I wanted to blog about this for awhile now and I am finally getting around to writing it. As most of you know via my fb or twitter feeds, Zane has wicked bad food allergies. I am going to bring you back to when he was first born and take it from there.
When Zane was first born, he had terrible cradle cap that could not be resolved by any amount of daily wash or oil. Believe me, I tried it all and his cradle cap never really diminished till month #4. After the cradle cap went away, Zane began to get terrible skin rashes. I would keep bringing it up to the doctor at his appointments but the doctor kept telling me he suffered from bad eczema. We tried several products but with each month passing, his eczema got progressively worse. I was then told to try prescription hydro-cortisone creme which did the trick for a day or two, however, the minute I stopped using it, the rashes would continue. The rashes and his skin condition got so bad that poor Zane would scratch all night and we would wake up to bloody sheets. It was truly horrible!
I decided to take matters into my own hands. I knew there was something wrong- call it Mom institution if you like, but I knew something was happening to my sweet baby boy. After hearing that I needed a referral for different allergists, I decided to call Boston Children Hospital. I have a good friend, Rebecca D, who suggested I call the allergy center at Bostons and I owe her everything for giving me their name! I made the call and our appointment was set for March 18. I was just happy that we would finally see an allergist and perhaps figure out what is going on with Zane.
When we were driving to Boston, I asked my husband if he thought anything was wrong with Zane- meaning did he think that Zane had food allergies. His response was no but he would appease me by going. We arrived at the hospital and met with the nicest allergist who told us all about what they would be doing with Zane. They told us they would do skin testing and blood testing. They also told us it would be a long appointment with Zane being unhappy at times. I was fine with it- I just wanted to get an answer.
So, after 5 very long hours, 3 viles of blood being drawn, and a round of 8 variable scratch tests- we got an answer. Zane has very bad food allergies- he is allergic to peanuts, eggs, milk, soy, and fish with his peanut allergy being very severe. The minute they gave him the scratch test, there was instantaneous positives. After combining the blood tests (positive for egg, peanuts, fish), it was confirmed. My next question for the doctor was what should I do? He has been on a milk based formula for a long time and he is due to switch to whole milk. She told me to continue his milk based formula and to not give him any regular milk until they give him a personal controlled test in the hospital. The blood test for milk did come back negative so there is still some hope in that department.
My question for my readers- Do you know someone inflicted with food allergies? Do you have any suggestions? I know this is going to be a long journey ahead of us but as I always say, you take one day at a time!
wow – you and I have simlilar issues with our children. I have chosen to go homopathic myself. What the doctors say doesn’t work. The allergist / immunologist told me my daughter wasn’t allergic to pet hair than why does she cough, sneeze and have a runny nose when around animals? Have you considered a homopathic dr.?
Wow! That would be rough! I don’t, personally, know anyone with severe food alleries, but my oldest daughter was allergic to most all insect bites/stings, which made outdoor play an interesting adventure! I hope you will keep writing of this journey and your experiences with it. I’m sure it could help a lot of people going through the same or similar things.
I do know lots of kids with allergies. Their families all adapted quite well.
Just make sure that you keep all products away that contain those ingredients and that Hayley knows that giving her brother something can be harmful. You will have to learn to cook with alternatives (good recipes online) and with time, it will all become normal to you guys to live that way.
Hugs to you!
Wow… My son is 22 months old and Zane’s and my son Maksim’s skin issues sound VERY similar… I was told that it was bad eczema but even with the combination of vaseline and lotion that I am using he scratches all night long… sometimes crying because he makes himself bleed. My doctor has not mentioned anything about allergies but as you said… it’s a mother’s intuition. I feel like there is a bigger issue and I am not sure how to proceed. After reading your story I am going to make an appointment with my doctor and ask them to test him for allergies! Thank you so much for sharing!
Definitely check it out! It does sound very similar!
It’s tough, first, to accept that you child has allergies to foods, then, living with it. However, from very first days, teach him whole foods like veggies, fruit, whole grains: quinoa, chia, buckwheat. Do little simple recipes for your sweet child.
Be patient, and I know you are, my wonderful friend, and great things will happen! With love!
