Zachary's Pre-OIT Appointment for Eggs

Today we met with Dr. Jones' medical assistant, Jennifer Bunker to discuss Zachary's next round of OIT treatments. It was mostly an informational meeting with a quick physical to check that Zachary is healthy and ready for Day One of Egg OIT on January 8th.

I was a little nervous because Zachary had a reaction at school yesterday. Just as the day was about to begin, Zachary knocked on my office door with red eyes and tears pouring down his face. I immediately thought he was hurt, but as I opened my office door and heard the sneezing, I knew that he was struggling with a reaction. I gave him 10ml of Zyrtec and whisked him off to the Sick Room in the Main Office.

Within minutes, Zachary's face began to swell as welts developed around his eyes, on his forehead, behind his ears, and on his neck. Before we know it, his right eye was swollen shut and he started to have a bit of a wheeze when he inhaled and exhaled.

After monitoring him for about an hour and a half, I decided that the reaction was passing and not progressing, so I sent him home to rest with my Dad. We are forever grateful to Papa for his willingness to step in and help us out at a moments notice.

I am so grateful that my little man is doing okay and that we were able to get him his medicine so quickly. I feel so blessed to be able to work at my children's school. I love that I am so close and that my kids can run to me in their times of need. I appreciate all the love and concern that each of my co-workers showed towards Zachary and Me. Although it was scary, I felt my Savior's love through this entire ordeal and I am so grateful to know that no matter what, families can be together forever!

Back to today's appointment...

Fortunately, Zachary passed the physical with flying colors and he will be able to begin next week. Jen feels that Zachary's reaction was due to being overheated within an hour of taking his morning milk dose. I am thankful that this recent reaction did not derail our plans to begin OIT again. We have been waiting for a little over a year and are extremely grateful to be able to begin again!

Now we begin preparations and say our prayers that things will go smoothly on Tuesday!

Rocky Mountain Allergy Seminar

For the past year or so, we have been hearing about a new treatment option for food allergies. I have been a little hesitant to try it since it is so new and only one allergist, Dr. Douglas Jones, in Utah is currently offering this treatment option. At the end of January, this allergist opened a new location in Murray, Utah which is about 20 minutes from our home. When I discovered his new location, and found out that Dr. Jones was just recently added to our insurance plan, I decided to check it out.

Matt and I attended a seminar with Dr. Jones tonight. He discussed his revolutionary treatment and how it works. There were also a few "graduates" and their families there to discuss their experience and how their lives have been changed.

Dr. Jones began his career as an Allergist and always hated the times he would have to face a family and diagnose a food allergy. The standard protocol was to give the family a list of ingredients to avoid and a prescription for an Epi-Pen. He would then send them into the world with a "hope" that nothing bad would happen. During the seminar he discussed how he hated these conversations and felt so bad that there were no other options. As he began researching more, he took the idea of vaccines and of environmental allergy shots and began experimenting to see if there was something more that he could do. For 8 long years he researched and studied. Then in 2011 he launched the Oral Immunotherapy treatment plan with his patients. It has had unprecedented success!

Oral Immunotherapy Treatment (OIT) is a treatment in which the allergic patient is fed the allergen in a very diluted amount in a control environment. For example, the first dose amount for a person allergic to peanuts is 1/250,000 of a peanut. As each dose is tolerated, the dosage amount is increased until the patient is able to eat 24 peanuts a day. This may take anywhere from a few months to a couple of year to desensitize to the allergen. Once you reach what Dr. Jones calls your maintenance dose, the patient will need to consume the maintenance dose of the allergen every day for the rest of their lives. If they do so, they are able to eat unlimited amounts of the allergen as often as they would like. Sounds to good to be true, right!

Well it is not. After Dr. Jones presentation was over, we heard from many patients and their families. As we heard story after story of success and gratitude, my eyes were filled with tears. We heard the story of a 10-year old boy who was allergic to 24 foods. His story was so similar to Zachary's and his little personality reminded me of Zachary too. He now can eat all of the foods he once had to completely avoid. His eyes lit up as he talked about all of the food that he can now eat and how he doesn't need to fear food anymore. I cannot image what a weight has been lifted off of his little shoulders. It made me long for the day that we could share all of our favorite foods with Zachary. Next we heard from a 18-year old boy that was allergic to peanuts. He graduated from the OIT program in December and feels so much better about being out with friends and dating. Then we heard from a young girl who recently attended a friends birthday party for first time. In the past her friends would tell her, "My mom won't let me invite you to my party because she doesn't want to worry about what to feed you." We heard so many stories of how OIT has changed peoples lives.

