Monday, April 25, 2011

Test Results & Lots of Change!

It has been a really long time since I have sat down and written a post.  There are a few reasons for this - mostly, because our family has been going through lots of changes.  My husband has started a new job.  Today is his first day starting his assigned 7 pm to 3 am shift.  This job is such a blessing for our family and provides us with phenomenal benefits, but I had a little bit of trouble knowing that he would be away from me at night - especially when we have a 7 month old that is up 3-4 times every night.  I am so grateful for this opportunity for our family, though and I know that God will take care of me and our family through this transition.  Braxton is really doing great these days.  He is gaining weight (he is now in the 10th - 20th %), he is growing in height, and he is hardly throwing-up at all anymore.  He hasn't had scary diapers for weeks either! 

For several reasons, we recently became aware that we needed to change caregivers and made the decision to start Braxton in a pre-school.  He LOVES it there!  The school is awesome and his teachers met with us several times to discuss a plan to keep him safe from accidental exposure to foods (since we don't have anything "safe" except elemental formula).  Nutramigen AA has been working great for him and we are delighted to see Braxton really be happy and developing well.  He can now sit unsupported for long periods of time (he loves to play on the floor with his toys).  He is trying to learn to crawl, but has not quite mastered it yet.  Another positive change:  My husband's new job provided us with immediate access to incredible benefits.  Because the company is headquartered in Texas and Texas has legislation in place requiring private insurers to cover elemental formula, we will have up to 80% of the cost covered (we have to wait for the letter from our physician to be processed before we can begin to use this benefit).  This will not make me stop pushing to get help for the many families in our state who struggle with the enormous cost of this formula, however.  Unfortunately, I have been informed that there is no possible way to get the bill introduced until the next Senate session, so I am waiting for a few months to really begin drumming-up support again.

On a different note, we got our test results back from the Pediatric Center for Rare and Complex Disease in New Jersey.  They conducted in vitro blood tests which exposed Braxton's blood to specific food proteins to determine exactly what goes on at a cellular level with Braxton specifically.  We do not have the full interpretation of his results yet, but he showed significant reactivity to milk, soy, and gliadin - so we now know that he needs to pretty-much be milk-free, soy-free, rice-free and gluten-free as well.  This isn't helpful immediately since we haven't started food trials yet, but it will help us immensely once we begin food trials.  We have some direction - even if it is what NOT to try.  We also have a very powerful tool - Braxton's blood tests show that the FPIES diagnosis is accurate.  Hopefully, this will assist us and improve his access to care locally, as prior to this most of his doctors were unsure of what exactly was going on with him.  So, this is where we are to-date.  Lots and lots of changes, but many of them are so positive!  I will be posting more going forward.  I hope everyone had a great Easter!  Braxton had a wonderful Easter and received a basket with some cute little baby toys in it.  Who wouldn't want to get toys instead of candy on Easter???

3 comments:

  1. exactly! toys are better than candy any day! :)
    Glad things are progressing for you.

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  2. I recently came across your blog as my family is experiencing a very similar situation with our son. He cannot tolerate elemental formulas either and we are very concerned about what to do as there are no other options. If you see this, I know your post is a few years old, please please contact me. Thank you!

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  3. Also, I just want to add that I am so happy to hear that your son is overcoming the challenges of FPIES and is doing so well!

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