Peaches and apples and beef, oh my!

Still no word on the polyp but not for my lack of asking.  In fact due to my recent, frequent repetition, the word, polyp, has officially lost all meaning.  Polyp.  polyp.  polYp.   But I digress.  The real reason for this post has absolutely nothing to do with, ahem, polyps. 

Patch testing rocks.  Aside from the mild discomfort, the 3 separate hour-long trips back and forth to the allergist's office all during nap time of course, and the gray rectangular tape marks that refuse to dislodge from Roo's back, I love patch testing. 

Care to join me in my beef dance?  That's a big fat positive to beef, baby!  Take that doctors who think I've lost my mind.  My boy is allergic - and I mean red, puffy, welty-skinned ALLERGIC to beef!  So aside from getting to gloat a bit about how I was right, the positive beef patch test gives me reason to believe that there's a chance, however slim it might be, that his next scope might be clean.  Regardless of the scope, clearly beef is not helping the kid out, so it's nice to have that matter settled.

The not so exciting, yet equally interesting piece of the puzzle is that he also tested positive to apple and peach.  Who the heck is allergic to apples?  Aren't apples one of the first baby foods you introduce?  Right after homemade organic butternut squash and pear of course.  So, yup, in retrospect, he's been having symptoms I can relate to apple.  Like, the frequent vomiting after drinking apple juice.  How did I miss that one?  I guess that fact that he adores apples clouded my judgment.  Well now I know.  And peach?  I can't even remember him having peach but I'm sure I offered it more than a time or two.  Nix peach.

So, as much as I loathe the ever increasing list of foods to avoid (peanuts, tree nuts, egg, milk, beef, apple, peach) I'm happy that we might be making some progress.  I'm thrilled that we might have an explanation for why his symptoms never subsided - namely because we started giving him copious amounts of beef following his one clean scope.  And, dare I say it, I think he might not be allergic to milk.  Yes yes, I get it, I know, don't get your hopes up.  But still, the patch was negative for milk.  Could there be hope?  Because I've got to tell you, if his body's open to bargaining, I'd trade milk for beef/apple/peach in an instant.

Wacky pathology jokes

At this point the pediatric pathology department is clearly playing a cruel joke, the butt of which is undoubtedly me.  I was mad at first but I guess if anyone needs a good laugh, it's those guys.

I checked in with our CNP in GI again yesterday and while she still has not received word from The Pathologist regarding the polyp, she did thank me for my patience.

So, after the obvious, did they lose the biopsies(?!) my question is this: Am I to believe that hidden deep in the recesses of one of the world's best funded hospitals for children there resides exactly one pathologist?  The backlog truly must be enormous.  With resources so strapped, is he working by candlelight?  No wonder there isn't time to reply to email since the time change.  Dusk comes so early these days.  Has anyone considered the idea of hiring a nurse? an assistant? how about an intern to answer emails?  Heck, maybe it's time to throw caution to the wind and bring in another speech therapist while we're at it.

The anxiety of the past two weeks is waning only because my body can maintain that level of stress for this duration.  Basically, I don't have that kind of time. 

Fortunately I've been able to refocus my efforts on trying to discern the strange bumps and blotches on Roo's back following patch testing this week.  For those of you unfamiliar with patch testing, imagine 30 tiny, dime-size cups of various substances (oh you know, chicken, green beans, fish, wheat, that sort of thing) adhered with surgical tape to your back for 48 hours (see Exhibit A).  Stinky? A bit.  Uncomfortable? A little.  Informative? We'll see.  Roo goes for his final reading with the allergist today.  To me it looks like something flared overnight, but as we all know, I've been wrong before.

Exhibit A

My latest beef...

Roo's latest EoE scope results are in and it appears that "good" news we've been hoping for will have to wait for another week.  The eosinophils are still in full force.  Actually, they've reduced ever so subtly in the mid-esophagus but are thick as ever in the distal esophagus.  So, essentially we took dairy out of his diet (again) for seven weeks, sedated the kids, stuck a camera down his throat and now we know....absolutely nothing more than we did seven weeks ago.

Maybe milk isn't the culprit after all?  Or it's not the only one?  Maybe there's a new allergy?  Or allergies?  We have no idea.  We're no closer to an answer but it does help explain why Roo continues to vomit regularly.  There's still the lingering possibility of beef, but everyone I mention it to starts talking to me like I'm pushing a shopping cart down the highway wearing a bird carcass on my head. 

I am getting a thorough education in the ways my own body manifests stress...pimples, inexplicable exhaustion, my own GI trouble of which I'll save the gory details, living in gym clothes without venturing anywhere near the gym, constant overwhelming urge to drink milkshakes, and infrequent showering have all become par for the course because when you look good, you feel good.  

The polyp biopsies have been sent to a different lab for pathology.  We wont have them until Monday.  Until then all I really want to do is drink wine, eat chocolate, and sob quietly whenever the mood strikes.  Should be another stellar weekend.