And off we go....

Our every other week trips to Duke are now complete!  Our son hit his maintenance dose on Monday, February 27, so now he won't go back until June!  Now we settle into the structure of eating the same dose every week.  It is amazing to look at the size of the dose now and compare it to where we started.  We started with a tiny dose and now it is probably a tablespoon full or more.  If he is on the high dose, that would be 10 peanuts!

In other news, they have started the food challenges for some of the kids in our trial.  Three kids saw their IgE drop below 2 and they have been on maintenance for over a  year, so they were ready to challenge.  The first 3 started in January and all passed the first challenge, which is typical since you have been on the dose there is no reason you wouldn't handle it.  Then they have to go a whole month with no dose, no exposure....then they come back for a second challenge.  This is the one that counts and shows true clinical "tolerance".  All 3 of the kids passed the second challenge with no issues and were able to eat a tablespoon of peanut butter at the end of the day!!  Awesome!! 

So, our son had his blood drawn again and we will learn the results of that next month. I am anxious to see if his IgE has dropped any further.  I was so happy that it dropped to 6 from 16 during the fall.  I am hoping to see another point or two shaved off of there!  Our goal is under 2, so the closer we get the better. 

The AAAAI conference is in Orlando this weekend and they are covering the results from the first trials...interesting stuff.  They have learned so much already....still a long way to go, but each day brings new discoveries. 

I will check back in again in June after our next appointment.  Also in June, we go back to the eye doctor for  his 1 year follow-up to his surgery.  He is not tilting hardly at all any more and his eyes look great!  Yay! 

Update for the new year!

Whew, this fall has been busy, but good!  We had a wonderful holiday season and have really enjoyed wrapping up 2011. 

Our son is still doing great on his treatment plan at Duke and we continue to feel so blessed to be able to participate.  Dr. Burks and his team are moving to UNC later this year and we will go with him and the whole clinical trial unit. We will finish our updosing before they move, so the only change for us will be going to UNC instead of Duke every 4 months afterward and for our food challenges when we get there.  Anyway, he is doing great and has had no issues with any of his doses thus far. 

We have gotten good news on his IgE levels too.  His initial IgE was 8.52 on day 1 at Duke.  In August, his IgE was 16.  It is the pattern of everyone on the treatment...the IgE goes up initially, then begins to drop.  So, we had another blood draw on November 28 and we just got the results......6.21!!!  Wow, I am so excited to see it drop below where we started already!  I didn't expect to see that until after we hit maintenance.  Woo hoo!  So, we have 4 more visits before maintenance.  Once we hit maintenance, we will only go back every 4 months for bloodwork and to get our next set of doses.  We will head home with a huge bag of doses....4 months worth then!  That will be a big difference from our little 2 week bags! 

In other news, our hearts and prayers go out to the family in Chesterfield, VA who lost their little girl this week to a peanut allergy reaction.  So tragic.  I can only pray that the work we are doing at Duke will help other children someday and help to keep them safe! 

Halloween and beyond

Well, October was a long month...very long!  We made it to Duke 3 times.  Everything went really well with the updosing and we are still on track with his doses.  He hasn't had any issues with any of his doses so far, so we are very happy with that. 
We had some excitement at the start of December when I hit a deer on the interstate on my way home from Duke.  My son was in the car with me and thankfully, we were not hurt, but our car was totaled.  Boo!  So, that was a lot of time and effort getting a new vehicle and just dealing with all that stuff. 
Then we had a wedding to attend where our daughter was a flower girl.  It was very nice, but a lot of work for all involved.  She had a great time though and it was all worth it. 
The best part of the month was getting to meet another boy at Duke who has FINISHED the trial and is completely allergy-free!  I almost started crying talking to him!  He doesn't like peanut butter on a sandwich, but he does love it with chocolate!  So, he eats whatever he wants now, whenever he wants.  His mother said she couldn't even describe what it was like to now go into any restaurant without worry or pick up any food without reading the label!  Wow!  This young man was in the first trial and is now in 7th grade, so he started at a later age than my son and it took him a while.  They are hoping to show that if they get the kids at an early age like my son, that they will take to the treatment faster and their bodies will respond faster.  Thus far, it seems to be holding true...there are kids in our study ready to food challenge after just 2 years in the trial.
Then, the last time we were there, we met a young girl who was doing her first food challenge...she was doing great and they all expected her to pass with no issue.  Then she comes back a month later to do another challenge and if all goes well, she is DONE!  Her family is already planning a peanut-filled holiday season!!  We were chatting about all the restaurants they want to go to and things she wants to try.  :) 
I don't think people realize how much food allergies affect not just the child, but the whole family.  It was so nice to see these families conquer this and make their child's world a MUCH safer place!  Of course, as parents, we still worry about everything, but not having to worry about food is a very big deal! 
So, all is well and we are moving right along...now, if we can just avoid the deer from now on!  :) 

