Allergy test for Megan

Since we are at the end of the year and have hit our deductible, I have decided to get as much done in the medical department as I can!

Megan has been fighting hives whenever she showers for the last year and a half along with eczema in her elbows and behind her knees.  She also had a hard time last spring sleeping at night. This all started in June of 2015 when she had a swollen eye for some odd reason.

We have talked to our chiropractors and pediatrician and neither one had very good answers, so I decided to take her to an allergist.

Guess what? He thinks she is allergic to MERCAPTOBENZOTHIAZOLE!!!

What is that, you may ask?? Well, it's a product they use in sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, and many rubber products.

I asked him how he came to this conclusion and he said allergies to "M" usually starts with a swollen eye and it triggers other allergic reactions, such as aqua hives and eczema!!

He said the aqua hives will last 5-10 years or even a lifetime. Honestly, I think they are going away. There are a lot less of them than there used to be!

Because he is suspicious of this allergy, he recommended doing a T.R.U.E. test on Megan. Since we have met our deductible, Matt and I agreed to go forth with this test.

We went back to the allergist yesterday and they applied three patches on her back. It actually included 36 different chemicals and one of them was "M". Unfortunately, as they were putting the last one on, Megan almost fainted! I think the nurse and I caught her in the nick of time! She doesn't remember us laying her down on the bed!! It was quite a fright!

She has to wear these three patches for 48 hours, so we will go back in tomorrow morning and the doctor will read them. I think he is going to put them back on and we have to go in again Friday morning to have them read again.

He said if she does come up allergic to "M", she will need to avoid any products with this in it, such as shampoo, soaps, conditioner, and sunscreen. I am not sure if she will outgrow it or not.

I am so used to everyone having food allergies, this one might actually be simple to deal with in the long run!