allergies persist

i took simon to the allergist before we moved. i've had one doctor tell me he'd grow out of it, and another tell me that a peanut allergy never goes away.

the allergist asked if there was anything else i wanted to test for. the only thing i could think of was cashews (because someone said they were the closest related to peanuts). i wish i had thought of cats. the doctor decided to test for the usuals too, i.e. dairy, wheat and eggs.


simon was a good sport. he always is. i think it was hardest for him to sit still and not turn around.


he was to restless to stay down while we waited for the results.


and then it was time.


no surprises here. the red patch on the bottom of the screen is a control scratch. it always has a reaction. the bigger red patch is the peanut scratch. not a severe allergy, but definitely a strong one. no reactions to anything else.

the doctor said twenty years ago he'd get a case like simon's about once a year, and now he gets them everyday. they don't know why there has been such a spike in cases. they figure it is something in the environment but haven't been able to determine what. sadly, only one out of five kids with a peanut allergy grows out of it. the good news is they know a lot more about allergies in general. a lot of the rules are changing. there have been a lot of clinical trials to treat allergies. that's what i'm hoping for. getting simon into a trial that would treat his allergy.

(update) after halloween rudy (the super) offered simon some candy. i grabbed what i thought was a peanut free chocolate. i was wrong, and didn't realize it until simon already had a bite. he did have a reaction, although it wasn't too bad. his lips got a little red where he slobbered, but no hives. he seemed like he was doing ok, so we just gave him some benadryl and went out for a walk. he was fine. thank goodness he doesn't have a life threatening allergy like some kids.

(august 9, 2010)