results.

I received a call yesterday from John's Hopkins with Asher's allergy testing results. We weren't expecting to hear from them for another week, but were so grateful for the call. Earlier in the week Asher had yet another reaction. He has recently shown some interest in "real food", so I have given him small pieces of plain cracker and popcorn (he LOVES popcorn), so we thought we'd try Puffs. I checked the ingredients- all looked ok- the generic brand didn't have soy so we were pleased to go ahead and let him try them. After about 5-6 puffs Asher was literally swatting his hands at me and clawing at his face. I stopped feeding them to him, and over the course of the next 1-2 hours I watched as his body became more and more covered in a rash. Puzzled I decided- no more food until we get the blood results.

Well...the results confirmed that he does in fact have an allergy to Milk, Soy, Egg, and All nuts. However, the testing also identified another allergen that he has not tested positive to before. This item, is the one he is MOST allergic to (based on a numeric value for each allergen in the testing). Our baby is very allergic to Wheat. I cried. Poor little guy. It breaks my heart to consider I was feeding him those puffs, of course not knowing he was allergic, but praise the Lord somehow Asher knew, that must be why he was swatting at me. It's unbelievable really, when I consider a 9 month old knowing that a food is bad for him. No wonder he's so resistant eating what he is fed.

Of course, wheat isn't an item I had removed from my diet, based on our previous testing results. It is likely that this is why Asher has continued to have problems intermittently, and the ongoing GI issues are likely due to the wheat. While speaking with the doctor, they explained its really a grey area as to how much the baby actually gets when we consume an item of which they are allergic. While they had hoped to be able to tell me that my diet was overly restricted, they recommended that if I am going to continue to nurse Asher, I need to continue to avoid these items, and consider the same with Wheat.

The testing also revealed that his allergy to soy is quite low. They believe that based on the results, Asher qualifies to do a food challenge. This would be a very gradual process, and safe enough to try at home as opposed to the doctors office. We have been instructed to add 1 tsp of soy formula to one of his two bottles that he gets each day. We will give him 1 tsp for 2 days, monitoring any change in his condition or temperament- if no problems occur, we will gradually increase it over a period of time. The hope is that he will be able to tolerate soy enough to move to either a soy based formula or soy milk when he turns 1. If this doesn't work, then he will need to take Nutramigen until he is two- in place of milk.

It is too soon to be able to predict if Asher will outgrow any of his allergies. He will be retested in one year and more recommendations will be made at that time. In the meantime, he is not to have any of the foods that he's allergic to, and this includes checking to make sure they are not in the ingredients of prepackaged foods. While this is overwhelming as we consider it all, we find comfort in knowing none of this is a surprise to God.

We pray for wisdom as we seek resources and info to help with providing healthy food options for Asher (and for me while I am nursing). Also for protection from any food that could harm him in any way. It's certainly a challenge making sure Matthan doesn't offer Asher food, or than he doesn't pick up any crumbs that are dropped. Thankfully though we aren't able to be everywhere and see everything, God is able to protect our little guy at all times, and we must trust Him.

We are so grateful for this information and the timeliness of the appt we were not supposed to have until February. God is so kind to have made a way for us to see this doctor. We see all of this as His love for us and for Asher. We seek to depend on Him as we care for Asher's needs.