Out of Breath

I feel like Owen gets out of breath very easily. I did this video of Owen playing in the basement, because I feel like he was breathing hard while he was playing. It is very subtle, but it just seems like a bit more heavy than normal.

Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuea7mDLYfo

Last week, my babysitter gave Owen an inhaler twice because of slight shortness of breath and a dry cough.

Today, at the pool, Owen was holding hands with 2 girls, and jumping the in water. My babysitter said that Owen became short of breath, and was coughing a lot. She told him to take a break, but he was still coughing. He said his throat felt funny, and he must be allergic to the water. :) My babysitter asked the girl, who Owen was holding hands with, what she had just ate for lunch (because she had just finished eating), and the girl said she had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Because of everything that was happening, my babysitter gave Owen a drink, and then took the kids home, and Owen improved immediately.

Egg Trial - Day 3

In January, Owen's doctor told us that we start a baked egg trial. I made 2 dozen cookies using 1 egg. Therefore, 2 cookies equals 1 serving. Thursday evening I gave him a cookie just before bed time (which is a bad idea for many reasons.) He started complaining of nasal congestion, which isn't abnormal for bed time. Since it was at bedtime, I decided to give him Benadryl, just in case. Since we had a babysitter on Friday, I didn't give him any of the cookies. This morning I gave him one cookie. He was itching his head a bit, but it is normal for him in hot and humid weather. T wo hours later, I gave him another cookie without any incident. Woo hoo!

The cookies are from a recipe from The Allergen Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal. This cookbook is my favorite, because it avoids all the top allergens. A girl friend had a cookie, and she was very surprised when I told her it was Owen friendly. She couldn't believe how good it was.

Random Labored Breathing

Owen was quietly playing at the beach house. Everyone just sat down for dinner, but Owen had his dinner 30 minutes earlier. He started coughing and using his accessory muscles to take deep breaths of air. His respiratory rate was normal, and he had no other signs of distress. I gave him his inhaler, and symptoms resolved in a few minutes.

Asthma after a Nap

We were at Doug's parent's house in California. It was our 4th day there. Owen woke up from a nap, and asked for a drink. I was cooking a lasagna, so I washed my hands, and gave him some soy milk. Soon after I gave him the drink, he started coughing. The dry cough continued. I wanted to listen to his lungs, so I asked him to blow out my finger, and he couldn't. Since I haven't needed the inhaler in months, I didn't bring it on vacation (big mistake!) I called the doctor, and they called the prescription into the pharmacy. When we arrived at the pharmacy to pick up the prescription, Owen said "Mom, I'm breathing better", and he was. I gave him one dose of the inhaler. He hasn't had any breathing issues since that time.

I don't know what triggered the asthma. I am grateful to God that it hasn't happened again.

Anaphylaxis at the Airport on Christmas Eve

We were at the San Francisco Airport for a 3 hour lay over. We ate lunch at the food court. The table we sat at had some sesame seeds on it, and I used baby wipes to clean the table. Owen ate a Sunbutter and Jelly sandwich on King Arther bread, carrots, pretzels, apple slices, and Burger King french fries.

Owen finished his meal, and was full of energy. I wanted him to run around before we hopped on the next flight. So he and I had a 500 ft race. Owen ran the whole way without any trouble. He laid on the floor, and didn't want to stand up. He asked that I carry him, but I told him he had to walk (the point was to get his energy out.) He continued to lay on the floor, and didn't want to get up. I picked him up, and I realized was he was having trouble catching his breath, coughing, sweating, red, itchy, and one large hive on his cheek. I asked him if he was ok, and he said "I'm hoarse." Owen wanted to curl up, and he seemed stiff (I don't know how else to describe it). We gave him a teaspoon of benadryl, and he threw up. We gave him another teaspoon of benadryl, and called the airport paramedics.

The symptoms were epi pen worthy, but they were mild. In the end, our doctor said to stick to the emergency plan, and don't hesitate to give him the epi pen.

McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and Fries?!?!?!

Someone gave Owen McDonald's chicken nuggets (and removed the breading) and fries. The chicken nuggets have wheat, and the fries have milk and wheat. And Praise God, he had no reaction!!! Not even a hive!!! I can hardly believe it!!!!!

I emailed the doctor to ask him if we can try the McDonald's food again (this is very risky, and I would not have agreed to this). What a blessing it would be to be able to eat at McDonald's. I would not have to pack a lunch every time we are on the road. I am truly beyond excited!

And in other news, our bottle of Benadryl expires this month. I've had epi pens expire, but never a bottle of Benadryl. We went through large Costco sized bottles of Benadryl in the past. I can't believe we didn't finish a normal sized bottle. Owen has improved so much this past 6 months, and I am so excited to see him get better.

What a day!!!!!!!!

PF Chang's- My FAVORITE Restaurant

The thought of bringing Owen to a restaurant was completely off my radar. I would never trust some random chef to prepare my son a meal.

Tonight I went to PF Chang's with a girlfriend. The waitress' first question was if either of us had food allergies. I immediately thanked her, since I appreciate their attentiveness to this issue. The waitress proceeded to tell me about the special services they offer. I gave her a list of all of Owen's allergies, and she told me that she would print me out an Owen friendly menu. I was so excited to find out the results!

A few minutes later, the manager came to my table. Apologetically, he gave me the menu, and said that all he could offer was rice and steamed vegetables. I asked him about their preparation methods, to see if the staff truly understood the attentiveness it takes to make Owen a meal (you need to use a clean/uncontaminated surface, grill, utensils, etc.) I was very impressed. PF Chang's totally gets it!

I profusely thanked the manager. Even though the manager doesn't think steamed vegetables and rice was that great, it is tremendous that Owen could go to a restaurant, order from the menu (even if it is only one option) and know that he can get a safe meal. I'm so excited to bring Owen to this restaurant. I wish more places understood food allergies, like PF Chang's.