Allergic X 2

I took both the boys to the allergist yesterday for scratch tests.  Little Guy had already been scratch tested last year, but we had some confusing results recently from his blood draw {horrible experience!}, so he was scratched again.  I learned yesterday that there are six proteins one can be allergic to as a peanut allergic.  Almost all peanut allergics are allergic to one of two of these proteins.  The blood tests only test for an allergy to these two proteins, and there are no clinical tests for the other proteins, although testing is sometimes done in the course of research.  Little Guy seems to be allergic to one of those other four proteins.  Our allergist is looking into the possibility of having him tested by Johns Hopkins, where they have done some of that testing in the past.  Good news is his reaction to the scratch test was smaller than last year, so it is possible he is beginning to outgrow his allergy. That would be awesome.

This was Buddy Boy's first scratch test, and the positive result was no particular surprise after the hives ordeal he went through in December, but still upsetting.  Our allergist was concerned, as we all have been, by Buddy Boy's very strong reaction to peanut only received through breastmilk.  The last time that he broke out in hives, I had only had ice cream that had previously had peanuts on it (one of those Drumsticks, with the chocolate and peanuts all taken off).  Any peanut proteins were then broken down in digestion and diluted in the milk, and he still reacted violently.  So, as our allergist said, it's clear that he is "exquisitely sensitive to even the tiniest amounts" of peanut.  We will have to be extremely vigilant, especially once he begins eating solid foods.

I am so thankful for modern medicine.  If we lived in decades past, my boys may never have been dignosed and I couldn't have been the Epi-Pen-totin' mama that I am.  And I am even more thankful for their overall good health.  So many parents are faced with so very, very much worse.  We have been blessed.

Sick, Sicker, Sickest

What a week it's been!  The sick mobile pulled up to our house Monday morning and began unloading its goods.  First, John Fletcher broke out in this horrible, all-over, bright-red, raised, patchy, Mama-scaring rash.  Next, Andrew launched into a slimy nose, barking cough, tears, and raspy breath attack that looked and sounded just like what landed him in the ER a few weeks ago.  Then, John Fletcher's rash got better and subsequently worse. 

So, after...
-two loooooong trips to the pediatrician
-one trip to the ER (are they ever anything but long?)
-examinations of John Fletcher by four pediatricians and two allergists (not fun and kind of scary: all of them hovering over my poor baby and murmuring questions to each other, like some scene out of House)
-examination of Andrew by just one, measly (albeit lovely and most helpful) doctor
-co-pays totaling $90
-parking fees totaling $38.50
-waiting-room consumption of roughly 8200 Goldfish
-and two candy canes
-prescriptions for multitudes of steroids and antihistamines
-and a new, but all-too-familiar Epi-Pen Jr. prescription

...we have diagnoses of a second round of croup for big brother and a peanut allergy (passed through breastmilk) for little brother.

I'll obviously be cutting peanuts from my diet (which makes Jacob the only household peanut-consumer left standing), and once we can get John Fletcher's reaction cleared up, we'll have him tested at the pediatric allergist for confirmation.  But it looks like Andrew and John Fletcher may be two peanut-allergics in a pod.  :(

Catching Up

Ready for a long-winded recap of our goings-on as of late?  Ok, here goes.

Back before our house was visited by the plague, Andrew demonstrated that we're in for some serious trouble.

The little Houdini improved his mid-clothes-changing escape skills.

And scaled the baby gate when his father left for work.

Yikes!

Also pre-plague, we went to Boston to visit some friends from law school and their little girl.

We mainly watched the babies play.

But we also visited the Navy Yard.

And toured Beacon Hill.

Then, we saw penguins!

And ate a yummy dinner.

We left the next day, and that's when both sets of mamas and babies started to get sick.  We're pretty sure the aquarium was the site of the plague spreading.

Eventually, even brawny Jacob got sick.  It's the only time he has ever missed a full week of work.  Sure wish it had been because we were sipping frozen drinks on a beach somewhere!

My parents came to visit the next weekend, and we were such good hosts that we even shared the plague with them.

But before they came down with it, we got to visit the Museum of American History and join the March for Life.

By the time they left, I had somehow--already!--sprouted this! 

And, after losing a few pounds with the virus and the morning sickness, I went on Zofran.  It is a wonder drug.  I even skipped taking it for a couple days and thought my morning sickness had stopped.  But then I guess it wore off (or maybe the respite just ended), 'cuz I was definitely in need of it this morning.  Pregnant ladies: get you some of this stuff.  It's life-restoring!

Andrew visited the allergist this week and she tested for the six most likely food allergies.  She confirmed the peanut allergy and found that he has a mild allergy to egg white.  The allergist says we are to eliminate all nuts and avoid straight egg white (he can still have things that are made with egg, because he has tolerated those just fine) and all seafood until he is 2-3.  She also said we should carry two Epi-Pens at all times.  Thank you for all the support and suggestions you offered when I posted about the little guy's allergic reaction.  We feel very loved and a little bit more at ease now!
 

Otherwise, we've mainly just been reorganizing the pantry.

Over and over again.

Allergic

Yesterday, we found out that Andrew has a peanut allergy.  And we found out the hard way.

I smeared a little peanut butter on a quarter of a wheat bun for him at lunch.  He loved it...thought it was, quite literally, lip-smackin' good.  But within two minutes, he started crying and began to break out with red blotches all over his face and neck and chest.  Then, the blotches filled in with hives.  He even had hives on his thumbs and index fingers, where he had pushed the peanut buttery bread into his mouth.  Then, his eyes started to swell and turn red.  And he vomited.  This was all SO fast...maybe four minutes total from the time he ate the peanut butter.  I called 911 and then I called Jacob to tell him to come home.  I've never been so thankful for his 5-block commute (and his track star past).  He beat the paramedics to our apartment!  Andrew had his first ambulance ride to the emergency room of the local children's hospital, and, despite his ailments, loved the up close experience with the sirens he hears go by all day and night.  10 hours of observation later, and we were released with prescriptions for Benadryl, steroids, and an Epi-Pen that we've been told to treat like an extra bodily organ...everywhere Andrew goes, the Epi-Pen goes.  We've been warned that this first reaction will be the mildest.  That further reactions are almost certain to involve respiratory distress.   That he may be so allergic that he can't even be around peanuts.  It's got us good and scared.

We'll be seeing a pediatric allergist soon to find out the extent of the little guy's allergy/allergies.  In the meantime, I'm scouring the Web for information and my pantry for allergens.  If you have any resources to recommend, please let me know.  If you'd put this on your prayer list, too, I'd be eternally grateful.

So, how's Andrew doing today?  Today, he's back to eating sticks.  And it's quite wonderful.