New Allergist Appointment

Well, I am a little overwhelmed by information . . . and new medications.

Isaiah did well off of all of his meds - thanks for your prayers, and a HUGE thanks to God for His protection. He developed more of a rash on his face, he didn't sleep, and he had some wheezing, coughing, red eyes, runny nose . . . the usual allergy stuff. Oh yeh - his lost his appetite, too. But, he didn't have an anaphylaxis eposode, and didn't need a nebulizer treatment. YAY!

Today's appointment went well - this allergist seems to be willing to treat Isaiah, and isn't intimidated by the task. She seemed confident that we could finally get some answers.

The doctor didn't do any testing today - she said that she would like to get a biopsy of the rashes first. She wants to see how many mast cells are in the surrounding blood vessels (still looking at Mastocytosis - it's a lot better than a bone marrow test). She also wants the dermatologist to do the patch testing (where contact allergens, such as metals, are placed on the skin to see if there will be a reaction). Even beyond that, she wants to do RAST testing the next time she sees Isaiah (in three weeks) - RAST testing is (for Isaiah) a series of blood tests that look at the levels of IgE antibodies the body has set up against foods. She also said that some of his food allergies could be caused by pollens (his allergies to berries, pears, honeydew, bananas) - his body thinks he is ingesting the pollen and is in reality reacting to the pollen, not the food. I'm not entirely sure how that works, but I've given up on trying to understand everything. =0) She is still considering the dermatologist's suggestion of a Zinc deficiency disease, but she wants to eliminate other things first.

As far as the new meds, one is an antibiotic - some of the eczema is infected. =0( No matter how hard we tried to keep it clean, it still got infected. He has spots on his hands and on his feet that require a bit of extra help, so we have an oral antibiotic as well as a topical antibiotic (which I am also to put on the inside of his nose . . . somehow). =0)

So, now we go back to the dermatologist for testing. The dermatologist also wants Isaiah to use this stuff from Vanicream as his soap, lotion, etc. It's amazing - this company has thought of just about everything! We can get all of it through the pharmacy or online - whichever works best.

Hopefully, Isaiah won't have to be on all this medication for too much longer - my brain hurts everytime I go to the medicine cabinet. We have lists taped to the inside of the cabinet doors listing what medicine Isaiah gets at any particular time, and how much. It's weird - he takes more medicines than my dad! =0) I think the total meds a day is up to 11. I feel like I am drugging my child, and it almost seems impossible that anyone could take that much medication. It was also really weird going to CVS to get medications and having to walk out with a large brown paper bag full of just medicine. Let's see, there's Zyrtec, Zantac, Hydroxyzine, Nasonex, Singulair, Pulmicort, Albuterol, Zithromax (a temporary med), Triamcinolone, Protopic, Mupirocin (another temporary med) . . . I think that's it. =0) It's so weird to think Isaiah is on all of this stuff every day.

As far as my Dad, he had more blood tests today. He seemed to have a really good day yesterday and today (after several nights of little sleep and night sweats). He was in a really good mood today, making jokes and all sorts of stuff - he was for a while his old self. It didn't seem like he was in too much pain today either. His appointment went well - the neurologist told him to drink gatorade for muscle cramps and neuropathy. She also said that some of the nerve damage could be from a fluid medication he takes - he has been drinking a lot of water which isn't so good since he's taking a fluid tablet. Apparently, drinking too much water with a fluid medication can cause nerve damage. Of course, the leukemia he has will also cause nerve damage. So, it's really hard to tell what caused . . . what. =0) He loathes gatorade, but has been faithfully drinking it. It must be helping, considering he seemed happier yesterday and today. My mom will probably write more later, but I figured I would give you a little update.

Well, I am going to make the most of Isaiah sleeping, and go to bed. =0)

Goodnight!!! =0)

Kelly