Food Allergies and ITP?

So I've been doing some reading on ITP, again. I've come across more than one source that has mentioned food allergies. Does anyone's child have food allergies and ITP on this board?

I'm wondering if I should take Ryan to an allergist to have him tested. He doesn't have any other symptoms of an allergy or an intolerance. So I'd be calling them saying "Test my kid for allergies! He has ITP, but nothing else!" ...crazy much? :woohoo:

Perhaps I'm just looking for something to blame this ITP on.

The UK ITP Support Association has funded a study into food intolerances and ITP and so far not one ITP patient has shown up with a food intolerance. So of course it may be that it's a cause for some, but it isn't going to be a cause for a huge number.

I found out I have fructose malabsorption (which I think you would call an intolerance, it is similar to lactose intolerance but a different substance). I was having major intestinal problems for several years before I got it figured out and fixed through diet changes. The worst of my problems from the FM coincides with the onset of the ITP and the bad first couple of years of ITP. When I made major diet changes and cleared up the FM symptoms and my poor intestines had time to heal (colonoscopy showed signs of scarring and healing) I also had a lasting remission from Rituxan.

So since the Rituxan is involved I can't really say with certainty that the food intolerance was a contributing factor but I do believe it was, and I believe that if I relapse with the food (off the diet) I am at risk of relapsing with the ITP. Not to mention my life would be miserable with pain and not getting far from a bathroom.

I did get confirmation at conference from Dr. Liebman that constantly irritated and inflamed digestive system could contribute to immune system reactions esp. when person has an other autoimmune disease like I do (lupus).
Erica

I did alot of research way back when and an allergist could not help you. What you are thinking about is food sensitivities? I saw a naturopath and he did a special blood test that we sent out and Aaron came back sensitive to many things and it was recommended that we do a elimination/rotation diet. He had to take out wheat, spelt, dairy, eggs, and peanuts (all the things he ate regularly). We all have similar sensitivities that don't show in obvious ways (hay fever, etc.) that are associated with eating the same things every day. It is recommended that people rotate their diet every 72 hours. So, if you get wheat, you wait 3 days before eating wheat again. We did the diet and Aaron had an extremely positive result and his platelets shot up to 380K after about a month. But, just one slip sent him crashing and then we did just elimination and it went back up slowly to 225K and my husband let him eat something at Cub Scouts and he crashed. This time, he crashed to a very bad year of extremely low, low counts and Rituxan study... Aaron seems to be extremely sensitive and we have to trend carefully with him. We then sought out a homoepath and he wanted to do the diet again but it was extremely stressful for me and my husband was always sabotaging us and even after a few years, he still wouldn't owe it and didn't believe in it, so I wouldn't do it. We did take out high frustose corn syrup out of his diet (as much as possible, at least at home we did) and organic milk and as much organic things as possible. He did go into remission but I cannot put a finger on any one thing. The only true cure is for the body to correct itself. With homeopathy, they work to fix the whole body. I went back to work so we stopped it 5 years ago, but now that Aaron is out of remission, after Aaron is done with summer camp, we will be going back to the homeopath again. I believe that anything that is healthier, cannot hurt. I have known people over the years that have done drastic changes in their diet and homes and their children have gotten better. So.... When my extremely conservative hemo said that if I go to a naturopath, he wants to be notified and to okay anything they prescribe for Aaron, but if it's a homeopath, he didn't need to okay it. That said alot. So, be careful with other alternative doctors. Not that they are bad, just be careful. Good luck.