Why I Reintroduced Trigger Foods Before 12 Months After a FPIES Reaction

Keep in mind these are MY reasons and they may not apply to everyone.

As many of you know, both my kids have allergies. One with FPIES to eggs/soy/ rice, the other with a peanut allergy. We carry epi pens. My biggest fear is having an accidental exposure that would send my child into ANA. And there is data suggesting that prolonged avoidance of a food can increase the risk of developing an IgE allergy.

20% of kids with prolonged avoidance develop an IgE allergy. Before anyone panics, this also means that 80% of these kids DO NOT develop an IgE allergy. Personally, I was more comfortable dealing with a severe FPIES reaction than having a slightly increased risk of developing an IgE allergy. So we decided to reintroduce our trigger foods sooner than the typically recommended 12-18 months. My baby girl is one of the few fortunate ones that outgrow FPIES before age 2.

By the way, the time frame to reintroduce trigger foods 12-18 months after the last reaction is not a number that is written in stone. You may hear different recommendations from different allergists because we don’t have a solid answer as to what the ideal timing is.

My reasoning may not resonate with everyone. And that’s just it, it is my PERSONAL decision.

YOU have to decide what matters to you. Spend some time exploring why you choose to reintroduce or delay a food challenge. Don’t worry about the right or wrong answer. Once you lay out your thoughts, the answers you are looking for becomes clearer. And if you need help figuring it out, book a free discovery call to see how we can work together.