Well, the results are in....and the verdict is, she's allergic to....
EVERYTHING!
Just kidding (sort of).
We received a call from our pediatrician yesterday, with the results from Caroline's allergy blood test. When the Dr. himself calls (rather than a nurse) you know that can't be a good thing :)
Here is a rundown as I understand it....Get ready, this is going to be LONG and BORING.
They tested her blood for specific antibodies. If these antibodies are present, this indicates a possible "sensitivity" to this food. Based on my Internet research (reliable, I know), I don't think that the presence of antibodies definitively indicates an allergy to the food. It just means there is a chance that you could have an adverse reaction. Apparently, many people who get these positive tests don't actually have reactions when exposed to that food. Of course, the only way to know this for sure is to try it out, which we will not be doing any time soon!
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So, what do the results of these tests actually mean??? I have no idea. We have an appointment with an allergist next Thursday (1 week from today), so hopefully he'll have more info for us then. Until then, we have been advised to avoid all the foods for which she tested "positive" for...SWEET!
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They rank the amount of antibodies present on a scale from 0-6, with anything 4 and over being classified as "very high levels of the specific antibodies." Does a higher number mean a more severe allergy? I don't know. My Dr. gave me the impression that is does, but my ever-dependable Internet research says it doesn't. Again, I am seriously hoping the allergist can tell us more :)
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Here are C's results:
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She got the "All Clear" to eat:
Cocoa, Corn, Crab, Pecan, Pork, Rice, Shrimp, and Tomato (ranked 0 or "absent")
Oat (ranked 1 or "low")
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She can eat minimal amounts of:
Beef, Egg Yolk, and Soybean (ranked 2 or "moderate")
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She has to avoid:
Egg White, Casein, Whey, and Milk (all ranked 3 or "high")
Peanuts and Wheat (ranked 4 or "very high")
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Although the thought of her potentially being truly allergic to all of these things is seriously frightening, I am remaining (somewhat) calm. We meet with the allergist next week, so hopefully he will give us a game plan of how to tackle this.
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I have WAY more questions now than answers, but at least we know now for sure that a majority of her skin problems have likely been caused by what she is eating.
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All this, just in time for her 1st Birthday! Anyone have a recipe for a milk-free, egg-free, peanut-free, wheat-free cake? Mmmm, Sounds delish ;)
3 comments:
oh allergy tests. sucks. as someone who had a similar test done, and who came out allergic to practically everything, i wouldn't freak out too much. i eat everything on that list. i also did allergy shots for 3 years (ages 3-6) - and am just rather leery of them. it was not good for me - certainly not a cure all and it gave me asthma attacks at the end. i'm sorry she has to go through it, but i'm hopeful it will turn out to be not much to worry about. oh, and i meant to email you but failed - if you go private will you make it so that me and my mom can see your blog? (i think you have our emails) thanks, and i'll send positive vibes into the atmosphere about the allergist meeting!-
emily n.
bless your heart on all the allergies!! no fun!! hey i want to still read when you go private if it is okay...my email is meg_watwood@sbcglobal.net. thanks!!
Poor C...do you remember a while back on your Aquafor post I told you to get her tested b/c it sounded exactly like my sisters oldest. She is allergic to peanuts, chocolate, and a few other mild ones too. However, she is getting to phase in all but peanuts now. I know it stinks, but I promise it does get better. And just knowing what was causing all the eczema is so good. It will clear up in no time now and make little C all better!
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