This week Adam made a connection and we both had an "ah ha" moment.
History: From the week Austin came home from the hospital he was an amazing sleeper - woke once to feed and then straight back to sleep until morning. Around 4 months old a switch flipped and his sleep habits were a literal nightmare. Austin would wake screaming every hour from 9pm to 6am. Each hour Adam and I would spend 30 minutes soothing him back to sleep. Many times utilizing high decibels (vacuum cleaner) to silence his screams. Oh the memories... (I have honestly forgotten exactly how miserable this time of my life was - lack of sleep does things to your mind).
Recent history: Earlier this summer Austin had an allergic reaction to watermelon. This prompted another blood allergy panel testing for fruits. The results revealed a banana allergy. Initially I thought it was interesting he was allergic to bananas because he has always expressed a dislike of bananas. I had previously thought it was a texture issue for him. But now with these results, I realized that the bananas must make him feel badly - a good reason to refuse to eat them. Pretty smart that boy of mine!
Now for the real "ah ha" moment. And, I must give full credit to my wonderful husband for making this connection. We began mixing bananas into Austin's cereal around 4 months of age. He was underweight and his doctor recommended adding bananas to his cereal to help him pack on some extra calories. Now remember it was 4 months old when Austin began having sleep issues. Could his sleep problems possibly have been caused because his parents were feeding him a food he is allergic to??? I cannot imagine the digestive cramping and other internal reactions his body experienced during that time. There is no way to prove this but I do believe the bananas could have been the culprit to our sleepless nights.
My family
My Family
Showing posts with label food allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food allergies. Show all posts
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Latest update on Austin's allergies
This post is just a follow up for those who have been following Austin's food allergy battles.
Since the watermelon reaction, we have witnessed reactions to banana and blueberries. The combination of all of these reactions seem to point towards ragweed pollen - according to my research.
Last Thursday, Austin had an 18 month well check with his pediatrician. She ordered blood allergy testing to rule out allergy to these actual fruits, she also felt Austin is not truly allergic to the fruits. Austin is also having blood testing done for celiac's disease. He does not exhibit every symptom indicating celiac's but enough that it is worthy of testing. Since all of these tests can be done with a single stick, I am okay with the testing. We just want answers so we know what to feed and what not to feed our little boy.
Since the watermelon reaction, we have witnessed reactions to banana and blueberries. The combination of all of these reactions seem to point towards ragweed pollen - according to my research.
Last Thursday, Austin had an 18 month well check with his pediatrician. She ordered blood allergy testing to rule out allergy to these actual fruits, she also felt Austin is not truly allergic to the fruits. Austin is also having blood testing done for celiac's disease. He does not exhibit every symptom indicating celiac's but enough that it is worthy of testing. Since all of these tests can be done with a single stick, I am okay with the testing. We just want answers so we know what to feed and what not to feed our little boy.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Watermelon - really??
Tonight's blog is dedicated to Austin's continuing saga of food allergies.
Sunday evening Austin was being an especially picky eater - refusing his entire dinner. We took a walk and shortly after we arrived back at home, I offered him some fresh watermelon. He thoroughly enjoyed it! After he consumed a small bowl full, I cleaned him up - watermelon juices dripping down his chin, neck, and chest. Immediately when washing his face, I notice a RASH.
I quickly ran with Austin outside to show Adam my findings. He confirmed that yes, indeed Austin was breaking out and we needed to give him a dose of benadryl. While waiting for the drug to kick in and stop the reaction, Adam "googled" watermelon allergic reactions. As he read the symptoms, Austin was exhibiting them - red rash on face and neck. Itchy throat (he was scratching at his neck).
At this time I decided to call the after hours nurse line for our pediatrician. The nurse and I discussed his symptoms and she felt he needed to be seen at the ER. By the time she reached this conclusion, an hour had passed and the benadryl had completely cleared up Austin's symptoms. Adam and I decided that going to the ER with our now perfectly healthy toddler (at 8:30pm - way past bedtime) would only result in a completely crabby little boy and an expensive diagnosis of watermelon allergy. So we put him to bed and observed him throughout the evening to make sure he was okay.
Monday morning I talked to his pediatrician who believed that yes, Austin did have an allergic reaction. But, it could be to the watermelon itself or ragweed pollen (which is absorbed into slow growing fruits and berries). She added this incident to his every expanding chart and thought it was best to inform his allergist to gather further information.
I contacted Austin's allergist and they decided they wanted him to come in to be seen - Tuesday. So yesterday we loaded up in the downpour and headed to Children's for the appointment. Austin already had a follow up appointment scheduled for July 5, so they were just going to combine that appointment so we wouldn't need to come back.
