A week ago, Samar had his blood drawn for his IgE levels test. The last time he took this test was in 08, Each time he takes this test, I hope that his levels would have gone down and we can do oral challenges in the doc’s office(oral challenge is when you give the child something that he was allergic to in a controlled and timed environment and note whether there are any reactions).
Today results devastated me. Not only his overall IgE went up, most of his individual ones went up(save for milk that went down like 2 pts) But that would have been fine with me. I was mentally prepared for that. But what threw me over the cliff was this. He tested positive for apples, strawberries and corn. His daily diet included applesauces and tamales. I hide the box of strawberries from the other kids so that he would have some for his own meal. And the levels are quite high,not something I can overlook.His peanuts/nuts(hazelnut/macadamia/pistachio) level is something above 100. He has never consumed peanuts so at this point of time we dont know whether he could be anaphylactic.(My ped has insisted I carry an Epipen and it always with me)
I started crying and the doc pulls out the tissue and tells me what we are going to do. He wants me to come up with a list of things Samar eats on a daily basis and we are going to do another blood test. Once we know the results of that blood test, we will go on a 3 week restrictive diet and see what happens.Whether his skin improves dramatically, whether there is no change or something else.At the end of the 3 weeks, we will meet to reassess what to do next.
Logically I know what I will do. But the thing that kills me is applesauce and strawberries are his 2 favourite things in the world. To a child who doesnt get much treats to begin with, how am I going to take this away. And the other thing is, how am I going to justify this to the other kids. I know we wouldnt be able to bring strawberries in the house. I am not going to put Samar through his siblings eating strawberries when he cannot have any. What am I going to feed. He tested negative for chicken and fish.
I called NK from the parking lot of the doc’s office and his statement when he heard my voice is” Did you get into an accident” I screamed no and told him the results. He was shocked too.
I know there are worse things that happen to people that this in comparison is very minor. Somehow I am not able to move past this. That he cannot eat strawberries,apples and corn.
This is really heart-breaking. I know you will find a way to work through it. But I hope the next test comes out better.
I have no idea what helps in this situation. But I feel really sorry for Samar. Not being able to eat stuff you like is a huge punishment especially at an young age when you dont realise why you should not be eating.
I bet you are doing your research on his diet and will keep him in my thoughts. Hope his allergies improve soon.
hugs.
Sunita,
commenting here after a very long time, but i do check this page daily. My son also has allergies and his ige was 1100 one year back. His allergist decided not to do his blood work this year as he thinks we dont need to do his ige levels now. so we havent done one this time. My friend’s daughter has also allergies, her ige level was 200, the second time they tested it was 700. her doctors says it might have gone up as its spring time and her body might have been fighting with pollens etc. she even tested positive for wheat which she can eat without any problems. my allergist and pediatrician thinks skin tests are more accurate. So dont worry about ige levels, hopefully he”ll test negative for strawberries and apples. you and samar will be in my prayers. We are going to do a skin test for my son, i am hoping that he”ll outgrow atleast wheat.
take care
Anju
Me: Hey.. I remember our convo from before. I sent you email.Thinking good thoughts for your son
Also my son’s blood work said he was allergic to corn, but skin test came negative and he can eat corn without any eczema.Hopefully after the skin test, you”ll have more options. Please email me if you have any questions.
oh babe I’m so sorry to hear this…I can understand how devastating this would be for not only Samar and you but the whole family. It’s hard….
All I can offer is a hug and the hope that things will get better…
oh that little child.. thankful he has supermom on his side.. take care dear you are the best
I understand, as a mother, it is so hard to see your kid suffer. My son used to have bad eczema too. Then one day, a doctor prescribed him Mimyx. It is a cream and it helped him a lot. Give that a try if you have not tried it yet. It is totally harmless, not even a cortisone. We also use Derma-Smoothe/FS. It is a tropical oil. My understanding is that you use the oil when the eczema is really bad, the cream is more for prevention. I hope they would help your son like they did for my son. Good luck!
Me: I have never heard of this cream. I will ask my doc next week. thanks.
