But what really sapped me during the week was my return to addressing some of my daughter's health issues. This has been a long journey and I pray that I'm getting closer to the solution with each passing week. For some time, she has been experiencing reflux and a heartburn too. Add this to her list of other symptoms and it can get pretty discouraging to this mama, so I guess academics really fell on the wayside this week. Sometimes I wonder what her state of health would really be like if we were fast food junkies and if I didn't nurse her till she was nearly 5, among other things.

Most of all I want her to be a godly person who shines for Jesus, who loves Him with her whole heart. I don't want to make her health my idol. It is a real struggle at times though. When you see her skin break out badly in the colder and drier months, when she complains of headaches and tingles (Restless Leg Syndrome like her daddy) in the midst of happy times with her friends and in church, when she mentions her abdominal discomfort once more, it really discourages me. In fact, it just tears me. She's supposed to be at her prime of health!

But I know I have to seriously elp her heal her gut and to improve her body ecology so to speak. So yes, the past week also saw me reading and planning a lot. I hope to share my longer-term protocol with her here when I have the time. Maybe that will help others too.

Okay, I have a sliver of time now (yeah!) but I really need to plan for the week ahead. As much as her godliness and health are more important to me than her academics, I do not want to overlook the importance of her Christian scholarship.

Thanks for visiting. And oh, I'm SO thankful the Lord has chosen little old and weak me to be my daughter's mama! What an awesome responsibility! I'm thankful He trusts me enough to raise and nurture this beautiful little girl's  body, mind and soul for Him!

Have a cracker of a weekend. :)

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Recently, I included two new protocols that have helped my daughter's eczema. She has flare-ups due to weather changes, possible food allergies and probably some other underlying conditions which we are still trying to figure out! The worst areas are on her elbow bends.

1. To control possible infection and to keep her skin on her elbow bends moisturized, we've been using this solution : mix one part tea tree oil to 10-12 parts of a high-quality cold-pressed avocado oil. You could use almond oil but as she is allergic to tree nuts I avoided almond. Tea tree oil is extracted from the leaves of an Australian tree called Melaleuca alaternifolia and nicknamed “tea tree” by Captain James Cook. He used the leaves to make tea when he sailed into the area in the 1770s. If you haven't found out how useful this oil is, do some research. It's awesome. Anyway, I dab her elbow bends about 3 times a day, the last one being before bedtime.

2. Eczema has been known as an itch with a skin. You cannot help but want to scratch it and sometimes until you bleed. Well, we had tried bandaging the area when it was bedtime (she scratches herself silly in her sleep) and for a while I put hair bands at the end of her PJ sleeves so she couldn't roll up her sleeves to scratch the offensive areas. They didn't work very well.

   Recently an idea hit me and I wondered why I never thought of that before! I took a pair of clean socks and snipped off the tips. So now we have a pair of sock-sleeves that we can pull over her cotton PJ sleeves and so far, they have worked like a charm. It prevents her from scratching her elbow bends at night thus allowing the skin to heal.
   
   If you or someone is looking for new ways to control eczema, you might want to try these methods. Also check out a good friend's website. Dr. Ben Kim has lots of wonderful articles (including some on eczema) that will help you take charge of your health.

P.S. I really shouldn't be popping chocolate chips when I'm stressed out (see earlier post). Now that I've calmed down and have make my lists, I do feel much better!

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Well, my daughter made the decision easy. This morning, she woke up with her eyes and face still swollen. The whole area was so tender. Despondently, she said,”I really want to go, but...”

I looked at her and said, “I think you should just stay at home. We'll do something special today.”

Tearfully she said all right. My heart just broke for her.

I gave her some antihistamine and let her rest some more. It later dawned on me that her face was the way it was due to her rough rubbing and scratching. She must have had broken the blood vessels under her eyes and on her lids because they literally looked bruised. She hasn't been able to wear her glasses too as her bridge is all scratched and it is too paisful to hang her glasses on her nose.

