Hi Jessica,

I too, feel as if I am the only one I know with a child as severely allergic
as my son, Kyle.  I am glad that the other parents I talk to are sympathetic,
but what I really needed was ideas! This list has been great!

My son, Kyle, is now 19 months old. He is my first child. He had eczema at
two weeks of age.  Our family doctor (we opted to use him for Kyle's
primary car Dr instead of a pediatrician - and for us it turned out to be the
right choice - our Dr. knows our attitudes & reactions already) warned us at
that time that we were at high risk for asthma, allergy, atopic dermititis
(the three A's). We were VERY conservative with Kyle because of this. I
nursed him exclusively for 4 1/2 months. NO supplemental rice cereal or
anything. At 4 1/2 months we added rice ceral. Then white potatoes. Then
plums. Nothing even close to the "commonly allergic" list of items. We
were "overly conservative" by our Dr's estimate in only adding one new item
per week or more. But it turned out to be one of the best things we could have
done. We were able to clearly identify food that he was mildly allergic to
on an individual basis instead of getting to the point of chronic eczema with
no idea as to the cause.  At 7 months I tried to give him a milk-based formula
bottle. After 1/2 oz. he started choking and gagging and couldn't breathe well for
about 30 minutes. It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. At
14 months he accidentally drank one tablespoon of whole milk. He ended up at the
hospital. We now have Epi Jr. for him at day care, even though he's below the
lower weight limit for the pen. I carry ampules of epinephrine and syringes in
my purse at all times. Luckily for us we didn't have to argue with the doctors to
convince them of his milk allergy. If there was ever any doubt, the incident at 14 months
put that to rest.  He is also allergic to chocolate, perfume, commercial carpet (or
the junk they put on it), corn, fertilizer, detergents, soaps. We haven't even gotten
up the nerve (and the doctors tell us not to anyway) to try nuts, fish, shellfish
or any kind of berry. We waited to try any kind of egg until 15 months. We've only
had the nerve to get up to egg noodles. We haven't tried scrambled eggs yet. Now
he's exhibiting signs of nasal allergies (thank God for Nasalcrom) and I fear that
my carpet and cats are at risk to go. I think we're certifiably insane because we're
trying to have another baby now.  I figure that he/she can't be worse, right?

Anyway, we've been through periods where hormone/immune system changes had an
extreme effect on his allergies - nothing else changed - and within a few months
things improved on their own. We've learned a lot from the ER, nurses and doctors.
The hardest thing with allergies as life-threatening as his is knowing what's
bad but not life-threatening, and what means you need to call 911.  His wheezing
really bothers me. The unknown also makes me nervous. How will he react to bee
venom? Strawberries? The swimming pool?  Every day is an adventure.  I've told our
doctors that the first time we try berries or nuts, we'll be sitting in their waiting
room.  Our GP laughed. Our allergist said, "YES!".  They've both classified him as
extreme.

Enough of my jabbering.  That's our experience. Hope it helps.

Theresa