The allergist

We have suspected that Cole is allergic to peanuts but hadn't gone for the official testing, but I was finally able to get him scheduled and had our initial consult. The doctor advised that we continue to treat him as if he is allergic to all nuts and we would do more comprehensive testing when we returned from our NC vacation. He also wanted to test him for the usual dust, molds and pollens but also milk, casein and soy because of all his sinus issues that led to our ear tube and adenoid adventure this past winter. I wasn't looking forward to the testing because I knew he would have to keep still for 15-20 minutes while the potential allergens reacted, but I was advised to bring a portable DVD player with us. Fortunately Buzz and Woody kept his attention the whole time and he was only upset about the itchy liquid on his legs for a few minutes.

Then the doctor came in to read the results - see that big welt closest to his knee - that was the peanuts. So now I carry an epipen everywhere, we have one in the kitchen, two at school and also large stocks of benadryl as that is the first line of defense in the event of an exposure. I sincerely hope we never need to use them but I'm glad to know that we have them if we do.

We also discovered that he had reactions to dust, mold and pollens - not too surprising since I'm allergic to all those things as well. He's also slightly allergic to cats and dogs (uh oh, Jagger!) but not severely so Jagger doesn't need to worry about packing up his nylabones and biscuits. The biggest shocker was that he's allergic to milk, casein (a milk product) and soy. This is my picky eater who gets the majority of his protein from cheese, yogurt and milk. But milk is out now along with the majority of processed foods, breads and even some deli meats. So now begins the fun of reforming an extremely picky eater who has worn us down on all previous attempts.