Allergy testing

Specific IGE blood test showed my son's allergies - F Stevens, Carmarthen, UK

After 5 years suffering extremely bad eczema since a baby, my little boy recently became so ill he was hospitalised. At hospital he was given a Specific IGE blood test, which tested his immune response to a range of foods. He was diagnosed as allergic to milk, nuts and eggs and 8 weeks after removing these from his diet his skin is almost totally clear, we have not had to put cream on 4/5 times a day, he is able to sleep all night and our lives have been completely transformed. Although I am delighted that a root cause has finally been found I am furious that we had to go through 5 years of hell to get there. I would strongly advise anyone struggling with eczema to
demand this relatively simple test from their doctor, it would have saved a lot of grief, stress and money if it had been done sooner. (April 2009) Contact F Stevens

Patch tests have proved positive - Carla, Milton Keynes, UK

I am a 19yr old trainee hairdresser who has recently had an allergy patch test done. I've had eczema/dermatitis for 3 years on and off till recently it got worse that my fingers started to swell and are sore and itchy 24/7. I had 75 patches done on my back and had a reaction to:

melamine formaldehyde which is in fabrics

bromo nitropropayne which is in antiseptics, cosmetics, creams, shampoos, cleansing products washing detergents

methychloro isothiazolineone which is in shampoos hair products, soaps, polishes, household products

nickel from clothing, handbags, hair clips/pins, coined money - lol how can you be allergic to money, scissors etc.

cobalt chloride which is in jewellery, furniture, paint, hair dye, and things listed above all these is an everyday use and I got to wear gloves to try and prevent the eczema getting worse. It's going to be very hard but I can't afford to change jobs. At least I got an excuse to buy new cosmetics lol!

I hope the information I've provided will help you all out there suffering but worth looking at as you never know I didn't and I'm glad I had the patch test as it's helped me an awful lot. Please fill free to contact me and good luck to everyone out there. (May 2007) Contact Carla

My allergy test showed how much I was allergic to! - Lindsay, Bristol, UK

I had an allergy test earlier and found out I'm allergic to pretty much all the things I eat:

Cow's milk and goat's milk
Sugar
Bananas
Cheese
Yeast
Margarine
Sugar alternatives
All alcohol except vodka and gin
And pollen

That cuts out milk, bread, biscuits, cakes, rolls..

The lady said she was being strict with me and cutting out all these foods from my diet so as for me to detox. Apparently my body hasn't been digesting foods properly, and these foods have stayed in the stomach and released toxins, which have made my body react. All the foods I've been eating a lot of I'm not allergic to. No more banana sandwiches or cereal!

Alternatives are:

Rye bread/soda bread
Rice milk/soya milk
Cottage cheese

The woman said I had to make sure I have a lot of carbohydrates so I don't lose all my fat since I'm not big to start with. I don't mind, as long as it makes my eczema go away. I'm so glad I'm not allergic to tea! I strongly advise anyone with eczema to go and get an allergy test. (July 2005)

Last Reviewed: 24 October 2010
Next Review Date: 24 October 2012