Hives in the Kitchen: Our Journey with Food Allergies by Lexi Henegar

Author:Lexi Henegar [Henegar, Lexi]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2015-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Eating Solids, Tub Soaks,

Grieving the Diagnosis

I FELT SUCH relief yet also pain knowing that I had stopped breastfeeding earlier than planned. I had only made it to the eight-month mark, four months shy of my goal. But the freedom of knowing that I did not have to second-guess every food that passed my lips also gave me such relief. I tasted only freedom, yet I still felt guilty.

Bee was not a fan of the formula, which only compounded my guilt. I resorted to adding a little sugar to her bottles to try to tempt her. Eventually we discovered that adding some melted coconut oil encouraged her to finish them. This also had the added benefit of introducing additional fat into her diet. Poor little Bee! Her diet consisted of a smelly, medical-grade formula and the occasional apples or sweet potatoes. At eight months, her diet was extremely limited.

I had wondered if the formula was the right decision the minute the doctor had made the suggestion. But I faithfully tried her plan for a month, while watching Bee for any promising improvements. Instead, we continued to battle skin infections, scaly eczema, and constant itching even though we were using the formula. I felt completely betrayed. I did not know which questions to ask or what my next step should be. I decided I was too intimidated to schedule another checkup, so I called the office instead. The nurse took down my questions, and the doctor returned my call.

She first addressed the concerns about itching. She urged me to continue to increase Bee’s medication, stating that her body could become accustomed to her current dosage and stop responding favorably until we upped it. By how much? She said it did not matter as it was impossible to overdose on the antihistamine. That set off warning bells in my head. I didn’t think I could trust that statement. Then we discussed her ever-present eczema, for which the doctor prescribed lathering her in Vaseline. I was supposed to cover my daughter with a petroleum product that I would never even use on myself. That suggestion seemed ludicrous to me. Lastly was the formula. I just did not see the positive results I felt I had been promised. I wanted an improvement I could see and feel. She encouraged me to give it more time, that I was doing what was best for Bee. If that was the case, then why didn’t I have peace about it?

I felt as if I was back on the same merry-go-round with doctors: “Give it time. Give her more medication.” Her comments were sounding eerily similar to the very responses that had sent me searching for new doctors and satisfactory answers. I had thought this doctor was our answer; she seemed to genuinely care. But the more visits we had with her, the more she seemed to be in a hurry during our appointments and the less time she spent talking with me. Our case had lost its luster, and she had moved on to newer and more exciting patients.

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