Since the egg allergy's progression was really concerning us, I made an appointment for Connor to see his allergist to find out what was going on. They had originally predicted that he would outgrow the egg allergy by his first birthday, but now, at almost 15 months old, his egg allergy is getting more sensitive and the symptoms are more severe. The doctor really didn't know why it was doing that, and he told us that it wasn't common for this to happen. I had a list of questions with me, many of which the he didn't have the answers to. And don't get me wrong, we are very happy with our allergist, and it wasn't because of a lack of interest or knowledge that he didn't have the answers. He suggested further testing to find out exactly what was going on.
We also discussed Connor's respiratory issues. He asked if he's ever had croup or bronchitis, which is a common thing among young boys, especially those with allergies. I told him that this winter he had two or three different bouts of croup and has been treated a few times for early bronchitis. He gave us some Singulair to try the next time he has a cold. He says that if we give him the Singulair once a day at the first signs of a cold it can help keep the virus from going to his respiratory system and help prevent croup and bronchitis. He gave us some sample packs to try, and if it works we have a prescription that we can fill later. Hopefully that will make this coming cold and flu season a lot less eventful than the previous one. ER visits, nebulizer treatments, antibiotics, doctor's appointments, sleepless nights, will hopefully not be nearly as frequent for us this time around!
So back to the testing that the doctor wanted us to do. He suggested getting a comprehensive blood test done to find out exactly what's going on now and what we can expect for the future. I'm not sure exactly what the test is called, I don't know if it's the RAST test or a different one. Apparently there's only one lab in the country that does this test, so we have to wait two weeks for the results. I'm not overly thrilled about that, but the wait will definitely be worth it in the end. We had to go to a lab down the street to have the blood drawn, and it took myself, my daughter, and a nurse to hold him still long enough for the other nurse to draw the blood. Thankfully they only took a tiny little bit, because he was not happy about having to be held still, and I wasn't happy about having to hold him. We took the blood back to the allergist's office, and they were having it FedExed overnight to Michigan to the lab where it would be tested for 150 different things. We should find out exactly what Connor's allergic to, which strains and proteins of each allergen, egg yolk or egg white, or both, if he's likely to outgrow his peanut allergy and if he's allergic to the protein that causes severe reactions or one that we can possible treat with exposure therapy when he gets older. So all in all the test is a going to be a good thing to have, I just hate that it takes so long to get the results.
This is going to be a long 2 weeks...
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Our Trip To Shari's
After a weekend away with just myself and the kids (hubby had to work all weekend), we decided to go to Shari's for dinner. We hadn't been there with Connor since his allergies were diagnosed, so I was a little nervous about the safety of the foods, especially with the in-house bakery and the full-spectrum menu. I talked to our server, and she said that her little one also had a peanut allergy and he always ordered pancakes and never had a problem. That sounds like a great idea, right? Well, if your little one isn't allergic to milk or eggs, that's perfect. But for us, with a little one who is allergic to both milk AND eggs, it was not an option.
She then told us that they have a food allergy binder with a complete ingredient list for every item on their menu, as well as possible allergen contamination. It was very easy to follow, and it saved us from making a huge mistake. I figured that the rice pilaf would be a good option as a side dish, and the binder told us it contained or could contain milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, as well as four or five other allergens, none of which pertained to us. We ended up sticking with fruit and sausage links, but I think there may have been some close contact with eggs, because he did end up with a few little bumps around his mouth, but not enough to need any kind of medication, and they didn't seem to bother him.
All in all I would say Shari's is a good option for people with allergies given they have a binder with all the information, but for those of us who have to worry about cross-contact contamination, it is a little hard to trust cooks when you don't really know how much experience or knowledge they have with food allergies and the possible spread of allergens. I don't know if we'll go back, but not because of anything Shari's did. There's just not a lot of options for my little guy there. If it were just peanuts we had to worry about it would be one of our top restaurants. But when your kid can't have pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, omelets, french toast, or anything from the fryer, it really limits your options. I do feel comfortable with Shari's allergen policies and willingness to work with customers with allergies.
She then told us that they have a food allergy binder with a complete ingredient list for every item on their menu, as well as possible allergen contamination. It was very easy to follow, and it saved us from making a huge mistake. I figured that the rice pilaf would be a good option as a side dish, and the binder told us it contained or could contain milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, as well as four or five other allergens, none of which pertained to us. We ended up sticking with fruit and sausage links, but I think there may have been some close contact with eggs, because he did end up with a few little bumps around his mouth, but not enough to need any kind of medication, and they didn't seem to bother him.
All in all I would say Shari's is a good option for people with allergies given they have a binder with all the information, but for those of us who have to worry about cross-contact contamination, it is a little hard to trust cooks when you don't really know how much experience or knowledge they have with food allergies and the possible spread of allergens. I don't know if we'll go back, but not because of anything Shari's did. There's just not a lot of options for my little guy there. If it were just peanuts we had to worry about it would be one of our top restaurants. But when your kid can't have pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, omelets, french toast, or anything from the fryer, it really limits your options. I do feel comfortable with Shari's allergen policies and willingness to work with customers with allergies.
Hives, Hives, Hives!!!!
As careful as we try to be, there are occasional slip-ups (usually related to milk, never peanut) that cause a little stomach upset and then it's done, most of the time Connor doesn't even seem to notice. However, after visiting McDonald's one morning, the poor baby had hives covering the front of his neck. I rushed him home and got him some Benadryl, which thankfully worked very quickly at getting rid of the hives. I called his allergist to ask them what they thought the problem was, since I was reasonably sure that there was no peanut contamination, although they had forgotten to leave the cheese off.
