A Grain of Wheat and Truth

When it comes to testing for food allergies in kids, there are usually two steps involved. First, the allergist will do the skin prick test, which involves injecting a tiny amount of the substance directly under the skin and watching for a reaction. This is usually followed by a blood test that helps to determine the severity of the reaction to certain allergens. Each test on its own is considered to have only a certain amount of reliability, so allergists will often use them together to determine accuracy.

We started that whole allergist process a little over a year ago. Asher got the skin pricks done on his back, and it was pure torture for the little guy. I think he had 16 pricks total, and almost all of them immediately became massive hives, eventually all flowing together into a fiery inferno. His entire back was very red, and it even spread up his neck into his face. He got lots of Benadryl after that experience! Needless to say, it was obvious he was a highly allergic boy, something that we knew without tests of any kind.

And when we went to do the blood tests, they confirmed this. He was on the high side for everything, with potential for anaphylactic shock if he had exposure. We carry an Epi-Pen around with us at all times just in case (fortunately we've never even come close to having to use it), and anyone who watches Asher alone has to go through Epi-Pen training and be fully briefed on the "what ifs" if he gets hives or otherwise.

So here we are, a year later, and it was time for another round of blood tests to see if the levels were coming down (the skin prick test is only done every few years usually). We did this back in October and received great news. Everything had gone down! He is no longer quite as allergic as he was back then. Still allergic but not as severe In fact, the wheat level had fallen far enough that the allergist wanted to attempt a skin prick test, followed by actually giving him a wheat food to eat in the office. We went yesterday but only got as far as the skin prick. He got welts on his arm pretty quickly, so the plan for food was halted.

So, no wheat at this point. But it's a definite possibility for another year or three down the road. The most important thing is that things are going in the right direction and who knows, maybe one day he won't have any allergies. But even if he does, that's okay too. We're used to it, and we know how to handle it, and there are far worse challenges out there that Asher could face.

It's just nice to know that if another kid gives Asher some cheddar goldfish crackers (actually happened earlier this year), that most likely, he'll be just fine. In that instance, Asher got Benadryl right away and didn't so much as develop a single hive! That was really amazing and showed that things were moving in the right direction.

And our friends who know us are all aware of Asher's allergies and are super accommodating and either give their kids Asher-friendly snacks or help me make sure that Asher doesn't get his hands on anything he can't eat. That makes a huge difference, and I am always thankful that they care so much.

We'll test in another year and hope once again that the levels and severity continue to go down. And we'll stick with our gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free pumpkin and banana bread and all the other goodies that he can eat!