Hugs to you and Samar. This must be something very hard to deal with. Hopefully, what Anju said in her comments will hold true for Samar. Also that the test after 3 weeks will come up with better things.
Keeping you guys in my prayers.
I am so sorry to hear this. I hope they get better.
Hugs to you and samar. As Anju mentioned hope his skin test will be negative for apple and strawberries. It’s scary when our kids go thru something like this.
As a new parents we went thru some scary incident last year. Please stay positive and I am sure he will outgrow his allergies soon.
I will think of you and samar in our prayers.
-CS
Hugs
oh dear. that sux. hang in there. good vibes coming ur way.
Oh damn. This is so hard. Hugs to you and Samar.
Bon courage and hang on tight.
It’s not easy having any child with an allergy but to have to deal with him in a brood of 4, it’ll take more than Henry Kissinger.
I just found out last year that my eldest is allergic and according to the doctor, probably to “everything”. That’s so new to me I didn’t do anything and he continues to eat whatever he wants and I didn’t get him tested further.
Me: Does he break out or anything?
The only thing I did was send in this prescription to a company for some allergy medecine that is supposed to be very powerful and I nearly died of shock when it came a week later with a 360 euros bill for 6 tiny bottles of some liquid that he’s supposed to take daily for many years. You can bet that I’m not going to renew the thing once those 6 bottles are used up (will probably last 3 months). Who can afford this kind of treatment?
Me: I spent about USD$300 on his special formula. US$40 a small 400 mg can..our medical insurance refused it because he is over 2 and so isnt dependent on it for more than 50% of his calories intake.
My heart goes out to your boy. I’m so greedy I can’t even follow a diet through, fancy not being to eat so many things. Lots of hugs and kisses and take care!
I hope it turns out to be a false alarm, Sunita.
If it doesn’t, then I hope that Samar will find other fruits to love and the weaning period isn’t too stressful on any of you.
Me: Thanks Broom.
Humongous hugs to you and Samar!!
I don know what to tell you that will make you feel better. So, just hugs and I am sure, you’ll figure out what to do!!
Me: HUGS back.
This is really sad. I never had any allergies all these years, but abruptly got some recently at the ripe old age of 28. And if it is so bothersome for me, I can only imagine what the poor baby is going through. And I know how it feels to deprive a child of stuff he likes. I hope it gets better for both of you real soon.
Sunita,
I’m so sorry, my heart just breaks for him this is sooo unfair. I have no words of advice or anything like that, but just wanted to let you know that I’m sending positive thoughts and prayers your way. Hugs to you and Samar.
Kaila
Big hugs.
This must be super tough. My dad tested positive for everything but one dal and rice! He was old enough to understand it, had the steely will to go off almost all cereals for a year! And, it did not help his skin condition. I’m not trying to scare you. Because my dad is doing well, and though he still has his skin problem, he’s not stressed because of it. Alternative medicines really helped me. Please, if you can, try those. You’d be spending so much time and money on allopathy, you can surely give other stuff a try as well for whatever it’s worth?
Me: We tried homeopathy while in India and I know it takes time and all but it made everything worse. The thing is, here in Americaland, alternative treatments are very expensive and generally not covered by insurances so everything is out of pocket and I kow we cannot afford it.
So sorry to read this (and so late too)…I can totally empathise dear, struggle with Div’s asthma n borderline eczema too. Homeo didn’t work for her either…in fact she ended up hospitalised twice while one homeo, I swore I would never put her in so much trouble again.
I u/s how you feel tho’ it seems to be only about a stupid fruit…I start boiling and getting upset too when I think of cutting anything, whether food or activity out of my kid’s life. ((((((((((((((((((((HUGSSSSSSSS)))))))))))))))
Love,
Starry
Me: Thanks S!
maybe his body is gradually changing and adjusting, and this may eventually mean, he will be able to eat everything. Isn’t that possible. I really don’t know how to console you, and can only claim to imagine how earth shattering it is for a mother. Hugs Sunita, big tight hugs.
Me: Thanks GM
OMG!Sunita,I am so sad to read this post.I really really hope its false alarm.My heart broke when I read this post..I can only imagine,what u must be going thru. hugs..
