When we first went back to a room, the nurse & doctor asked all sorts of questions about his symptoms. They checked his ears, throat, & nose to make sure everything was good.
Next, they started the skin test. I was really worried about this part, but it turned out fine! They wrote numbers on his back then out a little of different allergens next to each number. They also had a control to make sure his system would respond correctly. This picture makes it look really awful, but Graham didn't even flinch.
Much to my surprise, he showed an allergic reaction to eggs & soy. I think I was shocked when I heard this!
Typically, food allergies are related to skin problems, not drainage. Graham has had eczema since early in which is probably related to his allergies. We have used a prescription cream in it but it has never completely healed.
When I first heard his diagnosis, I was in disbelief. Graham has been eating various baked goods with soy & eggs in it for months. However, he has never had either unless they were baked in something. The nurse helped me to realize that he may have been having small reactions but could have had a serious reaction if he had encountered either food in a pure form. So I am really, really thankful we did not have up experience that!
For the next 5 weeks, Graham is on a soy and egg free diet. This was overwhelming at first--soy is in everything!-- but we are getting the hang of it! We are figuring out what he can & can't eat. Today we ate out for lunch & realized we had to figure out before going if there was anything there he could eat! So, we'll have to learn to be more prepared.
I am so thankful for Montessori through all of this. He & Grace eat lunch & snacks at school everyday. And they eat so well there! I was dreading the thought of having to pack lunch & snacks everyday...just one more thing to worry about in the morning! However, Chef Andy actually fixes special snacks & lunches for each kid with allergies everyday! That is such a relief!!!
We will go back to the doctor in 5 weeks to see if he has improved. I am looking at this as a chance for all of us to eat a bit more healthy, natural foods.
We have already found done great resources to help. One great website is faan.org. On it I found some great recipes including one for vegan, soy-free waffles which both Gs love.
1 comment:
Wow! I bet that is a lot of work, but hopefully it will all be worth it. I was allergic to milk as a child. My symptoms were drainage - out of my ears and nose. I was a mess! I had to have allergy shots for years because of it. I bet it feels really good to have an answer. I know a lot of allergists won't deal with kids his age, so I'm glad you found someone who would see and treat him. It's also awesome that Montessori is able to make special meals for him. That has to be a huge relief!!!
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