Setback at the Allergist

On our pre-Kindergarten trip to the allergist today, Jack put on a super-brave face. He was excited about taking pictures to show Daddy, and about getting stickers at the end.

I showed him the different food items on the tray when she wheeled them in. He told the nurse he was "super brave" as he took off his shirt. However, when it got down to actually receiving the 64 subcutaneous skin pricks, he pretty much flipped out. He started screaming and flailing and I started really wishing Jeff had gone to the appointment with me. A female nurse and I had to hold him down and it was over pretty quickly. We then waited the fifteen minutes for any reactions to occur.

LEFT: Two minutes into test. RIGHT: End of the 15-minute test. He was "so so so itchy," but was so good not to scratch or rub up against anything during the timed test period.

After she measured each of the injection sites, she rubbed his back with Benadryl cream... his favorite part. Relief. They wait another 10 minutes and then administer oral antihistamine just to make sure. By the end, he was pretty worn out. So was Mommy.

When the doctor came in, he informed us that the egg and peanut readings are worse than last year! He informed me that they have moved from "Heavy" back to "Severe" and that Jack will need to go back to carrying an Epi-pen with him at all times! How distressing.

I knew we would have one at school just in case, but to hear that he needs to carry it on his person again brings me much anxiety and feels like such regression. It takes me back to some dark days on our journey, but I know that in the grand scheme, it's more of an inconvenience and is more than worth it in case we need it.

I am sure his decision to go back to the EpiPen was confirmed when I shared with him about Jack's reaction to confetti eggs in May. He also had a reaction at a Tomatillos recently (picture taken July 19th) that caused his lips to swell and his "throat to feel sick." When I called the restaurant owner the next day, he confirmed the waiter's report that the chicken/rice did not contain eggs. However, the same grill surface and cooking utensils are used to make eggs for breakfast tacos each morning. So, the egg allergy is very real and apparently the peanuts are back with a vengeance as well.

He completed the necessary paperwork for Kindergarten and sent us on our way. I thank God for the healing that has taken place in Jack's little digestive system, remembering how bad it has been and how far we have come. We press on despite this setback, but have to re-focus our attention to his diet and re-train his caretakers on the whole Epinephrine injection process.

In the meantime, I just pray that we never have to use it.