Cohen's 4th allergy test

We recently took Cohen to a brand new allergy doctor to get more testing done. He hadn't had any testing for over a year, and Jon and I were suspicious that maybe a few allergies were gone now. Cohen has had totally clear cheeks for at least a few weeks now with almost no eczema. 

This experience was so completely different from our past allergy appointments in Newfoundland. Jon was away for work, so I asked my mom to come with me since it always takes both Jon and I to hold Cohen down and keep his arms still for the 15 minutes it takes to do the test. The test ended up being so much easier. They did it on his arms as opposed to his back, and they had this thing that did 8 scratches as once, instead of doing the scratches one by one like we had been used to. It just makes the test so much quicker. The tester rolled his sleeves back down after the scratches (she did 16 per arm), gave him a sucker, and told him not to move his arms. Cohen was thrilled to get a sucker, and did not shed a tear the whole time.

Afterward she graded his reactions and sent us in to discuss with the doctor. The doctor asked us lots of questions about our home, how we heated our home, what kind of flooring we have, whether we have pets, etc. Then he asked if we keep peanut butter in the house. I was like, no, definitely not. He said the first thing we have to do is go buy some peanut butter and eat it in your house. I was totally shocked as our last allergy doctor had recommended we keep all nuts out of the house. He said it is all about not having your child live in an allergy bubble. He said most kids can be around peanut butter even if they are allergic.

According to this most recent test, Cohen is still very allergic to peanuts, and even more allergic to pecans and other nuts. He is allergic to cats. And that's it. Seriously, this was huge news for us. The doctor booked us for an oral challenge for wheat since Cohen was so severely allergic to it for all three of his past tests. But we have been giving Cohen little bits of wheat here and there already, and seeing no reaction. It feels so good.

Cohen is booked to get bloodwork next month to find out which nut allergies we might be able to challenge. The doctor also wants to see our new baby at 6 months old to start desensitization to peanuts. We were in the clinic for over an hour and saw a few babies in the waiting room after being desensitized. I had no idea this was something that was done.

So I have had peanut butter on my toast in the morning a few times while Cohen sits next to me. He knows he can't eat it, but we are making it clear that he can be around it. Also, I almost forgot how good peanut butter is!! And I made real bread the other day with gluten in it. SOOO much easier and yummier than gluten-free bread.