Hey Sunita..
All our prayers are with Samar..Sometimes these things miraculously disappear with age…Samar will be one tough kiddo..I know it can get overwhelming at times but I know your a toughie too.Im sure you will find yummy alternatives as you always do:).I was going to suggest alternative medicine/treatment but see that you have already given it a shot.Take Care and Im sure in 3weeks there will be good news!..
I am so sorry to read about this! I was also hoping to hear good news. But you will get through it – you are one tough person. Let’s get together this week if you have time.
Hey S
. I really hope that things will get better soon.
This is so very heart breaking for a mom
with you in spirit. This too shall pass. Hugs hugs and more hugs.
As parents, we have faced this situation once before …thankfully things got much better over some years. So I hope the same applies to Samar.
It is difficult , but be courageous and things will improve for sure.
Good wishes for the family
Me: Thank you!
Hello,
I read your blog specially for the monday moneysavers. I sympathise with you and your children. I hope things get better soon and the skin test comes negative. I will pray for that and hopefully that will give you some relief. Any idea if “Mad momma” can help you with information about alternative therapies. I just remembered that she had tried various options for her daughter (from her blog). Hope something works out.
Good luck.
Gayatri
Me: I am debating whether I should take pictures for todays post.She did something called NAET which may or may not work. The thing is here, it costs about USD$80-$100 per session, for each allergen you need 8-10 sessions alone. We cannot afford it…
big hugs to you and your little fellow…
Hey,* Hugs*-I’m just going to ask a couple of my colleagues for their opinions and let you know..as Anju said,it may not necessarily be the IgE that matters as much as the skin test…chin up and don’t let Samar know how upset you are…
Me: He hasnt had a skin test since 07 so before starting this diet, I am going to ask him for another skin test and then evaluate from there.
{{{Hugs}}} Sunita..
Sending good vibes and prayers your way and hope there is good news after 3 weeks. Take care.
Sorry to hear this Sunita..my heart is breaking just reading it….hugs….hopefully he’ll outgrow most of these allergies as he grows up
So sorry to hear this. Really elevated IgE levels can indicate a parasitic infection – has the doctor ruled that out? Also, it is allergy season, so he could have elevated levels just from that. I think you mentioned that Samar is allergic to food coloring? I remember reading that strawberry allergies have recently been found to be a form of food coloring allergy – the allergy is to a particular protein (I think) that produces the red color. And sadly, it could be Samar’s fondness for strawberries that got him here – for people who are allergic to some kinds of food, consuming large quantities of other kinds of food can cause allergies to develop to those as well. Cosmic catch-22.
Is Samar allergic to other berries? How about raspberries? they look somewhat strawberry-like and you could try him on those. They are also red though and I don’t know if the protein that produces the color in raspberries is the same as the one for strawberries.
Does the doctor have other ideas for allergy testing or management? Assuming that the strawberry allergy is here to stay, for now, can you look into white strawberries? They are allergen free, from what I read…also strawberry flavouring is one of the sneaky things present in many unexpected products (shampoo?) – so you’re going to have to be even more vigilant….sigh. Maybe time to clone yourself.
Good luck, and wishing for strength for you, as you will be hit hardest with this!
M
Me: Thanks M. Since I became hysterical at the doc’s office, I can barely remember what he told me. Next appt, I am dragging NK with me.
We’re going through a strict elimination diet for my little girl and it is hard, but she’s still eating enough and doesn’t have awful rashes. It’s painful to tell her no to foods she loves, but her rashes are worse.
I hope we both get it resolved soon! Cornmeal products and strawberries – all berries, in fact – are both on the no list for Sweet Pea, too.
Oh god…I pray that Samar outgrows his allergies soon…I know how hard this can be for you and him and the family
Keep faith, dear..sending +ve thoughts your way..
Oh dear, I am so sorry. Poor kid. And then you have to deal with other kids also, taking care that they are careful too. Do you tell them about all this? That would make it easier for them to understand.
I am so sorry. No kid should go through all this in his life. Hugs to you and NK.
