Tommy's allergist appointment was this morning and I was so glad to finally learn a little more about his allergy. I would LOVE advice or suggestions from anyone who has experience with food allergies.
Overall Tommy did well at the appointment - although he is so squirmy (hello, he's a toddler!) and lately hates doctors/nurses, so that made it hard. We arrived at 11:45 for a 12:00 appointment and didn't leave until close to 1:30pm - so that was a long time to be stuck in a (non-baby-proofed!) room with an amazing number of outlets for such a little space. :) He screamed bloody-murder when she checked his ears, nose and took his temperature. He seriously hates being poked/prodded lately.
Based on the skin test, he tested positive for a peanut allergy but not the other nuts. She did a scratch test on his back which tested for 6-7 different nuts and only the peanut reacted. She still wants him to get blood work done to confirm the allergy - plus the results will let us know how severe it is. Their protocol is to have blood work done once a year to check the numbers - there is a chance his allergy could decrease and/or go away, but the odds are not in his favor since it's peanut. (Apparently this happens more often with other foods.)
The doctor gave me a prescription for numbing cream (hopefully this will help the blood-draw) and one for more epi-pens. She said that we should always carry two with us at all times.
Does anyone have experience with kids/babies getting bloodwork done? I'm not excited about bringing him to my local lab - but the doctor couldn't suggest any place that specialized in pediatrics.
I asked if I should give up peanut butter and if we should be a peanut free house: her answer was that we don't have to, but it's probably best and safest. She said I could eat Almond Butter, Soy Nut Butter or Sunflower Butter if I wanted... and hopefully Tommy can eat those later too as long as they aren't processed with peanuts. But for now, no reason to push it with him.
I asked if Tommy should avoid all nuts: again she said that he doesn't have to, but it's probably best and safest - not because he could react, but because the chance of cross-contamination is very high. (Places that produce other nuts mostly like also produce peanuts.)
Tommy had eczema when he was a newborn and she said that it's related to the peanut allergy. She noticed that his back and tummy are still slightly affected and said to continue what we are doing: nightly baths and lots of cream as soon as he gets out and he's still a little damp. If he seems to have a flare-up that is worse, we can use hydrocortizone cream.
She said that research shows that avoiding peanuts before age 1 or 2 doesn't really matter (as opposed to what they used to think.) There is no evidence that early exposure will cause the allergy or worsen it. Random fact: she mentioned that parents in Israel give kids peanuts at a young age and they have a low percentage of allergies there. There might be a very slight connection between high amounts of peanuts during pregnancy and allergies in babies, but that's it.
Whew! I feel much better now that we are more informed. Hopefully everything goes ok with getting his blood drawn and we can learn more from those results.
I know nothing about allergies but wanted to give you some support! Has to be so hard for these babies to be poked like that! I hope you get some great advice but your Dr sounds great.... I would imagine you will have to start reading labels, so many things are processed with other things, but thankfully they have allergy labels on them so that should help!
ReplyDeleteGlad you have some answers! Hopefully that bloodwork goes well.
ReplyDeletewe have had good luck with blood draws and Children's hospital--they certainly know what they are doing!
ReplyDeleteWe had a terrible time getting bloodwork done on L and it was at a special lab that supposedly specialized in drawing blood from babies. I don't have any advice though.. it's probably a fluke whether it goes easily or not. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteChildren's National Medical Center for THE best lab techs around. Mariana didn't even cry the last time she had to have hers drawn. That's a miracle in my eyes. All these labs do all day is work with babies and kids - they always do a great job! ALWAYS! No complaints in 4 years and two totally different kids. -Maria
ReplyDeleteWhen we adopted Isaac, he had to undergo a series of labwork within 30 days of him arriving in the US...mostly to check for communicable diseases and such. He was such a hard stick though and even though the LabCorp we took him too "specialized" in pediatric blood draws, they were a joke. My poor, newly adopted baby was only just trying to get accustomed to me and my face and here I was subjecting him to this medieval torture!
ReplyDeleteAnyhow...all that to say it really depends on the lab technician. Experience matters. Ask around and see who other moms in the area recommend (I'm afraid I'm not any help to you here!) Get the name of the tech and his/her work schedule if necessary.
