Allergy Testing

On February 27th, Hudson had his first allergy appointment, but his rash was so bad they weren't even able to perform a skin allergy test. We used steroid oil for a week to clear him up then on March 6th, we went back. In addition to the top allergens (dairy, soy, eggs, wheat,  shellfish,peanuts, tree nuts and fish-they actually test for corn instead of fish) I asked them to test for fruits and vegetables I'm allergic to, common first foods, and other common allergens people had told me about. I tried to schedule the appointment around Hudson's nap schedule, but in true Hud fashion, he didn't follow his schedule that day and our appointment ended up being right when he should have been taking a nap! The doctor came in and went over the list of things they would test for then we waited forever while the nurse prepared the tests (apparently each one I selected had to be dropped onto a prick). Hudson tore apart the room while we waited. He loves the paper they place on office beds...he loves to tear it, crinkle it, and eat it. He also loved pulling on all the equipment with cords hanging down and he kept pulling on the poster hanging on the wall (he almost pulled it off the wall numerous times!). When the nurse finally came in, he recommended that I lay on the bed, then have Hudson lay on me. (I would not recommend this!). Hudson was staring at me when the pricks hit his skin. He looked straight into my eyes pissed at me, then cried hysterically. It was awful. Plus, he is really strong, and in this position, I did not have a good grasp on him. He immediately tried to roll away (do you blame him?) and I had trouble holding him still while the nurse put the next set of pricks into him. Once that torture was over, I was told not to let anything touch his back for the next 20 minutes! 20 minutes I had to try and keep Hudson still for what felt like forever. We did sit up and I held him standing and sitting and crawling, but I had to battle with him so he wouldn't roll onto his back.

I watched the spots react and knew none of them were terribly bad (from my own experience with allergy tests). I wondered what that meant. The doctor came in and said the same thing. There was only one that was slightly red (it was cat), but she still counted it as a negative result. We talked for a decent length of time that this meant it was an intolerance that he had and not an allergy and that she would recommend that I continue my diet then try to add each one in at a time. She said as his digestive system matures he should outgrow it. She also recommended that I not eat tomatoes, strawberries or pineapple as those are histamine releasing foods. I was a bit surprised by the results because my gut had me convinced that he had food allergies, but I packed up my very overtired baby and went to check-out. 

I asked for a copy of the test results (I always ask for results for my records) and immediately noticed that none of the top allergens were on it. The lady at the front desk said they must be on a different sheet, but I knew immediately that they made a mistake. At this point, Hudson was asleep in his car seat. The doctor asked me to come back in and apologized to me for the mistake. I was on the verge of tears. My poor little boy. It was bad enough the first time, now he was asleep and we had to wake him up, prick him again, and make him sit still for another 20 minutes!! How frustrating!!! The nurse asked me to take him out of his seat and remove all his clothes again, but I asked if we could just do it on his arm instead. The doctor came in and checked and confirmed that we could do the last 8 on his arm. I cringed as I held his hand...as soon as the 8 pricks went in Hudson screamed, the went instantly back to sleep. Thank goodness because tears were welling up in my eyes. I sat on the floor holding his hand and watched as a few of the pricks instantly started swelling. 

He ended up having significant allergies to eggs,dairy and peanuts and a mild allergy to shellfish. The doctor told me to eliminate all of those as well as soy and tree nuts since they are cross-reactions with peanuts.I couldn't believe it! I had allergy free baking mixes and a dozen eggs in the fridge that I was waiting to use after the allergy testing (I figured eggs would be a large part of my diet as long as he didn't test positive for them). I would have gone home that day and eaten tons of eggs!!! It just goes to show how easily a dangerous mistake can be made and how critical it is to take an active role in your child's health care. We finally left, both of us exhausted from a very long, draining doctor appointment!! I felt pretty sad for Hudson. How was he even going to have birthday cake on his first birthday. :( I did read that 90% of kids outgrow dairy and egg allergies by the time they are 5 so I pray Hudson outgrows them because a life without eggs and dairy would be pretty sad and difficult. On the other hand, only 10% of children outgrow peanut allergies so he will most likely always have that one. My fear with that one is that he develops a severe allergy that requires him to carry an epi-pen. The thought of that is very scary for a mom. Needless to say it was a very emotional day!!