Hugs to you and Samar. I know for a fact that you will get through this even if what you have to do is extremely stressful. Let’s hope that whatever you try gives him the much needed relief!
Oh I am so sorry to hear this…
Sujatha
My best wishes to you and Samar. By gods grace,he will out grow his allergies….
Me: Thank you!
Catching up on some missed posts..and I had to comment on this.
Truely heartily hoping that the levels come lower next time around…or better still, the results this time prove wrong somehow.
Stay strong dear.
Me: So today at preschool, the kitchen mom brought Gorilla Munch which is a type of sweet corn cereal and apples for the kids snacks and she checks with me whether its okay for him and I look at it and take a few deep breaths and try to tell her about his new diet restrictions and burst out crying. I take in a few more breaths and then tell about the blood test and results and then go to the bathroom to wash my face. My mom called me yesterday and I burst out crying again while telling he cannot eat XYZ. I never cry. But in the past 3 days, I have been crying non stop over this and I cannot help it.
hugs S.
hugs! sending lotsa prayers and positive vibes your way!
Hi. Me too catching up on the missed posts. Do they do the skin prick test there ? With my daughter, allopathy only came up with grass, pollens, dustmites etc allergy. But her skin doctor has eliminated chocolates, oranges/mandarin/ kiwi fruit/ bbq sauce/ tomato sauce/peanuts/bournvita or milo from her diet. There are other stuff too like chips, salted noodles, dairy, sea food ( we are vegetarians so it doesn’t apply) etc but we don’t really buy them anyway cos of their Asthma..these other stuff don’t matter that much. I never bought much chocolates, but she liked to have it occasionally..she can’t have it now at all. She loves kiwi fruit and every time she asks for it, it breaks my heart to say no. The sad part is, these things are eliminated from my son’s diet too now. I have stopped buying all the above stuff but its not really fair on Bugs
I occasionally give in to her pleading and let her have a small piece of orange or kiwi fruit. Really small piece of chocolate on occasions only. The cream she is now using seems to help her a lot along with the eliminating above things from her diet.
Breaks my heart to hear about Samar’s allergies. I know its very distressing..went through the same when both the kids asthma was totally out of control and they were using three high strength inhalers regularly. Don’t get so discouraged…hopefully the next blood test would be heaps better. Hugs to you.
2Bs mommy
Me: Thank you!! It sucks… when we have to strong and yet we are hurting inside. All over a stupid piece of fruit.
Hugs, my dear. This is just so difficult for all of you.
I dunno, if it would help, but your son has a really *great* mother to compensate for it all.
I am so sorry hon!! HUGS to you and Samar and actually to ALL the kids. It must be so tough on all of you. HUGS HUGS HUGS.
I happened upon your blog and thought I would add a comment that will hopefully help. I have lived many many years if the sadness and desperation that you are feeling. I myself have had multiple food allergies and have spent a good amount of my life being/feeling sick all the time. I was diagnosed with the following food allergies: corn, egg, milk, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peas, onion, coconut, alcohol, all citrus fruits, and aspartame, as well as many other allergies because I have always been unable to take any kind of vitamin without getting canker sores in my throat. I lived with the “knowledge” of these allergies for 8 years… and it hit critical mass about 6 months ago, when I miraculously was introduced to a treatment for allergies called NAET. I started in December of 2009, and as of now, July 2010, I am eating everything! No more canker sores, no more breathing problems, no more anaphylaxis (with the milk) and I am no longer sick all the time.
I did a lot of research of this kind of treatment before going. I found that almost all the doctors using NAET have an 85% success rate with their patients. Also, it’s non invasive, just a mix of acupressure and kinesiology. So I decided that I would try it since there was no real risk. It has been amazing. It’s not an easy journey because you have to be strict about following the routine after each treatment and sometimes the treatments make you feel tired or irritable, and they are expensive – but none of those matter because of what NAET has accomplished for me.
Please check out the following website about NAET, do some research of your own and if you’re interested their is a link there to find a practitioner near you.
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about it. amyandmisan@yahoo.com
Sincerely,
Amy
oops, the website is http://www.naet.com
Amy