Food challenges?
Our son has quite a variety of food allergies. Some are standard (eggs, milk etc), some not so much (!) (chicken, pineapples, beef). His reactions can be quite severe, and our paediatrician has agreed to do some food challenges in the hospital, but there are others that they want done at home.
We're still very anxious about trying ANYTHING new given his allergies seem so random (to us at least). Our worries are that anything new could be just as severe as other foods he's allergic to. Has anyone got any tips on how to try a food challenge at home?
Hi,
!
I am sorry your son (and your whole family) is dealing with severe food allergies. I am all for parents embracing their childrens' diagnoses and being proactive, but I think your best course of action would be to continue the OFCs at the doctor's office for the foreseeable future. I am kind of surprised the pediatrician feels comfortable having some done at home, but the doctor knows your child far better than I do!
I would have some questions about proceeding with the OFCs at home. Will you have access to epi pens or the like for severe allergic reactions? Will you have immediate access to the doctor should the challenge go south? Are they giving you informaton about *which* food challenges you can do at home?
You the right as his parents to push back and request most (or all) testing is done in a hospital or medical setting for the time being. Especially since you all are pretty new to this. You probably already know a lot about OFCs, but I wanted to share some information from this site on the topic -- https://allergies.net/food/oral-challenge. I hope you get more feedback from other community members, but I do hope the pediatrician is willing to discuss all the concerns and questions you and your spouse may have about further testing.
Best, Erin, Team Member.