Moving right along....following the trends!

So, another successful day at Duke this week and we moved up to our next dose. We are almost at the point in the dose where the two options split...one group will get a "high" dose and the other a "low" dose of peanut.  We won't know which group we will be in until after the trial is complete.  We do know that at minimum, he will get at least 1 peanut a day and at maximum 10 peanuts a day.  Either way, the treatment seems to be working, so we are happy to participate and help them determine the most effective dose with the best safety record! 
As I mentioned, my son had his blood drawn back in August and we got the results this week.  His IgE at the start of the trial in May was 8.52.  His current IgE is 16.  Now, that sounds like a bad thing, but it isn't.  In all the participants, the IgE goes up at first...doubling or even tripling.  Then....it starts to go down, down, down.  :)  So, the good news is that our son is responding to the treatment and his body is changing its immune response.  They also look at a bunch of other immune indicators that I can't remember the names of, but this one is the one that matters to me.  Once his IgE is below 2 and he has been on maintenance for at least a year, then we can food challenge!  So...hopefully we will start to see his IgE drop at our next blood draw 2 months from now (we do that every 3 months). 
In other news, he has gained weight and grown taller at pretty much every appointment!  :)  He is now 21 months old and I can't believe I will soon have a 2 year old boy!  :) 

Rain, rain go away....

We had a rainy trip to Duke today, but another successful one.  We are now well into our routine and things are going well.  My biggest concern is just keeping him healthy so that he doesn't miss any more doses!  I hate when the kids are sick...it is no fun for them and I just want them healthy as soon as possible...I feel so bad for them!  They are pretty good about it though.  So, when we got home today, our daughter was running a fever and feeling a little tired and yucky.  So, here we go again!  My goal is to keep him away as much as possible!

Anyway, we have another dose and start another two week process.  :)  Onward and upward!

You give me fever....

Well, we had to miss our first doses this week!  Because of his fever, we missed the Tuesday and Wednesday doses.  Boo!  However, his fever broke today, so we were able to get back on track today.  If we missed 3 doses, then we would have to head back to Duke to be monitored for his next dose.  So, luckily, his body kicked the infection or whatever was going on and he was fine today.  I was a little nervous doing the dose again, but he took it just fine and had no symptoms!  Yay...back on track! 

Fever...yuck!

Well, we made it to Duke yesterday and he was kind of warm, but not registering a temperature when we got  there for our visit, so we went ahead with his next dose and then got him ready for his blood draw.  After about an hour, he started to warm up and we checked his temperature again and it was 99.8.  Ugh.  Under the protocol, he is not to have a dose when he has a fever.  So, we kept a close eye on him.  He was just sleepy and tired, but no other symptoms.  He had no issues with that dose of peanut though, so that was a blessing.  They were able to draw his blood without too much issue and then they gave him some Tylenol so that he would be more comfy for the ride home. 
We came home and he was playing, but still feverish off and on the rest of the evening. 
Today, he was still feverish this morning, so I gave him some Motrin and took him in to the doctor to have his ears checked...they looked clear, so likely it is just a virus running through him.  He continued to be fevered this afternoon, so no peanut flour dose today.  He can skip two days of doses without issue, but if we miss three days, then we would go back to Duke to give him that dose and have him monitored to make sure he is still fine with it.   I am hoping that we just miss today's dose though.  He is doing well now and is playing and eating normally, so I hope it gets out of his system tonight. 
In other news, there are three kids in our trial whose IgE levels have dropped below 2 and they have been on maintenance over a year.....so, they are ready to food challenge!!!  They will start in October.  I am so excited and I cannot wait to hear how they do!!
Anyway, here's hoping that we kick this virus asap and can get back on our schedule!  :)

3 months already!

