Pin cushion

That's what Little M is. Basically from the moment he was born he has been poked, prodded and used as a pin cushion. I can't count how many times I have had to hold him down for blood draws or how many times the phlebotomist wasn't able to get a stick and the IV team had to be called in. I can tell you we are now on a first name basis with a few of those IV therapists. And that can't be a good sign!

Today Little M was the ultimate pin cushion. He had to have allergy testing done. When M was in the NICU he had a hard time digesting formula with cow's milk protein in it. It was eventually determined that M is allergic to milk, but there's a chance he could grow out of that.

The allergist was a very nice man and even let Little M play with his stethoscope during the initial exam. Then he decided to test for the 5 major food allergies in kids: eggs, milk, soy, wheat, and peanuts.

The nurse came in and pretty much drew all over Little M's back. There was a plus sign and and minus sign and the numbers 1-5. By the plus sign she poked him with a histamine. That's so she would get a positive reaction to see what he would do. The minus sign got a control stick to see how he wouldn't react. Then 1-5 got poked with eggs, milk, soy, wheat and peanuts. In that order. Little M didn't cry once. He barely even flinched! He's such a strong little stud! Then we waited for 15 minutes. After about 5 minutes the histamine spot had a large welt and was red all around, the control spot was slightly red but only where the needle had stuck him. And 1-5 looked like the control. I was pleased with what I was seeing!

Finally our 15 minutes were up. Spots 1 and 3-5 were completely clear. The histamine had a red circle slightly bigger than a quarter and spot 2 had a red spot about the size of a dime. Determination: he's allergic to diary. :( BUT. He'll grow out of it. And in the mean time he's NOT allergic to soy, which is a good thing. So now the results will got to Dr. J. and she'll consult with a dietitian. After that she'll call us and let us know what to do about getting off the $50 per can formula and onto something that will be a little easier on Mr. Temmie's and my wallet.

All I can say at this point is God bless the NP in the NICU and her formula rep contact! They hooked us up BIG TIME in the formula department and to date we have only had to buy 6 cans of formula. =D