and instructed to avoid contact with eggs.

Basically they are trying to figure out, if we feed your kid this food, will it cause a life threatening reaction?

If they could have a reaction, it's simply not worth it to eat that food.

* Again, I’m not a doctor, but this has been my experience and also what I’ve found during 13 years of living with an egg allergy in my family.

Here’s a great 24 page primer on allergy diagnosis found at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.

Find an allergist an schedule an appointment!

A good allergist can be in high demand these days, particularly in spring. Expect to wait months till you can get an appointment.

1. Skin Prick Allergy Test
2. Blood Work Allergy Test
3. Oral Food Challenge