Allergies!!!

Shortly before our trip to Hawaii, Elektra has been experiencing some skin problems. She had been to the ER once already due to an allergic reaction to the perfume I was wearing. Her eyes had got all puffy and red. It took half a week to get her looking normal again.

In Hawaii as I was attending a Passion Party at a friend's house, Ray took care of Elektra. He fed her some pre-made formula and she broke out really bad. He skin from her neck down to her thighs turned red and was covered in hives.

Back in Arizona I noticed she would rash up after meals. It was getting so frustrating and I was so afraid to feed her anything because I didn't know what would break her out. There were scratches all over her body. No matter how much I trimmed her nails she would still scratch herself raw. So, I took her in to see her doctor. He took one look at her and said that she has really bad allergies.

I was given a referral to see an allergy specialist. There was a five page form that was mailed to me before her appointment. I had to answer questions about everything she comes in contact with from the type of area we live in to the number of people on both sides of the family that have allergies.

At her appointment, the specialist looked at her and confirmed to me that she has Eczema like I do. Then they did an allergy test on her. They used a marker and numbered her back from 1 to 10. Then they took small needles that were treated with different common food allergies and lightly pricked her back next to each number. The needles are so small that she didn't even feel them. The hard part came next- waiting. We had to sit there and wait 15 minutes for the test to take full effect. I had to keep her busy and make sure that she didn't start scratching. It was so hard to sit there and watch almost each spot they pricked start to get red and see hives form.

When the test was done the nurses came in and measured the hives. All the information was put into the computer. They wiped down her back and applied an anti-itch spray. A few moments later the doctor came in with the results. Elektra has high allergic proteins to the following foods:

Milk
Soy
Fish
Peanuts
Eggs

In order for something to qualify as a true allergy, you must have high allergy protein levels as well as a physical reaction when you come in contact with the substance. You can have high protein levels and never have an allergic reaction. Elektra has had a physical reaction to milk and because her number are so high for both Soy and Peanuts, the doctor is pretty sure she might have allergies to those, but we won't know for sure unless she actually eats some.

However, due to how quick her flare-ups are when she comes in contact with something she is allergic to, the doctor has advised that I keep her away from Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Eggs, Shell fish and Soy until she is at least 3 years old. Then we can feed her a very small amount and see if there is a reaction. Until then, I have medication to help her with her Eczema and minor allergic reactions and, should she accidentally eat something she is extremely allergic to, the doctor has given us a Food Allergy Action Plan that includes carrying with me at all times a EPI-PEN Jr, which is an injectible epinephrine to be used for severe allergy reactions of throat tightening, immediate hives, and or severe rapid onset of shortness of breath.

As you can imagine this is a lot for our family to take in. There is so much I don't know about allergies. Most people know I have an allergy to eggs, so i can color the Easter eggs but I just can't eat them, no big deal. Ray's allergies are a little worst so he has to stay away from certain plants or his sinuses go crazy. But neither of us were ready for this.

There is a small chance that she may outgrow some of these allergies and that is what we are praying for. In the mean time, please do not feel offended if we ever come over for dinner and I grill you about every single ingredient in the foods you just prepared. I feel good knowing we have a Food Allergy Action Plan, but I will feel even better if we never have to use it.