Wow...we just got back from our biweekly trip and I can't believe it has been 3 months already!  We started on May 9 and here it is August 9 already!  My son is doing great with his doses and luckily, he has been able to take all of them and we haven't had to miss any.  Typically, you only miss a dose is the child has a fever or a significant illness.  I am hoping that we can avoid all of that as much as we can! 
At our last visit, we had a chance to meet some other families and that is always fun.  I love to hear about their experiences and how their kids are doing.  One little boy that is in the same study as us is on his maintenance dose and his numbers have dropped below 2 already...so he will likely be food challenging this fall!  That is so awesome and so encouraging!  She also said that he hadn't had any reactions with any of his doses throughout the whole program...so, that is what we are aiming for!  :)  We also met another boy who is older and is in a different trial, but still on oral immunotherapy for peanut.  He has been on the maintenance dose for probably 6 months or so and then out of the blue, he had a reaction.  Well, not out of the blue actually....he has asthma and it seems that asthma kids seem to have more issues with the treatment (although that is just my own observation, not scientific).  Anyway, he has asthma and then on top of that he had his dose and then went on to participate in a particularly intense athletic class which was soon after his dose.  We are supposed to not have them participate in anything strenuous after a dose.  So, at the end of his class, he started having asthma symptoms and that is what they thought it was, then hives showed up...not asthma...peanut!  So, that was a gentle reminder to us all that we have to follow the protocol and not ever take for granted even if they have been great with no issues!  However, this kid is still doing great and his IgE has dropped significantly since he started...so his dad said that this was merely a blip and that they were going to keep on keeping on! 

So, we are still doing great and they are still seeing great results for kids in both the OIT and SLIT trials!  We still feel very blessed to participate and every other parent I talk to has said the same. 

Another trip, another dose

We are moving right along on our updosing schedule.  Thus far, our son has has no reactions to any of his doses and he seems to be tolerating them with no issue.  We follow the protocol exactly and make sure that we do as we are told!  He is supposed to eat a full meal prior to his dose and to not do any "strenuous" exercise after his dose.  Now, he is 19 months old, so he is able to run around and play and be a normal toddler, but we won't be taking him outside to run any races or do anything super strenuous for the two hours after his dose.  During the week, he gets it in the evenings after dinner, so we are settling down anyway.  So, our biggest challenge is just getting  home from work and getting his dinner on the table as quickly as possible.  We are to monitor him for two hours, so that puts us in a time crunch in the evenings since he goes to bed before 8:00 pm.  So, I rush home with the kids, get their dinner ready and then give him his dose after he eats.  On the weekends, we have more options, but I normally try to get his dose done right after his breakfast, so then we relax for a bit and then are up and about for the day.  That seems to work out really well.  Oh, and it is okay to give him his dose at different times each day.  It isn't a medication, it is just an "exposure".  :) 

Also, I found out that some of the kids in his study who started 2 years ago are ready for their food challenge!  Their IgE has dropped below 2 and they have been tolerating their maintenance dose for over a year.  So, they will start their food challenges in September.  They are ready to challenge now, but it is such a labor intensive process that Duke simply doesn't have the staff to handle the food challenges.  It is an all day process and requires one or two people to be in the room the entire time, so they have to schedule them way out.  I hope to have good news to share this fall about those first kids.  :) 

Another day, another dose

We just got back from our next updose appointment.  Everything went well.  He did fine with the next dose and no reaction or issues!  Yay!  We also got his bloodwork back - his IgE was 8.52...can't wait to see it go down!!!

First updose trip!

