and my mind feels like it's going to explode... i literally walked out of the doc's office feeling giddy like i was about to laugh my head off and then end in tears... on the one hand it's great to finally know what james is allergic to... on the other, well, what the heck do i eat?!?
james was super happy when we got to their office and was laughing and playing it up for all the nurses... but halfway thru the 20min scratch test, james was screaming so loud that the doc stopped the test early and gave him some benadryl-- and then declared james is the itchiest baby he's seen in a long time and gets the award for allergies. great.
the control dot was a giant white welt that was spreading across his back! and it's confirmed that he's allergic to dairy but also wheat, egg, and peanut... and dog which is kinda odd but we don't have any pets so no prob (Corey is super allergic to animals)... the doc said james didn't have a soy allergy but i'm wondering if he would've reacted to more stuff if it had lasted the full 20min?
the doc also immediately said we need to put james on soy formula... really? i asked him because i really want to keep breastfeeding for as long as possible... he then tells me that he was kinda joking (probably to gauge my reaction) and reinforced that breastfeeding is best and then gave me a whole pile of papers to "help" me with this elimination diet... but i ask you, what good are these papers when the egg-free diet recommends dairy and the dairy-free diet recommends wheat and the wheat-free diet recommends eggs???
i know i'm not the only one in this situation and luckily there's a website like this for my town where i know several women have posted about their babies' allergies (and they're breastfeeding too) so i'm hoping they'll be able to help me out at least somewhat... i feel so overwhelmed at the moment but i realize that we have to cross this bridge whether i'm breastfeeding or not because we're supposed to be introducing solids and i need to know what to stay away from for his sake (and i don't want him to grow up thinking food is a chore and boring)
so anyway, it was good to know i'm not just imagining things (our ped keeps trying to tell us that lots of babies have eczema and most often there isn't a reason for it) but it's terrifying to see how many things he reacted to (i'm even more mad at Corey for having given james a peanut in its shell to chew on a few months back "to test if he was allergic or not"-- men!)... i'm now going to be spending a lot of time researching allergy stuff up the wazoo!
3 comments:
Ellen,
HUGS, HUGS, and more HUGS! Poor James. Always trust your instincts Ellen, you know your baby best. You may have to become a vegetarian for a while. Do you like Tofu? Or is that a milk based product? It will be OK. I know it doesn't seem that way right now, but it will be OK. There are new allergy products out there and James may do well with injections. I know it doesn't make anyone happy to stick him with needles, but he may need the relief. If you can ask to test him for shellfish and fish. At least that will give you a variety.
Ellen, I love you. You will get through this.
Love and hugs,
Judy
Ellen!!!
Oh my goodness. I completely empathize with your and James' situation. I can't tell you how many adult friends I have with this extreme allergy condition and now their children as well. Here's one more option to consider -- now, it kinda' weird and a little out-there (but hey, this is California)...my friend, Vicky, has FOUR boys with the same egg/peanut/wheat/dairy allergy and all of them -- ALL -- no longer have one symptom since starting chiropractics! I'm not kidding, Ellen. These boys were in my Sunday school class (ages 12-3) and they can eat ANYTHING NOW (going on one year soon). It's bizarre, but worth looking into as opposed to injections and meds.
Go figure, hunh? I have taken my girls to see a chiropractor a few times (mostly when they were in competitive cheer), but I myself am a believer as far as keeping my neck aligned (helps a lot)for preventative measures against my migraines. I've always been curious about curing allergies...so let me know if it works for James as well.
Hang in there -- Judy said it best!
God bless,
Aly
A PEANUT TO CHEW ON - Forget about allergic, what about choking? I'd call a dietician about what to eat. And breast feeding is still the best thing for him. You can get a grape and maybe a lima bean! Wait is there wheat in that? You poor thing! I'd avoid all nuts until you know if he is allergic to them or not. Oh Sis! I love you! Give giggle boy a hug and allergy free kiss from us!
Love, Eileen
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