After the seminar, we were able to mingle with the families and with Dr. Jones. Matt and I are extremely interested in getting Zachary started with this treatment. We are encouraged by all of the success and hope to be able to share our success story in the future.

We are currently on the wait list for the Oral Immunotherapy Program. We are looking at around 8 to 10 months before we will be able to begin. While we are a little sad to have to wait, we are grateful for the time to do more research and to prepare Zachary for what is to come. While we wait, we plan on starting immunotherapy treatments for Zachary's environmental allergies. Dr. Jones feels that if we can eliminate Zachary's environmental allergies, he will be able to work through the food allergy treatments a lot quicker and with less reactions.

I am so grateful for this new option. I am hopeful that Oral Immunotherapy Treatments will work for my little Zachary. If OIT works for us, it will not only open up so many food choices for Zachary, it will improve his quality of life and make it so we don't have to live in fear every single day.

What a blessing that would be!

FARE Walk for Food Allergy 2013

This weekend our family participated in the FARE Walk for Food Allergy at Sugarhouse Park. FARE, the organization who hosted the walk is an organization dedicated to Food Allergy Research & Education.

FARE’s mission is to ensure the safety and inclusion of individuals with food allergies while relentlessly seeking a cure.

 

We do this by:

• Providing evidence-based education and resources,
• Undertaking advocacy at all levels of government,
• Increasing awareness of food allergies as a serious public health issue, and
• Investing in world-class research that advances treatment and understanding of the disease.

We walked to support our sweet little Zachary who suffers from life-threatening food allergies. We registered for the walk and sent the word out to our extended family and friends...and boy did they deliver! As a team (Super Zac's Allergy Squad) we were able to raise $155.00 in donations! We really appreciate all of those that were able to donate to this cause, which is near-and-dear to our hearts!

Before the walk, we were able to visit with many vendors and sponsors. I learned so much and even found some new foods that Zachary is able to eat! We were even given coupons for free Epi-Pens! Zachary and Elizabeth loved watching the magician, playing with allergy-free play-doh, and meeting with all of the characters that had shown up to show support.

Zachary was grinning from ear-to-ear as he spoke with Batman!

Elizabeth was thrilled to meet Merida and even got an archery lesson from her.

Zachary is such a flirt and totally stole Merida's heart! We are gonna have to keep our eye on him!

The 2013-2014 University of Utah Gymnastics team lead us in a warm-up and stretching routine before leading us on the walk. We learned that 2 of the girls on the current gymnastics team have severe allergies. It was nice to hear the girls speak about not letting allergies determine what you are limited to in life. I am grateful for their words of encouragement.

It was so nice to be able to walk for our Zachary. I hope that he feels our love and support. Even though he is so young, I hope this walk showed him that he is not alone and that he has a team of people around him that will support him and do whatever we can to help him and keep him safe.

We love our little man and are so grateful for all of the love and support that we have received on his behalf! Here's hoping that they find a cure for food allergies!

Zachary's Allergist Appointment

This week, we had Zachary's annual appointment with the Allergist, Dr. Broadbent. I have been looking forward to this visit because we usually go over the results from Zachary's labs, complete skin testing for additional allergens, and discuss the dosages for his medicine. We have been told that most allergies are outgrown by the age of three, so we were hoping to get really good news at this appointment.

Unfortunately, we did not receive the news we were hoping for. Our little Zachary's allergies do not seem to be going away. If anything, they are all increasing in intensity. During the lab test, they assign each allergen a number from 1 to 100 as an indicator of how much Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody is present in his system. All of his numbers have sky-rocketed. Boo! Not only that, but he has even added some new allergens!

Egg Whites     >100
Milk                >100
Soybean          30.2
Peanut             >100
Almond           24.3
Brazil Nut       12.8
Potato               .69
Sesame Seed   37.1
Pecan              22.1
Banana            34.0
Cashew           >100
Hazelnut         28.9
Walnut            68.1
Sweet Potato   1.3
Pistachio          87.5

Of the 15 allergens that we tested for, Potato is the only one not significant enough to avoid. Seriously! I was so bummed. I was really hoping that he would grow out of at least a couple. Instead, it looks as though we have added a couple as well.

