Besides the crusty, red eczema that plagues his legs and arms, Roo has this nasty patch of hard little bumps around his ankle. Typically it doesn't seem to bother him but it is unsightly - imagine a patch of twenty or so little warts, mostly flesh toned but every so often with a red oozer or two. We saw the pediatrician a few weeks ago and she took a look. Add another ailment to Roo's cirriculum vitae: Molluscum Contagiosum.
Molluscum are not warts exactly. They are caused by a virus and are apparently, quite common in children. They are harmless, or so I've been told, and the general consensus is to let the Molluscum run its course and the papules should go away on their own. Sometime in the next few years, that is.
In case you missed the implications of the name, Molluscum Contagiosum are well, contagious. If you have them, you're not supposed to share towels or baths to avoid infecting others. Of course, I found that out after we discovered a few papules on Looly's legs, and one on Bean's chest.
We go to a gym class one day a week where the kids go barefoot. Roo was in shorts last week and while no one was brave enough to broach the topic outright, I did catch a horror-stricken mother staring at his ankle. I smiled and she gathered up her well-nourished, satin-skinned toddler and carried him to the uneven parallel bars at the opposite end of the gym. Wonder if they'll be back next week?
Ok, I'm being insensitive but it does beg the question, what am I supposed to do for the next several months (years??) until these things go away? As a 20 pound 2-year-old boy who can't eat birthday cake, he's enough of a pariah as it is. I can't keep him cloistered away forever. On the other hand, I don't blame other parents for getting freaked out for not wanting their kids to contract ugly warts. I don't want to deal with them either. We have been assured that the risk of infection is minimal. But since our other two kids have them too, how minimal can this infection risk be? Aside from lancing them off or burning them (neither of which is recommended for children his age) I'm not sure what our options are. Has anyone else dealt with these? Do I need to keep him covered and in seclusion? How about the community swimming pool? And I was looking forward to summer!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Dairy Trial
Last week's appointment with the "Feeding Team" was disappointing due to a critical miscommunication between the new GI doctor/food aversion/feeding specialist and me. When we went through the basic "what's he eating?" drill, it appears as though he somehow missed the crucial part where I said that Roo drinks soy baby formula that has been fortified to 30 calories per ounce. I swear he must not have heard that part because his advice was as follows:
Wha???? So, I'm trying to keep my PG rating but seriously? Bulk him up? Isn't that why we're here? If I could get the kid to eat, we wouldn't need the feeding specialist.
I walked out of the appointment truly believing that Bright Beginnings must be some sort of super-fortified miracle formula with 50 calories per ounce that we had overlooked. Of course, Bright Beginnings is a more expensive version of what we're already giving him - fortified soy formula. It's 30 calories per ounce with roughly the same nutritional values in all areas. Sweet.
Call me crazy but I'm not switching his formula. The Bright Beginnings is sweet and vanilla flavored - two things Roo loathes, and offers no benefit other than putting the poor kid through yet another formula overhaul.
I'm allowing myself a cooldown period and then I'll broach the subject with the doctor. Or maybe I won't. I haven't decided yet. In the interim I'm considering asking our pediatrician for a trial Zantac prescription because he is definitely refluxy and can't eat at all in the morning. Today's breakfast - one bite of plain yogurt, one eighth of a strawberry and a sip of milk. I'm full just thinking about it.
Okay, feeling a little better now. Onto the good news. We got the go ahead to do a dairy trial and so far it's going as smooth as Chantilly cream. He's had real butter, cheddar cheese, a few bites of real yogurt, cheddar goldfish crackers, cheese pizza, chocolate pudding, and macaroni and cheese. No Chantilly cream yet, but he's no worse for the wear with the new additions. I am so happy for him. And for us. We have been liberated.
He doesn't love everything. Yogurt, pudding, and other squishy stuff he's happiest smearing on the cat, but the other night be ate a whole square of pizza. Looly and Bean cheered and shouted for him the whole time and he actually enjoyed it, I think. I don't know if it was the cheering section or the pizza he liked more but either way, he ate a whole piece. That's a veritable feast for him.
