I wrote a post in August about Shirley finally eating that day. Well, that was the only day he ate. He is still refusing to eat and drink anything. He suffered from eczema and seasonal allergies really bad so I got an appointment with an Allergist specialist at the end of August. He came down once a month from Tucson. I had heard some not so great things about him so I prepared myself before going to insist that he be put on allergy medicine and be tested for food allergies using the RAST test (blood is drawn to do this test). His eczema and allergies bothered him so bad that he scratched, wasn't nursing well, wasn't sleeping very well, and was pretty fussy. I was not impressed with him at all. One of the first things he said was there is no pollen here. Yeah right. Anyone who lives here knows that seasonal allergies here are bad. He also said babies don't get seasonal allergies (just viral infections) and there was no need to do food allergy testing since he only nursed. I politely insisted on him doing the RAST blood testing. He agreed and ordered it for Wheat, Dairy, Soy, Peanuts, and Eggs (the five most common). I've been wondering if he hasn't started eating because of food allergies.
Last week he started wheezing again so I gave him Albuterol once or twice a day until I ran out of it last Saturday. Sunday and Monday he did okay but woke up Monday night wheezing really bad. I know from experience how badly his breathing can get really quickly so i made an appointment that day and got more albuterol and Pulmicort. He appears to have Asthma but doctors don't seem to like to label a child with Asthma even if the symptoms fit. I started the medication Tuesday but he continued to get worse and I had to take him to the ER last night. we were there about five hours. He was given liquid prednisolone and it really helped. The hardest part about it taking so long is that Shirley was so tired (from not sleeping well and the coughing and wheezing) that he would fall asleep and then be woken up to do an X-ray, Then again when the doctor finally came in, and then to give him the liquid prednisolone. It was so nice to get home and let him sleep. He slept like a rock. Today he is doing so much better and I am so grateful.
Back to the Allergy testing. Yesterday the Allergy Specialist's daughter (she is also a specialist and works with her Dad) called me to give me the test results. I have heard great things about her. Out of the five foods that he was tested for he is allergic to four of them. He is allergic to:
Wheat 2
Peanuts 4
Dairy 3
Soybeans 1
Yep! all four of those. I think it is very ironic that the one he isn't allergic to, eggs, is what Jem is allergic to. The number next to them is how allergic to them on a scale from 1-6, 6 being the most allergic. He may eventually outgrow some of them. Since I am nursing I now can't eat anything containing these four things. I don't mind so much. I know it is only for a short time, plus it will help him. Maybe his asthma and breathing problems will greatly improve now that we have discovered this. I don't think I will have any problem losing the rest of my pregnancy weight now. Now I want him to be tested for allergies for other foods.
I wrote a post in August about Shirley finally eating that day. Well, that was the only day he ate. He is still refusing to eat and drink anything. He suffered from eczema and seasonal allergies really bad so I got an appointment with an Allergist specialist at the end of August. He came down once a month from Tucson. I had heard some not so great things about him so I prepared myself before going to insist that he be put on allergy medicine and be tested for food allergies using the RAST test (blood is drawn to do this test). His eczema and allergies bothered him so bad that he scratched, wasn't nursing well, wasn't sleeping very well, and was pretty fussy. I was not impressed with him at all. One of the first things he said was there is no pollen here. Yeah right. Anyone who lives here knows that seasonal allergies here are bad. He also said babies don't get seasonal allergies (just viral infections) and there was no need to do food allergy testing since he only nursed. I politely insisted on him doing the RAST blood testing. He agreed and ordered it for Wheat, Dairy, Soy, Peanuts, and Eggs (the five most common). I've been wondering if he hasn't started eating because of food allergies. 
2 comments:
That's too bad about the allergies. I wonder if there isn't something on the Smith side. Turrel's son has allergies to a couple of things, he recently had to have an allergy test. They did the one doing whatever on his back.? I have eczema problems on occasion, both my kids also have it, as well as Turrel's son. My dr. gives me a perscription for it, I use it on the kids. The over the counter stuff just doesn't stop the itching enough.
I'm so sorry to hear about all that you went through, just to find out that your mother's intuition was right after all. I can't believe he's had that many problems with asthma, eczema and seasonal allergies, and they still didn't think it could be food allergies. AHHH! Have you ever seen that doc that's a memeber and is a D.O.?
I'm glad you were finally able to get to the bottom of it.
Post a Comment