Some Relief

After a few days of itching, I smothered him with steroid cream, and he is a new child. He looks so fabulous, I need to make sure I take the family Chirstmas card picture soon!!! Although his back looks awful. It is all scratched up and he has a bunch of scars. It looks like he got 40 lashes.

Eczema Continues

Well Owen's eczema continues. He face looks pretty bad. He has redness around his mouth, under his eyes, and sporadically on the cheeks. I checked in with the doctor today, just to make sure I was doing everything I could be doing for Owen. We continue to use a million creams on him, use the humidifier, give oral medicine, etc.

I need to learn to take the pictures for the Christmas cards before the winter season begins!

Messy Face Days Continue

Yesterday Owen's face got irritated (red around the eyes, nose, and mouth) just before dinner when he started crying for a cookie. We didn't give him anything, and it improved after a hour. We gave him benadryl before bed since his face was still pretty red. He woke up with red, thick skin around both eyes. Today at a playdate, on of his cheeks got red. His eyes are still irritated, so I gave him some more benadryl after lunch. I hate not knowing the cause of this problems.

Frustrated Mom

Messy Face 3 Evenings in a Row

The last 3 days have been interesting. 3 days ago, his face got a bit red during dinner, but there were no hives, so I didn't do anything. Yesterday, his face was slightly red in the afternoon, and his face got more red around dinner, and his lower lip looked slightly swollen. We gave him benadryl and it cleared up. Before dinner his face was slightly red again, and during dinner he had slight itching, redness, and slight swelling around his mouth. We gave benadryl and it resolved. The only thing consistent about the last 3 days is Cranberry Grape juice. But the swelling doesn't happen immediately after drinking. And Doug gave him the juice in the morning, and nothing happened. I hope he is not getting a new allergy! I wonder if it is a contact allergy from touching my hand while we said grace. Very frustrating!!

Doing Great

It has been a long time since I have posted anything for a very good reason- Owen is doing great. His food allergies seem to be under great control. We have a soy food challenge scheduled in Januray, which I am excited about. He struggles with environmental allergies, but does well on Claritin and Nasonex.

Another reason I have been "away" for a while is that reading about food allergies made me VERY upset. I was very pregnant, and my pregnancy hormones were in high gear. One night I got so upset thinking about food allergies, that I got myself scared silly about Owen going to the Zoo. I clearly need a break from thinking about allergies.

I had a little baby girl, Caroline Grace, on September 29th. She is just beautiful. She looks a lot like Owen. We are just praying that she doesn't have the food allergy genes.

One thing I notice is that any time we go bowling, to a restaurant, etc (which is extremely rare because of Owen's allergies) Owen gets red splotches around his mouth. They are not raised hives. Sometimes he itches, sometimes he doesn't. Some times we give him benadryl, other times we don't. It is no big deal, but it is something we observe.

Swelling and Redness Around Both Eyes and his Right Cheek

When I picked up Owen at day care today both eye lids were swollen with redness. And he had redness on his right cheek. He was not itching it. It happened when he woke up from his nap. It is frustrating because we increased his does of Claritin, and he is still bothered by the cat.

The redness decreased when we got home, but when we went for our evening walk, it increased again. I gave him Benadryl before bed.

Food Allergy Video on YouTube

I found this video on the Food Allergy Buzz blog. The person who produced the video did an amazing job, and really helps you understand what food allergic kids go through. The story that touched me the most is the little boy with glasses who talked about what it feels like to be excluded.

Kids Living with Food Allergies Video

Update on Rashes

Yesterday was a very bad rash day for Owen. Owen woke up with some redness around his mouth, but not bad. When I picked him up from day care, his face was pretty irritated. He had redness under his eyes, around his mouth (especially near the sides) and on his cheeks. I called the doctor, and he said that he believe it is a fungal infection in Owen's diaper area that has Owen's immune system in overdrive. He prescribed Nystatin (an anti fungal) for the diaper area, hydrocortisone ointment for his face, and an antibiotic cream for around the mouth. (we have about 15 different creams on his changing table right now. I never imagined that there were so many skin creams out there.)

