Testing, Testing....

As I've mentioned before, Carson has several food allergies.  Avoidance of the offending foods has worked for us so far, but at her one-year appointment, Carson's doctor recommended we see an allergist for a few reasons. 

The main reason is vaccines.  Add this to the list of things I didn't know before I was a mom, but two of the shots Carson was supposed to get at her one-year check-up are grown in eggs.  Therefore, her egg allergy could pose a risk when receiving these immunizations.  Before giving them to her, C's pediatrician wanted to find out the severity of her allergy to see if we could follow through.

Also, it was important for us to know if any of her allergies are bad enough to warrant keeping an epi pen on-hand in case of a severe reaction. 

So we took Carson to the allergist Monday morning for testing, not knowing what to expect.  I went plenty as a kid, but never this young.  C's pediatrician gave us the impression that they were going to draw blood and test it.  So imagine my horror when I called to make the appointment and was informed, "Dress her comfortably--it will either be in her arm or her NECK."  I hung up feeling nauseous, wondering what the crap this lady was planning to do to my child (and how much wine would fit in a grocery cart on a Monday afternoon).

The morning was not fun.  There was lots of crying, screaming, dramatics...and don't even get me started on Carson.  *ba-DUM-bum*  But I have decided to focus on the positives of the day, which are as follows:

1. Carson got to see the exact same allergist I went to as a child.  It was great to visit with him again and catch up--and very reassuring to know she was in good hands, hands my parents had trusted with me so long ago.

2. They did not draw blood from her neck.  After listening to C's symptoms, the doctor decided to do a skin test instead.  This was a better experience than drawing blood would have been...but it still sucked.  They had to stick her with 24 tiny needles, each containing a possible allergen on the tip. 

Then we had to wait 15 minutes while her skin reacted.  We passed the time by reading books.  And everything is more fun when standing on a stool, so....

3. Carson does not have any food allergies we were unaware of.  She reacted to dairy and eggs, just like we expected.

4. Carson CAN get her vaccines.  Her reaction was not strong enough to warrant the risk of not being vaccinated.  See rant below for more on this topic.

5. There is nothing wrong with C's short-term memory.  She did not want the nurse who pricked her to come within 10 yards of her--the mere sight of this sweet mild-mannered woman sent Carson into hysterics long after the test had been given.  However, by the time we left, Carson was charming the nurses, saying, "doctor? doctor?" and sticking stickers all over her shirt.

6. Carson does need to have an epi pen on hand.  While it is uncommon for allergic reactions to suddenly escalate from the skin welts C gets to a throat-closing, tongue-swelling one, it's possible and it sometimes happens.  The doctor said the epi pen is sort of like a fire extinguisher--you'll hopefully never need it.  You will most likely look at it one day and realize it has expired and you never even touched it.  But it's so much better to have it & not use it than to need it & not have it.  As scary as it is to think of having to use the thing, it is far more frightening to imagine not having one if she had a serious reaction.  So this is a positive.

7.  Carson is very forgiving of us.  While she was super-pissed and confused that Brandon and I were holding her still for this devil-woman to stick her in the back, she immediately wanted to be held and comforted by Brandon.  On the way home, she wanted to cuddle with my hand. And she later woke up from her nap acting as if it never happened.  I, on the other hand, am still recovering (it reminds me of when I went with my friend Angie and her tiny baby twins to get their immunizations, and Angie and I were both crying at least as much as--and definitely for longer than--the babies).

8. It feels good to know for sure--what she is allergic to, what she isn't, what to do from here.  Big sigh of relief. 

9. Stickers make kids happy.

So the day was a success, a relief, and a load off of our shoulders.

*And here's the rant.
I hate to get all soap-box-y but I feel I MUST say this and get it off of my chest. First, I understand everyone has to do what they feel is best for their children.  I generally think it's pointless and silly to judge another person's parenting, because there are so many 'right' ways to do it.
But I have to ask, if you are fortunate enough to be able to get your child immunized, please do! There are so many kids in our country who are unprotected, not by choice but because they can't get the shots (or their bodies fail to make the antibodies needed), and it's so unfair for them (and other kids too, since no child is fully immunized and protected until around age 5) to be needlessly exposed to horrific illnesses.  Thankfully, C will most likely be able to get her shots without any problems, but the thought of Carson potentially contracting a life-threatening disease because she couldn't get the vaccine because it could kill her--from a child who could be protected but whose parents chose not to--well, that thought just scares the crap out of me. And if I'm honest, it makes me pretty mad. Obviously, many illnesses we vaccinate against are obsolete in the U.S. (um, BECAUSE of vaccines, by the way). But so many people travel out of the country these days--and recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in the U.S. are proof that we are not rid of the diseases against which we vaccinate!
I agree with some who feel that we sometimes over-medicate our children (and ourselves) but vaccines are on a very short list of THE GREATEST MEDICAL ADVANCES EVER, up there with (and, depending who you ask, above) penicillin and sanitation.  Why not take advantage of their greatness?  There are children on this planet literally paying with their lives every day because they don't have access to immunizations--and we can get them for a measle-y (pun intended) $15 co-pay but choose not to?!?! Come on, people!


Okay, could somebody please help me down off this box?  There's a glass of wine calling my name over there.  Thanks for reading, if you're still with me!

And way to go, Carson!  You were a champ today!