Adventures in Allergies

Today I took Jeffrey (1) and Jane (5) to the allergist. Now, Jane is known to have food allergies. She tested positive to dairy and almond allergies as a baby. Years went by, and she lost the almond allergy and gained egg.

Today she had a SPT - Skin Prick Test. She tested negative to all the nuts (yay!), and positive to dairy, egg and *wheat*!! What is up with that? She has eaten wheat with no apparent problems since infancy. The doctor said that SPT *negatives* are usually accurate, but the *positives* can be false positives. He wouldn't even blood test (RAST) her for wheat, because she is eating it fine, and sent a blood test out for the other positives, to see what level of allergy we are dealing with. Of course, he can attempt to stop me from worrying by not RASTing her for wheat, but a mother's mind is always wondering ... what if that is why she is so small? Would taking wheat out help her absorb her other foods? What about the asthma? Eczema? Hmmm...

I'm not about to start yanking wheat from her diet though. Because I've always said, "If one of us becomes allergic to wheat we'll have nothing left to eat, and I'll completely lose my mind and quit this mom business." Which really came out more like, "Please God, not wheat. Anything but wheat."

Jeffrey tested negative to everything! Which is good, I *guess*, except that I'm positive he reacts to things that I eat. Which kind of leaves me in limbo - limbo that I was hoping this test would answer.

The allergist said that recent research is turning everything they believed about allergies on it's ear - that it's possible that early exposure to allergens will actually help prevent more allergies in the long run. There is research going on right now in England where they are putting peanut in baby formula. This mom of an anaphylactic to peanuts daughter almost gasped out loud in horror when he said that, LOL. I always take research with a grain of salt, but it will be interesting what comes of all this. I was sent away with strict instructions to pump my kids full of potential food allergens. ;-)