Posts tagged with "Peanut Allergy"
I'll start with a few pictures. These were all taken at Paul and Lynne's house over the course of the past few months. I love these girls so much!
(Random, but this is what Ruby's hair generally looks like
until I get it tamed into a ponytail, pigtails, or barrettes. Hee hee hee!)
Anyway, those are some of my favorite pics from the last few months. I get to experience so many fun and amazing things during the day watching these three little blessings grow up. I'm sad to say that it is coming to an end. Ruby's allergist feels that it is not wise for Ruby to be in an environment where nuts are present for any portion of the day. So, as soon as Paul gets back from his trip, they will begin looking for a new full-time nanny. If you know of anyone who is interested, please get ahold of me and give me their info.
Ruby is pretty sick right now. She's got a really stuffy nose, a pretty bad cough, and she just seems generally miserable. I think she might have her first ear infection. :( If she's not doing any better tomorrow, I'm going to take her to the doctor. Ugh... This gets old. I'll be thankful for the warmer weather and healthier days.
Mike has completed a new website for a really great local band. As soon as he's shown it to them, we'll post the link here. Mike is interested in doing some sites as a side job. If anyone is looking for a really talented web designer/developer, I know where you can find one. *wink wink* :)
Keep praying for us. Life is changing a lot, and we're simply along for the ride. We've been very blessed, because the settlement from our car and the tax refund we're expecting this year will give us a nice cushion for us to figure out which way to go next. We are so thankful that God has been guiding steps to this point. We know He won't stop now.
We love you all very much. I'm very much looking forward to having more time to keep up with you, pray for you, visit with you, and be a better friend and family member. Pray that God delivers the perfect person to the Owens family to become a significant part of Anja and Isabel's lives.
First, I'll start off with a picture of our peanut...we love her very much!! :)
Ruby wasn't able to visit the real Santa this year, but she did get to visit with the Chick-fil-A Santa Cow! :) This is related, I promise. Chick-fil-A happens to be one of the restaurants on our new "Under No Circumstances" list. Meaning, under no circumstances is Ruby to eat at those restaurants (which also includes Texas Road House.) Life is certainly about to change for us.
We had an appointment with Ruby's pediatrician on Monday morning. If you're in the Lafayette area, I highly recommend Dr. Johari Miller. We love her, and we have been SO happy with our care under her supervision. She confirmed that it was more than likely that Ruby has a severe allergy to peanuts. So, she prescribed an EpiPen, Jr. and trained me on how to use it. Then, she referred us to Dr. Jay Prochnau, an allergy specialist. We scheduled the appointment for Friday (yesterday).
Dr. Prochnau met with us and decided he would like to do a simple scratch test (skin test) for a yes/no determination on the possibility of a peanut allergy. The nurse had three test areas on Ruby's back: a pure histamine sample (this one will definitely react, everyone is allergic to histamine), a peanut protein sample (if this one reacts, then we know Ruby has a peanut allergy), and a control sample (this one will not react at all). Well, within just a few second, the peanut sample was reacting. By the time the test was completed, her peanut sample was three times the size of her histamine sample, a definite positive.
Dr. Prochnau told us that this type of reaction comes with a "poor prognosis." He feels that Ruby's allergy is pretty severe, and any risk of contact is too much of a risk. Especially with her age, he has suggested stict avoidance of all things nut, as well as complete avoidance of the other top allergens: fish, shellfish, egg, and soy. He gave us some hopeful news, too. Since Ruby is still so young, it's still possible for her to be in the 20% that will outgrow this allergy. She will have an annual check-up with Dr. Prochnau, and he will do a blood test each year to see the level of her allergy. If she is still testing positive around age ten, then it is almost certain that she will not outgrow the allergy.
That's the update. Our lives are getting ready to chage dramatically. We cannot have any nut products or products that contain (or were manufactured with) nuts. We cannot dine at restaurants on a regular basis, and, if we do, we must take major precautions to protect Ruby. Many food allergies cause an allergic reaction that is uncomfortable and unhealthy, but not immediately life-threatening. Nut allergies are different in that the reactions are usually much more severe and immediately life-threatening. We still have quite a bit of research and learning to do. For those of you who are in frequent contact with Ruby or often care for her, I will be giving you a lot of information and trying to educate you on how you can help us protect her.
Please be praying for us a lot right now. Because we can no longer eat out at restaurants, and because of the level of observation of Ruby's surroundings that we must now employ, I really need more time in the evenings to prepare meals and control our home environment. For those reasons, I have given notice to Paul and Lynne. We're currently all thinking about how we need to proceed further. We are considering a job-share situation, where I would only watch the girls in the morning and still have the afternoons and evenings to manage our life. However, nuts are a large portion of Lynne's diet, since she's a vegetarian. There will inevitably be nuts present in their home. I'll be speaking with Dr. Prochnau to see whether it's even advisable for Ruby to be in that environment for any portion of the day. There are a lot of things to consider, and we'll be treading carefully for the next few months.
