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.