Artena,
Thanks for the support. I'm praying this weekend is a success.
Lauren,
We have not had the skin tests done. With ds's hypersensitivities and over reactions, I think it would be a nightmare. We had to have blood drawn once, and it was insane. The thought of going through any sticks just might send all of us over the edge. I guess ds needs to get used to this kind of thing sometime, but he's petrified of shots or anything to do with needles. I'd hate to go through the testing and not have any answers.
When he was younger, ds had eczema. It's better now, but he still has very sensitive skin. It will flare if we use anything other than the dye- and perfume-free detergents. Perfumed lotions make him itch like crazy, and we have to use Dove or Ivory soap. He also has a runny nose almost all of the time, and when he's introduced to a new environment (like a new classroom), his runny nose becomes almost distracting. The teachers always think he has a perpetual cold. Like I said, the Nasonex helps a little, but I do often wonder if there is some other kind of trigger other than environmental. He had allergy testing done at age 2, and they said he had no allergies. I've heard, though, that testing done that early is often not reliable.
My good friend was over today in tears over one of her three children. It seems that we all have some sort of issue with our children. I have very few friends who don't have significant concerns about their kids. What is going on? Are we exposed to more pollutants or hormones in our foods? Have we just become helicopter parents worrying about every little thing? Do the kids not get as much exercise as we did? Too much TV? I guess there are no really good answers, but it's certainly strange that the prevalence of disorders such as ADHD are on the rise. I used to think people just jumped to that conclusion b/c it was convenient. Now I know that it is very real and just how debilitating it can be.