At the office, we discussed Zachary's skin and his need to constantly scratch. The allergist was convinced that with the strict diet we follow and the labor-intensive skin regimen we follow, Zachary's skin and itching should be well under control. We also discussed the food journal that I have been keeping and about how Zachary begins scratching violently almost every time he eats. Dr. Broadbent was convinced that there must be something else that Zachary is allergic to, so we did a round of skin testing to see if we could figure it out. We tested for trees, grasses, weeds, cats and dogs. In addition to, wheat, soy, orange, plum, potato, beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and garlic.

From the testing we learned that Zachary is highly allergic to cats and dogs and slightly allergic to weeds. He also tested positive for wheat, soy, plum, pork, and turkey.

With all of this new information added to the information we already have, it looks like we will be strictly avoiding A LOT of foods and allergens. From now on, we need to avoid eggs, dairy, soy, peanuts, almond, brazil nut, sesame seed, pecan, banana, cashew, hazelnut, walnut, sweet potato, pistachio, chicken, pork, beef, turkey, wheat, cats, dogs, and weeds. Although we didn't test for it, we also think Zachary might be allergic to coconut. He refuses to drink it anymore so the allergist says avoid it for now.

Oh, is that all? Seriously, what are we gonna feed this kid! The only exception to the rule above is that we are able to give Zachary chicken sparingly (once or twice a month) and we can give him beef as long as it is cooked well done.

Since Zachary is started preschool next week, we got some helpful advise from the allergist on how to keep Zachary safe while at school. Dr. Broadbent gave me some suggestions for what should be included in a letter home to the parents of his classmates. We also decided that each child will need to wash their hands and face before entering the classroom. I am a little nervous to send him to preschool but I am so grateful that he has such a great teacher, whom is one of my good friends. I know that she will watch out for him and help keep him safe.

We ended our visit with getting prescriptions for all of Zachary's medicines. We were given a demonstration on a new type of "high tech" Epi-Pen. This new types talks the user through the process of injection. It is quite fancy! We got new prescriptions for all of Zachary's ointments. Dr. Broadbent also prescribed Singulair for Zachary's seasonal allergies. Dr. Broadbent wants us to call her in a week so we can discuss how Zachary is doing after avoiding his new allergens.

Whew! That was a lot of information. Hopefully, all, or a combination of some, of these changes will help our little guy feel better!

Oh Nuts!

Today could have been the most horrible day. Just as we were putting Zachary to bed, I noticed welts forming on his hands and face. Within what felt like seconds, Zachary was in distress. He was violently scratching all over his body and was groaning and coughing. When you looked into his eyes, you saw that he was absolutely miserable.

Then, my worst fear happened...Zachary's lips swelled and he was having difficulty breathing. He was in anaphylactic shock!

Matt and I jumped into action. Matt injected the Epi-Pen, while I gathered our things. Next, Zachary and I were in the van and off to Pioneer Valley Hospital's Emergency Room. I ran into the lobby carrying Zachary in my arms. I let the person at the desk know that my sweet boy was in anaphylactic shock and that we had injected the Epi-Pen less than 5 minutes ago. We were immediately rushed back to the trauma room. The man I was following kept yelling codes as we walked. When we arrived at the trauma room, there were already five or six people that had followed us and they immediately began hooking Zachary up to an IV and monitors. Zachary was given Benadryl, Solumedrol, Pepcid, and Prednisone.

Then the waiting game began. Waiting to see if the medicines were working. Waiting to see if his oxygen levels would improve. Waiting to see if he was going to be okay. Waiting to see if the swelling would go down. Seriously, minutes seemed like hours. Zachary was so lethargic. I was so scared.

The staff at Pioneer Valley Hospital were so great with my little man. They reacted so quickly and were so sweet to him as he recovered.

Zachary's stats returned to normal, and little-by-little, he regained his strength. Eventually, he was able to close his eyes and get some much needed sleep. At first, I was a little leery to let him sleep but the doctors and nurses assured me that they were monitoring all of his vitals and would be right in if anything happened.

As he slept, I just watched. I watched his chest go up-and-down with each breath. I watched his eyes twitch while he was in REM sleep. I watched his monitors. I watched the swelling go down and his face return to its' normal shape and size. I watched his lips get smaller. I just watched.

As I sat in the room, I was filled with gratitude. My sweet, little man was going to be okay. I thought about much I love him. How glad I am that he is my son. What a blessing he is to our family. What joy he brings to my life.

