Today was the final test for Brian. The allergist wanted him to go through a three hour (more, actually!) peanut butter challenge before she officially declared him "allergy free." She didn't expect anything to happen - but had to test him with real peanut butter just in case.
I am thrilled...and relieved...and, to be honest, freaking PROUD!...to tell you - Brian is no longer allergic to peanuts!!!! Our allergy elimination technique worked! It took a lot of dedication and patience, but we did it.
If you've never heard of or gone through a "peanut butter challenge" (or any challenge with an allergist), I'll explain how it worked.
A nurse at the office started Brian off with the tiniest smear of peanut butter on a stick - she put it right on his tongue.
We supplied the food - I brought peanut butter, crackers, cookies, pretzels and milk. They supplied lollipops, stickers and fancy pencils. I supplied the wonderful Miss Sara (who is back from her vacation - WOO HOO!), movies, toys and books.
Brian entertained us by drawing on his Doodler and asking us to guess each drawing. Sara guessed rhinoceros for this one - good guess, eh?
Oh, and I also supplied a super-supportive brother to cheer Brian on. Usually it's Brian waiting on Gavin at the doctors...so Gavin was more than happy to wait patiently.
Every ten minutes the nurse would come in with increasing amounts of peanut butter. For a long time, she didn't want Brian to have anything else - no other food and no milk. He never complained. And - to make me even MORE proud, he peed on their potty three times while we were there!! That's a big deal - there was so much going on to distract him.
Soon the peanut butter started to appear on a cookie...
...and then some crackers.
Brian gobbled it all up with a smile. He smiled even bigger when she said he could have some milk finally!! The largest amount was two tablespoons - which looked like four peanut butter sandwich crackers she made.
After the last food challenge, we waited a half hour until it was time to be checked by the doctor. After examining Brian's back and chest and listening to his lungs - she gave us the official good news!
I'm always so happy when I can take one less thing off my children's plates. Or - in this case - add one thing back ON my child's plate!!
To celebrate, I'd like to give away three wonderful children's books to any of you who have a child with a peanut allergy. "Food Allergies and Me," "The Day I Met The Nuts," and "The BugaBees - Friends With Food Allergies." They are especially good for newly diagnosed kids as a way to explain their new way of living to them. I have three books to give to three different readers. Leave a comment with your peanut allergy story and I'll get in touch with the first three to respond! The one requirement - the comment has to be on my blog. Don't leave your personal contact information there - just your story! And also, be sure to tell me that you want one of the books.
what great news! good work Mama!
ReplyDeleteThat's great news and amazing. My son has developed multiple food allergies in the past 3 years - most notably wheat and soy. It's such an encouragement to find that there may be light at the end of the tunnel (although here in UK, our general medical service and steroid happy dermatologists just don't help). So pleased for this fabulous news!
ReplyDeleteMy little boy James has a peanut allergy which was found out only by testing. See James has a severe carrot allergy which we found out when i was feeding him baby food at 8 months i know its late but he had lots of medical problems we didn't start solids til then anyway i was feeding him and his brother Jonathon said mommy James is getting big and i was multitasking and really wasn't paying attention thinking he was talking about him growing up no James was having a major allergic reaction to the carrots i was feeding him. He is allergic to most rooted veggies including potatoes which is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteI am glad this is one thing you can cross off your list!!
Wow, Kate, I am a more recent regular reader of your blog. I love it and I love you! My daughter just turned four. We found out the second time she had peanut butter that she has an allergy. She had hives all over her face that did go away with some Benadryl. We held off for a year before we had the skin test done. She only tested positive for peanuts. They diluted the peanut solution 10 times and there was an immediate welt. We were told to avoid all nuts just to be on the safe side. Her allergy is a constant worry for me, and I am so glad that Brian is okay and you don't have to worry about that for him. Reading your entries here has given me some food for thought. My daughter is going to have a blood test next month to see how severe the allergy. I am praying she will outgrow, but I know the chances are not very likely. I hadn't really thought about alternative therapies before, but it is definitely something to look into. Thank you! Brian is precious, I love reading about him every day!
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