The girls are so sweet and have been adjusting to Roo's new loosened food restrictions. Several times Looly has reminded me that Roo can't have goldfish (or real cheese, or butter, etc.) When I remind her we're doing a dairy trial she gets all smily and hugs her brother and congratulates him on his new options. Honestly she is more of a help in this process than several doctors have been. Bean too. Our conversations go like this:
Bean: "No Roo eat pizza."
Me: "He's trying it tonight Maisie. We'll see if it gives him a tummy ache."
Bean: "No tummy ache, Roo. Eat more pizza, Roo."
My sentiments precisely.
- Reintroduce dairy on a trial basis (woo hoo!!)
- Change his formula to Bright Beginnings soy formula because it has 50% more calories
- Buy the book "Food Chaining" (written by said doctor, I might add)
- Bulk Roo up a few pounds and return to meet the rest of the feeding team in July once he's not so "undernourished"
Wha???? So, I'm trying to keep my PG rating but seriously? Bulk him up? Isn't that why we're here? If I could get the kid to eat, we wouldn't need the feeding specialist.
I walked out of the appointment truly believing that Bright Beginnings must be some sort of super-fortified miracle formula with 50 calories per ounce that we had overlooked. Of course, Bright Beginnings is a more expensive version of what we're already giving him - fortified soy formula. It's 30 calories per ounce with roughly the same nutritional values in all areas. Sweet.
Call me crazy but I'm not switching his formula. The Bright Beginnings is sweet and vanilla flavored - two things Roo loathes, and offers no benefit other than putting the poor kid through yet another formula overhaul.
I'm allowing myself a cooldown period and then I'll broach the subject with the doctor. Or maybe I won't. I haven't decided yet. In the interim I'm considering asking our pediatrician for a trial Zantac prescription because he is definitely refluxy and can't eat at all in the morning. Today's breakfast - one bite of plain yogurt, one eighth of a strawberry and a sip of milk. I'm full just thinking about it.
Okay, feeling a little better now. Onto the good news. We got the go ahead to do a dairy trial and so far it's going as smooth as Chantilly cream. He's had real butter, cheddar cheese, a few bites of real yogurt, cheddar goldfish crackers, cheese pizza, chocolate pudding, and macaroni and cheese. No Chantilly cream yet, but he's no worse for the wear with the new additions. I am so happy for him. And for us. We have been liberated.
He doesn't love everything. Yogurt, pudding, and other squishy stuff he's happiest smearing on the cat, but the other night be ate a whole square of pizza. Looly and Bean cheered and shouted for him the whole time and he actually enjoyed it, I think. I don't know if it was the cheering section or the pizza he liked more but either way, he ate a whole piece. That's a veritable feast for him.
The girls are so sweet and have been adjusting to Roo's new loosened food restrictions. Several times Looly has reminded me that Roo can't have goldfish (or real cheese, or butter, etc.) When I remind her we're doing a dairy trial she gets all smily and hugs her brother and congratulates him on his new options. Honestly she is more of a help in this process than several doctors have been. Bean too. Our conversations go like this:
Bean: "No Roo eat pizza."
Me: "He's trying it tonight Maisie. We'll see if it gives him a tummy ache."
Bean: "No tummy ache, Roo. Eat more pizza, Roo."
My sentiments precisely.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Just the Flax
About a year ago, Looly started getting scaly red patches in the creases of her elbows, on her legs, and behind her knees. They were round and itchy with well-defined borders. We took her to the pediatrician who diagnosed eczema. It was a welcome relief as I'd been suspecting ringworm or a flesh-eating virus. Her spots flare from time to time - usually worse in cold, dry winter, but we seem to be able to control them fairly well with frequent applications of Aquaphor and Vaseline.
Roo, as usual, is another story. As an infant, his perfect milky baby skin was tainted by crusty pink patches in the creases of his elbows. Over his first winter, his legs were much dryer and scabbier than Bean's no matter how much we moisturized. His skin improved that summer but the beast came back with a vengeance in the fall and hasn't left since. Today, he has perpetual red flaky patches of skin all over his legs, as well as full blown crackly, bloody welts that plague the creases behind his knees. His stomach and back are covered in a bumpy, spotty, rash that looks a lot like prickly heat but stays whether he's dry or wet, hot or cold. He's constantly pulling at his shirts and pants, trying to get a good scratch. We try to keep him covered because when he does get a hand in, he typically breaks the skin with his zealous scratching. Not pretty. We slather him in Vaseline a few times a day and use a steroid creme to manage the worst of it. Rest assured no one wants Roo's hand-me-down clothing. Most of the time he looks like a miniature auto mechanic.