I am grateful for the knowledge of what to do when this happened. I am grateful for Matt and his ability to step in and get Zachary his Epi-Pen. I am grateful that we were able to get Zachary help. I am grateful that the help was fast. I am grateful for all of the medical personnel that watched over and assisted Zachary today. I am grateful for a sweet daughter who offered prayers on her little brothers behalf. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who answered those prayers.

I am so grateful that we were able to bring Zachary home.

An Answered Prayer

Last night, while at Karla and Kelly's house, Zachary gave us all quite a scare. We were showing Karla and Kelly the photos from our recent trip to The Homestead Resort, when Zachary came up and started patting my leg. When I looked down at him, he was grabbing at his neck and when he tried to talk it sounded really raspy. He just stood there, thrashing at his neck and saying "owie". At first I thought he was chocking on something but soon realized that he was having an allergic reaction.

We had no idea what he had eaten (we later discovered that it was Elizabeth's milk) but sprang into action. I grabbed the Epi-Pen and Matt ran home for the Benadryl. We gave Zachary some water and tried to stop him from scratching all of the welts that had formed. My poor little guy was miserable...and I just had to sit there and watch. I hated it! A few minutes after taking the Benadryl, Zachary started throwing up. I felt so bad for him. You could tell that he was hurting.

Elizabeth was so concerned the whole time. She cried when Zachary cried and stayed right by his side asking him if he needed anything. She is such a great big sister and mentioned that we should pray for Zachary. We all bowed our heads and Elizabeth offered the sweetest prayer. She asked Heavenly Father to help Zachary feel better and prayed that Zachary would not have to go to the hospital. She mentioned that she loved Zachary. It melted my heart to hear her little voice offering a prayer on her brother's behalf. It was such a sweet moment!

At one point, Zachary's eyes shut and he fell asleep right there in my arms, still sitting on the kitchen counter. My heart ached for his little body. He was obviously hurting, itching, and just down-right miserable. Once it seemed as though he was done throwing up, we headed home. At home I lathered Zachary in all of his ointments, hoping to ease the itching and to get the welts to subside. I stayed up with Zachary for another 2-3 hours. We snugged on the couch and watched some of his favorite shows. Once he stopped scratching, drank a bottle of coconut milk, and kept it down for about a half an hour, I finally place Zachary in his bed...very grateful that he was doing better!

We have only experienced this a couple of times...but still it is a couple more than I would have liked. I am grateful that he is doing better and that things did not progress to a more serious state. I am grateful for Karla, Kelly, and Matt who jumped up to help. I am grateful for my sweet Elizabeth who knew that Heavenly Father could help...we just needed to ask! Most of all, I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who answered that prayer and eased Zachary's suffering. We are truly blessed!

Off to the Allergist...again!

Today Zachary and I headed to the Intermountain Memorial Clinic to meet with Dr. Jan Broadbent. I have some concerns with Zachary's progress and wanted to talk with Dr. Broadbent to get some advice. I am concerned because Zachary's skin is not improving as much as I hoped it would. I was under the impression that if we avoided his allergens, that his skin would get better. Also, Zachary starts scratching his face, head, and neck within minutes of sitting down to eat. I was wondering if he may be allergic to something else that we are not aware of.

After discussing my concerns with Dr. Broadbent, she conducted another skin test where we tested some additional possible allergens. We tested for wheat, soy, fish, barley, broccoli, corn, oat, pea, and chicken. I am happy to say that all came back negative! We found no new allergens and are going to work on repairing his damaged skin.

Here's what we are going to do:

• Soaking Baths two times a day in lukewarm water. 
• Immediately after a soaking bath, apply Triamcinolone. Apply Bactroban ointment to any sores or severely damaged skin. 
• Next apply Aquaphor to entire body and face. 
• Place Zachary in a pair of damp cotton pajamas with a dry pair on top for at least 30 minutes. 
• For itching, give him 1/2 teaspoon of Zyrtec once a day. 

We'll see how it goes! I am just so glad that there are not additional allergens that we need to avoid. We need to follow-up with Dr. Broadbent in May so until then, we'll just wait and see.

The Results Are In...

Today we were able to meet with Dr. Broadbent to discuss Zachary's lab test results. Here's what we found out...

• Almond   2.25
• Banana   6.56
• Beef   2.35
• Brazil Nut   1.10
• Cashew   12.20
• Chicken   .24
• Egg White   78.70
• Milk   92.10
• Peanut   76.30
• Pork   2.75
• Sesame   3.47
• Soybean   3.55
• Walnut   .11
• Wheat   2.39

So, now that we have the numbers...what do they mean? Well, basically Zachary is at least slightly allergic to everything that we tested. Boo! In the end, the allergist explained it like this...we are to strictly avoid egg, milk, peanut, tree nut, sesame, banana, and sweet potato. We can still feed him beef and pork as long as it is cooked well done. We should continue feeding him foods containing wheat because his antibody level is not that high and we should try to progress with soy.