Today we traveled to Duke for our first "regular" visit.  We moved up to the next dose and will spend the next two weeks with that size dose.  Today, they took his height, weight, blood pressure and listened to his heart and lungs, then we fed him his dose for the day and the waiting game began!  He is monitored for two hours after ingesting the peanut protein to make sure he is able to handle that dose.  He was fine today...at one point they thought they heard a little rattle in the chest, but it was nothing and was probably just some general congestion from the cold he has had.  So, he did just fine and we headed home with our next bag of doses!  We will go back in two weeks for our next visit.
Today was fun in that we got to visit with other families who are doing the different trials.  One girl is on the same schedule as our son.  It will be neat to see them both progress together.  It was also nice to see some of the older kids and we saw one family heading home with their maintenance dose of peanut and they won't return until the fall!  I can't wait to get him to the maintenance dose.  If all goes well, we will hit that in 10 months.  If a child has any issues, sometimes they will drop them back a dose or two (or more) to let their bodies figure it out and catch up again.  So, again, it is very individualized and focused on that kid or adult.
So, it was an exhausting day, but a good one!

In it for the long haul....

I did want to take a moment to talk about how our life is going to change by participating in this trial.  For right now, the only change will be that every day, our son will have a dose after he eats his dinner and we will monitor him for 2 hours afterwards.  Then every two weeks for 10-12 months, we will go back to the clinic for the next dose.  Other than that, nothing changes.  Our house is still peanut-free....we are still to remain vigilant about making sure he does not have peanut in any form or via cross-contamination.  This will be the same throughout the whole trial.  So, even though they see desensitization pretty early in the trials, that doesn't change anything about how we operate and how he eats.  Also...this is a long trial.  OIT is not something that you can complete in a month or two.  We will spend 10 - 12 months working on building up to his maintenance dose...then we spend at least a year, if not longer, on the maintenance dose.  During that time, we only have to go in every 3 or 4 months to do testing/bloodwork.  Once his IgE level hits less than 2 and he has been on maintenance for at least a year, then we can do the food challenge.  However, there is no exact date...every kid is different and their IgE numbers respond in the same general trend, but they don't all reach below 2 at the same time.  So, we are in this for the long haul...this isn't a magic bullet that you just swallow and you are cured.  We have to work hard for this and I can tell you that every minute we spend doing this will be worth if he is able to be safer than he is today!  If we are also able to contribute to the research and they are able to get the treatment out to other kids, then it will be worth it!

This is our first home dose of peanut flour.  As you can see, it isn't much.  Another parent described it as like looking at tiny grains of sand in the bottom of the cup.
Sad to know that some people would experience anaphylaxis from this small amount.  This is the same dose that we got on Wednesday at the clinic.
Every two weeks or so, we will return for the next dose.  They will give him the dose there and then monitor him for two hours to make sure everything is okay with the dose and that he is able to tolerate it well enough to move on to that dose.
The things we have to pay attention to are to make sure that he has something in his stomach prior to his dose...kids seem more likely to have a reaction if they take it on an empty stomach.  We also have to make sure he is not sick...if he has a fever or is "sick" in any way, then we don't dose.  It is okay for him to skip a dose or two and they would rather that we skip the dose than risk him reacting.  It seems as though when the body is busy fighting off something else, that it is more likely to react to the allergen.  So, it is better to skip it and let the body do its thing with the virus or whatever and then get back to the immunotherapy in a day or so.  If the fever or whatever lingers, then we would head back to them to give him the next dose just to make sure he is okay and that all is well.  The third thing we have to keep in mind is exercise after the dose...now, with a 17 month old, this isn't exactly a big deal, but for older kids and adults, they recommend not engaging in serious exercise after a dose (like running or aerobics or swimming).  Normal 17 month old activity is just fine though!  :) 
So, as you can see, they have learned a lot about the treatment already and we are able to benefit from all that they have learned from the other adults and kids in the earlier studies.  The safety record of the trials is really good and safety is always priority number one!  I wouldn't have it any other way of course! 

Day 3 - OIT Peanut Clinical Trial

So, today was day 3 and while it was the end to a stressful three days, it is only the beginning for us.  :)  Today, we went in to the clinic and they did his vitals - blood pressure, temperature, height/weight, listened to heart and lungs and checked him out from head to toe.  They also asked about any changes and how he did last night.  Then, we mixed up his starting dose with some applesauce and fed it to him.  He had some breakfast already and then he ate more while we were there.  They have found that it is best not to give them the dose on an empty stomach...they do better when it comes at the end of a meal or when the stomach is already working on digesting some other stuff.  Interesting!  Anyway, he ate his dose and then we played and talked and waited.  We have to wait for two hours after his dose to make sure that he is okay and not reacting in any way.  So, we use that time to chat and play and just hang out.  It is actually not bad at all!  They are super nice and from now on, there will usually be another kid or more in the same area with us, so it is nice to meet other families and have the kids play.

