A Whoooole Neeeewww Woooorrrrlllld!!!

This title has nothing to do with our Disney trip , which you will read about later or maybe have already read about if you followed our trip blog.  It is the place we have found ourselves since a day in May.  Throughout the beginnings of this year, we have worked hard to get to the bottom of some medical issues with Finn.  The most pressing one being a constant sniffle and/or runny nose.  Sometimes it would have a cough and sometimes dark eye circles.  I long suspected allergies of some sort but had no proof.  In April, we had her tested for environmental allergies like pollen, dust, mold and animals.  She tested positive to 6 of the 8 trees, all 6 weeds, dust, and the three grasses with bahia being the worst.  So, since I thought we might be on the right track, I requested food allergy testing to rule out any issues there.  I honestly believed that we would leave that appointment thinking we had wasted every body's time.  Much to my surprise though, she tested positive for peanuts, all the tree nuts, lobster, crab and codfish.  We were handed

and told to avoid all of the things on the list. Ummmmm, what? That's not what I wanted to hear. So I went into super research mode, talked to several doctors, and every one else who would listen while I tried to get my footing in this new land. Here is what I have either been told or read: She could grow out of it or grow into it. It's like flipping a switch and you never know if or when it will happen. Some people can eat those foods just fine even though they tested positive for them. You have to combine tests with actual reactions to get a clear picture of how allergic you might be. Some people just have sensitivities or intolerances but are not truly allergic. (This is great advice and makes me think Finn will be fine because she has yet to have a severe reaction to anything. But, if her only reaction is a runny nose then what does that mean? Is she or isn't she?) Allergies are tricky and scary and confusing. A definite positive on a skin test is an 8mm wheal and Finn's were 5mm wheals. This was an old system of categorizing reactions but does it again give me hope? Maybe some. It's not fun. And if we were truly in a life and death battle right now, I don't think I would ever sleep or feed her anything but bread made in a nut-free facility and water. So that's where we stand, epi pen in hand, and always watchful.