Allergies

Chris and I took Cameron to the allergist this morning. We sat and chatted about why were there, the foods Cameron has already tried, and his home environment. He was then tested for wheat, egg, peanut, cat, milk, soy, and dust mites.

He tested positive for milk, but we pretty much expected that due to his reactions to the yogurt and formula. The doctor said that most kids will outgrow it by the time they are 5 or 6 (!!!), and that we can have him tested again when he's around 3 years old. It's too bad, but I'm still hopeful that he will outgrow it eventually. In the meantime, we still have to be vigilant about all milk, cheese, butter, etc., and we'll have to read labels or ask at restaurants once he starts eating more table foods. We also got a prescription for an epi pen, as a "just in case". Yikes. It's hard for me to imagine stabbing my baby in the thigh with a needle.

The other thing he tested positive for was cats. :( He has a cat allergy! This makes me very sad. The doctor said that kids who show signs of cat allergies and are exposed to cats at a young age can actually develop more severe cat allergies later in life. He really doesn't show any signs of being allergic (trouble breathing, etc.), but I don't want to be dooming him to a miserable, cat-allergy-ridden adult life. :( We are going to be more vigilant about laying down towels where the cats sit most, and washing those towels more frequently. Not that the cats hang out in Cameron's room, but we'll keep them out of there as well. We'll just be paying attention for any signs of respiratory distress that are not linked to illness. Hopefully he just continues to tolerate them as he has been; I don't really want to think about having to find a new home for them!