Phone Call From the Babysitter

When I gave Owen a bath tonight, he had some red bumps (hives?) on this chest. His right eye was slightly swollen. His right cheek has also been irritated for 4 days. I gave Owen benadryl before I left for the night. Owen played in the basement 30 minutes, and then it was time for bed. As the babysitter was getting ready for bed, she noticed that the redness on Owen face was getting worse. My babysitter called me because she was getting concerned.

I asked my neighbor, Diane, to stop by the house and evaluate the situation. Diane reassured me that Owen was improving with Benadryl.

I love my babysitter. She did such a great job evaluating the situation, and called me when she became concerned. That is all I can ever ask for!! And I am so grateful for my neighbor, Diane, who does a great job caring for Owen.

Breaking My Heart

The great news is that we went to our third birthday in a row, and Owen did not break out in hives!!! There was lots of people and lots of food, but Owen had clean skin the whole time.

As Doug put Owen down to sleep, he said "I don't feel good." Doug asked why, and Owen's response was "I have alleriges, and I can't have cake." :( I did bring a cupcake, but it was not very good, and he certainly sees that it is different from the other kids. I am proud that he doesn't complain at all during the party.

Ugh. Hopefully we will get some good RAST results, and get some hope.

Allergist Appointment- 3 year visit

What a morning! Owen was such a trooper at the allergist this morning. It was a 2 hour appointment with exams from 2 nurses, 1 doctor (Dr. Woods at Johns Hopkins is the best!!!), 15 skin tests, and a blood test. He was so brave. I thank God for helping Owen through this doctor's appointment. I know many people were praying for him.

The doctor was very happy that Owen does not have asthma. At his 2 year appointment, the doctor told me there was a 100% chance that Owen would get asthma. He was extremely pleased that Owen did not develop asthma this year, and he said now there is only a 50% chance of him developing asthma. Apparently, having asthma is like adding lighter fluid when you have an allergic reation.

Owen's skin tests results were not good. His response to egg, milk, and peanut were off the charts. Wheat was bad. And his reaction to indoor allergens (like dust on carpets) was pretty bad. Nurse Kim (who is an amazing nurse) recommended I get a mat for him to play on, instead of letting him play on the carpet. She said it is bad when he is laying on his belly with his face so close to the carpet. She also told me to pick up covers for his mattresses and box spring.

I will get the RAST test results in 2 weeks. I can hardly wait!!!!

I am so grateful that Owen has gone a whole year without any accidental ingestion exposures to his allergens. With all his allergies, he hasn't eaten any of it!!! He has had contact exposures, but those reactions are nothing compared to an ingestion of an allergen.

It was a great day! He is still very allergic, but we got encouraging news. Woo hoo!