To date Bean is clear but I don't think we're out of the woods since Looly's first symptoms didn't appear until she was closer to three. Time will tell.
Then this winter, I discovered a couple of patchy spots on my hip and recalled a conversation I had with a massage therapist two years earlier when I was pregnant with the twins. She noiced them and thought it looked like eczema. I told her I don't have eczema and chalked it up to yet another malady of pregnancy. Hmmm...
A few days ago I ran into the mother of a fellow allergy- and eczema-sufferer, at Whole Foods (where else?). She suggested that flaxseed has been instrumental in clearing up her now 6-year-old son's eczema. So what the hay, we're giving it a whirl. I'm throwing ground flaxseed into pasta, yogurt, sauces, cereal, smoothies, veggies, and so far, surprisingly, no complaints. I'm dousing cooked meat and veggies in flaxseed oil and even stirred some into ketchup. Keep in mind you can't cook with flaxseed oil because it has an extremely low smoke point, but you can add it once food is cooked or reheated. My kids are so used to getting everything drenched in oil or margarine, they haven't complained about this either.
As usual, I am wary of the miracle cure for anything allergy-related but figure it can't hurt. We'll see how it goes and I'll report back in a few weeks. I realize now that I should have taken pictures for a before and after comparison. Perhaps I'll do that tonight for some concrete evidence. In the mean time, if anyone else has any flaxseed success (or horror) stories to share, I'd love to hear them!
Roo, as usual, is another story. As an infant, his perfect milky baby skin was tainted by crusty pink patches in the creases of his elbows. Over his first winter, his legs were much dryer and scabbier than Bean's no matter how much we moisturized. His skin improved that summer but the beast came back with a vengeance in the fall and hasn't left since. Today, he has perpetual red flaky patches of skin all over his legs, as well as full blown crackly, bloody welts that plague the creases behind his knees. His stomach and back are covered in a bumpy, spotty, rash that looks a lot like prickly heat but stays whether he's dry or wet, hot or cold. He's constantly pulling at his shirts and pants, trying to get a good scratch. We try to keep him covered because when he does get a hand in, he typically breaks the skin with his zealous scratching. Not pretty. We slather him in Vaseline a few times a day and use a steroid creme to manage the worst of it. Rest assured no one wants Roo's hand-me-down clothing. Most of the time he looks like a miniature auto mechanic.
To date Bean is clear but I don't think we're out of the woods since Looly's first symptoms didn't appear until she was closer to three. Time will tell.
Then this winter, I discovered a couple of patchy spots on my hip and recalled a conversation I had with a massage therapist two years earlier when I was pregnant with the twins. She noiced them and thought it looked like eczema. I told her I don't have eczema and chalked it up to yet another malady of pregnancy. Hmmm...
A few days ago I ran into the mother of a fellow allergy- and eczema-sufferer, at Whole Foods (where else?). She suggested that flaxseed has been instrumental in clearing up her now 6-year-old son's eczema. So what the hay, we're giving it a whirl. I'm throwing ground flaxseed into pasta, yogurt, sauces, cereal, smoothies, veggies, and so far, surprisingly, no complaints. I'm dousing cooked meat and veggies in flaxseed oil and even stirred some into ketchup. Keep in mind you can't cook with flaxseed oil because it has an extremely low smoke point, but you can add it once food is cooked or reheated. My kids are so used to getting everything drenched in oil or margarine, they haven't complained about this either.