No matter what, I am confident that God is in control. I lost many hours of sleep, preparing myself to lose my contact and involvement with Anja and Isabel. I didn't even know Paul and Lynne would be willing to consider something like a job-share. I was blessed and encouraged by their reaction. Even if it doesn't work out, I am so thankful to know that they still want us to be a part of their lives. In any event, we'll be making sure to have frequent playdates and visits with them.
He is big enough and powerful enough to guide us through this situation. All of these changes are very healthy for our family. Perhaps we just needed a serious push toward some changes in our lives (reducing our dining out, paying more careful attention to our meals, etc...).
Be blessed, we'll keep you updated!
Here it is, 2:00 a.m., and I can't sleep. I don't know where to begin. 2007 was a string of attacks, and we were so blessed to have Ruby lighting up our lives with smiles through the year. We were hoping that 2008 would just start off with a bang and be a great year with even more Ruby cuteness. We still have some hope, but we're not off to an amazing start.
We ended up in the Home Hospital Emergency Room today. Ruby most likely has a severe (and life-threatening) food allergy to peanuts and any peanut derivative. She is also very likely to have a related severe allergy to tree nuts which includes just about every other nut you can think of: Cashews, Pecans, Macadamia, Almonds, Pistachios, Brazil nuts, Pine nuts, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Hickory nuts, Beech nuts, Butternut, Chestnut, and coconut. This includes any oils from these nuts, which can be found, not only in food, but in lotions, shampoos, soaps, make-up, bird food, and pet food.
I hadn't planned on exposing Ruby to nuts until she was at least three years old, per the American Academy of Pediatricians' recommendation. This morning, however, I had a complete brain fart. I had ordered some candy from one of the Girl Scouts at church, and it was delivered this morning. I took out one of the Peanut Butter Cups, and took a bit. Ruby reached for it and whined a little bit. Without even thinking, I pulled off a piece of the chocolate and gave it to her. She had a little bit (less than an 1/8 of a tsp.) of peanut filling on her finger, and she licked it off.
Within a few minutes, she became really cranky and agitated. She wouldn't go away from me, which is very unusual. She's normally very happy and social at church. I just thought she was tired, so I pawned her to a friend, so we could lead worship. After worship, I decided to check on Ruby. (It has been about an hour since she had the candy.) When I saw her, I knew something was very wrong. Her face was beet red, her eyes were swollen, and she looked miserable. When I looked closer, I saw that she had hives all over her face and neck. I went see how far it had spread, and I saw that it was already down to her toes and very bad.
I called the nurses' line and was advised to take her to the Emergency Room right away. We left church and went straight to the hospital.
As soon as I walked up to the triage desk, the nurse reacted very strongly and opened the door and rushed us back. She took Roo out of her carseat and stripped her down really fast. (She hadn't even asked me our names or anything yet.) She said, "This is a very bad allergic reaction." She attached all the probes and monitors to Ruby and checked all her vitals. Ruby's skin was as red as a cherry, and I'm not exaggerating. As soon as she had determined that Ruby was breathing alright, she asked me what happened. I told her, and she said she would send the doctor right away.
The doctor seemed fairly worried. She said the quickness and the severity of Ruby's reaction indicates that she has a severe allergy. These type of allergies can lead to anaphylaxis. This is a type of reaction that could kill Ruby.
Ruby is on a steroid and an antihistamine around the clock until we can get her in to the pediatrician's office. Once we see Dr. Miller, we will know a little bit more. Most likely, she will order an allergy work-up for Ruby to determine (for sure) the severity of Ruby's allergy. She will also probably prescribe an EpiPen.
We have to rid our house of all products that contain any nut or nut derivative. Mike and I cannot eat anything with nuts or use products with nut derivatives. Even the scent of nut could make Ruby react.
Peanut allergies are generally life-long. The vast majority of children will not "grow out" of a peanut allergy the way they "grow out" of a milk allergy. Ruby may never know the bliss of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!! (This could help her stay skinnier than her mommy!)
For now, we're just asking for prayer that the allergy is not nearly as severe as it seems. The tests could show that this was a complete coincidence, and Ruby's not allergic at all. It could show that she does have an allergy but it's only a mild allergy. Please just pray that, above all, we can honor and glorify God as we walk down this newest path.
Mike and I are both very stressed right now: with jobs, with life, with Ruby's health. We need your prayers, so we openly beg for them. We appreciate it.
We love you all so much. Thank you for being part of our life!
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