Aaron, Ethan, and I are all getting allergy tested. These poor boys have both been on allergy medication daily since they were one year old and have a multitude of symptoms. Ethan also has asthma. I don't have too many of the typical allergy symptoms, but because I have struggled for ten years now with unexplained fatigue, digestive problem, joint pain, and other frustrating symptoms, the allergist is testing me for a multitude of problems - plain old allergies being one of them.
We have some interesting results already. So far, Aaron tests allergic to baker's yeast, banana, brewer's yeast, corn, milk, orange, potato, soy, tomato, and wheat. We are done testing him for foods now and have moved on to inhalants. Of those, only brewer's yeast and tomato are strong enough of a reaction to really look at eliminating the food. The others he reacts to, but could have more of a rotational diet plan or other treatment.
Ethan has much more food allergy. His is not complete yet, but he is reacting to potato, apple, milk, egg, chicken, tomato, wheat, peanut, soy, brewer's yeast, corn, and baker's yeast. What is this boy going to eat?? Of these, we already know that brewer's yeast, baker's yeast, corn, and peanut are pretty strong allergies, and soy, wheat and tomato are borderline strong. The others we haven't found his end-point (the level of allergen he can have with no reaction) yet, so I don't know where he'll be on it. He still has some foods to test, too. Our doctor uses a treatment called LDA, which I haven't found much good information on yet so I don't really want to link it with anything. Basically it is a shot that gives very small amounts of the things you are allergic to in order to build your bodies immunity to them. It is very effective. Seventy to eighty percent of people who take it can eat all their allergic foods again after two years of treatment. I'll see the doctor in a few weeks when they are completely done with the testing to get an actual plan of treatment. As of now, the only change we have made is to get him off peanuts because it was his strongest reaction. Baker's yeast is close though, so I should look at that.
Because this is all so depressing, I'll add something fun here. We grow a small patch of blackberries in our backyard. I decided to make something extra yummy with the berries we got this year and made a great blackberry cobbler from a recipe I got off the Pioneer Woman blog. Ree, my mouth loves you, but my hips? Well, I cannot tell you what my hips think of you.
Mmmmm.... You should really try this. Your mouth will thank you.
5 comments:
Oh! Poor things! And poor you for having to worry about all this! As if it's not hard enough making kids eat healthy food!
Wow, I would really hate that. I am very grateful that none of the girls show any signs of allergies.
My cousin has such an allergy problem that he's literally choked on many things and had to have the heimlich pulled on him. I even had to do it once because he was choking on a piece of candy. Apparently his throat was constantly swollen from allergies they didn't know about so it made for easier choking. Crazy! And he's allergic to just about everything.
I had spring/summer allergies for the first 18 years of my life. Then, when I went off to college, they disappeared. I now attribute those allergies to second-hand smoke: my mother smoked in the house, so that's what caused my allergies/frequent sinus infections.
But you guys' allergies are food allergies... so I don't know that anything environmental like second-hand smoke would have caused yours.
I agree with Marie... it's hard enough to get kids to eat ANYTHING! Now, you'll have to work around allergies. I bet it'll get easier once you get into the swing of things, though... ;)
Aww!! (((Johanna))) I am so sorry your little ones are having to deal with all that. You too, I mean you are the one it all falls on. :(
Hopefully the treatments will work. I have heard good things about that type of treatment! :)
I love your last "positive" !! haha
My hips do not appreciate Miss Skinny-Minny-Pdub's fattening recipes, either!!! LOL
i had to make a literal venn diagram to figure out what we could all eat. do you remember those from school? it all gets much easier as you work your way through it, honestly. it's terribly difficult at first, but all of a sudden you will realize it's become second nature and it's super simple.
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