As usual, I am wary of the miracle cure for anything allergy-related but figure it can't hurt. We'll see how it goes and I'll report back in a few weeks. I realize now that I should have taken pictures for a before and after comparison. Perhaps I'll do that tonight for some concrete evidence. In the mean time, if anyone else has any flaxseed success (or horror) stories to share, I'd love to hear them!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Spring Break
Our superstar Au Pair, Wiebke, was on vacation last week, which just happened to coincide with Looly's spring break. In the spirit of full disclosure, the prospect of five solid days home alone with my under-four brood was not exceptionally appealing. Judge me if you will, but really, one of the best things that's ever happened to us is the Au Pair program. Wiebke, and her predecessor, Debbie, have undoubtedly saved us countless hours and dollars in family therapy, visits from social services, and booze. You think I'm kidding. Sadly, come July, we will say goodbye to Vivi, as the kids have affectionately dubbed Wiebke, and move forward as a family of five, not a happy six, as we are now. I don't like to think about it but in essence this was a preview of the rest of our lives and the thought had me terrified.
Somewhat surprisingly we all came out of the week mentally and physically intact despite four prolifically runny noses, three hacking coughs, and little sleep. In our house, and many others I'm sure, sick kids mean no sleep. In our house, it also tends to mean lots of vomit. Fortunately, the sleep and vomit did not overlap this time around, so that was a bonus. I hate changing sheets and kids in the middle of the night. No matter what, it's just twenty times worse cleaning up a sobbing, stinky child in the dark in your pjs. Minor setbacks become the apocalypse after 2 am.
As for the success of the week, Mother Nature gets credit on this one. What a freakin' incredible weather week! If global warming means eighty degree temperatures in Chicago in late March, I am all in. My air conditioners will run year round. I will drive to the corner store in my enormous gas-guzzling minivan for plastic single-serving water bottles. I will rack up frequent flyer miles left and right. I'm converting the recycling bin to an ash tray. Okay, perhaps not, but I have been tempted. How much can a few measly degrees hurt? (Please no comments from those of you residing in low-lying coastal communities.)
Regardless of the reason, we took full advantage and played summertime. Shorts, t-shirts, and sandals all around. Playground, walks to the park, picnic lunches, popsicles, open windows, stories on a beach towel in the backyard. The water table was out in full force. It was awesome and we all had a blast. Yeah, even me.
Lessons learned from the week: My kids can get along for more than five minutes. Fingerpaint comes out of silk/rayon blends splendidly. Vaseline does not. Drinking standing rain water from the top of a paint can won't kill you. Shouting out the colors of cars as they zoom past is a great way to distract a couple of grumpy toddlers. I don't mind playing restaurant for the fiftieth time in a day as long as it's under sunny skies and light easterly breezes. Obviously, the main takeaway from this experience is that as long as we live in perpetual summer from here on out, everything will be just fine.
Somewhat surprisingly we all came out of the week mentally and physically intact despite four prolifically runny noses, three hacking coughs, and little sleep. In our house, and many others I'm sure, sick kids mean no sleep. In our house, it also tends to mean lots of vomit. Fortunately, the sleep and vomit did not overlap this time around, so that was a bonus. I hate changing sheets and kids in the middle of the night. No matter what, it's just twenty times worse cleaning up a sobbing, stinky child in the dark in your pjs. Minor setbacks become the apocalypse after 2 am.
As for the success of the week, Mother Nature gets credit on this one. What a freakin' incredible weather week! If global warming means eighty degree temperatures in Chicago in late March, I am all in. My air conditioners will run year round. I will drive to the corner store in my enormous gas-guzzling minivan for plastic single-serving water bottles. I will rack up frequent flyer miles left and right. I'm converting the recycling bin to an ash tray. Okay, perhaps not, but I have been tempted. How much can a few measly degrees hurt? (Please no comments from those of you residing in low-lying coastal communities.)
Regardless of the reason, we took full advantage and played summertime. Shorts, t-shirts, and sandals all around. Playground, walks to the park, picnic lunches, popsicles, open windows, stories on a beach towel in the backyard. The water table was out in full force. It was awesome and we all had a blast. Yeah, even me.