For those who may not be familiar with our situation, my little guy is allergic to milk, eggs, almonds, and peanuts, with the peanuts being the most severe. After his skin prick test we were told that he would probably outgrow his egg allergy by his first birthday, milk could take a little longer, and it would remain to be seen with the nut allergies, though we weren't holding out hope. Connor seemed to do fine if eggs were baked into something, such as cookies, but we didn't test it much with more plentiful forms, such as scrambled eggs, potato salad, etc.
So, back to the phonecall to the allergist. I asked them if his milk allergy was severe enough to cause hives, and such a big patch of them (the biggest he's ever had). They told me that, according to his chart, milk was his least sensitive allergy and would only cause stomach issues. They figured that the sausage on his sandwich was cooked in close proximity to eggs and that the contact had transferred enough egg to cause a reaction. He had eaten breakfast sandwiches from McDonald's several times before, and never had a problem. So either they put egg on the sandwich and then took it off, or his allergy is becoming more and more sensitive. He also had a reaction to a flavor of Pop Tarts that had egg listed on the allergen warning, and broke out after having just a piece of one. So I think he's becoming more sensitive.
I was also unaware of the severity of symptoms that egg allergy could cause. I was under the impression that, like milk products, eggs would just cause gastrointestinal issues. I realize that by saying "just" implies that stomach pain and diarrhea isn't a big deal, but believe me, it is. I say "just" in the sense that the gastrointestinal issues are much less dangerous than hives and anaphylaxis. Apparently, egg allergies, if severe enough can cause the same symptoms of peanut allergy; hives, swelling, trouble breathing, and can need Epi-Pens to relieve the symptoms and prevent a very bad situation.
This conversation with the nurse was full of information that I was previously not given. I did not know that every time he had hives I was to give him Benadryl, and if they hives did not subside within 15 minutes to call a medical professional for advice. I was also told that if he ever has hives on or near his face and he starts coughing, to give him his Epi-Pen and take him to the hospital. They say this because since he is so young he cannot communicate his symptoms to us (he's only 15 months old), and that coughing is a sign of internal swelling and narrowing airways. Talk about scary, especially after thinking that eggs were not a huge danger, and were probably getting less and less sensitive, therefore becoming less and less of an issue. Wrong!
So we have now had to re-evaluate our safe foods lists, again, and had to modify what we allow ourselves to have in the house, and will be visiting the allergist again soon to try and come up with a new game plan and some answers as to whether or not this means that his peanut allergy is going to be a lifelong issue. I mean, if the one that was supposed to be outgrown the earliest is in fact getting worse, wouldn't it stand to reason that the most severe isn't going anywhere? We'll keep you posted. For now, eggs are out!
For those who may not be familiar with our situation, my little guy is allergic to milk, eggs, almonds, and peanuts, with the peanuts being the most severe. After his skin prick test we were told that he would probably outgrow his egg allergy by his first birthday, milk could take a little longer, and it would remain to be seen with the nut allergies, though we weren't holding out hope. Connor seemed to do fine if eggs were baked into something, such as cookies, but we didn't test it much with more plentiful forms, such as scrambled eggs, potato salad, etc.
So, back to the phonecall to the allergist. I asked them if his milk allergy was severe enough to cause hives, and such a big patch of them (the biggest he's ever had). They told me that, according to his chart, milk was his least sensitive allergy and would only cause stomach issues. They figured that the sausage on his sandwich was cooked in close proximity to eggs and that the contact had transferred enough egg to cause a reaction. He had eaten breakfast sandwiches from McDonald's several times before, and never had a problem. So either they put egg on the sandwich and then took it off, or his allergy is becoming more and more sensitive. He also had a reaction to a flavor of Pop Tarts that had egg listed on the allergen warning, and broke out after having just a piece of one. So I think he's becoming more sensitive.
I was also unaware of the severity of symptoms that egg allergy could cause. I was under the impression that, like milk products, eggs would just cause gastrointestinal issues. I realize that by saying "just" implies that stomach pain and diarrhea isn't a big deal, but believe me, it is. I say "just" in the sense that the gastrointestinal issues are much less dangerous than hives and anaphylaxis. Apparently, egg allergies, if severe enough can cause the same symptoms of peanut allergy; hives, swelling, trouble breathing, and can need Epi-Pens to relieve the symptoms and prevent a very bad situation.
This conversation with the nurse was full of information that I was previously not given. I did not know that every time he had hives I was to give him Benadryl, and if they hives did not subside within 15 minutes to call a medical professional for advice. I was also told that if he ever has hives on or near his face and he starts coughing, to give him his Epi-Pen and take him to the hospital. They say this because since he is so young he cannot communicate his symptoms to us (he's only 15 months old), and that coughing is a sign of internal swelling and narrowing airways. Talk about scary, especially after thinking that eggs were not a huge danger, and were probably getting less and less sensitive, therefore becoming less and less of an issue. Wrong!
So we have now had to re-evaluate our safe foods lists, again, and had to modify what we allow ourselves to have in the house, and will be visiting the allergist again soon to try and come up with a new game plan and some answers as to whether or not this means that his peanut allergy is going to be a lifelong issue. I mean, if the one that was supposed to be outgrown the earliest is in fact getting worse, wouldn't it stand to reason that the most severe isn't going anywhere? We'll keep you posted. For now, eggs are out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)