So we had it done...Catie had a full series of skin tests yesterday. It was so hard to sit and watch them apply the first tests...she was very brave and stayed very still. No squirming or yelping...I know she was ready to run away. She is so awesome! 
We have waited to long for this to happen(her last allergist told us that this was a waste of time) that when some of the tests came back inconclusive we needed to have more testing done....Catie was not very happy and really pissed when the second round walked in and they were not like the first series...these were needles and they the allergen had to be injected under the skin just like a TB test. I had to stand and hold her hands this time around...she squeezed my hands so hard to keep still...it was all I could do to stand there and watch. Those all came back positive...I think one or two did not react but most were really gross and puffy. By this time she was really itchy and getting pretty grumpy...we are and hour and a quarter in to the visit. The doctor has made a second appearance and it's not good...he thinks that with the food reactions and the environmental reactions that more tests are necessary. Of course Catie did not hear this...all she heard was that she was allergic to salmon...the one food that she loves so much...she is broken hearted.
It didn't take long for my brilliant daughter to figure out what that meant.
As these results come in just as bad as the second set...it becomes clear that we have reached an impasse...we are going to have to figure out allergy injection therapy and she is having none of it. We talk back and forth about what she can do to not think about how it might hurt, she's not buying any of it and wants to not talk about it at all. The doctor comes back in and we talk about the options...she can have the shots and improve her over all well being. She will not have all of the symptoms she has had all these years...at least from the environmental allergens. The food allergies...she just has to avoid the food that make her feel sick...wait you say...avoid the one that make her feel sick. Yep! He said she can try each food allergy and see which ones make her feel bad.
She wants to start with salmon and we will work our way through the list. There are a few she can not try because her reaction was so severe~ Clams apparently are very bad for her.
Lobster we already knew and crab...the big surprise as I said was the fish...Tuna...really bad and salmon a little less bad. The cod fish even reacted. She also reacted to Strawberries...whoa! Are you kidding me? I have been allergic to strawberries since I was about 5 no big surprise there but that with cantaloupe( also one of my allergies) was the thing that prompted the doctor to recommend the allergy shots. Apparently they are most closely related to ragweed than any other fruit or vegetable. There was a huge plus in that she isn't allergic to any vegetables, grains, proteins other than fish, or dairy. She's still lactose intolerant but not allergic. The last big surprise was the pecans...a tree nut...only one...weird.
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| The last thing we needed to do was make sure she didn't finish the day on a poor note...ice cream |
