Yesterday, our allergist's office called with the results of Moses' blood test. The nurse said that his milk protein results were low and that he'll most likely outgrow the allergy, but in the meantime, we're to use rice milk and cut dairy from his diet to see if it helps with his congestion. I'm game for that move, but we'll see how Moses does with a new "milk."
However, the nurse also said that Moses' peanut results were positive and that we should still avoid all peanut contact. I expected to get a classification for the blood results (0-6) but she didn't give me one. Even though they don't indicate severity or sensitivity in an individual--only the likelihood for a reaction, I'm still curious and will ask the doctor at our next appointment.
-Lindsey
P.S. I'm finally done with school this semester. Let the fun (and cleaning) begin!
Showing posts with label allergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergy. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Reading Nuts
Over the weekend, I went to the library and picked up "The Peanut Allergy Answer Book," which is recommended by The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network that Dr. Herman referred. Since I'm one of those people who wants to know everything possible about a situation (or diagnosis), I was very pleased with the wealth of information this book provided. It taught me a lot about food allergies, most importantly:
"The reactions that peanut-allergic patients experience can vary from exposure to exposure: one time, an exposure may cause a mild reaction and the next time, the same exposure might cause a more severe reaction. The severity of a reaction and risk of anaphylaxis are not predictable by skin testing or RAST tests (blood tests) (92)."
Here I was expecting to learn just how bad it was from the blood test when that's not even possible--we just have to assume the worst can happen and safeguard Moses from all contact with peanuts. We've decided to avoid tree nuts too as a precaution due to the risk of cross contamination (i.e. made in a facility that also processes peanuts). You can never be too careful...
-Lindsey
"The reactions that peanut-allergic patients experience can vary from exposure to exposure: one time, an exposure may cause a mild reaction and the next time, the same exposure might cause a more severe reaction. The severity of a reaction and risk of anaphylaxis are not predictable by skin testing or RAST tests (blood tests) (92)."
Here I was expecting to learn just how bad it was from the blood test when that's not even possible--we just have to assume the worst can happen and safeguard Moses from all contact with peanuts. We've decided to avoid tree nuts too as a precaution due to the risk of cross contamination (i.e. made in a facility that also processes peanuts). You can never be too careful...
-Lindsey
Friday, April 25, 2008
Affirmative - Allergic to Peanuts (and Milk!)
Today we visited an allergist, Dr. Herman (Thanks Misty!), to see about the reaction Moses had to peanuts on Monday. We thought we were just going in for a consult because I was told over the phone that Moses had to be antihistamine free for seven days prior to allergy testing and since he had Benadryl on Monday and Tuesday we'd have to wait. However, once there and visiting with Dr. Herman, he said that we should go ahead and test since we'd still get a positive or negative reaction to allergens from Moses.
I was not prepared for that change in plans and my purse seriously lacked adequate distraction tools. Thankfully, they had puzzles in the exam room and a sink with little cups for Moses to drink from. Two hours of distraction--I'm exhausted.
Moses did really well with the prick test (it's changed so much since I had the test in my teens). He didn't cry and was content to play with the office toys and not scratch his back during the 20 minute testing period. He was tested for the 19 most common allergens--animals, grasses, trees, foods, etc.
After 20 minutes, the nurse and doctor came to survey the results. If you aren't familiar with allergy testing, there's a control "bump" that helps them gauge the reaction of the tested allergens. Moses' control bump rated a 2+ and was compared to the other 19 "bumps." The only bumps, or positive reactions, worth noting were for milk and peanuts--both rated a 2+. I was shocked about the positive reaction for milk since we've never had an issue with milk, but the peanut reaction was pretty much expected after Monday's incident. Dr. Herman said we should count our blessings that Monday's reaction wasn't more troublesome because his vomiting was a sign of anaphylactic shock.
He also said that Moses can continue with milk products for now, but we might have to cut them out of his diet if his "numbers" are too high. Also, his milk allergy might be the cause of all his congestion and ear infections of late. We're to avoid peanuts at all costs and carry an EpiPen in case of an allergic reaction. The good news is that he's not registering for any hay fever type allergies at the moment, but Dr. Herman thinks he has a good chance of developing them when he's a little older since Dave and I both suffer from inhalant allergies. We'll still take this brief reprieve even if that's the case!
We're still waiting to hear about the severity of these allergies pending a blood test Moses had today (with the smallest needle I've ever seen--he did so well). The results of the blood test will determine what part(s) of milk Moses is allergic to and whether or not we can continue having milk products. The test will also tell us how allergic he is to peanuts and give us a "number" to watch over the years. Dr. Herman said that in some cases kids can grow out of a peanut allergy and watching the "number" over the years is the best indicator of such possibility.
That's all the excitement we can handle for one day. Moses is conked out and I wish I could take a nap too, but school work is calling me...
I'll keep you posted on the results of the blood test. Keep your fingers crossed that we see low numbers.