Owen slept horrible, waking up every hour or two.

He woke up looking much better. His diaper area really improved, and the irritation in his face decreased. When I picked him up from day care, he looked good. He had some redness under the eyes, and the sides of his mouth were a bit crusty. His diaper area continues to improve.

It is amazing how everything is tied together. That the fungal infection in his diaper area is causing a rash on the face. Thank God for good doctors and nurses who understand these connections.

Owen fell asleep really easy tonight. I am praying for a better night tonight.

Owen's Face is Red, Splotchy, and Swollen

Last night Owen's face was slightly red and splotchy. He had a hamburger for dinner. Owen's face was red enough that I decided to give him some benadryl before bed.

Today when he woke up from his nap his face was red and splotchy. It improved after 45 minutes. After dinner, his face became red, splotchy, and slight swollen. I gave him some benadryl. He did have a beef hot dog for lunch and dinner, and he had strawberries for dinner.

I also want to note that Owen has been fighting a fungal infection in his diaper area, so I don't know if that is kicking his immune system into high gear.

I love Organic Market!

I think I am so blessed to have Whole Foods only 25 minutes from my home. Whole Foods offers some great food alternatives for Owen, since his diet is quite restricted. Well, Organic Market recently opened up about 2 minutes from my home. I could practically throw a rock and hit the store. Originally, I was skeptical that they would have anything for Owen since it is a smaller store. But it is great! They have my favorite brand, Enjoy Life Foods which makes great Chocolate Chip Cookies that Owen loves. And they have a bunch of other treats, that I have never seen before in stores. I also found a bread that Owen can eat- ENER G. I gave Owen a sandwich yesterday for the first time- Sunbutter & Jelly sandwich. Owen is not fond of the bread. He licked the Sunbutter and Jelly off the bread. Hopefully he will get used to it.

Now if I could only do something about the high prices... :)

RAST Results Are In (Drum Roll)

We recently received Owen's RAST results from his 18 month check up. Unfortunately all the numbers have increased, but the doctor prepared us for that possibility. The doctor said that most allergies escalate until about 2, when they hopefully start to plateau.

After reading other people food allergy blogs, and reading about all the highs and lows on the food allergy journey, I have decided to keep a mind set that I am in this for the long haul. I am just preparing myself that he won't grow out of anything (except soy) for the next 15- 20 years. If he grows out of anything sooner, I will consider it a miracle. I have a tendency to set my expectations low, so I don't get disappointed. I do this as a coping mechanism. But I need too. It hurts too much to get my hopes up, and then be so disappointed. And not just my disappointment, but feeling the disappointment of a little boy is overwhelming.

So here are the latest and greatest numbers. Not that bad, compared to some other kids.

Milk 11.9 (was 3.26 in Jan)
Egg 8.93 (was 1.46)
Peanut 9.19 (was 6.81)
barley 21.8 (was 14.0)
wheat 60.1 (was 24.1)
sesame 10.0 (was 7.03)
garlic 7.01 (was 8.54)
pea 1.13
soy 0.56
beef 1.02 (was negative)
cashew 0.36

Owen is meant to live at the beach

We brought Owen to the beach for a long weekend. I was concerned about bringing Owen to the beach because of all the skin irritations- heat, humidity, sand, sun tan lotion, etc. It was not that hot (70's-80's) and very low humidity. Owen did amazing. Owen did so well that we didn't have to give him Claritin (which is amazing). I think it is a sign that we should sell everything, and buy a beach house. :)

Owen had a very itchy/ splotchy face day on Monday. It started when he was in the car without the air conditioning on. Doug and Owen were waiting for me, and during that time, Owen's face got all red. But it stayed splotchy throughout periods of the day. It didn't seem to be related to anything specific (like eating). I put protopic on his face, but it didn't improve. Tuesday and Wednesday his skin was back to a great condition. (Just a note, which I hope doesn't mean anything, but I didn't feed him beef on Tuesday or Wednesday)

I've Been Tagged

I have been tagged on my blog (quite exciting really!).
Here are the rules:

* Link to the person who tagged you.
* Post the rules on your blog.
* Write 6 random things about yourself.
* Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
* Let each person know you tagged them by leaving an entry on their blog.
* Let your tagger know when your entry is up on your blog.

