Discovering Allergies

After switching Brynn to Enfamil formula her skin changed radically (for the better.) I was sure of 2 things. 1- She had a milk allergy/sensitivity. 2- This would make her better. 

Well after a few weeks her skin starting to break out again. 

After talking to several friends about the struggle with their kids eczema, I knew we needed to get to an allergist. I called Brynn's pediatrician & asked them to refer us (which I could tell he was hesitant about.) We were given an appointment time & told we would see Dr. Garcia. Everyone who I asked absolutely raved about how wonderful she was. 

Before we went to see Dr. Garcia we had Brynn's 9 month appointment. While we were there her pediatrician said (I'm paraphrasing here) that we were wasting our time, money, & efforts going to an allergist. That she was too young to register anything... & here is the kicker he said, "eczema doesn't hurt her." 

Ummm... I impolitely respectfully disagree. Because a baby just scratches their face, scalp, stomach, & legs til they bleed for NO REASON? At this point it was a good thing J was with me because I was getting angry. 

Anyway, let me calm down. Ok. I'm good. Doesn't he know not to mess with a Momma? Especially a red-head Momma?? :)

It was time for her allergist appointment & her skin had been great for a whole week. I really started getting sick about how the skin test would hurt her. And how guilty (see...it's always a struggle!) I would feel if it all came back negative. So I told Jonathan that we would just talk to the doctor & see what she wanted to do instead of insisting on the test. 

We met Dr. Garcia & instantly LOVED her. She actually listed to & validated my concerns & DID NOT make me feel like a paranoid 1st time mom. So when she said we needed to test a few things I completely trusted her. 

We tested 12 "triggers." Dust, (several types) dog, soy, wheat, milk, peanuts, egg, cantaloupe, & fish. 

My little girl is tough. Tougher than her Momma that is for sure. She only cried for about 15 seconds after getting pricked. Twice. With 12 barbs. Yikes. She had to sit still for 15 minutes so of course we watched Daniel Tiger. And just like that she had forgotten about it hurting her! 

While she watched Daniel, I watched her back. I have never been allergy tested so I had no idea what kind of reaction to expect. While I was watching she had several hives swell up almost immediately (I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture!) I just KNEW the big one had to be milk. When Dr. Garcia came back in she looked at Brynn's back and said, "Wow." Then left the room. 

Umm...nervous mom here!! She came back with a ruler that measured circles (that's a terrible description, I can't think of another way to describe it) & her computer. She told us that she rarely sees a baby react as severely as she did. She went to measure the 2 largest whelps and her ruler didn't measure large enough (now I'm not talking like golf ball size or anything. Her biggest whelp was 20mm.) 

She told us that Brynn had a slight reaction to dogs (10 points to me for figuring that one out so quickly!) And to dust. I think I actually laughed out loud when she said that. We live in Lubbock. We don't have dust. :)

Peanuts & egg were the biggest worry with an off the charts severe reaction. Dr. Garcia recommended that she stay away from eggs all together. Not in baked goods, no whites, no yolks. No egg. And the same for peanuts. She said to keep her away from all forms & recommended that we not even eat it. And if we did, not to touch or kiss her. 

She set us up with an epi-pen, subscribed some allergy meds daily to take care of her CONSTANT runny nose & cough. Told us we could use hydrocortisone if she did break out to take care of the itching. And recommended some lotions. 

Wait, did we actually just get help? Did she actually listen to us & not just tell me "it happens to all babies-she'll grow out of it?"

I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!! 

There is a chance she could grow of out this (we will retest next year) but you know what, either way we can deal with it! Some people are telling me how hard it will be. Maybe I'm naive, but right now I don't care how hard it is. It's something we have to do. Something I'll gladly do to keep my baby girl safe. And trust me, I know we could be dealing with A LOT more intense issues. 

As far as her eczema goes she has super sensitive skin.  The more I think about it, we eat Chick-fil-A ALL the time...cooked in peaunt oil.  We eat 5 Guys...peaunts EVERYWHERE. I eat a PBJ at least once a week & snack on peanuts a lot. So my guess is that was causing her skin to react so insane. 

This is her skin this weekend after being extra careful about what she comes into contact with...CLEAR! 

                                                   

Now that we have her an Epi-Pen, you KNOW I have to have something cute to carry it in searched ETSY & I found these. They are so cute & the clear front is so smart! I also like that it has enough room for the trainer, some Benadryl, & the emergency card. I found them here. 

I found these stickers on Pinterest that I'm thinking I need to get also, would be great for school! Found here.

I'm having to remind myself to check labels & do a little research when we eat out, but we are beyond glad we found out this way. I'm giving God all the praise because I know He gave me this "mothers intuition." One day all doctors will realize that mothers know their children better than anyone! 

This scripture always comes to mind when I think about a "mothers intuition." 

Isaiah 30:21

If you have any tips, tricks, or recipes I would love to hear some feedback. 

And, if you've stuck with this crazy long post, you get a gold star. Or a Sonic drink. Yes, go get a Sonic coke!