Have you heard?

It's Snowing!!! I'm just as excited as you are. March in New York, you just never know what it'll bring. Blechhhh!  Hurry up sunshine!

We're in the early stages of some bug. Killian woke up around 11:30 with a fever last night. Wasn't much of a surprise to me, he had a little cough just before bed that set off my radar. By 9:30 I heard a bark on the monitor....oddly enough, he hasn't coughed since.

The coughing drives me nuts! Not because the annoyance a constant cough can bring, nothing like that at all. Coughing is usually the first sign of something is wrong. I think most parents hear their child cough randomly and don't give it a second thought, until it becomes a nuisance or has that certain "bark'. With us, it's a little more like walking on the edge, especially when he's eating or right after a meal. How quickly can we get back on course? A little cough is probably nothing, but my first thought is "ANAPHYLACTIC ATTACK!!" if it happens at meal time. Coughing any other time is more like "Oh no, is he sick? is it asthma? allergies? Here we go!".  So, yeah, we're a little more sensitive to a cough, tickle in the throat, went down the wrong pipe, whatever you call it - we call it Get Prepared! 

Yesterday, I made us both bagel sandwiches for lunch. Killian's was complete with his special cheese and mine - dairy. I finished his and started making mine. By the time I sat down to eat it, I didn't even want it. I have this Love-Hate relationship with some of my favorite foods. It started around the time his solid food eating days began. I can't just make my sandwich, no I have to analyze it. I eat some cheese as I go along, I stare at it, wondering how it can kill my child - like the answer will appear on the cheese, kind of like the Jesus face on toast? I hate it. I hate this food that attacks my son for no known reason. It's pure evil. I wash my hands countless times during our sandwich making. I won't dare touch the mayo, deli meats, bagel bag, knife, dish, ANYTHING after I touch my cheese. Wipe down the counter, wipe down the table, wipe down the fridge. We take no chances, other than actually having it in the home. I realize I don't have to eat dairy. I also know there is no way in hell I'm eating soy cheese! I can't stomach the smell of it. I guess it's just not something I think of until I'm in the moment. I really don't eat much dairy when he's awake. I certainly don't over think my nightly root beer float when he's fast asleep. That is, until he wakes up sick in the night and I can't even kiss him.
  Some of my MOST favorite foods are threatening to him and I hate the foods for it. I talked about the peanut butter days - that was ridiculous. I used to keep peanut M&M's in my work locker for a "fix".  Eggs weren't too difficult - all of my great baking went down the drain after I couldn't figure out how to make a cake without them. Eggs gave him some hives, nothing major, so it's not like we had to avoid giving him kisses if we DID eat them, but still - eggs are in a lot of foods so we avoided them. Can we discuss Mayo for a minute?! Who INVENTED this stuff?! It's so gross and why is it not refrigerated if it contains egg? Even the ($7.00 for a tiny jar) vegan substitute is sold in the refrigerated section. I prefer mustard, but Killian likes a little mayo.

Moving on - there have been 2 new studies released recently on the role of Vitamin D levels during pregnancy, and food allergies. One says too much Vitamin D may cause them, the other says too little might. Obviously, speak with your OB/GYN, Pediatrician AND Allergist on this one! Personally, I was told by my most recent OB/GYN that I have a very low Vit D level after testing for conception. He asked if I was tested when we tried for Killian, by my former Dr. I was not. He then informed low Vit. D increases the risk of pre-term labor, preeclampsia and c-section. Check. Check. And CHECK! So reading low vitamin D may play a role in the babies food allergies makes sense to me. The link of the two makes sense to me, I have no idea how it actually relates, don't ask me that! :) 

There are so many studies coming out on when to introduce common allergen foods, how long to exclusively breast feed, what formula to use. It's a bit overwhelming. But I'm hoping these little discoveries are leading to the BIG ONE! How to cure it!  Another big thing going on in the food allergy world is OIT (Oral Immunotherapy). This is when an allergen is introduced in very small doses, either swallowed or placed under the tongue. The goal is for the immune system to build up a tolerance to the allergen over time. For some this is working. For people like Killian, this is not anywhere near an option and strict avoidance is best recommended. Also, allergy shots are NOT effective on Food Allergies. For now I'm thankful to see that roads are being carved out of the giant, rocky mountain. Hopefully the signs to a cure will be up in the near future. It is comforting to read all the studies, even if some contradict others. It shows me there are people working on it, all of our efforts to raise money for research is literally paying off. I am confidant Killian will eat dairy some day. Whether he outgrows it or a cure is discovered is what remains to be seen!