Now, 6 random things about me:
1. I have 2 men in my life- my fabulous husband Doug, and the best little buddy, Owen
2. I only wanted to live in one place my whole life, but Doug has expanded my horizons to be a world traveler. I lived in Europe for 3 years, and each month it was our goal to visit a new location.
3. Pregnancy gives me heart burn. Otherwise, I just have a big bump on my tummy, that I forget about most of the time.
4. My mom was a nun (and yes, there are good stories ;)
5. I hate running.
6. My son's food allergies have changed my life. Owen was diagnosed with food allergies at 4 months of age. He is allergic to wheat, soy, milk, legumes, barley, peanut, sesame, garlic (which is a bigger pain than you can imagine), egg, and environmental allergies. He has contact food allergies, and reacts when I can't see any of his triggers. I am completely sympathetic to other moms with food allergic kids. I wish I could put a protective coating around Owen to protect him from this world that he is allergic too, but I so desperately am trying to integrate him into many social things as well. I hate feeling like the crazy, over protective, hypochondriac mom. My faith in God and his providence keeps me going.

Tags- Rachel's Recipe Box (I get stuck in a cooking rut so easily because of Owen's limitations. Food Allergies have take the joy out of cooking), MyKidsAllergies (I have touched by the recent bumps in the Food Allergy journey that she has shared), Food Allergy Buzz (a fabulous source on information), and Team Cress (this is my family blog, that I get to share the joys and fun in my life)

Support Team Cress in Food Allergy Walk

FAAN is hosting a Food Allergy Walk on October 4th. Team Cress plans on being there to support this cause and raise money for Food Allergy research. If you would like to support Owen and the Team Cress team, please click on the links below. The links bring you directly to a website that supports Team Cress. Please join us on October 4th, and help us fight the food allergy epidemic.

July Just Won't Go Away!

When I picked Owen up from daycare on Tuesday, July 29th, it started out so normal. It was really hot and humid outside, so the Owen was in the house all day. Cheryl said she thought he might be coming down with a cold because he was sneezing all day. We forgot to give him Claritin that morning, but he was inside all day, so I was surprised that it mattered. Owen woke up from his nap (2:30) sounding congested and slight runny nose. He had minor irritation over his left eye. During the 20 minute car ride home, Owen's face had increased redness, Owen was saying "itch", and itching his legs and face. (Owen was easily distracted by the DVD player in the car) At 3:00, we were home and I noticed raised red bumps on the left side of his face. I gave him .5 teaspoon of Benadryl. At 3: 25 there was no improvement of symptons, and the raised, red bumps spread to the right side of his face. I called Dr. Banks office. They instructed to give him another .5 teaspoon of benadryl and go to Dr. Banks office immediately.

At 3:50 we arrrived at Dr. Banks office. Owen's rash was no long spreading. It was a deeper red, but it was improved. By 4:30, Owen's face had greatly improved. Eczema on trunk and legs are worse. We gave him a third dose of Benadryl at 1900 because of some lingering redness and ezcema.

Dr. Banks believes that Owen is growing increasingly allergic to cats. There are 2 cats at the day care. I was surprised that he thought it was a cat allergy because the rash did not occur until he had left day care.

Today we remembered to give him Claritin before day care. He had a good day at daycare. He was inside again today. Cheryl said that Owen was completely fine all day. There was just a minor spot of redness on the left side of his mouth when I picked him up. But just like yesterday, the redness and itching increased in the car. He got one 3 mm red hive on his right check, just like he did the day before. Owen was sneezing and his nose was running at this point. I thought here I go again! When we got home, I got Owen some juice and an allergy free cookie (Everyday brand, which is my favorite company in the world!) He was out of breath while drinking his juice, but I think that was because his nose was no congested. He had some minor redness around the hive for about an hour, but it all cleared up on its own.

