Unexpected

On Wednesday, April 28 we had an unusual experience at our house.

Background to story: My sister Kellie and I are allergic to milk. Caitlyn is allergic to milk. My sister Tiffany has 2 sons that have multiple, EXTREME food allergies. I have felt an urgency to be methodical and exact when introducing new foods to Brooklyn. Since about September I have suspected that she had a wheat allergy. (Anytime someone would 'share' a cracker with her she would instantly break out in a red rash around her mouth.) In March I became suspicious about a milk allergy. (When she found some stray pieces of cottage cheese on the floor.) So we have been avoiding those foods.

Back to the story: After returning from our morning walk I was making scrambled eggs for breakfast. Brooklyn had never tasted an egg and I decided this was a great time to introduce it to her. After all, she was almost 1- in 2 days- and I hadn't introduced a new food for a while. She eagerly ate an entire egg & would have eaten more. But just as she finished I noticed a rash appearing around her mouth. And then she started scratching at her neck. And now it was red. So I whisked her off to the bath tub where I discovered at least 15 hives on her stomach. After an accurate dose of Benadryl I layed her down for her morning nap. She had only been asleep for about 15 minutes when I heard her fussing. But then she quit & went back to sleep. I finished getting ready and went to get her so we could take the older girls to gymnastics. I was horrified to find her lying in a pile of egg that she had thrown up. As I scooped her out of bed and headed back to the bath it was obvious that now her entire body was covered in hives and a rash.
I immediately called the pediatrician as I loaded everyone in the car. I was frustrated and unimpressed with their inefficient phone system. I just got the run around from the operator, even after I explained the situation. Really, I just wanted to be seen so I didn't have to go to Urgent Care or the ER. After I dropped the girls off at gymnastics, I drove straight to the pediatrician's office. And requested an appointment- now! They were kind enough to work me in right then during their lunch break. Brooklyn was diagnosed with an allergy to egg white and egg yolk. And I was sent home with a prescription for an EpiPen and strict instructions to fill it immediately. Then I made an appointment with an Allergist. And signed up to attend an annual parent conference sponsored by the Houston FAAN (Food Allergy and Awareness Network) chapter. This also brought my days of nursing to an abrupt end. The first night that I didn't nurse her before bed she slept through the entire night. I'm guessing that she has been having stomach aches that wake her up at night. Maybe?

Today was my appointment with the Allergist. There are no answers yet. Just a lot of information about avoiding eggs. And what a food allergy is verses and intolerance- Caitlyn just has an intolerance to milk. Then it was on to a 40 minute battle with Brooklyn to draw 3 vials of blood. And now we wait for results.

My sister posted this on her blog yesterday:

Give it Up
This week is Food Allergy Awareness Week, and one of the national advocacy organizations (Food Allergy Initiative) is sponsoring a 'give it up' contest.

The "Give It Up" campaign encourages children, parents, families and friends to show their support for the millions of Americans with food allergies by abstaining from eating a favorite food during the entire week. The "Give It Up" Facebook page also encourages supporters to share photos and/or videos on how they're "giving up" a favorite food. One lucky submitter will win an Apple iPad.

So if you want to be like Brooklyn this week, you can avoid wheat, milk, and egg. Good luck! (Notice I said Brooklyn. They don't encourage you to hold out major foods from your diet unless necessary. It's simply not healthy. So for now the rest of us are still eating those things. We shall see what the future holds.)