The following Monday, after the scary Saturday night, Jayden had his blood drawn to be tested for allergies. We had a week before the results came back from the lab. In the meantime we had to figure out what else we can do. I've looked on the web for any new information and finally decided to start looking into blogs. I thought maybe reading through more personal accounts of acid reflux might shed light on the situation. What I've found has been a long list of possibilities to work on the symptoms of acid reflux but it seems that there is no one thing that works for everyone. There are some basic things out there to try to water down the symptoms of acid reflux to some very strange things to try. I am about ready to try them all at this point.
Here is what we have tried: Apples (didn't work), Tums (worked for a short time), Cinnamon (no), Dietary changes (worked for a while), chewing gum (no), baking soda (NO!) and we have even tried sucking on 10 raisins (actually worked a little bit - and yes - that's how desperate we are).
The "cures," or what seem to be old wives tales, that seem to get the biggest nods are apple cider vinegar, pickle juice, dietary changes, apples, and Aloe Vera juice (which is our next try.)
At the very end of the week, Friday, we got the results back from the blood draw. STILL having bad nights with acid reflux (now TEN days since the cheese sandwich debacle), we were very anxious to hear what the tests found. He was tested for basic food allergies, and Celiac disease, which is the inability to absorb gluten, and an overall blood screening. So, he got a negative for Celiac (good) and some surprising results for allergies. Jayden received a 0 out of 6 for dairy and eggs, a 2 for wheat and soy and a 3 for peanuts. Peanuts! I certainly didn't expect that. When you take out all kid foods like spaghetti, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, pizza, ketchup, you are not left with much. The last food we really have had in our back pocket was peanut butter and jelly. I found a great recipe for peanut butter cookies that I could make with out milk in them and have made them non-stop. Now, during the three weeks that eliminated all these acid reflux foods, we fed Jayden plenty of peanut butter, and he was fine, he was cheery, and looked great. So I'm not sure if a 3 means much in our case or not. But, nevertheless, for now, we have eliminated all peanut butter as well. As I write that, I let out a big sigh. We are just spinning our wheels and getting absolutely no where.
I have a call out for a referral for a pediatric gastroenterologist at Dormbecker (the Children's Hospital in Portland), which is going to take some time to get. Jayden has also started a different type of medicine (please God, let it work.) And at the time of this writing, we are now SEVENTEEN days since the grilled cheese sandwich and during that time we have had one good night. One night, where my sweet little boy went to sleep with a smile on his face. One. I want more of those. I am tired, my husband is tired, and my son is tired.
We would appreciate prayers for clarity and solutions. Thank you! With love, Susan
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