Asthma

Owen had his first asthma attack. :(

Owen had minor, irregular wheezes this week. Tree season has been unprecedented, and it has been getting the best of him. Last night, Owen suddenly had wheezing and coughing. We removed him from the environment and gave him benadryl. He was able to settle down enough to fall asleep. He woke up at 4 am coughing and wheezing.

We visited Dr. Banks, and he said he thinks it was because of an inhilation of a scone mix that included pine nuts. Dr. Banks stated that Owen is extremely sensitive to his allergens because of the tree pollen. He recommended Owen take Singular and Albuterol each night for the rest of the spring. He is hoping that Owen will improve once the allergy season improves.

I Get So Emotional

Nothing strikes my nerves like food allergies. I easily get moved to tears when...
- I arrive at church, and the children's program tells me about an activity that Owen can't do because of his allergies
- When I receive bad RAST scores
- Listening to Owen talk about his food allergies, and explain that certain foods make him sick
- Watching Owen look at food that he knows he can't touch
- When I give Owen a birthday cupcake and he doesn't want it
- When I can't find the ingredients I need for a recipe
- When I finally find the ingredients I need for a recipe
- When I get to the cash register and I realize how much those special ingredients cost (not really :)

I am so grateful that Owen has never needed an epi pen. I am so grateful for Owen's flexible personality, and how he constantly rolls with the punches. I am so grateful for my faith in a sovereign God who has all things in his control. He knows the tears I have cried, and he promises to work all things for good (Rom 8:28)

I Found A Yummy Cake for Owen!!!

I am writing this post with great joy! All Owen wanted for his birthday was cake. And no matter how hard I try, I could not deliver ... until now.

I found the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook at my library. It promised a chocolate layer cake that everyone would enjoy. It said that you won't even realize it is missing butter, wheat, and eggs. I didn't believe it.

But, despite my pessimistic attitude, I gave it a try... and it was awesome!!! Owen loves his "chocolate birthday cake." He asks for cake after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I give him a slice each time. I am just so happy that he enjoys the cake. And Doug (who is a tough cake critic) likes it too.

I am so grateful for my library for having the book available. I am so thankful for the Organic Market for carrying all the uncommon ingredients that I could not find at my grocery store.

http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Foods-Allergy-Cookbook-Homestyle/dp/1890612456

RAST Results

These are not the numbers I was praying for. I continue to trust God. I know God is in charge, and he always gives me what I need. I don't know why that includes allergies, but I trust his plan.

Milk 77.08 (was 20.52 in 01/09, 11.9 in 07/08 and 3.26 in 01/08)

Egg 21.73 (was 11.7, 8.93, 1.46)

Peanut 22.87 (was 13.32, 9.19, 6.81)

Almond 0.35

Hazelnut 5.16

Pecan 11.1

Cashew 10.3

Pistachio 9.36

Sesame 15.6 (was 15.8)

Garlic 8.21 (was 10.7)

White bean 1.75

Lentil 1.14 (was 2.12)

Chick pea 0.5 (was 0.92)

Barley 29.2 (was 43.3)

Wheat 68.8 (was 86.2)

Negative:

Crab

Shrimp

After talking with Dr. Wood's office, they said I could try crabs & shrimp since Owen is 3 years old. I don't think I will. If I do, and he becomes allergic, then I will blame myself. I will wait until Owen is interested in crabs, and then we will try.

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!