Oh Nuts!

A nut allergy is not something a person grows out of. That's what i learned from the pediatric allergist yesterday. Of course, I knew that. I have done enough research over the last few years that I can practically be an allergist myself. I think most moms whose children have suffered an anaphylactic reaction are.

Remember Disneyland? The allergist believes that Quentin's sudden breathing episode in March of 2008 was the first reaction to his allergies to food. Somehow he was exposed without us even knowing it. The first reaction often shows up as Reactive Airway Disease. It's unfortunate that he was diagnosed with Asthma and spent a year on medications that cost us $300 a month and took 2 hours a day to administer.

June 2008, while at gymnastics Quentin had another sudden reaction. His eyes were the only thing to swell up, but MAN...did they swell. His lips are also slightly swollen but I was distracted by the eyes. Heartbreaking.

May 2009, we dispute the asthma diagnosis and ask if we can wean him off the medications to test his breathing.

June 2009, 3 weeks after he's completely weaned off the asthma steroids and meds he vomits suddenly one night after eating a brownie with walnuts. We don't connect the brownie to the problem and we chalk this episode up to weird things that kids do.

2 days later during our last day on vacation in Palm Desert we enjoy Banana Walnut muffins for breakfast and head to the pool. I notice redness on his shoulders and within 45 minutes his whole upper body and face is covered in hives. We rush to get some Benedryl and 15 minutes after his first dose of Benedryl, while flying 90 mph down the 10 freeway West....his eyes, lips, and ears completely swell. We make an emergency call to the pediatrician who instructs us to give a second dose of Benedryl. After the second dose Q is out for the count. We were never instructed to take him to the Emergency Room. The nest morning, his eyes were still swollen so I took him in to the Physician assistant, who diagnosed him with a Nut allergy and gave me a prescription for an Epi Pen. No other information.

After a RAST blood test a month later we found out he is also allergic to shrimp.

This past year we have been completely nut (tree nuts and peanuts) and shrimp free. watching Q's consumptions like crazy people. We went on another vacation in March 2010 and joked that Q is actually allergic to vacation. This after he broke out in hives on the 3rd day of vacation. The hives last the rest of the vacation and stopped when we returned to Southern California.

I asked the pediatricians office to call in a new RAST test for me to determine if something new had popped up.

A month later I had him tested. 3 weeks after that I got a call and the person told me that Q was no longer allergic to nuts. His only allergies were cat and dander. I was instructed that I was free to give him nuts now and that if I was unsure of that that I should do it during office hours or in the office of the doctor.

I waited another month before i decided to try it. Why torture the boy with a nut free diet if he really could have them? He ate 3 walnuts on July 2nd. He reacted within 3 minutes with stomach cramping, within 5 minutes with throat swelling and 15 minutes with hives and a swollen eye. I managed to get in to see the doctor 2 hours later and she said "Don't ever give him nuts again". I told her that someone from her office instructed me to do so. She wasn't happy and confronted who she thought was the culprit, but they denied it. I left the doctor's office in tears, after Q had an Albuterol treatment to clear his lungs. Not only did I risk my child's life, now the people who told me to do it denied it.

So, after a long 2 years of having all the puzzle pieces without having the picture to assemble the puzzle we have found an allergist. I felt relived that we are finally going to be doing things right. Q will get yet another RAST blood draw in a week. In 2 weeks we will then also skin prick him in the allergists office. ONLY after 2 negative tests can he consume things that are on the safe list. If there is a positive on either test he is considered allergic and will avoid.

The doctor will not only test for the things we know...walnuts and shrimp. But he will test for all cross reactive foods as well.