-Lindsey
P.S. Here are some pictures from our gardening adventure yesterday to counter the unwelcome news of today's post. I have to say that it's hard to communicate "be gentle to plants" to a 17-month-old boy--thank goodness the water hose, dirt, and my Taco Bueno cup were more fun that my newly potted plants.
I was not prepared for that change in plans and my purse seriously lacked adequate distraction tools. Thankfully, they had puzzles in the exam room and a sink with little cups for Moses to drink from. Two hours of distraction--I'm exhausted.
Moses did really well with the prick test (it's changed so much since I had the test in my teens). He didn't cry and was content to play with the office toys and not scratch his back during the 20 minute testing period. He was tested for the 19 most common allergens--animals, grasses, trees, foods, etc.
After 20 minutes, the nurse and doctor came to survey the results. If you aren't familiar with allergy testing, there's a control "bump" that helps them gauge the reaction of the tested allergens. Moses' control bump rated a 2+ and was compared to the other 19 "bumps." The only bumps, or positive reactions, worth noting were for milk and peanuts--both rated a 2+. I was shocked about the positive reaction for milk since we've never had an issue with milk, but the peanut reaction was pretty much expected after Monday's incident. Dr. Herman said we should count our blessings that Monday's reaction wasn't more troublesome because his vomiting was a sign of anaphylactic shock.
He also said that Moses can continue with milk products for now, but we might have to cut them out of his diet if his "numbers" are too high. Also, his milk allergy might be the cause of all his congestion and ear infections of late. We're to avoid peanuts at all costs and carry an EpiPen in case of an allergic reaction. The good news is that he's not registering for any hay fever type allergies at the moment, but Dr. Herman thinks he has a good chance of developing them when he's a little older since Dave and I both suffer from inhalant allergies. We'll still take this brief reprieve even if that's the case!
We're still waiting to hear about the severity of these allergies pending a blood test Moses had today (with the smallest needle I've ever seen--he did so well). The results of the blood test will determine what part(s) of milk Moses is allergic to and whether or not we can continue having milk products. The test will also tell us how allergic he is to peanuts and give us a "number" to watch over the years. Dr. Herman said that in some cases kids can grow out of a peanut allergy and watching the "number" over the years is the best indicator of such possibility.
That's all the excitement we can handle for one day. Moses is conked out and I wish I could take a nap too, but school work is calling me...
I'll keep you posted on the results of the blood test. Keep your fingers crossed that we see low numbers.
-Lindsey
P.S. Here are some pictures from our gardening adventure yesterday to counter the unwelcome news of today's post. I have to say that it's hard to communicate "be gentle to plants" to a 17-month-old boy--thank goodness the water hose, dirt, and my Taco Bueno cup were more fun that my newly potted plants.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Oh, nuts!
Moses might have a peanut allergy.
I can't even fathom that sentence since there's no family history of food allergies (although the lengthy history of hay fever doesn't bode well for him) and well, Dave and I love nuts.
Last night, Dave fed Moses some peanuts. I told Dave that I didn't think Moses had had an actual peanut before, only foods that have been in peanuts' proximity, so he stopped. About fifteen minutes later Moses' eyes were itchy and red with a rash, his voice was raspy, and although his breathing wasn't labored, it was noisy. I called our doctor's on-call nurse and she said to give him Benadryl and take him to the ER. On the way to the ER he vomited but seemed better afterwards.
We hung out in the ER for an hour-and-a-half before we decided to go home and call his pediatrician in the morning since his eyes were looking much better and he was playing vigorously. He obviously wasn't experiencing anything life-threatening, and we thought he was probably just picking up more germs there anyway.
I called his pediatrician this morning and they are in the process of getting Moses a referral to an allergist. We should hear something about an appointment in the next few days.
Dave and I are both hoping it was something other than the peanuts that caused his reaction since a peanut allergy is lifelong, potentially life-threatening, and requires a lot of food scrutiny, but I think our optimism is just hope. Maybe we'll get lucky...
-Lindsey
I can't even fathom that sentence since there's no family history of food allergies (although the lengthy history of hay fever doesn't bode well for him) and well, Dave and I love nuts.
Last night, Dave fed Moses some peanuts. I told Dave that I didn't think Moses had had an actual peanut before, only foods that have been in peanuts' proximity, so he stopped. About fifteen minutes later Moses' eyes were itchy and red with a rash, his voice was raspy, and although his breathing wasn't labored, it was noisy. I called our doctor's on-call nurse and she said to give him Benadryl and take him to the ER. On the way to the ER he vomited but seemed better afterwards.
We hung out in the ER for an hour-and-a-half before we decided to go home and call his pediatrician in the morning since his eyes were looking much better and he was playing vigorously. He obviously wasn't experiencing anything life-threatening, and we thought he was probably just picking up more germs there anyway.
I called his pediatrician this morning and they are in the process of getting Moses a referral to an allergist. We should hear something about an appointment in the next few days.
Dave and I are both hoping it was something other than the peanuts that caused his reaction since a peanut allergy is lifelong, potentially life-threatening, and requires a lot of food scrutiny, but I think our optimism is just hope. Maybe we'll get lucky...
-Lindsey
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