Allergy Testing

Well we had Aiden re-tested for his Allergies. Our new Allergist wanted to do a RAST and skin prick test. So we started with the Blood test on the 6th of August. I got the results mailed to me and was so disappointed. It came back with him allergic to Almond, Apple, Banana, Barley, Beef, Cashew, Corn, Egg, Milk, Oat, Peach, Peanut, Pecan, Pistachio, Salmon, Shrimp, Soybean, Tomato, Tuna, Walnut, and Wheat. I had an appointment with the allergist on the 14th and was so dissapointed I did not even know if there was a point...but I of course still went.

The Allergist went over Aidens results with me, and come to find out there are numbers associated with each allergen and everything and the following are all ones that he thought we should test for skin test to see if we could add: Apple, Banana, Corn, Peach, Pecan, Salmon, Soybean, Tomato, and Tuna. It came back that he can now add ALL OF THOSE!!!

We have started with Corn! Seeing as Corn Syrup is just about everything! We can only add in one at a time and then wait a week before we add the next one. We want to make sure there is no reaction before we add in the next thing. So far so good! He has had Dum Dums for the first time in over a year, he used to love them! He has also had pickles, otter pops, orange juice that has corn syrup, Cere-os! All necessary things! :D We tried marshmellows but he thought they were yucky. It has been fun to give him things that are fun! Next week is Soy week and I'm already excited!

No More Button

Monday, August 11th we took Aidens MIC-Key button out of his stomach! Well I took it out while Trav held Aidens hands. To answer the most common questions about it so far...no it did not hurt him, we have changed the button 4 times, so it was basically just the same...just we only did half of it (didn't put a new one in!).

No, it was not gross to me. A year ago I would've passed out, but medical stuff with Aiden is just normal...well was normal! It's looking like we are starting to get to the point where it's a thing of the past!

The hole is looking wonderful. We took him to the Allergist this last week and he was amazed at how wonderful it looked. If he eats too much it does hurt him because his stomach expands and puts pressure on the healing wound, but that should go away soon. It actually did not hurt him yesterday so maybe it has gone away!

He was excited about it, but he also does not seem to totally understand it's gone because we are still changing the dressing around it twice a day. He was excited a couple weeks ago when we no longer had to hook him up to the pump. He understand he did not have a "tuby" hooked in at night. And when he woke up that first morning he just came straight into our room. He used to yell for us so we could come and unhook him. I was shocked when I realized he always could've done this, but he did not because he understood he was not supposed to. He's such an amazing kid!

He is doing amazing at eating food through his mouth! He has never done this well his entire life. His favorite food right now is Chicken Hot Dogs...which makes him a pretty close to a normal little 2 year old!

I am glad that we had the feeding tube to get Aiden healthy and give us time to get creative with the foods that he could tolerate. But I'm so happy to be done with it, I know it will not be easy in different ways...like no more ice cream for dinner, he actually needs to eat food now! But I'm up for the new challenge of keeping him healthy the more normal way!

Update...

Aiden has been able to add Oranges to his diet! Also some of his numbers are improving, so he is less allergic to a few things. Hopefully in 6 more months or so we will be adding even more to his diet! We are also working to get to the point of no feeding tube. It's exciting and scary. Through all of the pain of the feeding tube I've always known he was getting everything he needed, so if he asked to have ice cream for dinner, no big deal! Now I am trying to make sure he actually eats things that are good for him! So it's exciting but adds a different stress! We are testing him again this week for a few that they forgot to test him for, as well as a few that were questionable! So hopefully by Friday he's eating even more! :D

Also...we had Laycee tested. And amazingly she has NO ALLERGIES! Can you believe it?! I was equally as shocked about that as I was to find out that Aiden was allergic to just about everything! I'm still adding things cautiously, but things are going great!

The last couple weeks have been a bit emotional for us remembering the hospital stay of a year ago and such. It seemed like their have been so many things to remind us. Such as I went to the instacare for an ear infection...which everything started at the kidscare down the hall a year ago. We also saw an ambulance on the same day he rode in an ambulance a year ago. I started bawling and Aiden asked me what was wrong and I told him. He then told me he saw Jesus and he saw Jesus home. I really believe that Aiden had a vision or something really special while he was in the hospital. He was not alone. We also had a family fast to fast for Aiden's recovery. It was neat to have so many people get together to pray for such a special little boy. It was actually the same Sunday that we fasted for him a year ago! It's been a long year, but we are so happy to still have such a special boy still here with us to brighten our lives.

Allergy Testing

Well, it's been a year since Aiden was first hospitalized for his food allergies. So today we had him re-tested. We still need to avoid Eggs, Milk, Nuts, Soy, Beef, Barley, Oats, Wheat, Corn, tomato and Apples. However...we can cautiously add Oranges! Also, we are supposed to follow up with Dr. Jackson and Margaret Brae to discuss the possibility of getting rid of his G-Tube! Yeah! We are way excited at this possibility! I have an appointment scheduled for two weeks to discuss this!

Food Allergy Facts and Statistics

• More then 12 million Americans have food allergies. That's one in 25, or 4 percent of the population
• The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children - one in 17 among those under age 3.
• About 3 million children in the U.S. have food allergies
• In the U.S., food allergy i the leading cause of anaphylaxis ( a severe allergic reaction) outside the hospital setting. A recent analysis of data from U.S. hospital emergency departments estimated a total of 20, 821 hospital ED visits, 2,333 for anaphylaxis, and 520 hospitalizations caused by food allergy in just a 2 month period.
• Each year in the U.S., it is estimated that anaphylaxis caused by food results in 100 to 200 deaths. Death can be sudden, sometimes occurring within minutes.
• Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish
• There is no cure for food allergies. Strict avoidances of food allergens and early recognition and management of allergic reactions to food are important measures to prevent serious health consequences.
• Even trace amounts of food allergen can cause a reaction
• Food allergies are life-altering for everyone involved and require constant vigilance.
• An estimated 10 percent of the population may be allergic to animals. 20 to 30 percent of indiviuals with asthma have pet allergies.

What Aiden is Allergic to

Here is a list of Aiden's allergies:

Cat Epi and Dander	>100.00	Class 6	Very High
Egg White	>100.00	Class 6	Very High
Milk (Cow)	>100.00	Class 6	Very High
Wheat	>100.00	Class 6	Very High
Peanut	>100.00	Class 6	Very High
Oat	47.10	Class 4	Very High
Soybean	28.10	Class 4	Very High
House Dust Stier	27.50	Class 4	Very High
Dog Dander	26.80	Class 4	Very High
Corn	8.28	Class 3	High
Timothy Grass	5.85	Class 3	High
Tomato	5.22	Class 3	High
Dog Epithelium	4.07	Class 3	High
Orange	3.58	Class 3	High
Apple	1.65	Class 2	Moderate
English Plantain	0.76	Class 2	Moderate
June Grass/Kentucky	0.64	Class 1	Low
Alternaria Tenius	0.58	Class 1	Low
Common/Short Ragweed	0.49	Class 1	Low
D. Farinae	0.45	Class 1	Low
Oak Tree	0.36	Class 1	Low

Peaches and Beef as well. These were tested separately so I don't have the class.