Ethan has allergies

Today was a long day. Matt and I closed on our house...again...to get a lower payment and to take advantage of the low rates. Matt went to work early this morning only to drive his hour and a half commute back home to make the appointment and then back to work right after. Craaaazzzy! About an hour later, I picked up the kids from school and we headed to Ethan's appointment. Ethan was breast fed for about a year before I switched him to formula and since switching him, he has had trouble keeping it down. I remember going to the doctor for help and their suggestion was to try soy. After spending lots of money on soy formula and nothing working, they told me to try a different brand. When I asked for testing, they told me he was too young and that everything would come back positive and to just try to avoid the things that I thought he reacted to. Well, now that it's two years later, we finally got in to see an allergist here. When I told her this information, she looked at me and asked me if I was serious that they basically told me to figure it out on my own. I said yes. Well, they do say mom's know best and I'm glad I followed my instincts. When I told the allergist that I was not giving Ethan any milk, she asked if I gave him soy then instead. When I told her no, she looked at me in shock and asked me "what then are you giving him to supplement the milk." My feeling personally is that we don't need milk in our diets. The industry has done a great job advertising and making the public think that they need milk. With the American diet today, there's no way that we are lacking in any type of nutrient. We're not malnourished. And, I also think that my milk was good enough for him as a baby and if he needed milk now, then shouldn't I still be lactating? Anyway, I did notice when I tried switching to soy that Ethan would get a runny nose and red swatches on his face. So after a few weeks of taking the doctors advice on trying different brands, I decided to stop it all together. I was tired of spending money on expensive formulas only to get the same result from one time use and the rest of the can be wasted. The allergist was extremely shocked that I didn't give him anything. She then ran the 20 different tests. Turns out, Mamma knows best. Ethan not only is allergic to milk, but also to soy. He's got environmental allergins, especially in the fall, to things like mold, dust, ragweed and also furry critters like our dog Cody and hamster Kia. The allergist told me that we will need to replace his pillows and make sure we have allergen coverings on them as well as his bed. She then proceeded to tell me that she is prescribing 2 epi-pens that he will need with him at all times incase of accidental overdoses of these allergens. He'll be taking zyrtec and nasal saline rinses often. He's three. The nasal rinses are going to be fun!!! I just can't wait to get on that one. The best part of this entire visit was having all the kids with me. Not because they're well behaved or anything but Katheryn was able to hear the allergist talk about things in the house that could cause reactions in Ethan. She also said a sentence when discussing the epi-pen that if we use it, it'll buy Ethan time before EMS gets to him so he doesn't die. When Katheryn heard that and later asked me about it, I used it as a great teaching tool. I told her that she then needs to keep her room completely clean and free of dust so that there aren't as many dust mites to trigger Ethan's system. She looked at me odd when I said this and I proceeded to tell her that Ethan is allergic to dust and if her room isn't clean, then it could cause a reaction in him that we would need to call EMS. She gave Ethan a look but now that we are home, she is in her room cleaning it!!! I know, this may not have been the most honest thing to tell her but I'm pleased with the results thus far. She's cleaning!!!! As far as the pets go, it looks like a fish will be our safest bet. We are going to have to place an ad in the paper for our furry friends. This may not be a bad thing if we can find Cody a home but I know Brian will be devastated about his hamster Kia. I know it's bad to wish, but we've had the hamster a year now. When do they die??? lol. So now our two boys are each on a special diet. Ethan is CFSF (casein free/soy free) and Brian as most know is GFCF (Gluten free/Casein free). That's all for now. Until next time when Ethan prompts me to write again. :)