Food Allergies- Ever done the LEAP program

[SDSorority]

Has anyone ever done the LEAP program for food allergies? Where you rotate things in and out and keep a food diary? DH is going to start that... and we're hoping for advice

 

[kkandaj]

I have never heard of LEAP testing. I just read about it, but our insurance would not cover it.

DS has FPIES to soy, which is also a delayed response (two hours after ingestion). FPIES results in shock, not like anaphylactic,--vomiting and diarrhea to the point of dehydration, low blood pressure, body shutting down. Testing for FPIES (that is somewhat controversial) is called patch testing. The allergen is placed in a small metal cap and taped to the back for 48 hours. You can google pictures of failed patch testing. DS just failed a soy patch test last March. IgE allergies are not tested this way, only non-IgE.

Good luck with the LEAP testing!

 

[clanmcculloch]

I've heard of that kind of thing (hadn't hear the name but I am familiar with the concept). I'll be honest, I didn't have the patience to try it.

For myself and DD14, we did blood testing. Our GI doctors ordered IgE and IgG antibody testing for a large panel of foods. We then eliminated based on that list. You do have to be ingesting the foods for the IgG antibodies to show up I believe. We did also do some eliminations based on some observations and trial and error but the IgG testing did make a big difference in identifying some foods we just couldn't figure out otherwise. Those stupid delayed reactions make identification difficult, though it is defnitely possible through the kind of process you're describing (elimination diet coupled with detailed food diary and symptom tracking). You do need to understand that symptoms can and frequently are delayed in reactions that are not IgE (traditional allergic) reactions. For me and for DD14, reactions can be next day in some cases.

 

[SDSorority]

Yeah... we know that it's going to be a bit difficult doing the elimination diet and journaling.

We both had the gliadin IGG and IGA antibody blood tests done, and DH and I both had mild (under 3) levels the first round WHILE we were STILL eating gluten. We had the test again after being gluten-free for 4 months and my levels stayed about the same, but DH's went through the roof!! He was tested again just in case and sure enough, skyrocketed. We were strictly GF, so we're not sure what made his levels go crazy.

The reason for the LEAP elimination diet is because of DH's adult acne. Not because anything is making him sick, so to speak. It's going to be a long road, but we're prepared for it. I do 100% of the cooking at home right now, so with DH's elimination diet, he's going to HAVE to take charge of his own for at least part of the day. Too much for me to handle it all.

Needless to say, I'm sort of dreading it. Luckily we're not going on vacation or anything until September, so we have time to let it run it's course. We (...I) cook 95% of the things we eat at home from scratch, so that's something that I'm more than used to... it just takes so much time.


...whee.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I know this'll sound strange, but have you ever considered eating low carb? I get bacne (back acne) really bad when I'm either glutened or eat too much carbs. I'm VERY prone to candida and one of my symptoms is bacne. Candida is definitely worsted by carb consumption as that's the source of nutrients for the yeast. I also get other skin issue as well as other issues from the candida and good quality probiotics (minimum 1 billion CFU though preferably 10billion) also help. I don't know if your DH's issue could be at all along these lines but people with GI issues do tend to be prone to candida issues. It doesn't help that even when my candida's under control I just can't process carbs correctly due to a specific pancriac insufficiency (DD14 takes enzymes for this same issue so it can be treated with meds rather than diet) but it is something to think about.

 

[JennyDrake]

Very mixed results. Takes a LONG time and results are still not accurate. IMHO.