Allergy Testing Adventure: The Aftermath...

The night of the testing , she did wake up sick about 2:30 am and had vomited all over herself and her bed. She also felt a little warm. I had the pleasure of cleaning up her bedding, some stuffed animal friends and getting her into the bathtub for a cleanup. The doctors had said it was possible for that to happen as her body was bombarded with 14 different allergens, and she did have a reaction to ALL of them. So I did what us mothers do.. cleaned up, washed up and helped her feel better the best I could. She took a warm Epsom salt bath in which seamed to help her as well. After her bath she got back into her now clean bed and fell right to sleep.

The day after I kept her home from school. When I called her out "sick" and spoke with the school nurse to let her know what was going on, she was like "Poor kid, ya that could happen! Feel better" !
Bina stayed in bed, she looked pale and had those unforgettable 
dark circles under her eyes..
you know the ones that show when a child is allergic to something... 
so ya it wiped her out. She also had said her head hurt still. 
My poor baby.

She had her Organic green tea with honey and had a few slices of lightly toasted GFCFSF bread. 
By the end of the night she was feeling a little better. 

Today she awoke seemingly even more better but still not 100%. 
She still looks a little pale and still visible lightly, those "dark circles" under her eyes. She also is still saying her head hurts. 
The doc and nurse both said it can take time for her to feel better. 
This is the part that sucks.
The boo boos on her arms look hurtful. She says they are OK , the cold compresses seam to help. She is a real trooper! 

                                                          Boo Boos 2 days later

I kept her home from school again today. I wanted to give her one more day to at least eat more and see more signs of her feeling better. Leaving her bed would be a nice one! This is an active kid so I can very much tell when something is off and not right. The plan is .. back to school tomorrow!

Tonight Sabrina will start up the nasal spray. I hope this will ultimately help her when all is said and done. She has a follow up with the doc in 4 weeks and from there, as long as her arms are healed , the doc said we will begin re-testing the food allergies that had shown up in previous blood work ( IgG / IgA ). Hopefully that won't be too bad, although her behaviors I am expecting to go nuttie , as the nurse confirmed it happens when there are reactions to the foods with our kiddos. Makes sense to me, as if she eats/consumes the foods that has shown as allergens, her behaviors do change and not for the better either. 

So I can only imagine what is yet to come...UGH... :0(
The ONLY positive is...
At least it will be concrete answers and I will never have to go through this with her again!
Can I get a AMEN for that?! lol

Allergy Testing Adventure

Todays Adventure...ugh..
Testing for Environmental Allergens 
AND
shes allergic to molds, mites, trees, grass , like everything they tested for.
The good thing is nothing is severe. This is one allergic kid!


TEST RESULTS

Alternaria                              5                                                                             
Aspergillus Fum                    3
Aspergillus NIG                    3
Cladosporium                        2
Epicoccum                             5
Fusarium                               3
Penicillium                            3

House dust                           3
Mites D Farinaf                   5
Mites D Pteronyss               3
Dog Hair dander                  3
Tree mix A ( Ash , American Beech , American Birch , Elm )         3
Tree Mix B ( Hickory , Poplar, Oak , Maple )                                 4
Grass Mix A ( June Orchard,  Rye )                                                 4
Grass Mix B ( Red top , Timothy , Sweet Vernal)                           3
Ragweed                               3
Plantain                                 3                                                                                                  
Pig Wed                                3   

1-3 Mild              4-6 Moderate             7-9 High                10- Extreme                                                                                                        

My hubbie is going to get a HEPA filter for our A/C better then the one we got. and the nasal spray they made for her (no preservatives non-pharma) should help her body with developing the antibodies needed to help her feel better and combat these daily allergens. We were there for a while and they all were super nice and did everything to make us feel comfortable. Especially my Bina which was most important to me, of course!

                                              After round one "Look ma .. my Boo boos!"

I have lots of cleaning to do, and some minor changes like washing bedspread/sheets more often,
we already have a great mattress cover for allergens and mites so thats already in check, besides having a foam mattress..mites don't like those living quarters so lucked out there..
We already keep the temp cool in the house. They say its best to do so, as it helps keep the humidity thus mold and allergens at bay. So that is easy for us....DONE!
I need to rid of blinds and wash curtains more ritually. I have to get this non toxic spray for her stuffed animals that kills mites so they will be safer and non irritable. That was My worry, she LOVES her stuffed pals and now they armored me with a way to help keep them around! Yeahie!
And as for carpets vs flooring, we are basically all pergo, hardwood and tile floors. Its a good thing we only have 2 rooms with carpet to deep clean and one couch to vacuum and scrub up to rid of more allergens and mites. So at least all is manageable.

                                              Round 2 of 14 needles! What a Trooper! 

I am so glad I did this and so glad my hub came along, he was great! He helped with keeping bina happy and distracting her to get through the testing. Hes a super step daddy for sure! By the time we were all done her arm looks like a bunch of red bumps but they say it will clear soon enough. She had 14 needles 3 times and the 4th time was one! Thats how they test the sensitivity levels to find out the 'tipping point" for the allergen. Don't be too alarmed about the pain..before we went there, they had given me a prescription for this numbing cream I had to apply on her arms and wrap her with one hour before the tests. That for sure did help out. I think seeing all the needles freaked her out the most...it did me! lol
She truly did a great job and I am so proud of her! Not to mention how AWESOME our nurse Liz was who administered the test. She was super with Bina and with all our questions and concerns. She explained everything thoroughly. I truly love this office! They were also so proud of my Queen !