We don’t really have allergies but I am sure you will find many good resources online
Your kiddo sounds exactly to the “tee” how my oldest son was. Always spiking random fevers, horrible full body rashes that even stumped his pediatrician….every time, eczema, irritable – you name it! Turns out he was severly lactose intolerant. So when baby 2 came around & had even more severe issues back to the allergist we went & found he was severely allergic to soy & lactose as well as vanilla (who knew!?). It sucks & it’s tough but my kids eat healthier because of it!! 🙂
We found out when my brother was three that he was allergic to wheat, gluten, soy, oats, barley, etc. and had a horrible vitamin deficiency. :/ Everyone said he was fine, including doctors, but we knew there was something wrong. After all these years with it you get used to it, I guess. It was very hard to deal with but there are hundreds of cookbooks– not to mention the Internet– that find good, QUICK and affordable meals and substitutions. There are also support groups and blogs that help quite a bit. You are NOT alone (:
Wow, that is a lot of allergies to contend with. Good for you for going with your mommy gut and pursuing it!
Poor Zane! He is so lucky to have such a strong mommy to get him what he needs! I know this is rough (long story but I had to be gluten free for awhile) but there are tons of resources available and web sites with all sorts of food for different allergies!
Poor Zane! That’s awful! Sure would be nice if he grows out of some of these allergies.
Poor Zane! My oldest had a food allergy to corn that he outgrew. And one of the twins had really bad allergies – he has a lot of problems with eczema and has random reactions with hives and schleral edema. We see an allergist. He did not test positive for any foods so far, but is allergic to cats, horses, and dogs for sure.
I don’t have any experience with is, I just wanted to say good job getting all of that figured out! I hope you find lots of good info!
He is such a cutie. Poor thing! I am glad you listened to mother’s intuition and got him checked out. It’s good to have answers. My kids don’t have food allergies but my niece can’t have any gluton. I wish I had some advice for you. You are a great mom, and I know you will figure out the new normal with Zane and all this food allergies. I’ve heard from friends that once you figure things out, it just becomes routine and normal no matter how many food allergies they have.
Thankfully we have no experience with food allergies…I’m just glad that you got it sorted out now, or the beginnings anyway! Good luck!
Oh poor Zane!! And poor you as well, this has to be a scary and frustrating journey you are on. The only thing I do know is that egg allergies usually disappear by the age of 6. A long way off I know, but still light at the end of the tunnel 🙂
Good luck with it all, I hope you find some kind of cures xo
My daughter sounds like Zane’s allergy issues, poor baby. I do have a good friend of mine who put their daughter on a strict no dairy no nut diet, at 2 years of age, she’s now 6 and they are re-introducing foods with a lot of success. It’s tough, and after reading this Im wondering if I should get my daughter tested.
I have 2 little boys and can’t imagine going through this. It is always on my mind if something will come up but so far we have been lucky. So happy you finally got your answer and good luck to you in your struggle. It will only make you a better Mom!
I, thankfully, do not suffer from food allergies. My cousin’s in SC do. They even eliminated red dye 3 from their diets. It’s not uncommon to have food allergies though. I help out in the 1st & 2nd grade dept at church and SEVERAL of the kids have allergies to peanuts.. well all nuts! We have to be VERY careful of what sort of snack to give them. We usually stick to gold fish or animal crackers!
We just had our daughter tested for everything under the moon, after 8 vials of blood we are awaiting the test results now. She has eczema but also has belly pain after eating so I am praying for some good results. Food allergies can be a pain but they are manageable. Plus he could grow out of them someday — huge plus. I wish you luck with your journey…
My children all have slight allergies to something..never very severe..My grandson..whom I watch a few days a week is allergic to too much dairy so we have to be careful..
I will pray for little Zane and Mommy and Daddy…allergies can really be hard on a family…
My hubby was just diagnosed with being Gluten intolerance and he’s diabetic 🙁 So finding foods he can eat can be frustrating 🙁
Blessings!
i have one little girl and i cant imagine her having food allergies and how hard that would be to handle.
I’m so glad you got your answers…poor little guy!
Poor Z! 🙁 We know a few babies with allergies, and I am so lucky that Olivia doesn’t (at least so far). I’ll be thinking of you guys!
Wow what a handful of allergies! Having a concerned mom though he will do great :O)
Oh my gosh – I’m sorry that you had to go through that! It must have been so hard seeing your little guy suffer and not knowing what you could do about it. Way to trust yourself, Melissa! I hope he’s doing better and that you guys get through this as smoothly as possible — I know you will! 🙂
Sawyer doesn’t have any food allergies, but my 11 cousin has had them since she was born. Her biggest allergy, by far, is peanuts, but when she was 1-2 years old, she was allergic to milk, eggs, pets, even the sun! She’s outgrown most of them, thankfully, and as far as I know, only deals with the peanut allergy now. Hopefully Zane will be able to outgrow most of them in a few years too!
