Update on Aislinn

Monday's reaction to mac n cheese

Another shot (aren't her ear canals in dire need of cleaning! they are like this every day!)

the skin test (double click it to make it bigger)

Oh how I will never forget this day!

She and I went in for her appointment at 7:30 am. It's always so nice to see Dr. Rishi and her staff! We show Dr. Rishi the pictures of the reaction Aislinn had on Monday night. She asked if Aislinn had been sick recently. Why yes she has, she had Roseola and the rash was on her Saturday and Sunday.

So she thinks that Aislinn's reaction is due to the virus. Apparently even a few days after a virus the skin can react in an allergic like reaction. She says that most likely it isn't food related, which she ate mac and cheese and chicken just 10 mins before the reaction happened, and that if I wanted we could skin test her just in case including chicken.

One minute after they left, #2 popped up in a welt. I, at first, assumed it was the control test. Then I was like, they didn't tell me which one it was, should I go ask? 5 mins later the welt is huge and now another was showing up under it. I have had both she and Caden have the skin prick test and this never happened before. I immediately brace myself for our world to be flipped upside down.

When the nurse walked back in, I ask, "Is number 2 the control?" She goes, "No 1 is, no wait, I didn't do a control prick, 2 is for milk.. Is she reacting?" I show her Aislinn's back. She goes oh yeah 2, 4 and she rattled off two other numbers. At this point I felt I was in a vortex. I couldn't wait for Dr. Rishi to come back in and help me!! At this point too, the nurse did a control test to show the test was accurate.

Aislinn has a level 4 (the most severe) milk, level 3 egg, level 2 peanut, and level 2 tree nut anaphylaxis. Basically, the 2 tablespoons of milk I just mixed into her mac n cheese on Monday night is where her reaction came from. And at 7 weeks old the 3 sips of milk formula earlier in the day were her cause for the reaction as well, even though she tested negative on both skin and blood tests.

We now have to carry a 2 pack epipen where ever she goes. The hopeful news is that one day Aislinn could outgrow the milk and egg allergy as long as I make sure she is not exposed to them at all until she's 3 and 4. Peanut and tree nut can be outgrown, but highly unlikely. If you know us well, my children survive on milk. It is their security blanket. To know how she reacts to 2 tablespoons, divided at that, in mac n cheese, makes me really nervous of the sippee cups of milk laying around the house. New rules have to be in place and stricter policies on milk.

I am no longer allowed to treat her allergic reactions with benadryl. Only with the epipen, then  call 911 and go to the ER and then after 15 mins adminster the other epipen if we aren't being seen. These were my strict rules with Dr. Rishi today. The next reaction could be 100 times worse and we got lucky with the first two.

Every year Aislinn will be retested. First by the skin test. If that's negative, then they will do the blood test. If that's negative, then they will do a controlled test in the office giving her whatever she was negative for. I pray pray pray and you please pray that she out grows this. I feel so bad for her, her first birthday cake with no eggs or milk. I know there are recipes out there. I made one for a friend once and it was actually amazing. But if you have favorite recipes of anything!, please feel free to send them to me!! I would be so grateful! 

I also feel torn. How do I take away things from Caden, Riordan, and Teagan that can be such a threat to Aislinn's health. Or explaining to Aislinn that she can't have the same things that her siblings have? I know it will work out, I have watched other families deal with this. It's just so shocking and still trying to absorb it all.

When she is one she will go on Soy Milk which shouldn't be hard since she is on Soy Formula. 

So that's my life right now, finding things that Aislinn can eat. Sprouts will undoubtedly become more of a favorite for us as well as any place that carries specialty foods for us.

She, of course, is worth every moment of it and while it definitely sucks, I will do whatever it takes as will Mike. :-)

** Oh and I left out to think that in just one month I start to transistion to milk by mixing it with her formula! The thoughts!! Thank God for following the rules of no milk, peanut butter, or eggs till they are one, and actually we weren't going to do eggs or peanuts till she was three because of her first reaction!