So we stayed home today. We did a few fun things together like making a patriotic paper chain and setting up a July 4^th table.

I think she is fit to go for her last class at the Gardens tomorrow. But I can't wait for the class to be over. I want her home with me again.

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Today at noon I had a call from the director of educational activities from the Botanical Gardens. My 8 year old daughter was reacting to some unknown allergen and was having hives on her face. I quickly called my husband who was able to get to the Gardens before I did. I got my three year old ready and calmly drove to the Gardens where we enrolled our daughter for the week-long Junior Master Gardener Workshop. In the director's office was my daughter. Her daddy was comforting her. I couldn't recognize her as her eyes were so swollen they were like slits. She had a wet towel over her face and she was sobbing. Her forehead and cheeks were badly scratched and there were heavy dark bags under her eyes. To cut the long story short, I gave her come benadryl and then we took her to the ER just to make sure she was all right.

She is now sleeping. The swelling has subsided some. She wants to go for the workshop tomorrow, and sigh, I'm not sure what to do. What if the allergen (pollen, bug, peanut butter, ???) that caused this reaction is still around? She says she will not get her certificate if she misses any activity and she has already missed the afternoon one (making a bird-house) today. I don't care for the certificate but my nature-lover really enjoys all the learning experiences. She is in her element among flowers and nature. She is passionate about God's creation, and it thrills me she's having so much fun learning more about it with other boys and girls. But I can't stay around for 5 hours tomorrow to ensure she's all right as that will be too much for my 3 year old. I think.

Well, I need to return to the Lord and ask for wisdom. Please pray for me if perchance you are reading this article. Thank you!

Once more I'm reminded that my children have allergies and I, and they, have to live with this fact. Once more I'm reminded I have to be more prepared especially when they are in a strange or new environment.

And once more, I'm also reminded that our Heavenly Father understands and He cares...and that everyday, other children suffer more than allergies, and they, and their parents need our love and prayers.

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Michiko was out in the yard just now. She and her daddy were digging into the compost heap. This year we are experimenting with square foot gardening. But for the deer, our resident groundhog, and other rodents which we have some difficulty keeping out (we have fences, wire cages and bird nets), we are pleased with our two plots of 4X4s. We have even begun to harvest some outer cabbage leaves, and lettuce!

Well, while in the back yard, she spied some puffball mushrooms and was very excited. I think she kicked into one while holding her breath. Then very gently, she brought one into the kitchen to show it to me.  She told me to hold it carefully and not to break it. I placed it on the kitchen table, intending to take a picture of it for her monthly newsletter.  Then her daddy came to the kitchen and washed his hands vigorously. I reminded her to wash her hands since she had been out in the yard. Well, not long after that, she came into the kitchen yelling that her hands were very itchy. I examined them and indeed they had swelled and looked angry, hot and red. I wondered if the soap she had used caused it. That soap was home-made by her aunt Marianne. I recalled that Marianne occasionally used walnut oil in her soaps (my daughter is allergic to walnut). But Michiko had used that soap daily for several weeks now, and with no complaints. And I was quite sure it did not contain walnut oil.  It then occured to me that there could have been a reaction between what she had touched earlier (the puffball mushroom) and the soap. I don't know. I just don't know. 

My heart simply beat so fast when I saw those hands. I was just so upset. I quickly squirted some cortisone cream on the redness and instructed her to rub her hands briskly. I also gave her 1 teaspoon of Zrytec. Argh, I noticed it expired last month!

Just because she hasn't had a reaction in a while I have been a bit complacent. Sure, her eczema continues to be a persistent challenge and her eyes occasionally get red and itchy, but we have not seen other reactions in a while. It is a reminder to me that I cannot rest and be relax. I must be alert at all times and at least make sure her medications are up to date. So tomorrow I will need to get new prescription for her Zrytec and her epi-pen. The latter has also just expired.

Living with allergies is just no fun.

I hate it!

It stresses me so much! 

