Ryan was diagnosed with a peanut allergy today. We pretty much knew that would be the case even before going to the appointment with Dr. Wagner. Several months ago, we gave Ryan a few bites of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Within a few minutes of eating, he started getting whelps on his face. I talked with Dr.Hicklin about it, and he told us to avoid peanut butter for a few months and then try again (with some benadryl on hand). So, back in November, we let him lick a little bit off the end of a spoon. Sure enough, he broke out again. That is when Dr. Hicklin referred us to the allergist.
At the appointment, they scratched Ryan's back with something to test him for the peanut allergy. The nurse said she would be back in 20 minutes to determine the results. She had not been gone long when I noticed a whelp forming where the test site was. The nurse came back into the room after only 15 minutes and said there was no need to continue...he was definitely allergic. On a scale of 1 to 4, he rated a 4+. So, we were given a prescription for an epi pen. Dr. Wagner said 30 to 40 percent of kids grow out of them. Those are okay odds, but I guess we need to be prepared to deal with this from now on.
I picked up the epi pen on my way home. It came with a practice pen. Shane and I found it very odd to have to practice jamming a needle into our child's leg. But should he ever have a severe reaction, I am sure it will be no problem. We are just going to have to be very careful about what he consumes and make sure anyone who takes care of him knows.
0 comments:
Post a Comment