Food Allergies

Want to see what an allergy skin test looks like? Here is Nora's after 4/5 hours.  The reactions are all gone, all those purple dots are where they jabbed a sharp into serum and then into her back to see if she'd swell up.  I had to hold her there while she was clawing trying to scratch her back because it itched so bad. They had to go through and measure each of the welts then got to wash her off and put some ointment on her to make it feel better. They also tested for the major food allergens, and some environmental allergens as well and shes got a dust mite and dog allergy as well-which means Dex is limited with where he can go in the house, mom has to clean more and Nora takes some daily allergy medicine.

This is the evening the day she was tested, those dots mark all the places they poked to see if she had allergies

She also had a blood draw done that same day to test her peanut levels as well. Poor thing got turned into a pincushion that day.

This is where she had to have a blood draw to test her peanut level

She's allergic to eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts.  We have been avoiding them since October of 2015 when she was first tested. These are full blown allergies, not a lifestyle choice or health decision. This is if she eats this she will react instantly and depending on what it is have life threatening consequences.  So if I seem uptight at parties or events with food here's your reason why, also don't be offended if I just bring her own food, because sometimes it is just so much easier than dealing with anything else since I know it is safe for her.  

We now carry an epinephrine auto-injector everywhere we go, the common name is an epi-pen but with insurance that won't cover it we went with the CVS generic that cost us only $11 instead of the $500 of the epi pen. They can't get too hot or too cold, they expire after so long. 

Her food allergies are NOT going to magically disappear, no matter how much I wish or pray they would it will take years if any of them are actually outgrown.  Her level for peanuts was borderline low so she should be up for a food challenge at the allergist office where they are prepared in case she were to have a reaction and know what to look for in early stages.  

Considering what we had to put her through that day she ended up being happy as a lark, didn't hold any hard feelings to me or the nurses, but she also got to eat a sucker so that makes it all better in the mind of a two year old.

After the test she's happy again