Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Poor Little A!

Man, Ava had a hard day. And while we're being honest, mommy did too!

Today was our appointment with the allergist to look further in to what is causing A's reactions to certain foods. She's been displaying classic milk allergy/milk protein sensitivity signs since birth (though I wasn't able to figure out what exactly was going on until she was a few months old), but reacted to eggs a few weeks back when I gave her scrambled eggs for the first time, so at that point I knew I needed a couple of things. For one, having a baby who is unable to consume both dairy products (including milk, cheese, butter, whey, casein, etc.) and egg poses some issues with regards to what she CAN eat, and with her expanding appetite and desire to eat any and everything D and I are eating, I knew I'd need help to manage her dietary restraints and still ensure she was getting sufficient nutrition and calories for her needs. I also wanted to have her tested for allergens that tend to be more severe and can potentially be life-threatening, including peanuts and tree nuts, so that if God forbid she had an allergy to them and it was severe, we'd be armed with an epi-pen and the information we'd need to be prepared. I've been in situations before as a nanny where a child was over and was so severely allergic to nuts, their presence in the pantry near a snack he consumed was enough to send him to the hospital...SCARY.

Anyhow, the visit went pretty great, I must say. The doctor was amazing (seriously, if you're in the Austin area and need a rec. for an allergist, email me! I'd 100% recommend our doc for children AND adults!), and was really thorough and listened to all my concerns and questions without making me feel like an overzealous parent. Thanks, doc. They did a standard 8 panel food allergy test, which tested for the most common food allergens, including milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, corn and two controls to ensure the tests were working.
{Such a brave little girl!}

The good news? First, I am super proud of my brave little munchkin, who - despite looking extremely annoyed - didn't even cry! She did, however, continuously look at the nurse over her shoulder until she left the room, though, as if to say, "I don't trust you for a second, lady!" The best news? Ava tested for negative on everything except for corn, and he said that corn has an extremely high rate of false positives. SHE TESTED NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what does that mean for us going forward, and for her current issues? A couple of things. First off, chances are instead of a true allergy, which would likely be lifelong, she has digestive sensitive to the proteins in milk and egg whites. Okey dokey, no problem. I avoid them while nursing, she avoids them until we revisit this per the doctor's suggested timeline, and the odds are skyrocketing that she'll outgrow them as her stomach matures. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!

The bad news?
-There is a high rate of false negatives, so we're not entirely in the clear until the blood test results that accompany the skin test comes back.
-She had to have a blood draw. OMG. She's had one once before, and let me tell you, there is NOTHING wrong with homegirl's memory. She knew immediately where we were (even though it was a different CPL location) and what was about to happen, and started to let out the most blood curdling screams. Seriously, it was heartbreaking. She was screaming and hyperventilating, trying to wrestle her way out of my arms, all the while turning beat red, sweating and, sadly, vomiting. She was hysterical, and mommy had tears falling fast down her cheeks as well. It was pitiful. Poor darling. She came home and zonked right out:


Thankfully, it's over, and as long as the bloodwork looks OK, fingers are crossed that we just got some answers and that they're great news :)

I'll keep y'all posted when we know for sure!

6 comments:

  1. That is SUCH good news! I wish I had your willpower. Logan was milk protein intolerant and I decided it would be too hard to but out dairy in my diet so I stopped breastfeeding and went to Nutramigen. He has since outgrown almost everything, but still gets rashes on his face (not sure yet from what) so we'll get allergy testing near 2 (doctors here don't test until 2.)

    I am so happy Ava will most likely grow out of all her allergies. It's SO hard to keep a strict diet of what they aren't suppose to eat on a daily basis.

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  2. Oh Yay! Im glad they look negative so far! I sure hope they are right! Crossing fingers and saying a prayer for you guys! I have a peanut "sensitivity" ...I get sores in my mouth...and It didnt start until high school! I LOVE peanut butter and peanuts...so I try to stay away from them, but it's hard. I want to get tested so I know for sure! We waited to introduce C until he was 3 and we will do the same with E...unless I see an allergist and confrim it is not for sure an allergy. Benadryl on hand at all times for me just in case! Allergies suck!

    Oh and I would have cried too...I think its one thing that will never get easier either...it's hard to see your baby in pain :(

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  3. Oh My Gosh! What a hard day for the both of you. I'm glad everything went as well as it could and I'm sending you all my best wishes and good thoughts that the blood tests come back with great results too. {{{Hugs}}} to the both of you!

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  4. Those pictures are heartbreaking!! I can't imagine having to hold her down to draw blood. At least it's over and you're on your way to getting answers! I hope the blood tests come back with the same results. Let us know!

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  5. What great news! I'm so glad that the first response was a negative test - hopefully the blood work will confirm this!

    Poor little Ava - give her some extra hugs and she'll be good as new. :o)

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  6. good luck. what a little trooper. I cannot for the life of me imagine being calm enough during a child's blood draw. You guys are soldiers.

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