I have been dragging you through this with me so far, so I am going to keep dragging you. I am sure you are kicking and screaming. NO MORE!! I won’t be offended if you stop reading. I wish that I could have stumbled upon someone’s experience taking an 11 month old to an allergist. I wasn’t sure what they would and wouldn’t do since Harper is so little.
Today was the big allergist appointment that we have been waiting for. I had read up on what I thought was going on with her (FPIES, in case you forgot) so I was prepared to ask lots of questions in case I was brushed off. I have found that you need to be prepared, because YOU are the advocate for yourself and your children. I am so thankful for the specialists that God has put in my path. I didn’t even have to drag out my information and research. Not that I think doctors are incompetent, but I know that it is not a super common thing, and some doctors don’t have any real experience with it for that reason.
We started our appointment off with the usual questions. What brought you here? What reactions did she have? Is there anyone in the family with food allergies? (Hey, Amanda!) He said that he would give me some information after doing a skin prick test. I could tell that he already knew it was most likely FPIES. You can visit fpies.org to find out more information about this. It’s gastrointestinal reactions instead of the usual wheezing, hives, etc. that accompany allergic reactions; to give you the gist of it. But, I’m no doctor, so if you suspect it you need to check it out for yourself.
Please forgive my crummy pictures. All I had was my “dumb” phone and a squirmy 11 month old in a doctor’s office. It was the best I could do.
This was just a couple of minutes after the oils were applied.
Here is what she looked like just a couple of minutes before the doctor came in to evaluate. The second from the left is a histamine. It is a control to show what her skin would do with an allergy present. One of the two on the right side is a control of a negative reaction. She ended up only having a mild reaction to something on the bottom right. I was so excited to know that she didn’t have any severe allergies requiring EpiPens that I didn’t think to even ask what it was… I see him again in 3 months, so I can find out then. I am guessing probably an environmental allergen like grass. She has ended up with a rash on her cheek when my husband held her after mowing the lawn.
Anyway, he confirmed what I had suspected thanks to the fantastic people over at scratchorsniff.com and their wonderful guidance. Seriously, such an awesome community to be a part of. Check them out if you deal with allergies, asthma, or eczema. I originally started following them because Addi has eczema that flares up really bad in the winter. I never knew I would be launched into the allergy world. FPIES isn’t technically an allergy, but the community is still supportive and helpful with that.
At our next appointment, he will be doing a blood allergy test to see if she has any other allergies. In 6-12 months we will do a trial where we will feed her something with dairy in the office and she if she reacts to it. He said that she WILL outgrow this; most kids outgrow it within a few years. I am just really, really grateful that there weren’t MORE allergies present. I have been avoiding feeding her the top allergens just to be safe. I feel like a whole new world has been opened up for her.
I keep a food journal just to be safe; especially when giving her a new food. It’s a wild ride, but I am grateful that there is so much information out there for us. It is overwhelming at times, but I am glad to be going through this NOW instead of 10 years ago when nothing was labeled!
