Baby Rash Woes: Episode 2

So... The allergist gave us a new treatment plan. She said if it didn't work in a week, come back for another appointment. And... It didn't work. We had his blood drawn and tested for 30 common allergens (15 foods and 15 non-foods). The picture below shows how miserable the blood draw was.

They tied a strap around his little arm, held him tight, and put a thick needle into his hand. His blood dripped from the needle and the nurse caught it in a vial, filling up two. We felt that she was more rough than necessary, but it only lasted ten minutes and I was able to hold him the whole time. I stroked his face and kissed his bald head, singing while he was screaming. He took a long nap after the ordeal.

With the test results in hand, we returned to the allergist. She confirmed that the <0.15 next to each allergen meant that little Lawrence wasn't allergic to anything tested for. Including milk. She did assure us that he was having an allergic reaction to something, and the something he is allergic to is probably something in the air that wasn't tested in the 15 non-foods (which included seasonal changes and various animal hair).

Since he was looking worse (it comes and goes unpredictably), she gave us a more intense treatment plan of a new ointment, liquid calcium, and the purple bath pictured below. He loves the purple bath! Splashes in it every time we give him one. Three days in a row we gave him this treatment and he cleared right up! It was like magic! We took the purple bath to every other day, and the rash is returning a little (mainly the day after we've been outside for a long time).

So, I've been eating dairy again! I slowly introduced it back into my diet for just in case the blood test was incorrect. Turns out, milk and cheese weren't setting him off. The pizza and cheese sandwich just before our return from Spain was a false correlation, cause he doesn't flare up when I eat cheese and milk. But we have noticed that he flares up when we spend a large chunk of time outside. So his allergy is (to be vague) something in the air.

To make the purple bath powder last till the end of our trip, we ration it to half a dose and bathe him every other day. The rash goes away most when we’ve spent several days in the apartment. But by that point the rest of us are going crazy. Flo can only do so much in our tiny apartment before seeking more rambunctious entertainment; and all of my toddler crafts are back in Utah. Plus, we’re in Poland! We have to get out and explore! We can’t stay cooped up forever!

Lawrence and I have enjoyed our Polish ice cream once again. Here he is with a chocolate ice cream mustache and beard. Of course, I cleaned my face before taking the picture. Otherwise we'd be matching. ;p