Lessons learned from the week: My kids can get along for more than five minutes. Fingerpaint comes out of silk/rayon blends splendidly. Vaseline does not. Drinking standing rain water from the top of a paint can won't kill you. Shouting out the colors of cars as they zoom past is a great way to distract a couple of grumpy toddlers. I don't mind playing restaurant for the fiftieth time in a day as long as it's under sunny skies and light easterly breezes. Obviously, the main takeaway from this experience is that as long as we live in perpetual summer from here on out, everything will be just fine.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Preschool Nirvana
Today was parent-child work day at Looly's school. I got to stay with her after drop off and she got to teach me how to do all of the work she does each day. Now excuse my gush. After all, Roo gets most of the space here so how about a shout out for my big girl, right?
Looly goes to a small Montessori school for all you locals who might want to check it out) with just one primary classroom for kids age 3-6 and one toddler room for two-year-olds. The teachers are amazing and somehow manage to have 25 kids working quietly, happily, and independently throughout the room on different tasks at any given time. The children are so sweet and respectful to each other. The room is airy and sunlit even on the grayest of days. There's always the scent of fresh baked nut-free muffins or cookies wafting from the kitchen and the walls reverberate the soft giggly murmur of preschoolers discussing their work.
Looly couldn't wait to show me everything from her pink coat hanger to the soap dispenser in the bathroom. She was distraught momentarily as I didn't have indoor shoes to change into but eventually she let it slide when I pointed out that none of the adults had changed shoes. She made sure that I greeted all of the children and her teachers by name and reminded me to do so when I accidentally forgot someone. My face-burying leg clinger from long ago is now little miss manners spreading good mornings, waves, and smiles to the world. So proud.
When it was time to work she gathered her supplies and set up her own paints and water to paint a pig. After laying her picture to dry and thoroughly cleaning her table, she cut patterns in paper. We colored an Easter egg together and practiced writing numbers on a chalk board. Perhaps most impressively,she read a bag full of words to me. No pictures, no rote memorization - these were straight up type written words on plain white cards and she was sounding them out. She's only three and a half! Hot, not, got, lost, and rock, just to name a few. Last we had a lovely breakfast together with her friends and some of the other parents. She cleared plates for both of us like a proper hostess. I have to admit I was sad to say goodbye but Looly was more than ready to get rid of me. Because after me, it was Mufasa's turn. Daddy!
Looly goes to a small Montessori school for all you locals who might want to check it out) with just one primary classroom for kids age 3-6 and one toddler room for two-year-olds. The teachers are amazing and somehow manage to have 25 kids working quietly, happily, and independently throughout the room on different tasks at any given time. The children are so sweet and respectful to each other. The room is airy and sunlit even on the grayest of days. There's always the scent of fresh baked nut-free muffins or cookies wafting from the kitchen and the walls reverberate the soft giggly murmur of preschoolers discussing their work.
Looly couldn't wait to show me everything from her pink coat hanger to the soap dispenser in the bathroom. She was distraught momentarily as I didn't have indoor shoes to change into but eventually she let it slide when I pointed out that none of the adults had changed shoes. She made sure that I greeted all of the children and her teachers by name and reminded me to do so when I accidentally forgot someone. My face-burying leg clinger from long ago is now little miss manners spreading good mornings, waves, and smiles to the world. So proud.
When it was time to work she gathered her supplies and set up her own paints and water to paint a pig. After laying her picture to dry and thoroughly cleaning her table, she cut patterns in paper. We colored an Easter egg together and practiced writing numbers on a chalk board. Perhaps most impressively,she read a bag full of words to me. No pictures, no rote memorization - these were straight up type written words on plain white cards and she was sounding them out. She's only three and a half! Hot, not, got, lost, and rock, just to name a few. Last we had a lovely breakfast together with her friends and some of the other parents. She cleared plates for both of us like a proper hostess. I have to admit I was sad to say goodbye but Looly was more than ready to get rid of me. Because after me, it was Mufasa's turn. Daddy!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy Birthday!
Bean and Roo are two today! This morning we went to Make a Messterpiece where the kids had a blast making a mess, I mean art. They colored, painted, played, made bubble canvasses, and wore full rain gear to bang on huge drums full of paint in a plexiglass room. So much fun.
We celebrated some more tonight with make your own sundaes (coconut milk ice cream for Roo) topped with dairy free chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, crushed cookies, and sprinkles. Happy birthday, little ones!