Dr. Broadbent recommended meeting with a nutritionist so that we can make sure that Zachary is getting all of the nutrients that he needs since he is on such a limited diet. We are going to continue with coconut milk since he needs the high calorie and high fat content to put on some weight. We will be following up with the allergist next year unless we need anything before then.

Zachary's Allergist Appointment

I have been concerned about Zachary's skin issues and diet for quite some time, so I was glad that we were meeting with the Allergist today. I was looking forward to the opportunity to discuss these issues, and hopefully, get some advice on what to do to help my little man!

Since Zachary was born, he has been suffering from eczema and skin rashes. When his food allergies were discovered, I hoped that this would help with his skin....and it did a little bit. For over a year now, I have been lathering Zachary's skin in Hydrocortisone and a variety of different lotions. His skin has gotten better...but still not great. I mentioned this to Zachary's Pediatrician and Dr. Kenneth Broadbent agreed that Zachary's skin should be much better than it is. Dr. Broadbent suggested that I speak with our Allergist because he felt that Zachary is still consuming some of his allergens...or he may be allergic to additional things that we are not aware of!

This was the first concern that I brought up to Dr. Jan Broadbent. She looked over Zachary's skin and agreed that his skin should be much better than it is since we have avoided his allergens for over a year now and since we are diligent on Zachary's eczema treatments. After discussing Zachary's normal diet, Dr. Broadbent ordered a skin test for 12 potential allergens: Wheat, Soy, Coconut, Barley, Oat, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Cinnamon, Grass, Cat, and the Flu Vaccine.

My poor, little Zachary was so brave. He sat on my lap and snuggled me during the administration of the test. He cried a bit...but not too bad. As soon as the nurses left the room, Zachary got down and played with the toys from the exam room. On the skin test Zachary tested positive for four additional allergens: Cat, Pork, Beef, and slightly positive to Chicken. As they listed the results I thought, "Are you kidding me! Pork, Beef, and Chicken! What are we suppose to feed him?"

Dr. Broadbent felt that a blood test to check his immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies would be beneficial. Before leaving the office, we stopped at the lab to get his blood drawn. This is an experience that I could do without ever again. I hated having to hold him down while he got his blood drawn. I really wish that I could have done it for him...but that's not really how it works! We should find out the lab results next week, so until then we are to continue with what we have been doing already. Dr. Broadbent mentioned that we would come up with a nutritional diet and a list of foods and ingredients to avoid, once she has all of the labs back.

We went over some additional eczema treatments to try and help alleviate Zachary's itching and skin problems. I will be doing more soaking baths with salt or bleach. Dr. Broadbent also prescribed Triamcinolone, which is a little bit stronger than the Hydrocortisone that we have been using. We will also continue with the Zyrtec for itching. I am really hoping that we can get Zachary's skin rashes and itching under control. I just feel so bad when I see his skin cracked and red. I know that it must hurt.

We still need to discuss ways to get Zachary more calories. He needs to gain some more weight, but at this point, we need his lab results before we can discuss food consumption...so we will wait on this until next week.

Before we left the office, Zachary received the Flu shot, and after waiting an hour with no reaction, we were able to leave. I am so proud of my little man. He endured a lot today...and did so with a smile on his face...most of the time. I am sad to put him through all of this but I truly believe it is for the better. The information received from all of these test will hopefully help us learn what to do for him.

I am so grateful for amazing doctors that are able to help us with our little ones. I am looking forward to next week, when we can begin the next phase of getting Zachary better!

Let the Soy Begin...

Since we are now able to introduce Zachary to Soy Milk, Elizabeth and I baked him some apple cinnamon muffins. Elizabeth loves to bake and is really great and putting the muffin wrappers in the muffin tin.


Elizabeth poured all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and carefully mixed all of the ingredients together. She loves to stir and is very careful to do it nice and slow.


After baking for about 20 minutes, we had delicious-looking muffins.


Now we just had to see if Zachary approved!


Since he kept shoveling the muffin into his mouth until the entire muffin was gone...I am guessing that he approved.