But thank God for His abiding presence...

Thank God that we have Him to turn to just when we think we cannot take another episode or reminder of our children's allergies...

Thank God that He cares and He understands. He knows our weaknesses and remembers we are dust...

Meanwhile I pray for myself and others who are in the same boat, that God will give us wisdom as we help our children with their allergy-related challenges....

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This time of the year is just bad for children with food allergies and I’m one frustrated mama now. My daughter’s face is once more blotchy. The  eczema on her neck, elbows bends, behind the knees and legs is acting up again (not that it EVER went away). I know I cannot control everything she eats…and I do not want her to grow up with some kind of eating disorder because I micromanage everything she pops into her mouth (admittedly I KNOW exactly what goes into her mouth everyday) but it is just rough on me and her daddy to see her scratch her face, hands, legs (till the skin breaks and bleeds at times) and exhibit mood swings due to her allergies. I don’t usually make excuses for my children, but it is plain as my nose that certain foods do contribute to behavioral problems.

The past weeks I've let her consume to a small-moderate degree some cake, cookies, ice-cream and candy (candy cane, chocolate chips). All these products have dairy, soy and corn (a few of her no-no's).  Bringing our own food to church and family get-togethers just don’t cut it!  Not after having done that so diligently for the past seven months, anyway. She also ate out (once we had a house-guest and the other time I was lazy) twice (Ryan’s and Subway) and bam! Things just go out of whack!

Tomorrow, Nema (daddy’s mother) will be taking her out for her birthday treat. They will be having breakfast at Chick –fil-A (biscuit and ice cream) and then to Hobby Lobby. While I endorse the latter destination, I’m not keen on the former, but it’s her birthday and grandma has been putting a bit of pressure on me. Besides, this will be their first outing as a twosome and I do want her to make special memories with her Nema.

Also, poor girl, until we went to Ryan’s a week or two ago, she had not eaten outside food for more than seven months. Ha, for that matter, neither had I.

Anyway, I’m just venting. While I love this season, I get real nervous about the food. And I get real upset about the condition of her skin. I pray I won’t let the tension in my heart affect her gentle and sensitive soul as it’s just too easy to get frustrated with her when it’s through no fault of hers that she has so many allergies.

I must watch my own spirit when she gets a flare-up as maybe deep down I’m perhaps angry at God for her multiple sensitivities. It’s horrid to actually say this but if I confess that I do let such irreverent thoughts darken the door of my heart, maybe I’ll be better able to find that peace in God over this issue once more.

If you’ve read up to this point, thanks. I’d appreciate your prayers for my daughter and all the other little girls and boys (I know of several personally) who suffer so much because of allergies. Thank you.

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Our night routine includes a lot of moisturizing after a lukewarm bath for my daughter. As I do so,  I’ll examine her skin to see if there has been improvement or if new patches of eczema have cropped up. It is not something she savors. She disdains anything remotely greasy on her skin. It is also not something I enjoy much either. It is stressful.  

A big bath towel wrapped around her, she sits on the bathtub ledge, her dripping legs propped on to my toweled lap as I sit on the stool in front of her.  That’s the position after her bath.

Then I proceed with my nightly modus operandi…check skin, mutter, slather skin, check skin, sigh, look closer, check skin, wonder out loud, check my attitude, check skin,  slather, check my own attitude….

Last night, while I was inwardly commenting on her persistent rough elbow bends, she suddenly said “I was rather sad today.”

That raised my antenna.

I thought she had a chiefly grand day for a weekday.  She went with daddy (who took the day off), and Shang, our house-guest to the Space and Rocket Center in the morning and I had packed them a big picnic basket. In the afternoon, we organized a surprise birthday party for Shang and my husband (their birthdays coincidentally fall on the same day, July 1^st, today actually), and she had her swimming lesson before dinner time.

“I walked past three Dippin’ Dots stand, and I remember the last time I had it. It was at the fair and it tasted so good. Mama, when can I have Dippin’ Dots again?”  Her tone was plaintive.