Monday, March 15, 2010
GI Update
Thanks for all the well wishes for Roo's Friday GI appointment! Overall things went as expected with a few surprises.
As far as the GI doc is concerned, Roo's growth is following a curve. He's not following "The" growth chart, but he is growing. He weighed 20 pounds 15 ounces and that put him on a tiny slanting upward arc from where he was three months ago at 19 pounds 10 ounces. Forgive me for not mentioning to the doctor that the previous weight was taken while he was naked and this one while fully clothed and diapered. I was all too absorbed by the fact that his height has increased to 32.5 inches which is, drumroll please......officially on "The" chart. In fact, it's 10th percentile for his age on the chart. That's non-adjusted for prematurity, regular old 24-month old American boy height. Yup yup. Take that size 12-month pants! We're moving up to 18-months...as long as we can find adjustable waistbands.
The general consensus is that the eosinophilic esophagitis is not causing his vomiting anymore. Unless we alter his diet drastically, which we have not, the EoE is not likely to be causing many problems at the moment. There is no clear single cause for his eating issues and food aversion but rather a combination of EoE, regular food allergies, oral delay, reflux, and his learned avoidance behaviors.
The recommendation is to see a feeding team. We have a referral for a different GI doctor who specializes in food aversion. He works as a team with a gaggle of other specialists - speech therapist, occupational therapist, nutritionist, psychologist, etc. While Roo has seen all of these therapist types before, the beauty here is that they are all part of an integrated team. We'll see how it goes.
Roo will return to his old GI team for an EoE check-up and allergy testing in about six months. Until then it's status quo for his diet - no eggs, nuts, milk, or beef, and full steam ahead trying to get him to eat, enjoy eating, keep food down, gain weight, and grow. No problem I'm sure.
The final surprise of the appointment was that our current GI doctor is leaving Children's Memorial. I'm not thrilled since he's been good to us, and the fact that he is young, Indian, and has little twins of his own didn't hurt his reputation in our house. In retrospect, however, I'm not so sure how I feel about him performing Roo's last surgery a couple of weeks after bringing his own newborns home. Anyway, he's heading out of state to a clinic that currently has no EoE specialist.
As far as the GI doc is concerned, Roo's growth is following a curve. He's not following "The" growth chart, but he is growing. He weighed 20 pounds 15 ounces and that put him on a tiny slanting upward arc from where he was three months ago at 19 pounds 10 ounces. Forgive me for not mentioning to the doctor that the previous weight was taken while he was naked and this one while fully clothed and diapered. I was all too absorbed by the fact that his height has increased to 32.5 inches which is, drumroll please......officially on "The" chart. In fact, it's 10th percentile for his age on the chart. That's non-adjusted for prematurity, regular old 24-month old American boy height. Yup yup. Take that size 12-month pants! We're moving up to 18-months...as long as we can find adjustable waistbands.
The general consensus is that the eosinophilic esophagitis is not causing his vomiting anymore. Unless we alter his diet drastically, which we have not, the EoE is not likely to be causing many problems at the moment. There is no clear single cause for his eating issues and food aversion but rather a combination of EoE, regular food allergies, oral delay, reflux, and his learned avoidance behaviors.
The recommendation is to see a feeding team. We have a referral for a different GI doctor who specializes in food aversion. He works as a team with a gaggle of other specialists - speech therapist, occupational therapist, nutritionist, psychologist, etc. While Roo has seen all of these therapist types before, the beauty here is that they are all part of an integrated team. We'll see how it goes.
Roo will return to his old GI team for an EoE check-up and allergy testing in about six months. Until then it's status quo for his diet - no eggs, nuts, milk, or beef, and full steam ahead trying to get him to eat, enjoy eating, keep food down, gain weight, and grow. No problem I'm sure.
The final surprise of the appointment was that our current GI doctor is leaving Children's Memorial. I'm not thrilled since he's been good to us, and the fact that he is young, Indian, and has little twins of his own didn't hurt his reputation in our house. In retrospect, however, I'm not so sure how I feel about him performing Roo's last surgery a couple of weeks after bringing his own newborns home. Anyway, he's heading out of state to a clinic that currently has no EoE specialist.
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