Allergy Update

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This is an update following my previous post, So we are allergic to what?!

We started the elimination diet back in September 2010 after the test results showed us the foods dd was allergic to. Her skin started to clear. Not completely but there were patches of clear skin which gave us the determination to press on difficult as the diet was. However, we had to take a break at the end of September due to an extended family vacation that had been booked months ahead. Despite being on oral steriods and antihistamines, her rashes flared up by the 2nd day 🙁 By the time we came back (short 4 day, 3 night trip), the rashes were out in full force.

I put her back on the elimination diet almost immediately. This time however, we saw ZERO improvement. It was very discouraging. To go through all the trouble to avoid the huge list of foods, cooking everything from scratch, bringing home-cooked foods out whenever we had family outings and see no improvement made us feel like we are wasting our time. It was very, very tempting to just junk the whole diet and eat as per normal.

We were desperate. Her skin had become so dry and scaly despite application of extra virgin organic coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, etc….You name it, we probably have tried it. And still nothing. Not only that all these natural oils would sting (due to the open wound she had) and then trigger itching! The only cream that did not do that was Melaleuca’s Renew Lotion. So we promptly signed up so that we could have a ready supply of the cream. (Please note that it didn’t heal her, just helped to keep her skin moisturised without the stinging).  I felt so sorry for her. And yet she was so stoic through it all. I even changed our laundry detergent to soap nuts but saw no difference.

In our desperation, we tried TCM. My brother’s colleague’s dh was pastor who was also a TCM practioner. We were told that he had helped a little girl who had eczema with great success. However, in our case, it did not get better, it got worse IMO. My stoic little girl drank that awful bitter concoction daily for 2 weeks, saw him for a review, changed to another brew for another 1 week, saw him again for a review and changed to another brew again for another week. Then I gave up. Her skin was so cracked that she could not bend or stretch without pain. She could not shower as the water stung her like acid water. Every morning, I had to vacuum her mattress because it would be covered in a pile of dead skin due to the scratching and natural exfoliation. It was just BAD.

It was so bad that she couldn’t even pray. I remember driving home one night after dinner at my mil’s and she was going mad in the car from the itch. I told her to pray even as I was praying in tongues. And she cried out, “I can’t!” And then she began to sing with the CD that was playing in the car. I have no idea what that song was. But it ministered to her and to me. I cried all the way home – from Marine Parade to Bishan 😀 and then in the midst of it, the itch subsided.

We cried out to the Lord over and over and it seemed as though He had turned His face from us. Many people with many good intentions offered potions and advice and doctors’ names but nothing resonated with us.

Finally a friend recommended that we go talk with her bil who used to be with KKH. I was not keen but I was also desperate, remember? He told us to get her off beef (we were only on beef and pork for the past 6 months) as he was convinced that that could be the culprit. I asked him about rice. She had been tested as a 3 (0 being nothing and 5 being highly allergic) for it and it was the only thing I had not removed from her diet because at that point in time I knew of no other carb replacement. The doctor said it was highly unlikely. He said to up her intake of boraage and flax oil which I had all along been giving her but at a much lower dosage.

So we took her off beef for a week with no results at all. I felt that we had wasted precious time as she was still suffering greatly. All this while I had been very reluctant to put her on oral steriods and had only used topical steriod cream (Elomet) sparingly which only made her skin crack and bleed even more! However, by then her skin had been so badly infected – open wounds due to the constant scratching – I had no other option at that point. A doctor friend prescribed her a course of antibiotics and oral steriods and antihistamines. It took 3 days before the angry rash started to subside. She became a new person. Happy again and much more well rested. However it was short-lived. The moment the course of medication ended, everything started to flare up again, as expected since the root cause had not yet been identified. The only improvement was that it was less angry and red as the anitibiotics had the infection.

In the meantime, I was led to a book Hidden Food Allergies by James Braly and Patric Holford at the Bishan Library. I diligently copied down all the recommended supplements and dosage. I went onto http://iHerb.com (*) and ordered all the supplements and waited impatiently for the shipment to arrive. After just being on the supplements for 2 weeks, her skin became softer and less dry. Her skin which was thickened had become normal looking again. However she was still itching. Something in her diet or environment is still causing her to react.

I resolved then to take rice off her diet despite the doctor’s scepticism. It was hard! Quinoa and buckwheat (no relation to wheat at all!) were our options, besides potatoes. Like a trooper she has been all this while, she took to them with not a complaint.

In 5 days, the skin on her face improved first! Her sister was the first one who noticed it. The skin on her face looked lovely again! Slowly the rest of her body recovered. She could shower with no pain! After 2 weeks, I put her back on rice. She ate it for dinner and by the time it was time for our bedtime prayers, her face had started to look red again! She had rice again the next day, the itch level increased. At 1st we thought it was a coincidence as she had a very long day on the day we put her back on rice. So we stopped for 1 week. Again, after 5 days, her skin cleared. We tried again. Same reaction. 🙁

I started hunting for rice alternatives and found millet. I gave it to her for lunch one day and by evening, she was red and itching more than usual. God gave me a brainwave – she is allergic to grains, not just rice and wheat! I tried googling about millet with conflicting answers. Some claim it is a seed but others, a grain. I have not yet given to her since then. But she is keen to try it again as she said it tastes the closest to rice 🙂

Right now I am slowly re-introducing prohibited foods back into her diet to see if she is able to tolerate them now that grains have been removed from her diet. But I understand from the doctor that sometimes it is the mold on the food that triggers the reaction, not the food itself. Yesterday, we had chestnuts and I started itching like crazy about 1 hour later. She had no reaction but today, her face is slightly red and she said she had been itching at night. So is it chestnuts per se or the mold since these are dried chestnuts not fresh ones?! Playing detective in this allergy saga is very tiring!

Meanwhile, we press on, grateful that a huge piece in the allergy puzzle had been found.

I will be writing about our 2 boys’ allergies in the next post as this post is too long already and how we coped with her food restriction at our recent Church Camp.

I just want to thank ALL of you who have prayed with us and stood with us in faith that we have a God who heals! This journey is by no means over but we are so grateful that a major breakthrough has been graciously granted to us.

(*) If you have never ordered from http://iHerb.com before you can use my code LIM018 to get a US$5.00 discount off your first order. I have found that they have the most competitive prices and the bonus is that their international shipping rates are the best!

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