Our peanut allergy testing results

On our first day at Nationals Jewish Hospital we were able to do skin prick testing for nuts of all kinds and also drew blood for brand new blood allergy tests. 

They can get blood results back in just two days there! Fan-freaking-tastic!

The skin prick test came back positive.  I was devastated.  Cheyenne had skin prick testing and blood allergy tests done back in July and both were positive for peanuts.  If she was getting yet another positive then I felt that there was no chance of her having a false positive.  I was defeated, realizing we would be stuck with the curse of the peanut for good.





Here is my tough little nut after the blood draw.  She was such a brave girl.  She didn't even fight the nurses as they took care of business!

For the next two days I learn all about eczema treatments and food allergies.  I also realize after talking to other mothers that if I am in fact destined to be a peanut allergy mom then we are lucky.  Some children here are allergic to so many things I am left wondering what they eat. 

We do food challenges to a few tree nuts over the next couple of days but mostly we are just apprehensively awaiting the blood results.

The blood results come after an antagonizing three year wait...I may tend to exaggerate a bit now and again.  The Dr tells us that it is low enough for peanuts that we can do a food challenge! 

It seems that I have a stampede of butterflies in my stomach.  This is SCARY!  After avoiding peanuts like the plague now I'm about to force feed peanut butter to my peanut allergic child. 

The first dose is barely enough to even scrap up on a spoon.  She eats it with no qualms and runs off to play.  Twenty minutes of vigilant watching later she gets her vitals taken and her skin is scoured for any sign of rash, this is done before all new doses and at the end.  There is four doses in all each increasing in size and then an hour wait.   By the last does we are mixing it with chocolate and forsing her mouth open. 

At the end of the hour wait there is no wheezing, no struggling to breath, no swollen lips, not one single tiny hive, not one hint of a rash!!

That's right! My Cheyenner-nanners is NOT allergic to peanuts.  I can't even begin to articulate what a relief this is.  Our lives are forever changed. 

Cheyenne was never allergic to peanuts.  False positives are more common than most people think.   We are proof of that.  And praise the Lord we are!