Children with allergies - support group?

[sarahandol]

Hi - I have a 2 year old with a severe dairy allergy, and also less severe allergies to lots of other foods including potato, rice, carrot, egg, most fish, lentils etc etc. He also used to have terrible eczema but thankfully this has now cleared up (apart from the odd flare). However due to his allergies he is constantly throwing up and it's very difficult to feed him! I wondered if any one else with a child with severe allergies would like to meet up to discuss experiences?

It would be great to meet up with others who are going through something similar.

[bobbly]

Hi Sarah, I have pm'd you

[urchin]

Hey Sarah,

Sorry it's taken a while to reply to your message. I'm a week away from having baby number two and sorting/organising as if nothing of the sort will ever be possible again!

I'm a mum to a just turned 3 year old boy with very severe (anaphylactic) allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs and nuts - although through skin prick tests we recently have some hope that the milk and possibly egg is reducing. We discovered this during the weaning process when he was about 7 months old and have been looked after by the allergy department at Kings Hospital since. He also had eczema from about 10 weeks old but similarly to you this had cleared unless something specific triggers it. Although we have now thrown asthma into the mix!

I completely understand how difficult you're finding it and have had many moments of hair tearing over the last three years, alongside the determination to stay positive with it, as we've tried very hard to maintain a balance of safety yet not wrapping him up in a bubble, making a big effort to try and do the same things non-allergic children do, although this can be pretty isolating when you have to maintain a constant vigilance instead of taking your eye off the ball and supping coffee and cake with the other mums. I have found one wonderful friend through an allergy forum who has a very similar little boy. However she lives in North London and it's sometimes hard to see each other as often as we'd like, so would be very up for meeting up with anyone going through something similar locally. Please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to, either through the forum or by phone - 07889 170515. Forgive me if you don't hear back for a while - it will mean I've had or am having our baby! - otherwise I promise to get straight back! All the best, Lindsay