May is Awareness Month for Asthma , Allergies & Celiac Disease. I am raising awareness for a cause close to my heart!
Those who know me know that my second born has been dealing with allergies since he was born. Our family doctor suspected around 2 months old that he had some sort of food sensitivity, unsure at the time whether it was an intolerance or an allergy. We were sent to see a pediatrician.
At three months old we recieved the 'shocking' news that our li'l man did in fact have allergies. Via RAST (short for radioallergosorbent test - a.k.a blood allergy test) we found out Keyan couldn't have cow's milk, egg whites and soy! We were surprised to say the least.
Keyan's first allergic reaction was on June 4, 2006 - he was 2 months shy of turning 2! My husband took our oldest son camping with some friends while Keyan and I stayed home. I ordered us pizza for dinner - no cheese of course, it had to be "Keyan friendly". Panago has the yummy dips, mmm the garlic one was my fav! I turned my back for a short time only to discover that Keyan had indulged in my yummy garlic dip!
Instantly his eyes, lips & face swelled and turned beat red - then he started wheezing. I panicked. I was home alone and had NO IDEA what to do in this situation, we've always worried about a time like this but never actually expected it to happen. I grabbed his antihistamines (currently used to help his eczema) and gave him a whole days worth in one dose. Thankfully, within 15 minutes the reaction started to subside. Such a terrifying moment for me.
Since then we have dealt with reaction after reaction, each time we feel a bit more prepared but still scary nonetheless. His reaction severity all depends on what his immune system may be dealing with at the time. An allergic reaction thrown in there my wreak havic.
In the past he has been tested several times for allergies, here are his results:
On August 17, 2005 (age 1) we seen a pediatrician in Campbell River. Keyan tested postive to wheat and chicked, on top of his previously diagnosed allergens of cow's milk, egg whites and soy. It was extremely hard at this age to find foods that he could eat ... and that he WOULD eat.
On October 18, 2005 (age 1) we seen an Immunologist in Victoria. Keyan tested postive to beef and pork, on top of his previously diagnosed allergens of cow's milk, egg whites, soy, wheat and chicken. Wow, as if feeding a one year couldn't have gotten any more difficult.
On August 16, 2006 (age 2) we re-visited the Immunologist in Victoria. Keyan was re-tested for his previous allergens and only tested positive to cow's milk and egg whites. HOORAY, he was no longer allergic to soy, wheat, chicken, beef or pork. But we did discover a knew allergy - CATS!
On January 18, 2008 (age 3.5) we re-visited the Immunologist in Victoria. Keyan continued to test postive to cow's milk, eggs whites and cats ... but also tested postive AGAIN to soy and chicken - interesting. New allergies discovered were salmon, egg yolks, grass, weeds and mold.
As it stands now, he has yet to be re-tested. We re-visited the Pediatrician in Campbell River last summer but he refused to re-test Keyan. We are thinking of paying another visit to the Immunologist in Victoria and see where Keyan stands with his allergies. She is an amazing doctor, so knowledgeable.
On December 2, 2009 we experienced Keyan's worst allergic reaction to date. The culprit unknown. Keyan was visiting at his bff's house, we got a phone call that he wasn't feeling well and would like to be picked up. When he first got home he appeared okay, but it wasnt too long after that he began to shake. Odd. I grabbed a blanket and cuddled him on the couch. He kept scratching his bum cheeks. I didnt think too much of it, he has eczema - maybe he had a flare up. But then the scratching became uncontrollable. I decided to see what exactly what was going on. This picture explains it all ...
His bum was covered in a raised red hot rash. The rash didnt stop there, it invaded his entire body, from his head down to his toes.
You can see in the below picture even his ears were red, hot and swollen! ... the swelling in his face is so bad it doesnt even look like our child.
That reaction is a great mystery to us. The only thing out of the ordinary (that we are aware of) was a dip in his friend's hot tub - was it the chemicals? We dont know, and we wont try it again any time soon.
Keyan has also had his share of asthma attacks, although it's still too premature to label him asthmatic - says a doctor. His first attack happened in September 2007, just after he turned 3 years old. Doctors suspected it was brought on by a combination of a recent cold virus and coming in contact with cats, one of his known allergies. Since then he's had a handful of attacks that are typically brought on by bronchitis type viruses.
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