I am so happy that he was able to enjoy his first muffin. We will be baking using Soy Milk for the next couple of months. I hope he continues to love all of the things that we bake for him!

Zachary's Allergist Appointment

I have been looking forward to today for quite some time now. Zachary and I met with his Allergist, Jan Berhisel-Broadbent, to discuss how Zachary has been doing and to talk about introducing new foods to his diet. We are excited to be able to offer Zachary a more varied diet but want to make sure that we go about it the right way!

Today we re-tested Zachary and learned that we are okay to go ahead with introducing soy into his diet. This is a big relief because we will be able to ease Zachary into soy milk. Over the next three months, we will be taking baby steps towards dependency on soy milk instead of nursing. For the next few weeks, we will be introducing soy formula by baking it into muffins, breads, and cakes. Once tolerated, we will move into cooking with soy formula in foods like pancakes and waffles. If that goes well, we will be able to offer him soy formula (Gerber Good Start Soy Plus). We will start with smaller amounts mixed with mother's milk until he is able to tolerate a full serving of soy formula. After a few weeks on Gerber Good Start Soy Plus, we will be able to transition to Gerber Good Start 2 Soy Plus. Once he is able to handle this formula designed for older children, we can ease into soy milk as we see fit. We will also be able to add soy cheese and soy yogurt to his diet as well. Although it is going to take some time to complete, I am so glad that we are able to start this transition. If all goes well, he should be on Gerber Good Start 2 Soy Plus by the end of June!

Since we were in the office, Dr. Broadbent wanted to test Zachary for bananas and shellfish. In the past, Zachary tested positive for bananas, but it is such an uncommon allergy that Dr. Broadbent wanted to test again. Sure enough, the skin test showed that Zachary is in fact allergic to bananas. Luckily, the test came back negative for shellfish so we are able to add more foods to Zachary's diet!

I have noticed the past few times that we have been at the park, or the zoo, or at Thanksgiving Point, that Zachary's eyes seem to water quite a bit. Dr. Broadbent thinks that Zachary must have an allergy to grass or pollen and suggested that I give him a teaspoon of Zyrtec before heading out for a day outside. She also gave me Pataday (eye drops) which should help as well. We'll keep our eye on it and see how he does.

I also talked to Dr. Broadbent about Zachary's skin. It has been looking great lately but I wanted her opinion on a "trouble spot" on his lower back. After looking at it, Dr. Broadbent says it looks like a "contact reaction". Basically, we need to be more careful about washing our hands after touching items to which he is allergic. Apparently, he is having an allergic reaction with something that is coming in contact with this skin. Poor little guy!

While at the pediatrician earlier this week, I was advised to talk with the allergist about how to boost Zachary's weight. Our little man does not even register on the charts for his weight. Usually, we would be informed to add butter, whole milk, and even cream to his diet...however, this is not an option for us. I spoke with Dr. Broadbent about any options that we do have and was told to add olive oil to anything that I can and to have Zachary drink coconut milk. Apparently, coconut milk is almost 100% fat and will do wonders at fattening up our little man!

As I sit here and type this, I am so overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for my healthy and happy little boy. Gratitude for doctors and nurses who dedicate their time to helping those around them. Gratitude for medical insurance. Gratitude for the ability to go to the doctor for assistance and for having doctor's offices so close. Gratitude for manufacturers that produce alternative foods for those that have dietary restrictions. Gratitude for my body and its' ability to provide nutrition for my sweet baby boy. Gratitude that we have been able to provide what Zachary needs to develop and grow.

My heart is full of gratitude.

Bananas

After eating an entire bowl of rice cereal, Zachary was opening his mouth and looking like he wanted to eat some more, so I decided to open up a jar of bananas. After a couple of mouthfuls, he lost interest so I gave up and put the leftovers away. As I headed back to the highchair to get him out, I noticed a rash forming on his face. I immediately washed his face and kept a close eye on him. After about 10 minutes, the rash on his face was gone. That was yesterday.

Today, I decided to give Zachary the bananas again. After a few mouthfuls, I noticed the same rash forming on his face again. However, this time the rash did not only affect his face. Within a few minutes, his entire body was covered with the rash. Zachary went from a happy, smiling baby to a miserable, itchy baby. He was moaning, crying, and scratching all over his body. When we noticed his lips were starting to swell, we ran for the Benadryl. After 3/4 teaspoons of Benadryl and me lathering him in Hydrocortisone, he was a happy baby again. The whole ordeal lasted about an hour.

Guess I won't be giving him bananas anymore!