Ouch!

Last month, Zachary saw a pediatrician for an infected lymph node. The doctor was convinced that Zach had severe allergies. We visited an allergy clinic that very day, but after the standard skin-prick test, it appeared that Zach wasn't allergic to anything at all. I was confused but very relieved.

As a precaution, I decided to make allergy-testing appointments for all the kids. (I have long suspected milk allergies in Gavin and Lexi but haven't done anything about it.) Garry, who suffers from seasonal allergies, made an appointment, too. Because we are in Arizona, we missed the kids' appointments, but Garry went to the clinic for his tests on Tuesday. Here are the results:


Ouch!! Garry showed a "very strong positive reaction" for 25 of the 42 allergens, and had 7 "strong positive" results as well. He was the show-and-tell patient of the office that morning; everyone had to come take a peek at his inflamed, itching skin.



So now we know that Garry is severely allergic to grasses, weeds, and trees; dust mites, mice, cockroaches, cattle, dogs, and cats; plus carrots and cantaloupe. These allergies aren't life-threatening, but they sure can make him miserable. He is working with the doctors to better manage his symptoms.

On another note, I am really looking forward to seeing Garry soon. If his work schedule allows, he will visit us in Arizona this weekend!