Just don’t freak out…
That’s what Annika’s Pediatrician, Dr. H. said to us before she handed over the results of her RAST test. RAST, short for radioallergosorbent test is a blood test that looks for IgE antibody mediated immune system reactions to specific allergens. It helps identify Type 1 hypersensitivity, which means an allergy in which a reaction occurs within seconds or minutes of contact with the allergen, whether through touch or ingestion. The most extreme reaction is anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, an acute systemic reaction involving the dilation of blood vessels, a sudden drop in blood pressure and swelling of bronchial mucous membranes leading to difficulty breathing. This can result in death within minutes unless the patient is treated with a dose of epinephrine and taken to the ER for treatment.
And no, I didn’t freak out. In part because I was surprised and confused. Given Annika’s history of reflux and asthma and food sensitivities we expected something to come up. She had previously tested allergic to peanuts and sesame seeds and dogs, but her other reactions were not even considered Type 1 “true” allergies a couple of years ago. So sure, we expected to see a few high peaks in her results. What we got instead is a whole mountain range, with several peaks. That made no sense. Essentially, she reacted with high IgE counts to everything we threw at her. Beyond the obvious (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, soy, sesame) she tested highly allergic to green peas and lentils and also corn and chocolate. Her scores were all in the 3-5 range (0-2 is non-allergic, 3 and beyond is allergic, with a top score of 6). Since the total levels of IgE in her system were so high, we were told to pay attention to only the 4s and 5s and for the moment avoid but not worry too much about the 3s.
The cat allergy was a shocker, since she grew up around our three cats and never reacts when she touches or plays with them. But there it was, she scored a 5 there. Marc said right away “we need to get rid of the cats”. Obviously, I will do what is right for my child, but part of me is not convinced this is the case, since she NEVER flares when in contact with them. The kitties are my furry babies. They were here before I had my children. I can’t just “get rid” of them before understanding what this all means and what all our options are. I have seen evidence (and read studies) about people who were allergic to cats in general but were immune to their own cats. I’m a case in point, actually. So until I get to the bottom of this, the cats stay. As another parent of a child with allergies wrote to me when I asked for advice on the Parents of Food Allergic Kids (POFAK) forums on the Kids With Food Allergies website:
“Your child is the same darn child they were the day before getting results” and so “freaking out is not the answer”.
