Skin Prick Test

I have been anticipating this day for the past 9 months or so. I guess I was expecting to go and discover the exact combination of foods/chemicals Sam is allergic to and we could just avoid them and that would be that. And yet today was very anti-climatic, and I don't feel any closer to figuring out Sam's skin issues.

I took Sam in this morning for his test. He got a total of 56 pricks: 22 on one arm, 12 on the other, then 16 on one thigh and 8 on the other. He hated it (of course). I had brought our portable DVD player and put on a Tom and Jerry cartoon while the nurse pricked him, hoping this would help to distract. Ha... no luck for me. Before the test she pricked me with an empty scraper thingy so I could see how it felt. It did not hurt at all. I think he just didn't like that we were making him hold his elbow straight.

There were various essences on the pricks. Some were inhalants, some foods, some molds, some trees and grasses and pollen. The nurse numbered and marked all of the test locations for reference, and we waited about 15 minutes. Out of ALL those things, he reacted to only 3: cat, dust mites (2 kinds) and peanuts. And she wasn't even supposed to test him for peanuts, because we'd already established that allergy.

As a side note, the foods we tested for were Milk, Soy, Corn, Wheat, Egg, Pea, and Peanut as part of the pediatric panel, and 5 additional at my request which were Strawberry, Potato, Almond, Tomato, and Oat. All of these were negative except for peanut.

So the take home from the doctor: I was told to give him antihistamines before we visit Grandma (she has cats) and to invest in an allergy encasement for his mattress and pillows, and his siblings mattresses (since they are in the same room) and wash all his sheets and blankets weekly in hot water. No stuffed animals. That was all for dust, and that is fine, he does cough and choke every night which is likely from the dust allergy and these measures will help.

But none of this really answers for his rashes. I asked if it was possible for certain foods to cause flare-ups or exacerbate eczema but not show up as reactive on a skin or blood allergy tests, and the allergist said yes, absolutely. Well that makes things confusing, wouldn't you think? I had suspected this was the case from all I have read online. There are certain foods which seem to make his eczema worse. Like milk. But the test showed no milk allergy. It is believed things like oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, and potatoes (nightshade veggies) can significantly worsen eczema, without showing up on an allergy test . So what it comes down to is that it is not possible to get a straight answer on what Sam's triggers are from allergy tests. Triggers and allergies are not the same thing. Also I am learning that the relationship between allergies and eczema is not straight-forward, and neither doctors nor anyone else really seems to have a good explanation or understanding of exactly how these two are related, only that they are.

I have always felt diet is an important factor in Sam's health. But there are other things to consider. It could be chemicals and detergents that set him off too. Some parents have had success removing all detergents from the home. And I don't mean just switching to Dreft or All Free & Clear. They have had to remove ALL traces of detergents from laundry to shampoo and conditioner and all cleaning products and use only pure soap products (which, true soap products are very expensive, and not easily available) before seeing true healing. But its not the answer for everyone.  There is no one answer that works across the board.

The rest of the doctor's diagnosis and recommendation was to keep things clear and at bay with medication until he outgrows it. Many children do, but there are some who suffer for life. He prescribed antihistamines - 1 teaspoon a day indefinitely, cortisone for flare-ups and thick-skinned areas, and I am to add a daily dose of Singulair powder to the cocktail if the previous two are not enough to keep him clear.

This is always the answer from western medicine: drugs and more drugs. I will use them to keep Sam comfortable as long as I do not have a better answer, but deep inside I feel like there must be a trigger of some kind that if I can just discover and eliminate, he would be cured.  In this instance I feel like drugs are doing Sam's body a major disservice by covering up the symptoms of a deeper issue and suppressing the immune system. It is a vicious cycle. 

So there it is. Lots of work left to do and most likely a long road ahead.