Please don't let the sweet child be allergic to wheat!
Beckett absolutely loves his multi-grain Cheerios- they actually make up a large amount of his diet! We are praying that doesn't all come to an end when we get the results to his first round of allergy testing!
We had an appointment yesterday with little man's GI doctor. For some reason, the appointments are always overwhelming, and they never really get any easier. There is always a lot up in the air and many "wait and see's." There is just so much that we do not know, but we are definitely making progress!
Our doctor was very positive about Beckett's growth. He gained a half a pound over the last 2 months, grew an inch, and has improved energy. He said we are moving in the right direction! He is up to the 3rd percentile for his height now-- slow and steady progress. We are optimistic that the enzymes are working to help his body better use his calories. We have increased the enzymes, so hopefully we will see more positive results as time goes on. He definitely "looks better" according to everyone who sees him. :) The G-tube is still on the table if his growth doesn't continue at a good, catch-up pace. He said that we now know that a feeding tube helps him, so if it is needed, we can move forward with a G-tube. We are going to give him more time and hope that he continues to grow well and pick up the pace a bit.
Beckett is still having some interesting symptoms with his bowel movements, diaper rashes, and tummy issues. This, in combination with the positive reaction from the enzymes, leads the doctor to believe Beckett has malabsorption issues.This baby needs so much food to grow!
He also decided to go ahead and order some blood work to test for allergies. As he got a closer look at Beckett's skin and listened to our struggles with his skin, he also referred B to allergy and immunology. He decided this was very necessary considering how very sensitive he is to bug bites, diapers, etc. Ever since he was a newborn, if you held him or lay him on something or if his clothes rubbed against him, the place of contact would be very red for quite some time. Doctors always noted it, but moved on. At the appointment, all up his back and neck was red during the appointment. Our doctor asked me about it, and I told him that is the result of laying him on the measuring table. We have also had to completely stop using disposable diapers as they were literally burning his bum. We have never used cloth diapers full time, so this is a new challenge. We are having to invest more to build up enough cloth diapers to use all the time, including on wash day. It takes a lot more diapers than you would expect! But his bottom is recovering. After consulting with dermatology, he was put on a steroid to try to help his bum heal. This is definitely not your typical diaper rash. I don't think "rash" really does it justice. We actually made 4 trips to the doctor for this situation. The doctors were amazed...that bad.
This is a picture of his swollen hand due to a reaction to something...Hopefully, the allergy testing will give us some answers. You can't quite tell how swollen his hand is if you don't know how small his hands are. But take it for me, it was big. The nurse at the doctor's office noticed it from across the room, and asked what on earth he did to his hand...It was big and reddish, purple in color.
We should hear back about the allergies tomorrow. This is just a blood test so it is not thought to be as reliable, but it was a good place to start. I am a bit nervous to hear the results. To be honest, it would be absolutely shocking to the point of disbelief if he has no allergies. Brant tested positive for allergies to dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, and then some at age 2. So this is nothing new to us. I am just concerned that if Beckett is allergic to many of his staples, that we are really going to struggle to get all the calories in him that he needs to grow. After all the very scary testing we have been through over the last 1.5 years, I cannot believe I am this nervous about allergy testing!
I was updating a friend of mine, listing off the newest ideas and tests and hypothesis, and she said, "I never in a million years would have thought ya'll would still be trying to figure this all out...He's almost 2." I never thought we would be either. Hopefully, we are getting closer to feeling better, growing well, and finding answers to help this precious little man. Thanks for praying!
The boys playing peek-a-boo with each other!
Beckett (and Brant) thought Brant was hilarious playing peek-a-boo using the trash can over his head. He is definitely a goofball who keeps us laughing. He insisted I take a picture with the can on his head. Don't worry this trashcan is only used for papers and such in the office!
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