We finally had Elizabeth tested to see exactly what she's allergic to. They put dots on her back with black marker to show where each item is. Then they put a drop of fluid per item next to the dot. Then, they do a little scratch over each fluid and then we just watch to see what happens.
Here's a picture of her back about 5 minutes after scratching.
She reacted to everything they tested her for: eggs, milk, all nuts (even coconut!), soy, wheat, rice, cats and dogs. Here's her back about 15 minutes after.
The biggest welt on her upper back is eggs. The other big one in the middle is cashews. I can't remember all the rest.
They couldn't tell how severe the wheat & rice were so we had to have her blood drawn that same day. We got the results from the blood test and the wheat is pretty severe and the rice is questionable. We're supposed to go in for a "oral test" next month to see how she reacts to rice milk as we give it to her over a couple hours.
Poor little baby can't even have her favorite puffs and crackers anymore. Hopefully she'll outgrow all of this like I've heard some kids do.
14 comments:
Oh.My.Gosh!!
Poor poor Elizabeth! Seeing those welts on her back made me tear up! Was she totally crying? Oh the poor girl. She is allergic to everything! I really hope she outgrows them too. Good luck! Keep us posted.
Oh, Jen, I'm so, so sorry! Hopefully she'll outgrow most of them...
Wow! So sad to see her back like that, but at least you are getting some answers. Made me wonder, "What CAN she eat?" No fun. Good luck.
Hope you guys are doing well.
I'm sad for all of you - that is no fun! I hope she does grow out of it. Was she okay during the testing? I had no idea she was having so many allergy problems. i hope all goes well in the next few months as you get her diet figured out.
Jen!!! My gosh! You weren't expecting her to be allergic to EVERYTHING! Poor little Elizabeth. I'm sure she'll grow out of some of those allergies - good luck until then though. Ryan and I both were allergic to milk when we were little and were not anymore. In fact Ryan's parents took him to some kind of allergy professional in Colorado, when he was little, to help figure out his allergy problems and he slowly grew out of all of them. :) Glad you found out before something serious occurred!
Holy Cow! Her poor little back! Do they give her something after the testing for the itching and pain? How awful to watch as her mommy! I am wondering what she can eat too? Poor baby!
I KNOW! It was totally crazy to see that she reacted to everything (cats & dogs was a surprise to us). After they marked everything she reacted to, they let me give her Benadryl and they had an awesome cream they spread all over. Her welts were mostly gone with 30 mins, so that was nice to know she didn't have the itching any more.
As for what she can eat, for now we've just been giving her fruits, veggies, and mommies milk (which has got to end soon). Once we meet with the dietician tomorrow we'll know better if she can have any grains (oats, barley, etc) and if it would be best for us to give her meat to get more protein (since we don't eat it at home ourselves).
We sure hope she grows out of this too. It's no fun worrying about her reacting everywhere we go. She does have at least one slight reaction weekly. SUPER FUN. :)
That just makes me so so sad! That just made my heart ache for Elizabeth and you! Poor sweety!! I hope she really does grow out of it. Good luck Jen!!
Oh my goodness...how awful for Elizabeth and for you as her mommy to have to see her like that. Here's to hoping it's just a phase or there's a nice solution to make it better for all of you. What a little sweetheart!
OH wow- that picture of her little back is one of the saddest things ever. Wow. How awful for you too- I really hope that she grows out of it- and sooner than later!
Wow, the poor little thing! We are just beginning Emersyn on solids and crossing fingers for no or few allergies - it seems to be so common for little ones these days to have food allergies that they grow out of as they get older. Hopefully that's the case for Elizabeth! No fun!
Now, I know we talked about all of this at our lunch... and I felt bad then... but seeing this picture. DANG!!! Breaks my heart!
Your such a good mommy Jen! Let us know once you get the bloodwork back.
Poor kid! I did the allergy testing about 2 years ago and turned out to be allergic to the world and food. But I've never had any severe reactions to any food...go figure. I hope you can get your poor little chicky figured out! Food allergies are tough for the whole family! Good luck!
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