Growing Up Graff

It is not anything new how stressed I have been about Chase's food allergies. The poor kid has been restricted to apple and pear sauce for breakfast and beef/vegetable, chicken/vegetable, turkey/sweet potatoes baby foods for the last couple months. The poor kid is slowly turning a tint of orange.

So, a couple weeks ago I got an email from my cousin, Tiffany, about McGovern Allergy Clinic. I quickly researched McGovern and found out they have an infant allergy specialist. I also learned that our insurance would not cover the cost. I called McGovern and was informed that paying out of pocket for allergy testing would not put us back an arm and leg, just an arm. We felt Chase could do w/out an arm and scheduled the testing. Just kidding! We let him keep his arm and Billy volunteered his! The main reason we wanted to send him to McGovern was because they would test for numerous items.

So Monday and Tuesday we made our way down south. On the first day his history was reviewed and round one of testing, which consisted of 4 pads of 12 items. Of course, Chase was upset, but mainly he did not like being held down. Instantly, Chase's back flared up and I knew that it was not good.

The next day he had a couple more pads placed on his back. Then we had a long wait of 2 hours for the final report.

Walking into Dr. Thorne's office I felt the wealth of knowledge from his 15+ degrees (or whatever they were) mounted on his wall. He looked at us and said, "You want an exchange?" Dr. Thorne reviewed his long list of foods he has an allergy to, which are:

oat, rye, strawberry, lemon & lime (natural flavors), beef, cabbage, raw apples, orange, raw carrots, chocolate & colors, flax seed oil, pineapple, coconut & oil, sunflower & oil, white potato, turkey, haddock, sweet potato, watermelon, olives & oil, and cinnamon. Of course dairy, egg, peanut, bananas avocados are still an allergy.

I guess you would like to know what he can eat: white flour, wheat, rice, corn, barley, chicken, pork, cooked apples, pears, cooked carrots, broccoli, lamb, beans, peas, spinach, grapes, celery, and soy bean.

I knew going to McGovern that they could not provide a shot or meds that would make all this go away. Only thing that can be done is food avoidance. So, it's time for me to get creative!

My questions that were answered:

Is there anything I did during pregnancy that caused this? No, it's all wrapped up in his DNA. Billy has pretty bad environmental allergies that could have contributed to him having food allergies. Apparently 1 in 4 babies are born with food allergies.

If I would have breastfed could this have been prevented? There is no scientific proof that this is true. It is a big controversial issue at this time.

Can he be anywhere around cats, since our cat was moved to my mother-in-laws? He can not be in a enclosed area with a cat. His allergy is so high that it could cause him to go into anaphylaxis. The cats outside are okay, as long as he does not touch them.

Was his RSV and pneumonia (5 weeks) caused by his allergy to milk because he was on a dairy base formula at the time? No they are both viral and food allergies do not cause viral infections.

Can he receive the Measles, Mumps & Rubella vaccinations? According to the medical book (Red Book) he can receive the shot, since it has very little traces of eggs.

Can he receive the flu shot? Absolutely NOT!

Since his latex allergy came back negative why does he develop sores when he wears a latex diaper? Dr. Thorne did not use these words, but he pretty much has a latex sensitivity. Since he is allergic to bananas and avocados, which are related to latex he will be treated like he has an allergy to latex.

When will he grow out of these allergies? Within this next year I will introduce some of these foods to him...when I get brave. By the time he is 2 yr old he will out grow majority of them. Hopefully by the age of 5 all will be gone, but peanut. If you are a chosen one to have a peanut allergy before the age of 3 you most likely will not out grow the allergy. CHASE DID OUT GROW HIS WHEAT ALLERGY!!!

How come he has an epi-pen he seems to small? Well, he is to small. To receive a jr. epi-pen he really needs to be 33 pounds. My little Chase is only 20 pounds. So I have to find a place that will sell ephedrine, so I can administer through a syringe.

What are his chances of developing asthma? Very high! He is to take an antihistamines (Zyrtec) for the next two years. There have been studies done and kids with major allergies who take antihistamines are 30% less likely to develop asthma.

So, to answer Dr. Thorne's question, "Do you want an exchange?" My answer, "NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" Food allergies or not I will take him either way! He is just perfect in my eyes!

I have been asked numerous times how do I get through this: "Chase only has food allergies. Something that will eventually go away. He will go on to live a normal, happy life. We are not battling a terminal illness. One day we will look back and laugh." That is how I see it.

To all our family and friends who have prayed, advocated and supported my little family, "Thank you so much!" I do not know what I would have done without you.

My sweet Chase you are absolutely WONDERFUL!