Oh, I did want to say that I am going to keep it fairly general on here. I will not be listing the exact doses or specifics about the protocols used in the study.  We didn't sign any kind of confidentiality agreement or anything like that...I just feel strongly that the study is not approved for treatment and I don't want anyone to think that they can attempt to do this on their own or convince their allergist to attempt it!  The study is very deliberate, but also very individualized.  For example, if my son had reacted yesterday to the second dose, then he would have started at the first dose size...there is no one size fits all here.  They are very concerned with safety and that comes before anything in the study and the research.  So, anyway, that is why you won't ever read any numbers or specifics on here.  However, I do want to share the general process so that anyone else who is considering enrolling in a trial has an idea of what to expect.  :)

So, after two hours of playing, they checked him out again and all was well.  We made our next appointment, they gave me his bag of little plastic containers with each dose measured and labeled and we were on our way.  Oh, the other thing we got today was a medical action plan - when to do what as far as Epi and Benadryl.  It pretty much is the same as what we have now...for anything where two systems are involved or that looks severe - use the Epi!  Then follow up with Benadryl and call 911.  If it is just a little redness or something very mild, Benadryl should be fine, but again, monitor and use the Epi.  As I discussed with our local allergist, they said the same...the EpiPen will save a life....don't be afraid to use it!

Now we are back home and tomorrow we will start our first day of home dosing....

Day 2 - OIT Peanut Clinical Trial

Day two began at 8 am again.  This one seemed like a breeze!  We came in and did vitals, then got our first dose in applesauce.  It was such a tiny amount after yesterday!!  The goal for today was to get him to the first dose level.  The total dose for today was SO much smaller than what we did yesterday, so no one expected him to even blink at these doses...and he didn't.  He went through just fine.  We did the next dose every 30 minutes until he made it to the maximum dose for the day and then we waited 2 hours to make sure there was no reaction.  So, that is where we will start out our dosing.  Tomorrow we will go in for our first official dose.  Over the course of the next 10 - 12 months, we will go back every two weeks to get a new dose.  They will do bloodwork every 3 months or so and skin tests once a year.  After we reach the maximum dose, then we get to do the maintenance dose until his peanut IgE drops below 2...then we food challenge again!  If he passes the food challenge, then we go a month with nothing...no dose, no exposure...then we food challenge again.  If he passes that, then we "open challenge"...which means he eats something made with peanuts....like a cookie or something.  That is a ways away and in the meantime, he will get a daily dose of peanut.  It sounds crazy, but it seems to be working for a number of kids and adults to help them lose their allergies.
So...more to come...much more!  :)

Day 1 - OIT Peanut Clinical Trial

Whew...what a day!  Our son finished his first day as part of an Oral Immunotherapy clinical trial for peanut allergy.  The goal of the trial is to number one, achieve a level of desensitization so that an accidental exposure won't cause a reaction, and number two, to see if the treatment can help him achieve tolerance, which is basically the same thing as losing his allergy completely!  So, we began!

We started at 8 am and did the normal stuff...height, weight, history and then skin test.  They test different concentrations of peanut along with some other allergens (like weeds, grasses, trees, cats, pecans, dust mites).  They don't know of any connections with those in particular, but just want to see if there is any significant correlation to the peanut allergy for any of those.  He, of course, tested positive for peanut, but not all of the concentrations, just the higher ones.  He didn't test positive for any of the other allergens they tested.  That was good news!

Then we did the IV and blood draw.  They had put numbing cream on him earlier, so the stick didn't hurt him, but he sure didn't like being held down!  Once he had the IV in, he was fine.  They use an IV on this day just in case he needs fluids during the reaction.