                                     All Done! Boo Boo cold packs applied! All smiles now! 

Next we shall be returning in a few weeks to recheck the food allergens. yippie ..fun stuff.
At least this test is 100% and unlike bloodwork its all on point, and sensitivity levels are revealed.
What A Day!
1:00 till 6:45 we got home! Just another crazy day in the world of Autism...
At least we got some more answers ...
Thus more pieces to our puzzle put into place!



Greater than 95% of autistic children have significant environmental and food sensitivities and allergies. Food allergies and sensitivities occur in 5-8% of the general population, 36% of the autistic population (Lucarelli, 1995) and up to 50% of surveyed families report evidence of food allergy/sensitivity in the autistic child (Horvath, 2002).  These allergies can affect any part of the GI tract and manifest as pain, diarrhea, constipation, gastritis, skin rashes, hives, eczema, hyperactivity and self-injurious behavior.

" I always remark with my staff how we know that seasonal changes affecting our environment seem to begin before the actual date of the equinox (Spring or the vernal equinox, comes this March 20)  or the availability of pollen count reports.  While piles of snow remained on the ground, our patients on the autism spectrum began to have symptoms of aggression, hyperactivity, impulsivity and in cases of PANDAS/PANS more tics and anxiety.  The fact is that autism and allergies go together like spring and running noses.

It is important for parents to realize that the environment is responsible for the way they and their children feel every day.  Mom may develop a migraine headache or sinus congestion, while her child starts head banging, complaining of sore throats and becoming aggressive.  The influence the weather has on our kids is no different than when your grandmother knew a storm was coming because her arthritis was acting up. Inflammation is inflammation; whether it is any of the cardinal symptoms of pain, swelling, redness or heat, these changes can cause headaches, GI distress, nasal congestion, sinus congestion, aggravated sleep disturbances, rashes, separation anxiety, tantrums and seizures  to mention a few. 

Be mindful of these changes and see if they coincide with the weather forecast.  You will be amazed.  Use this information as another tool to help your children.  Consider allergy testing using preservative free allergy extracts and spend the time to have neutralization testing performed.  It takes a little longer than the traditional allergy testing but the results are more reliable and the treatment results more immediate. " 

~ Dr Michael Elice M.D.  AIM Integrative Medicine 

Dr. Michael Elice is a contributing Author : 

Children with Starving Brains: A Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorder 

Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism, Fourth Edition

The type of testing that was 

done is called 

Serial End Point Testing ( SET )

What is Serial End Point Therapy? Serial end point testing consists of a series of skin tests to determine the precise dose of extract that will alleviate symptoms without producing side effects. A small amount of allergy extract is injected under the skin and a wheal (a welt or bubble) forms. The wheal is measured, timed for seven to ten minutes and measured again. The strongest dose that does not produce significant skin reaction is called the neutralizing dose. In addition, careful note is made of any symptoms that may be induced. Symptoms may be provoked, especially when testing with foods, which is helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

At the conclusion of the testing, an extract is made either as a nasal spray or injectable extract. The extract is preservative free and requires refrigeration. New extracts are prepared monthly for the individual patient. Treatment with neutralization therapy usually produces rapid relief from symptoms. The dose is constant, and does not have to be built up and increased over a four to twelve month period as in conventional immunotherapy. Serial End Point/Neutralization Testing can alleviate sensitivity to foods and inhalants.

Serial Endpoint Testing ( SET)  

Serial endpoint testing (SET) involves subcutaneous injection of increasing doses of an allergen to determine the lowest concentration that produces a positive reaction. It is used to diagnose allergic disorders and to guide treatment with immunotherapy.

Serial endpoint testing (SET), also known as serial endpoint titration, is a form of intradermal skin testing that uses increasing doses of antigen to determine the concentration at which the reaction changes from negative to positive (the “endpoint”). The test has been used for diagnosing allergic disorders and is a potential alternative to other diagnostic tests such as skin prick testing or in vitro testing for this purpose. Also SET has been used to guide the initiation of immunotherapy by using the endpoint dilution as the starting antigen dose.

ALLERGIES and AUTISM 
More Info:

The Autism and Allergy Overlap

Food and Environmental Allergies and Autism 

Allergy Therapy 

Food Allergy testing 

Holistic Approach to Autism with Allergy and Sensitivities

Here is some

PUBMED RESEARCH:

1  The possible relationship between allergic manifestations and elevated serum levels of brain specific auto-antibodies in autistic children.

2  Autistic-like behavioural and neurochemical changes in a mouse model of food allergy.

3  Autism spectrum disorders and allergy: observation from a pediatric allergy/immunology clinic.

4  Maternal autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergies, and childhood autism spectrum disorders: a case-control study.

5  Is a subtype of autism an allergy of the brain?

6  Food allergy and infantile autism

7  Brief report: "allergic symptoms" in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. More than meets the eye?

8  Food allergy and autism spectrum disorders: is there a link?

9  Associations between indoor environmental factors and parental-reported autistic spectrum disorders in children 6-8 years of age.