Owen during his reaction (sorry for the scary picture, but I need to document these things for myself):

Eczema Improved After 5 Days

Owens skin finally looked good again. Each day there was an improvement and today he was back to his baseline. I realize that ezcema is just as stressful as dealing with hives. If I had a choice, I would much prefer that Owen would get hives over the eczema, because the hives can be relieved with Benadryl within 15 minutes. Eczema takes days to clear up.

On Thursday, I took some time for myself. It was wonderfully relaxing. I started the day visiting blogs and websites to get ideas on what things I can cook for Owen. Then I got my hair cut, which I have not done since Mother's Day '07. Then I went to Whole Foods and spent 2 hours looking for things for Owen and reading labels. It was so much fun. One of my greatest finds was EveryDay brand soft chocolate chip cookies. Owen loves them! He thought they were the greatest. And I was so happy to give him a yummy treat. At least I think they are yummy. I have not dared to take any of Owen's cookies, not even a little bite. I also purchased Sunbutter. It is similar to peanut butter, but it is made from sun flower seeds. Owen really enjoys it. I think he just enjoys some new flavors, since he eats almost the same things every day. Below is a picture of him enjoying dipping food into the Sunbutter. Tomorrow I am going to cook a chicken and pasta dish (I found a corn pasta, that Owen has not had yet). I also hope to make Apple muffins. I had such a fun time at Whole Foods, coming up with all these ideas for food.

Picture of Owen enjoying Sunbutter.

Itchy, irritated face continues

Today was another day of an itchy irritated face. It might have been slightly improved from yesterday, but nothing to get excited about. I contact Dr. Wood's office, and they told me that eczema flares up when the immune system is triggered. Owen had a high fever on Sunday and Monday, and it triggered the eczema. They told me to keep him cool, bath frequently to clean off sweat, moisturize with aquaphor, and use prescription cream as needed.

I got approval to give Owen Jello. I was concerned about the gelatin ingredient, but I was told that Jello's gelatin comes from cows or pigs. Apparently, gelatin can also come from fish. I am going to make Jello tomorrow, and give it a try. Hopefully we will be able to eat soy soon, and that will open up a lot of opportunities for desserts.

I was reading a bunch of blogs about kids with food allergies. It started with Doug reading me a story from mykidshavefoodallergies.blogspot.com. The story he read me made me cry, and not just a little. I sobbed. The mom has 2 kids- Owen and Max. Over the past 5 months they have been undergoing food challenges, and have failed them all. I decided that I am just going to decide that it will take 20 years to outgrow the allergies, so that I don't get so disappointed with all the ups and downs that food allergies bring. Sometimes skin tests and blood test results can get your hopes up, only to be crushed by a food challenge that goes wrong. Food challenges are not fun. You eat a small bit of food, and then wait for 20 minutes to see what happens. If you tolerate it, they give you a slight bit more, and then you wait again. You need a lot of patience. And then when you fail, they load you up with Benadryl so you are exhausted and are very disappointed. I do not look forward to these events. We already have been through a wheat challenge, and Owen failed within 5 minutes after they put a dab of cream of wheat on his cheek. So I guess if you are going to fail, it is best to fail up front, just so the anxiety does not drag out.

Itchy Face

All right, I have some catching up to do.

On Friday, July 18th I went to the Columbia Mall indoor playground, and Owen did not have any problems.

On Monday, June 21st I went to the Marley Station mall playground and Owen developed hives on his face after playing at the indoor playground for 1 hour.

On Tuesday, June 22nd, Owen's face was "messy" all day. He woke up with redness around his eyes. He became splotchy and itchy around his face and on his head. We had his well baby doctor's visit. The doctor gave him Benadryl, and his face improved. But when we got back into the car, his face became itchy and splotchy again. When we took a walk, his face became itchy again, so we turned around and went home. I gave him some more Benadryl before he went to bed, and his face seemed to improve.

July has been a rough month for Owen.

Yikes, what a mess!