So, then we moved to the scary part!  This was the part I had been dreading.  In earlier studies, the skin and blood tests and a history of a reaction was sufficient to enroll in the trials.  Well, they were criticized for this and people said things like "oh, those kids probably weren't even allergic to begin with".  So, they had to include a food challenge on the first day of the future trials...so there we were.  We sat in a room with a bunch of EpiPen Jrs and two doctors/nurses at all times.  I was nervous, but never afraid.  They were truly wonderful and I had no fear that they would push my son or do anything to harm him.  Anyway, he had some peanut on an animal cracker...and we waited.  Nothing.  More peanut in applesauce...nothing.  They documented everything all the way.  More peanut...more nothing.  So, then...my 17 month old fell asleep!  So, after the 30 minute waiting period between doses, we woke him up and decided to increase more frequently to try to get his body to respond.  So, we gave him that dose in some applesauce and within a few minutes...a little runny nose....cheeks turned a little red....lips started to look blotchy and swollen...then in the same minute, he started scratching at his nose and chin.....REACTION!  They were so on top of it.  I mean, I was going...umm...maybe...yeah, a little swollen...uhh....and they were like, nope, that is a reaction, that is all we need to see!  So, they gave him Benadryl immediately (which was already measured in a syringe and ready to go).  Then we waited.  They kept us there for another 3 hours just to observe him and make sure he was okay.  He played for a bit, then fell asleep again and woke up and played some more.  He was just fine!  In total, he consumed 296 mg of peanut flour.  One peanut is equivalent to 300 mg.  So, he had almost a whole peanut before he had a reaction.
So, they took out the IV and sent us on our way for the day.  During the course of the day they just talked to us a lot about allergies and the studies and just life in general!  It was wonderful to hear all about the studies and research and just to chat with people who are in the thick of it!
I was SO impressed with the clinic and all the wonderful people there...it was really a pleasant day considering!  So, now we move on......

Tweet, tweet....

I have been following some twitter accounts today of people who are at the big AAAAI conference this week.  Very cool!  https://twitter.com/#!/allergistmommy has done a great job of sharing information all day long about all the different research etc.  Here is what I learned from her tweets today:

1.  USE THE EPIPEN!!!!  This mirrors what our allergist told us...EPI is first line of defense for food allergy, not Benadryl!  Also, this just makes me angrier at our local ER where I took my son during his reaction- they never even offered the Epi because it wasn't "classic symptoms".  Well, the new research throws that out the window and if it should ever happen again, I will know what to insist that they do for him!

2.  There are new guidelines going out to all doctors and ERs to hopefully update them on what the research is showing and how to treat a reaction.  Again, USE THE EPIPEN people! 

3.  Oral immunotherapy seems to work a little better than Sublingual immunotherapy, but there are more side effects from oral therapy.  In my brain, this means that perhaps kids/adults who can't tolerate oral therapy, maybe sublingual is still an option for them that will help them achieve some level of desensitization without the side effects.  For the rest of the folks though, the side effects seem minor and the oral IT is doing the job.  Not a cure really, but it sure does beat doing nothing!

4.  Some really cool research is coming out about testing people for allergies and being more accurate and more predictive.  That is part of the issue now...lots of people test positive for an allergy, but might be able to actually tolerate the food or whatever.  So, they are doing work on what they should be looking for in tests, etc.

5.  Some cool news for egg and milk allergy folks...looks like a lot of kids can actually tolerate baked egg and baked milk and that putting that into the diet of those kids is like a form of IT and the kids seem to be "growing out" of their allergies more on this diet.  (Now, don't try that at home folks...this is all clinical setting and monitored of course!)  Also, though, there are some folks that are highly allergic to all forms and have to avoid completely.  But, exciting news for a lot of people and hopefully this will get those kids doing a lesser form of IT and then when the real treatment is approved, those other kids who are more severe will hopefully benefit from that.

6.  They are researching everything that they can get their hands on!  The Chinese Herbal mixture seems to be showing some promising results at stopping anaphylaxis.....maybe even using this in combination with OIT or something could be an option in the future to help folks not have a bad reaction, etc.

Hoping to learn more as the week goes on!  If you want to see more, look for #AAAAI on twitter.

Really? Seriously?