In a nutshell, this appointment was POINTLESS. The allergist dismissed the reaction to the watermelon as a "contact reaction" not an allergic response. He then informed me to "not give it to him again". WHAT?!?! So, he isn't allergic but don't feed it to him anyways. This is fruit we are talking about not candy. He also informed me to "be careful when feeding him other melons". WHAT!?!?
I also discussed with the doctor Austin's 6 week battle with tummy problems. He did not feel this was an allergy related issue either. Although my reading has suggested that consistent GI problems are related to what you are eating and allergy or intolerance to certain foods. We discussed that Austin is allergic to eggs and peanuts (old news - been dealing with these two since October). He did not believe it was necessary to run any further blood allergy or skin panel tests to further examine Austin's allergies. I scheduled Austin's 6 month follow up and out the door we went.
I left the appointment more frustrated than before. I am confused at how the pediatrician believes he had an allergic reaction but the allergist does not. And according to Dr. Google, Austin's symptoms fit the bill to a T. I am also becoming more and more frustrated with his daily BM's. Possibly because I am the lucky one who gets the pleasure of changing him 4 times in an hour - or 15 times a day. Is it seriously normal for toddlers to poo 12 times per day? I am at war with diaper rash that makes me cry when wiping his poor bottom.
I know I am 34 weeks pregnant and completely hormonal but this momma is ready for some answers. It is a terrifying feeling to be scared to feed your child. To constantly be sure an epi pen is nearby in the event you must stab your child's leg to save their life.
Sunday evening Austin was being an especially picky eater - refusing his entire dinner. We took a walk and shortly after we arrived back at home, I offered him some fresh watermelon. He thoroughly enjoyed it! After he consumed a small bowl full, I cleaned him up - watermelon juices dripping down his chin, neck, and chest. Immediately when washing his face, I notice a RASH.
I quickly ran with Austin outside to show Adam my findings. He confirmed that yes, indeed Austin was breaking out and we needed to give him a dose of benadryl. While waiting for the drug to kick in and stop the reaction, Adam "googled" watermelon allergic reactions. As he read the symptoms, Austin was exhibiting them - red rash on face and neck. Itchy throat (he was scratching at his neck).
At this time I decided to call the after hours nurse line for our pediatrician. The nurse and I discussed his symptoms and she felt he needed to be seen at the ER. By the time she reached this conclusion, an hour had passed and the benadryl had completely cleared up Austin's symptoms. Adam and I decided that going to the ER with our now perfectly healthy toddler (at 8:30pm - way past bedtime) would only result in a completely crabby little boy and an expensive diagnosis of watermelon allergy. So we put him to bed and observed him throughout the evening to make sure he was okay.
Monday morning I talked to his pediatrician who believed that yes, Austin did have an allergic reaction. But, it could be to the watermelon itself or ragweed pollen (which is absorbed into slow growing fruits and berries). She added this incident to his every expanding chart and thought it was best to inform his allergist to gather further information.
I contacted Austin's allergist and they decided they wanted him to come in to be seen - Tuesday. So yesterday we loaded up in the downpour and headed to Children's for the appointment. Austin already had a follow up appointment scheduled for July 5, so they were just going to combine that appointment so we wouldn't need to come back.
In a nutshell, this appointment was POINTLESS. The allergist dismissed the reaction to the watermelon as a "contact reaction" not an allergic response. He then informed me to "not give it to him again". WHAT?!?! So, he isn't allergic but don't feed it to him anyways. This is fruit we are talking about not candy. He also informed me to "be careful when feeding him other melons". WHAT!?!?
I also discussed with the doctor Austin's 6 week battle with tummy problems. He did not feel this was an allergy related issue either. Although my reading has suggested that consistent GI problems are related to what you are eating and allergy or intolerance to certain foods. We discussed that Austin is allergic to eggs and peanuts (old news - been dealing with these two since October). He did not believe it was necessary to run any further blood allergy or skin panel tests to further examine Austin's allergies. I scheduled Austin's 6 month follow up and out the door we went.
I left the appointment more frustrated than before. I am confused at how the pediatrician believes he had an allergic reaction but the allergist does not. And according to Dr. Google, Austin's symptoms fit the bill to a T. I am also becoming more and more frustrated with his daily BM's. Possibly because I am the lucky one who gets the pleasure of changing him 4 times in an hour - or 15 times a day. Is it seriously normal for toddlers to poo 12 times per day? I am at war with diaper rash that makes me cry when wiping his poor bottom.
I know I am 34 weeks pregnant and completely hormonal but this momma is ready for some answers. It is a terrifying feeling to be scared to feed your child. To constantly be sure an epi pen is nearby in the event you must stab your child's leg to save their life.
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