One of the most frustrating things about Owen's allergies is not knowing what is going on. That is exactly what happened today. When I picked Owen up from day care, his skin looked clean. I didn't do an inspection, but I was not concerned. Although there was a "soreness" to his skin, but it was mild. I brought Owen to the mall to play at the playground, since it is a hot day. Owen played at the playground for 30 minutes. Then he started coughing a dry cough. He kept coughing, so I went to check on him. And I heard him wheezing, which is a first. I thought to myself this can't be. I listened to him for a minute, and the wheezing continued. I took Owen off the playground and bought him some juice. (I always give him a drink when he shows signs of a reaction. It gives me a chance to evaluate him without his hands getting in the way. It also serves as a "time out" to evaluate the situation). Owen was not interested in the juice. I gave him benadryl. He continued to cough, and his nose started running slightly. His face was red and slightly puffy. I started getting very concerned. I decided to get the epipen handy(which I thought was in my car, but it was in my purse the whole time). On my way to the car, I thought I should notify mall security, so they can be prepared to help me if I needed it. Security called 911, and an ambulence met me at my car. By the time the ambulence arrived, his coughing and wheezing stopped. His face was still red and puffy. The paramedic evaluated him, and said that he didn't hear any wheezing, and said it was my choice if I wanted Owen to go to the hospital. Since there was no respiratory issues, I just went home.
Owen's face continued to be slightly puffy. He has horrible eczema on his legs, chest, arms, and underarms. When I brought him upstairs to put cream on him, it seems like his face got worse as I was applying cream.
When he ate dinner, he sounded congested again, but did not cough or wheeze. I gave him Nasonex. He already had Claritin earlier that day. I gave him benadryl again before I put him to sleep.
It is so hard to judge what to do. I felt like I over reacted when I got mall security involved, but if I was helping another mother, I would have done the same thing.
What happened today??? What is happening with my little guy?

Irritated eyes, leg, and diaper area

Ms. Cheryl reported that Owen had itchy eyes during a time at day care. She said there were no welts or anything, just itchiness. She also said he had a itchy spot on his thigh. He looked pretty good when I picked him up. There was slight signs of facial irritation, but no red flags. Just before dinner, his eyes became itchy again. There were no hives. Doug said that he saw some bread crumbs on the table where he was playing. So it might have been that. We gave him some benadryl. His diaper area was also very itchy tonight. I put on some protopic and aquaphor. Once his diaper was on, he didn't try to scratch. But when his diaper was off, he could not stop itching.

Red, warm, splotchy face

Owen's face was red and splotchy when I picked him up from day care at 2:15 today. The redness improved during the ride home, and the redness and thickness seemed to congregate around his eyes. He played in the basement for a while, and his whole face flared up again. It continued all evening long.

There is a part of me that wonders if it is a skin infection that set off this eczema. He got several cuts while he was in the church nursery on Sunday. Sunday afternoon he went swimming in a lake. So maybe a cut got infected and set off this chain of irritation. The irritation did not start till Monday afternoon.

I applied antibiotic cream, protopic, and gave him benadryl. He fell asleep, but was still red and itchy when he was dozing off.

Itchy, Itchy Ichabod

Owen has had quite a bit of eczema on his arms, legs, and trunk. Yesterday he was itching his neck, there there were no signs of a rash. It seems like the cream helps a bit, but it doesn't take the eczema away. When I was driving home from the mall today he was itching the whole ride home. My heart breaks when there is nothing I can do. When we got home I gave him benadryl and rocked him for a while. Then he was fine the rest of the evening, and he didn't itch.

Left Cheek with Red Rash

Owen had a red rash on his left cheek during dinner. I didn't see him itch it. And it went away 30 minutes after eating. It never seemed to bother him. Owen ate beef, broccoli, and potato for dinner.

Doing well, but holding my breath for Monday

Owen has been doing great. My mom has been watching him, and we return to daycare (and the daycare mulch) on Monday. There has been a lot of rain since the last incident happened, so his allergist believes that with the help of Claritin, he will do well. I am just praying. Owen had some minor itching (especially last Thursday), but nothing significant at all.