I have a bit of the theory about this, but just wanted to ask, did you eat these items while you were pregnant with him–especially the peanuts? Just wondering because my fifth child was born lactose intolerant. I did not drink any milk while pregnant with him, but a whey based beverage. He is no longer lactose intolerant; he grew out of it.
Oh my goodness, poor Zane! 🙁 Lil E (Our 3 year old) is allergic to gluten. I also noticed his “eczema” was getting better once he was on a GF diet. Now I wonder about Baby G only 3 months old, he has cradle cap which I have been able to clean off most of it but his face has some rashes. I wonder if he has an allergy like his brother or something, I never thought about it. Maybe that is why he has been so crabby lately? 😉
There has got to be a reason all these babies have such severe allergies! Growing up none of my friends had any food allergies, but now that we are “grown up” all their kids are allergic to something!
My friend at work has a son ho i believe is 7 now who is allergic to dairy, peanuts and soy. They explained his allergy to him, but they dont make a big deal of it, the whole family eats his foods so he doesn’t feel left out. Its tough at school, because you never know what the other kids are going to bring in and share. I know his school sends a reminder letter to parents every so often not to let their kids bring in peanut based products because so many kids are allergic
I didn’t read all the comments so I apologize if this has been brought up, but our current pediatrician told us that allergy testing is “useless” in kids younger than 4 because their allergies are always changing! It’s so funny how conflicting opinions are in the medical field. Anyway, we had out oldest tested at 9 months because of his horrible eczema and would just scratch his legs until they bled. The allergy testing came out negative and in retrospect, I realize it was probably the bath products he was using that were causing him such distress. 🙁 I’m SO glad that you found the culprits and hopefully he can grow out of some of his allergies, if not all of them! Good luck!
Awh, poor Zane! But great Mommy intuition!
Baby C is allergic to eggs. She can eat things cooked with eggs, just not eat eggs directly. It was so scary when I first saw her reaction to them. We just avoid them. Keep checking with the allergist with the controlled tests. Zane may grow out of his allergies.
Poor Zane. I hope he outgrows them.
Thank you everyone! I will keep you updated on any progresses!
My sister had very bad eczema growing up and still does. She is 20 yrs old. She was told she was deathly allergic to peanuts and has dairy/chocolate allergies. chocolate and dairy just flare her eczema up. She has an epipen with her at all times. She was tested a year or two ago and told her peanut allergy is now very minimal but was told to still take precautions.
Zane could out grow all of them. You just have to adjust his diet and make sure all care givers know of his allergy… Is he allergic to the smell of peanuts? Some people are only allergic to eating/touching it while some are allergic to the smell. Good luck!
Poor guy! My almost 3 year old has allergies, although we’re not positive what they are yet. I’ve been told that allergy testing before they are 4 or 5 isn’t always accurate, as their immune system is changing so much and they can outgrow it.
Joshua also had horrible eczema and really bad reflux for his whole first year. We had to put him on a hypo allergenic formula as both milk based and soy made it worse. He’s much better now, and while he still has mild eczema from time to time, I can tell he’s outgrowing things.
Zane very likely could outgrow a lot of those so don’t worry too much! Good luck!
My cousin’s girlfriend has many food allergies . . . to food that I commonly use as ingredients, like tomatoes and onions. It was challenging, but when I cooked for them, I substituted or eliminated the tomatoes and onions. You will be surprised at how delicious meals can be without some ingredients in the mix. From what I heard, some kids outgrow their food allergies. I’m not sure if that is right, but that is what I heard.
Oh poor Zane. For milk you could try goat’s milk (more like human milk) or coconut milk instead of cow’s milk.
Hopefully he grows out of these allergies.
Wow…that’s crazy! J also had bad cradle cap and eczema when he was younger but eventually grew out of it. No food allergies. Zane is such a trooper. I hope you can get stuff figured out for him!
My son had allergies similar to yours at Zanes age. Like you, we discovered them premeptively before major reactions took place. My son is three now and has outgrown his allergies to peanuts, soy, and eggs. He is still critically allergic to tree nuts, but we just always have our epi pen. Its a hassle to inform and get the entire extended family on board with what he can and cannot eat, but its gotten easier as he’s gotten older. Fortunately most schools, nurseries, daycares have nut and peanut restrictions for all students, so im not too worried about him when he is at church or when he will go to school. Its easier right now in the sense that you are in total control of Zanes diet, but even as he grows older,it gets easier as he can talk and verbalize his symptoms. My daughter doesn’t have food allergies, but she is lactose intolerant and so it feels like on the same line of informing people not to give her milk! You get used to their special diets over time and its not nearly so daunting I cannot claim to be an expert, but I have some experience! Ask any questions if you have any! Good grief this was long!