My Kid is a Damn Nutter

[Clodfobble]

Allergy test results came in the mail today, by the way.

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Incidentally, Minifob's allergy blood tests will be back in soon. I'll let you know if they confirm my personal finding that he has a correlated behavioral reaction to coconut, peaches, oranges, cashews, peanuts, egg, and tomatoes. (And just for the record, I'm predicting Minifobette's blood tests, when she gets them in a few months, will show a reaction to pears, peaches, oranges, cherries, mango, kiwi, and pineapple.)

Coconut: yes
Peaches: no
Oranges: yes
Cashews: yes
Peanuts: double yes (get to that in a minute)
Egg: double yes
Tomatoes: yes

I am quite frankly stunned that peaches came up negative. I am now certain that they would mark positively on an IgE panel, however. Here's the thing--there are IgG allergies (officially known as "sensitivities") and IgE allergies ("true allergies.") The two big differences are 1.) IgG causes digestive distress, while IgE is the typical itchy eyes/rash/wheezing/sneezing response, and 2.) IgG can fluctuate over time, and a damaged digestive system is going to react poorly to more things than a healthy one, so there is a chance to heal, while IgE is usually a lifelong immune dysfunction. Both can cause behavioral symptoms.

Because the assumption behind all of this is that we're more concerned with digestive problems, they do a comprehensive IgG panel for 118 different foods, and an IgE panel for the most common allergens, plus any you choose to add. (You can add as many as you want, but it's $7 per food, so it's best to be moderate.) Minifob's tests came back with both an IgG and an IgE reaction to eggs and peanuts, but peaches weren't on the IgE panel, only the IgG.

Anyway, what is really useful about all this is not confirming what I already knew, but alerting me to things I didn't know. The number one highest-ranked allergen, almost off the scale? Garlic. Go figure. I'll have to check the seasonings on a few of his chips, but as far as I know he's not eating any garlic anyway. Other very high results (everything's on a severity scale, the above suspected ones were also all in the highest range):

Things he won't eat, or has never had: Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon, Carrot, Green Peas, Lentils, Safflower, Cottonseed, Flaxseed, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, White Beans

Gluten, Oats, Rye, Wheat: no shocker there

Sesame: there are small amounts in one type of GF pretzel he eats
Mustard: sometimes has a small amount on hamburgers

Pinto beans: this one's the kicker. He eats pinto beans (in the form of refried beans) every single freaking day, sometimes twice a day. I'd have no idea if it were making him worse than he could be without it, because he's never without it. I'm pretty sure I've seen refried black beans at our grocery store though, so I'll switch him out and see what happens.

There's a handful of others in the lower ranges, but I'm not going to worry about those for now. We're totally safe with corn, chickpeas, most fruits and vegetables, and all meats, so I'm happy about that.