Allergy Update…

I know many of you know this story, but for those who don’t know us, or who can’t remember…. here’s a summary…

When the boys were newborns, Ben had a rash. It started not long after he was born. Initially, we called it a newborn “milk rash” and/or thought it was the rash newborns get when the hormone balance shifts after birth. We didn’t really know. At about 6 weeks old, he still had a rash, and this time the docs called it eczema.

After a few bad months of idiot doctors and misdiagnosis we finally found a paediatrician that specialised in allergies. We had to wait 2 months for an appointment, so at 4 months old, we decided we would do what our gut had been telling us for a while, and we took him off breast milk. We bought a tin of low allergy formula ($60 tin lasted 3 days) and fed him only that. His skin cleared in 2 days, and became the best it had been his whole life. We bought a few tins, but were lucky enough to have a “connection” who got us heaps of tins for free!!. Life became good on this new formula “Elecare”.

At 6 months old we got our specialist appointment and they did skin prick testing and diagnosed an egg allergy and salicylate intolerance. They totally agreed with our decision to give him Elecare, and we got a prescription. (Now we can officially get it government subsidised). They also gave us a dietary plan to follow as we introduced solids. Ben’s special diet was egg, dairy, soy, nut, fish and wheat free for a few months. Ethan got the same, but was allowed dairy. They basically lived on ‘milk’ (Elecare for Ben, Breastmilk for Ethan) plus potato, swede, choko, green beans, pear, chicken and rice until about 9 months old.

At the 9 month appointment, we got Ethan tested, for no other reason, than they were brothers. We were surprised to learn Ethan had an egg allergy too. So we stayed egg, nut, fish and dairy free, but introduced wheat and gave them other food challenges to see how they went. And they went well.

At 12 months, we introduced dairy and fish and that went well too. At this point, they are eating a low-medium content salicylate diet and are still egg, nut and shellfish free. Ben’s eczema is greatly improved from what it was for the first 4 months of his life.  He still got flareups in his eczema at times, but it was no where near as bad as it used to be.

At 18 months, the egg allergy is starting to decrease. The size of the reaction on skin prick testing has halved. We continue the same diet. Ben’s salicylate sensitivity is improving, and he is now tolerating a medium-high level of salicylates.

This week at their 2 year check-up we are very happy to report that their egg allergy is still decreasing. The size of the reaction is now small enough to not be considered relevant. The doctor and dietician tell us it’s now time to introduce egg!

We start with egg as an ingredient in something. So we made a cake. We gave them a nibble. Waited ten mins. All ok. So we gave them a mouthful, waited ten mins. All ok. So we gave them a whole piece. They were fine. No reaction at all!! We are so happy that they have tolerated egg in the cake….

Next step is to try straight egg. We have to wait a week before trying this. We will make some scrambled egg and start by touching it on their cheeks. If that is ok, 10 mins later we’ll touch it on their lips. If that’s ok, 10mins later they can have a nibble. If that’s ok, 10 mins later they can have a mouthful, and so on…..

We are also now allowed to introduce nuts and shellfish. Both slowly like the egg. These boys aren’t going to know themselves with the wide variety of diet they can have. Ben is also improving on his salicylate sensitivity. It’s defiantly still there, as his eczema still flares up when he eats too much, but his tolerance level is higher :)

At their check-up, they were also weighed and measured. Here’s the stats:

ETHAN

Height: 87.4 cm (34.4 inches)

Weight: 13.0kg (28lb, 11oz)

BENJAMIN

Height: 85.6cm (33.7 inches)

Weight: 11.2kg (24lb, 11oz)

As you may notice, Ethan is our big boy, and Ben’s still a lightweight. Even with his smaller statute, Ben’s still the dominant twin. He’s quite the chatter box, though Ethan’s speech has come along in huge leaps in the last 2 weeks. More about that in another post….

Just a few pics to finish up…

Ethan… I took these this morning as the “before” pics, just in case he had a reaction to the egg.

Ben’s butt! I was trying to get his “before” picture, but he dived into the box!

 

And some pictures from the other day….

Ben, super tired and hungry. Having an absolute meltdown because the play-doh wouldn’t do what he wanted it to do….. whatever that was, I couldn’t work it out!

Brotherly love. Ethan giving Ben a cuddle. Ben has an iPod in his hands, listening to the music.