Significant redness and swelling around eyes

Owen woke up from his nap at day care with significant redness and swelling around the eyes. They were very itchy. I gave him .5 teaspoon of benadryl, and he seemed to get relief. Then during dinner, redness and hives developed again around the eyes. It had only been 3 hours since I gave him benadryl, but since he was symptomatic, I gave him another .5 teaspoon. The redness and swelling has gone down, but did not disappear.

I called Dr. Banks and he is concerned that it might be the new mulch that the daycare just put down in their playground. I sure hope it is not that.

3 Hives on face after eating beef

Owen got 3 hives on his face when he started eating his burger. There is always the possibility that the food was contaminated with another allergen that was not cleaned up. When he started eating the burger, he immediately started rubbing his eye, where a hive developed. I have him some juice, and he stopped itching, and the hive eventually went away on its own. I did not give any Benadryl.

Owen has 2 teeth breaking through right now.

Owen has ~5 small spots (less than a dime) of eczema on his legs.

Redness around his mouth, but no hives

I gave Owen a Bubba burger tonight. After he was 75% done, he started to develop some redness around his mouth, and some minor itching. I wiped his mouth. He finished the burger. No hives, no more itching. He was fine.

Hives during dinner

For dinner, Owen ate beef, rice with coconut milk, green beans and carrots. Owen started with beef and I saw some minor redness around his lips. It wasn't until he started eating the other food that the hives developed, and it was itchy. I gave him benadryl and it cleared up immediately.

I am concerned that he may be allergic to beef. But he ate beef during lunch which did not effect him and beef hot dogs never bother him.

Hives during dinner

Owen had a food reaction while eating dinner. He ate beef, broccoli, avocado, strawberries, and blueberries. I am suspicious if it was the fruit. Owen got hives all around his face and itching. I gave him benadryl, and the hives cleared in 20 minutes.

I am going to give Owen the fruit again tomorrow to see if it was the fruit. But there is a big chance that it may have been cross contamination. I thought I was being careful, but I was eating food he was allergic too, and then interacting with him. Also, there were a bunch of people at the house who may have inadvertently exposed Owen to one of his allergens.

I do have to report good news. Owen's played outside all morning, and his seasonal allergies didn't bother him. Apparently the allergy count was off the charts today-4000. Yet Owen did great. Yea!!!

Eczema at day care

Owen woke up from his nap at day care with eczema on his left eye. The eczema was improved by evening time. Today he just has a mark that looks like a scratch.

Hives after bathtime

Owen ate beef, rice, carrots, and broccoli tonight. After eating for 30 minutes he started to rub his face. It was time for bedtime, so I just brought him upstairs. During bath time, which was very short, I didn't notice any problems. When I was putting on his eczema cream, I notice some redness under his right arm. I decided to get some more cream and I realized there were 7 hives and redness under his arm. At that point he started itching. I gave him some benadryl. I didn't notice the hives until 1 hour after he ate. It might have been something I ate and then I kissed him. I don't know. That is the most frustrating thing about this whole experience.

I talked to Kim from Dr. Woods office today. She asked me if he is showing any signs of asthma yet. I was discouraged by the question, even though I have been warned that Owen has a 100% chance of getting asthma. She said that asthma is SO much better than eczema because it is easier to control with medicine. Eczema is unpredictable and difficult to manage. Kim said she would take asthma any day over eczema. I was quite surprised by the conversation.

Kim was also very impressed with how well Owen takes Nasonex. She said she never heard of a toddler tolerating the Nasonex. She said they always need to give Claritin or Zyrtec. I am so proud of Owen and how well he tolerates all his medicine. Thank God!!

Itchy face during dinner

Owen got an itchy face at the start of dinner. I didn't see hives. There was some minor swelling in both his eyes, but I don't know if that is because he was rubbing them. He was also itching behind his left ear. When the itching started, I wiped his hands and face. I then gave him some juice. I didn't take his food away. When I gave him the juice, he stopped itching, but his eyes were still slightly swollen.