I'm really glad to read this update though as I was just thinking about you and Tommy last night as I was frying chicken in peanut oil. I hope you know it was nothing you did or did not do that caused this allergy. It's a frightening thought to think how prevalent peanuts are in our food supply. And how many more kids are being diagnosed every year.
BTW...we love almond butter!
My oldest has the peanut allergy so feel free to email me ANY time! It's a tough road to navigate, especially when they're really young. Always read those food labels. We live by them! I also have the allergy so I'll oftentimes try something before letting my son eat it. I carry an epi for him and for myself too. And benadryl because that's always our first line of defense. I'm sorry you have to experience this. It's usually genetic in nature so it's possible Tommy's bio mom has it too? Or his bio dad.
ReplyDeleteI'll be praying for the blood draw...for you and T! I'm glad you know a little bit more about what's going on.
ReplyDeleteM had a blood draw for allergy testing. It was ok. She barely cried. They used a numbing spray and got her on the first stick.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a peanut allergy, but if you want to try almond butter- it's pretty good!
ReplyDeleteMy sister has a peanut allergy that she's had since she was small. (Interestingly enough, she's an identical twin and her twin is not allergic!) She always carries around an Epipen, but hasn't had a reaction in a while. She does eat nuts, as long as they're a mix without peanuts in them. Another weird thing about this allergy is that she's not allergic to peanut oil. She's had fries, chicken, etc, fried in peanut oil without a problem. I think something about the oil breaks down the allergen.
Hopefully his level isn't too high!
My parents never did a peanut-free house - we were all just careful. For example - if you have a PB&J sandwich, use a separate knife for the PB - don't put a knife that's touched PB in the jelly jar. It takes some getting used to - but eventually it becomes a habit. Even now, my husband uses the knife in the jelly jar first and gets the PB second - just in case my sister comes to visit! :)
You'll do just fine!!
I've got no answers or advice for you but I will pray for you and the little one! Glad they were able to figure out some answers!!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying comment on here for a while but always have trouble! Hopefully this one goes through.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you are dealing with the peanut allergy. I hate dealing with toddlers and doctors! It is never fun.
Man, I miss you! I hate I live so far away now. Please do continue to update, I think and pray for you a LOT.
by the way, when I try to make a comment using my "google account" it says I do not have access to view this page. So I just tried using my "name" and typed in Lifehopes manually. It worked!
ReplyDeleteWe had to have Catie's blood drawn multiple times when she was about Tommy's age to check for milk allergies and potential digestive problems. Lucky for us, her tests all came back negative but still, the experience of having blood drawn was very unpleasant. The lab at our clinic tried unsuccessfully to draw her (they were, admittedly, not used to drawing from small children) so we were sent to a pediatric clinic within our health system to be drawn by techs more practiced in drawing from children. If you can find an individual experienced in drawing blood from little veins, it will make things much easier. Fortunately at this age they are still incredibly forgiving and hugs and kisses make everything better quickly. We will keep you and Tommy in our prayers in the coming weeks and hope you find answers to your questions soon. For us, the waiting was always the worst part.
ReplyDeletePraying that the blood draw goes well!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds very difficult. Especially the blood draw. My son had egg allergy but seems to have out grown it. I think. At least its not so obvious. I hope that his will not get worse and that you can eventually throw away those epi-pens.
ReplyDeletePoor little guy. We talked about nut allergies in my class yesterday and it always surprises me how sensitive kids can be.
ReplyDeletePraying for a painless blood draw!
G- my nephew has lots and lots of allergies (nuts, milk, eggs, etc...) so, my sister has tons of experience with all of this (he was not diagnosed until much later -- maybe around 6 or 7 yo). If you have any questions, let me know and I will connect the two of you!! Good Luck -- allergies are no fun!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that peanut oil is not usually a problem. The enzymes are broken down because of the high heat. But we still avoid it! Another thing to watch for is peas and lentils. They are both legumes which are related to peanuts. I can't eat either.
ReplyDeleteMy little sister ate pb&j sandwiches every day for 18 years and then developed a peanut allergy. She can still have things fried in peanut oil, but peanuts themselves make her mouth swell! Probably she should avoid that too, but she likes Five Guys fries :). Almond butter is her fave now.
ReplyDeleteSorry about all the dr visits and blood draws. No fun for the little guy!