In reading up on the whole peanut allergy thing, I have run across MANY posts and articles and discussions about parents dealing with people who just don't "get it" when it comes to their child's allergy.  They say that even grandparents or aunts and uncles will make comments to the parent like these: "you are just being overprotective", "a little bite won't hurt the kid, lighten up", or even "maybe they wouldn't be allergic if you let them eat it more often" and the winner, "I don't believe in food allergies".  Really?  Seriously?

Luckily, so far, our family and friends have been fantastic and have gone over and above in helping us keep our son safe.  My mom threw away the peanut butter at her house and she lives 5 hours away from us!  We met at a cabin for a ski weekend and everyone who came made sure to read all the labels and no one brought anything that was not safe for my son, even if he wouldn't be eating it.  Then we traveled to my parents and again, they were great at making sure he was safe and checking with me before feeding him anything. 

I think the biggest issue here is just the simple lack of respect on top of a basic lack of understanding.  My parents started to educate themselves and ask questions about his allergy almost immediately after he was diagnosed.  They didn't act like it wasn't a big deal and that I was just making it up.  They took it seriously and they supported me in everything and respected the fact that I am his mother.  They also took it seriously that as his family, they have a responsibility to keep him safe too.  So, it seems to me that the folks making these comments, first of all, simply do not have an understanding of food allergies at all and secondly, do not respect the parent to make the call for their own kid.

So, my goal is to simply educate everyone I come across.  Not in an obnoxious way (at least I hope not), but in a way that conveys to them exactly how serious the allergy is, but also that he is still a healthy little boy and is doing fine as long as we keep him safe.  I think many people do not understand the aspect of cross-contamination at all...that is probably the hardest part to explain.  Most people just say, "oh, he can't have peanut butter"...it is harder to explain why the person next to him shouldn't be eating it either because if it gets on their hands on the table and he touches it and puts his hand in his mouth, then he is eating it too.  That part is tougher to explain AND tougher to manage.  If all we had to worry about was him not eating it, that would be an easier task to handle. 

Now, with all of this said, there are parents who do go to the extreme and they shelter their child so much that the child becomes fearful and isn't able to participate in many of life's great adventures.  I am hoping that our family can find that balance between making sure he is always as safe as he can be and also making sure that he is enjoying being a kid.  It is also important that we teach him to stand up for himself and that saying no to "food pushers" is okay!  :)  For now, we are pretty much in control of him because he is only 15 months old...as he gets more independent, we have to make sure he is able to keep himself safe too!  We have already taught our daughter, who will be 3 this week, to say that "he is allergic to peanut" and "no peanuts - no thank you".  She will help keep him safe too! 

Anyway, I just feel very blessed that our family is SO supportive and so on top of things with our son.  It really makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!  It also reduces the stress level a notch!  Thanks Mom and Dad and the rest of the family for being so great!!  We also have a wonderful daycare provider who has also stepped up and is doing all she can to make sure he is safe when he is with her.  I can't tell you how much that means to this working mom!

Our eczema adventure...

My son was born in December 2009.  He had jaundice and his skin looked pretty rough from day one.  I was told it was baby acne and it would clear up.  He also had a severe case of cradle cap (or as I call it, cradle crap).  It was rough.  His face was rough and bumpy and it continued to spread until his chest, stomach, back and legs were bumpy, rough sandpaper.  My poor little guy! 
By the time he hit four months, it was itchy and causing him issues.  So, our pediatrician sent us to an allergist to see if milk was causing the problem.  No milk allergy, but he did skin test positive to peanut and soy.  The allergist said it wouldn't hurt to put him on a probiotic along with the other things we were doing (moisturizing and hydro-cortisone).  So, I started adding a probiotic to his formula.  Within 2 weeks, it was a 95% improvement in his eczema and cradle cap.  It was amazing and I almost cried the day someone was holding him and said something to me about how baby's have such soft, beautiful skin...no one had ever said that about him before!
I continued him on the probiotics for the rest of the time he was on formula and it seemed to really help his eczema and the itching.  He still had flare ups on occasion, but the eczema on his face and scalp has never returned. 
At 15 months now, I am considering putting him back on the probiotics for several reasons, the main one is to help try to kick the eczema completely, but the other is to just improve his health and immune system overall. 

Anyone else have any luck with probiotics in treating eczema?