He ate avocado and carrots before the itching started. I didn't see him eat anything else, although he may have. He did have beef, french fries, broccoli, avocado, and carrots on his tray.

He is getting more eczema on his feet, and other parts of his body. He still looks nothing like he did one month ago- thank God!!

Rash on the Abdomen

I feel like I need to just thank God that Owen looks as good as he does. Really it is amazing how far he has come. But I can't help but cringe when I see a little eczema around his left eye and around his mouth. He also had a red rash on his upper left abdomen just a bit smaller than the size of my hand. He also had some very small spots on his arms.

I gave him Nasonex yesterday, and I didn't hear him cough at all. Well that is until 3 am. He coughed a whole bunch from 3-4am. Then he was quite for about 1 hour. And at 5 am, he was ready to get up for the day. When he does get up early, I just remind praise God that he is willing to go to bed so early.

Owen is on his second day of Nasonex. He is coughing less, but his nasal drainage has not slowed down at all.

Owen has seasonal allergies- big shocker!

The allergist, Dr. Banks confirmed today that Owen has seasonal allergies. He prescribed Nasonex for relief. Owen has had a runny nose since 3/14 and a cough for a week. The doctor also told me today that Owen has a 100% chance of developing asthma. Oh well. I have been warned.

Owen skin still looks great, although he is getting trace amounts of eczema around his eyes. I HATE when he gets eczema around his eyes. If I had to choose, I would want the eczema on his cheeks. To me, eczema around the eyes look so much more painful.

Random Hives

Today Owen played at the park for over an hour and a half. Just before we left the park, Owen got 2 hives on this forehead. They just popped up out of no where. There was no food around. I didn't see him put anything in his mouth.

Owen's nose has been running since 3/14. The congestion seems to be getting worse. Tomorrow I have an allergist appointment to see if it is allergies or a cold that won't go away.

Trying to Integrate Owen Into the Church Nursery

The staff at our church nursery have been very supportive in accommodating Owen's food restrictions. But for the past 2 weeks, despite our best efforts, Owen has broken out in hives in the nursery. I stayed with Owen today in the nursery, I provided Allergen free snacks for all the kids in the nursery, but Owen still got hives. He didn't get hives until the last 5 minutes of the church service.

Owen is extremely sensitive to his allergens. He didn't eat any food that he was allergic too, but he still had a reaction.

I really would like to continue to keep Owen in the nursery program. He is certainly way too busy to join us in the church service. I am at a loss, but I will keep trying each week to protect Owen in the nursery. This is going to be tricky.

Owen has tested negative for beef. But the last few time Owen has eaten beef, he has developed itching and redness around his mouth. And today I thought I noticed a few hives. But the redness disappeared within 10 minutes. Also, he didn't develop the itching until 20 minutes into the meal. He usually reacts within a few minutes of eating an allergen.

On a positive note- Owen's skin still looks fabulous. Owen has been off steroids for 1 month, and his skin looks completely normal. There are no signs of eczema. We praise God for every day of relief that Owen get from eczema.

Introduction

Owen was diagnosed with Food Allergies at 4 months of age when he reacted to a milk based formula. At that time, Owen tested positive for the major food allergens- Milk, Wheat, Egg, and Peanut. As Owen's diet expanded, so did Owen's allergies. We discovered new allergies each time Owen would try a new food. Owen's current list of allergies include the following: milk, wheat, egg, peanut, soy, sesame, barley, and garlic.

My family is blessed with great medical care. Dr. Banks has been fabulous with treating Owen, and helping us through the minefield of feeding time. Owen has joined a food allergy study at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Dr. Woods and Nurse Kim have also been a huge support to us. Dr. Woods is a rock star in the food allergy community. He has dedicated his whole career in finding a cure for food allergies. And Kim has been a fabulous support to me, answering my million questions. She has given me a great education, and has helped me with the anxieties that go along with raising a child with food allergies.

I want to blog Owen's food allergy experience to help keep track of how he is doing, and maybe help someone else who is going through the same thing. Food allergies can be very overwhelming, but thanks to our great support system, things are getting better.