I was surprised. When they had come back from the Space and Rocket Center, I asked my husband if she asked about eating Dippin’ Dots. His reply was that she probably didn’t notice the stands as she didn’t say anything. Actually, before they left, we agreed that if she had asked for it there, a cup of that wonderful specimen of comfort food might be all right.  She is not severely allergic to dairy and if she had to have that, I could live with it. But she didn’t ask.  She didn’t even comment about it each time she passed a stand. .

I hugged her, my heart breaking a little. I said she would be able to take it one day. She gave me a bright smile. Issue settled.

It will have to be a very special occasion though, and just once or twice a year. Maybe when the fair comes in fall, I might let her have a small cup or two after our ferris wheel ride. I had checked the Dippin’ Dots ingredients online: Pasteurized Homogenized Milk, cream, nonfat milk solids, sugar, guar gum and carrageenan.  I don’t like it but at least there is no corn or soy. 

It just blessed my heart  though that she has matured this much the past few months. It’s not easy for adults to give up food they enjoy. How much more difficult it is for a little girl who has to give up ice-cream and candy.  And more besides.

I pray God will give us wisdom, patience and grace as we take this journey together.

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Independence Day is next week, and as usual, we will have a family reunion at my in-laws' retreat on the mountain. My husband’s childhood home is just a 7 minute drive from our house and we visit my in-laws at least once a fortnight after church. But holidays are special so we always look forward  to being surrounded by extended family.

Alas, with all the food allergies my seven year old has, she cannot possibly eat what my mother-in-law (Nema) prepares for everyone. And Nema is some cook! Thankfully Nema does not take it as a personal affront when we bring our own food. She tries to prepare something that the children can eat. As I'm still nursing my two year old I also cannot partake of her wonderful holiday and Sunday dinners. So sad,  but sweet Nema usually puts out unbuttered vegetables and fresh fruit which I fortunately enjoy.  Everything else is almost taboo as we are on a corn-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, peanut-free, tree-nut-free, fish-free, shell-fish-free and legume-free lifestyle  (ha, this sounds better than “diet”).

So what are we going to tote to Nema’s house this year? What about her famous home-made ice-cream? Will my daughter be able to say no to that when all her cousins dive into it? I must add that it’s only in the past three-four months that we have so drastically modified our eating lifestyle. Before then, my daughter only avoided the obvious no-no’s and they were nuts, peanuts, fish, shell-fish and soy. And even then, she still had some processed food that contained soy oil, soy lecithin and even the occasional soy flour in store-bought cookies. Then her eczema really took a turn for the worse.  How we have come to this point of our journey will be featured in another article but back to what are we going to tote to Nema’s this year.  

I was tempted to say let’s miss the cook-out and just stay home. After all, my husband’s family is TRULY one big happy family and we see one another VERY OFTEN during the year anyway, and staying at home sounds wonderful (and so relaxing)  for a busy mom like me. But I want to be a blessing to my husband and daughter and in-laws…so this is what I’ve planned to take along when we meet next week.

My list:

1)      One packet of nitrate-free, soy-free, corn-free frankfurters

2)      6 homemade hot-dog buns

3)      A bottle of Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup (notice how most ketchups have corn syrup?)

4)      Broccoli sprouts (I can live on them! )

5)      A homemade  wacky cake decorated with rice ice cream (or coconut cream)  and dotted with blueberries and cherries to share with everyone

6)      An emergency packet of St. Claire’s natural candy for my daughter (all store-bought candies have CORN!)

Then before we leave for the cook-out, I’ll ensure that the children have taken their greens (yes, I can't relax unless they eat their daily greens!). .  I know Nema will have specially prepared vegetables (from her garden, no less!) for us and of course the quintessential water-melon wedges will be on all the picnic tables. Yes, I PLAN to relax when we go visiting. And pray that my daughter will not be too tempted by everything else.

Happy Independence Day!

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