Nuts!

Today we learned that Bryn has a peanut allergy.

[Sigh]

We've been through this once before when she was diagnosed at 9 months with an egg allergy that she subsequently outgrew by two and a half, but I can't help but to feel so disappointed for Bryn's sake. As she was when she got stitches in her chin, she was unbelievably good at the doctor's office today. When it was time to administer the skin test, which involves some pricks with a needle, the nurse told Bryn that she could sit on my lap. But Bryn opted instead to remain in her own chair, and she didn't utter a peep when she was pricked three times with a needle. As the test was unfolding and her arm was growing redder and itchier, she resisted the urge to scratch. I had told her yesterday that we'd be able to watch video while we were waiting for test results, but Dr. Pawlowski spent an entire hour with us. Since he never left the exam room, Bryn never got a chance to watch her beloved Caillou or Dora. Instead, she kept perfectly quiet as Dr. Pawlowski explained that in Bryn's case, we need not worry about foods cooked in peanut oil. Most importantly for Bryn's sake, M&Ms and other candy and cereals that are processed in plants that also handle peanuts are OK. "Use the 'see it' test: If you can see peanut, then avoid it.'" There's a 50-50 chance that Bryn's peanut allergy is merely topical in that it causes a redness around her mouth and itchy eyes -- the symptoms I spotted a couple of months ago when she had two bites of a toasted plain bagel with melted peanut butter, but doesn't involve any respiratory complications. Dr. Pawlowski said that he would "put in for a peanut challenge at Children's Hospital (CHOP) this summer." During the peanut challenge, Bryn will be exposed to 8 or 9 doses of peanut powder of increasing amounts. CHOP has changed its system for scheduling its food challenges, and I was told that CHOP would be in contact with me to schedule Bryn's peanut challenge. This new system is a bit frustrating as I'd rather take matters into my own hands and get a date on the calendar as soon as possible, but now I'm in a bit of a wait-and-see mode. I'll follow up with the doctor's office in a month's time if I haven't heard from CHOP; usually there's a year-long wait for food challenges conducted at the hospital. All in all, the good news is threefold: 1) Bryn doesn't particularly care for peanut butter, so in her eyes, this is "no big deal;" 2) avoiding peanut will be easier than our previous efforts to avoid egg, which is a key ingredient in most baked goods; and 3) as she did with her egg allergy, this is something that she could very well outgrow.

To reward Bryn for being such a terrific patient at today's allergy appointment, she and I went out for ice cream after dinner. She practically ran from the car to the ice cream parlor where she enjoyed every drop of light blue cotton candy ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Thank goodness she doesn't have a dairy allergy!