Allergist Appt.

Today was Makenna's appointment with the allergist, Dr. Brown. We were referred by our family doctor based on a number of reasons... past food allergies, sun allergy/sensitivity, eczema, and most importantly her apparent allergic reaction to antibiotics. It was not a fun appointment. Makenna used to LOVE going to the doctor and I think this may have changed her mind now :( We had to wait for what seemed like forever... this is hard for us because we are spoiled at our family doctor (the very longest we've ever waited is probably 10 minutes). So Makenna was already antsy by the time the appointment started.

I got some really good information from Dr. Brown. Regarding Makenna's sun sensitivity/allergy and eczema, we have everything right on track and she wants us to continue doing exactly what we've been doing already. The only thing she really wanted to emphasize was to make sure that we give her a dose of Zyrtec every single day during the warm months when the sun is out. She also took a look at her tonsils and her exact word was "ginormous." Yes this child's tonsils are so big on a regular basis that you can't even see the back of her throat. Dr. Brown told me this is not normal (I have heard this from other doctors as well) and that if it were her child she would take her to an ENT to be seen about getting her tonsils out. Her large tonsils are most likely related to all of her allergies. Anyway, we are to watch for signs of sleep apnea in Makenna and also if she gets another round of strep throat the doctor said that she will most likely need them out. She said the combination of Makenna's likelihood for strep throat and allergy to antibiotics is a bad combination and she wouldn't want to mess with that situation for very long.

Regarding the allergy to antibiotics, Dr. Brown seemed very positive. There is a blood test that will basically tell us if Makenna has the severe allergy to these antibiotics (ie. resulting in anaphylactic shock) or if it's just going to be a mild reaction (ie. rash). This is very important information for us to have in moving forward in treating her in the future so the doctor's know what their options are. Well I kept thinking "Just a blood test, can't be that bad." Poor child got stuck with some lady who had NO clue what she was doing. After digging around in Makenna's arm with a needle for what seemed an eternity (in reality I think it was only a few minutes) I finally told her to stop. I was so irate I asked for my lab papers back and told her I was going somewhere else. Despite Makenna screaming from being in pain (wouldn't we all?) she actually held very still and I helped to hold her arm so I know she was still. The lady wasn't competent and just couldn't get it. She even told me that Makenna was the perfect patient and that her veins looked great, for some reason she just couldn't get it. I was SO mad. My daughter is now terrified of doctor's offices and has been emotional the rest of the day as a result. So after all of that, we have NO blood for this test. UGH! So I called around to find a competent lab that could do this quickly. I found a lab in town that specifically caters to pediatrics so I am taking her there tomorrow. I would honestly just forego all of this if it wasn't so critical to Makenna's health care in the future. She's such a little trooper. Say a few prayers for her (and me!) as we plan to go in again tomorrow.