My little allergy girl...

Well, yesterday we headed to downtown Atlanta to go to take Virginia to her first allergy testing and assessment. The appointment was two hours long and we were OVERLOADED with information on our poor little allergy girl!
We started out the morning with a large dose of lidocain in order to numb the entire back area so that she would not feel the test. She even had to wear this lovely saran wrap all morning! But, it was a BLESSING because when the test started she was completely numb and just laughed the whole time this part of the test was given. The nurse could not believe she was giggling! She was truly the most AMAZING patient! That sweet perfect little skin wouldn't stay that way for long...

After about 45 minutes in a consultation and evaluation with the doctor, we headed to another room for the allergy test. We had to be in one with a TV for the girls to watch while we waited for THIS! The administered the test in 4 different areas as you can see labeled here. They set a timer and checked on her every few minutes until we hit the 15 minute mark. This is what she looked like!

Section A are the grasses! She is allergic to EVERY kind of grass all 8 came up as highly allergic for her...yikes! Then, they told us that she is highly allergic to weeds...basically being outside! At least she was not allergic to trees.

This one is Dust mites! She is the most allergic to the dust mite "waste"...also known as DUST! So, if you are taking note...she is allergic to being outside and INSIDE too!

After the test was completed the doctor came back in and talked everything over with us. She gave us TONS of instructions on what we are to do now. She also took her completely off dairy for the next month so we can see if she has any reactions to dairy since she is very pale and washed out with little bumps on her face under the skin. OK, so now...no dairy which she LOVES!

Then, we talked about her mouth breathing and she believes she may have an upper esophogeal reflux issue...not gastrointestinal reflux...since she never has stomach or digestion problems. That means that our girlie can't eat or drink anything an hour before bed and sleep on an incline...whew!

And then...came the THREE shots!! She did amazing and didn't even cry. She just looked the other way and did amazing! I had no idea that she would be getting THREE shots that day. But, my baby girl did wonderful. We did find out that she is not allergic at ALL to our dog. She was really glad about that one:)

Here is just a glimpse into the new life we are to lead! We have to freeze her stuffed animals every week overnight. This kills the dust mites...but they will come back. So, we have to rotate freezing her stuffed animals every week.

I tackled her room like a crazy woman yesterday. I was told I had to wash her blinds every week, ALL bedding (including comforter) every week in hot water (already do the sheets...but now I have to add in the comforter), take everything we can off her desk and dresser to avoid dust and vacuum every few days. So, yesterday I went into her room and attacked it! No dust mites for my baby!!!

Do, here are my freshly washed blinds...still have to wash the curtains!

I cleaned the ceiling fan that was throwing dust all over the room! I washed all the baseboards, door, trim work, windows, and vacuumed. You don't realize how much dust you have in your house until you have to get it out for the health of your child!

We also were told we had to go and purchase pillow covers...complete with new pillow and a mattress cover. We still have to purchase the dust mite stuff for the carpets to kill them in the carpets. We then headed to the grocery to purchase a new diet of non dairy items. She can not have cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, cream cheese on her bagels, cheese crackers, chocolate, etc. But, we found all kinds of wonderfully yummy goodies for her. She is thrilled!

So, yesterday was quite a crazy day for all of us. We came home and rested for just a few minutes before heading down to the Atlanta Union Mission with our church to minister to the women in that shelter and their precious children. I will save that for another post all its own...it was a BLAST!